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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Vegetable Biriyani


Biriyani and Pulau (Pilaf) are two of my favorite ways of cooking veggies with rice that turn out slightly differently each time, depending on my mood and the spices i use for flavoring.

Usually, my versions of biriyani involve frying the rice and spices and layering them and baking; whereas for pulau i soak the rice, cook it till half done and finish it off in the pot that has the sauteed spices and veggies.

Typically pulao is faster (about 35 mins) for me than biriyani as pulao is cooked on stove top entirely, whereas baking biriyani takes about an hour and a half or more.



Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
3 cups water
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups frozen veggie blend (i like the california or fiesta blend)
(if using fresh veggies: carrots, bell peppers, green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, chopped uniformly)
3 Tbsp roasted salted cashew nuts
3-4 Tbsp raisins
1 cup drained assorted canned fruits(or fresh chopped pineapple,apricot,cherry,pear)
1 medium onion,sliced thin
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
1-2 strands of saffron soaked in warm milk (optional)
4-6 Tbsp ghee or butter
salt to taste

biriyani paste*:
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
2 indian bay leaf
2" piece of indian/chinese cinnamon bark
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 indian cardomom pod (aka black cardomom)
1-2 cloves
1-2 Tbsp oil
* i try to vary the proportion of these spices and get a slightly different flavor each time

Alternately, sometimes i like to use biriyani paste bought from the stores instead of making my own (either Patak's or Maggie or Shaan brands seem good)

Preparation
  1. dry roast the spices in a pan, and when cool enough to handle, pound them with some oil into a fine paste; set aside
  2. melt the butter or ghee and heat it gradually in a pan; add the onions and about 1/2 tsp salt and sautee, then add biriyani paste, brown sugar and the raw rice, sautee some more till rice is coated with the paste
  3. add the veggies and sautee till they are coated with the oil and the paste as well; add some more salt to taste (about a teaspoon or so); add the yogurt and stir till well incorporated
  4. pre-heat the oven to 375 F; heat the 3 cups of water - not boil - just bearable to touch
  5. grease a casserole dish or any other baking dish; spread a layer of sauteed rice+veggies+spices from the pan, spread a layer of fruits, another layer of rice+veggies+spices, top with fruits and raisins; add the hot water, cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for about 30 mins; then remove the foil and cook another 30 mins till rice is done
  6. top with roasted cashews, serve warm

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Monday, October 30, 2006

Rava Upma



Upma, (oop-maa), is one of my favorite breakfast/tiffin that can be a meal in itself.
I prefer making this with coarse sooji (or even with bulgur) as the dish turns out almost like tabbouleh - not sticky or lumpy but separate grains that are well cooked; but, upma can also be made with Farina or cream of Wheat; the water has to be adjusted for farina as it will get lumpy and sticky.


Ingredients
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
1/2 cup finely chopped frozen green beans
1 medium onion diced
2 green chilies chopped finely
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups coarse Sooji (Rava) - Coarse Semolina (wheat) - available in most indian stores
4-6 Tbsp ghee or butter, or canola oil
salt to taste
2-4 cups hot water (depends on the type of rava used)

for tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chana dal
1/2 tsp urad dal


Preparation
  1. Tempering: Heat 2 Tbsp ghee/oil in a non-stick pan till it shimmers a bit, add the urad and chana dal; when the dals turn golden brown, add the mustard and cumin seeds; mustard seeds will spatter - have a screen lid handy
  2. As soon as spattering dies down a bit, add the ginger, chilies and onion, sautee till onions turn translucent
  3. Add the veggies, salt and sautee a bit more; then, add the sooji and toast it lightly;
  4. Add the water, turn heat down to medium low; cover the pan and let the veggies and sooji cook for about 8-10 mins; check once or twice to make sure there is enough moisture to complete the cooking - not necessary to stir if there is enough water
  5. When all the water is absorbed and sooji + veggies seem cooked, remove from heat stir in rest of the butter/ghee - i find ghee's flavor really brings out this otherwise simple dish
  6. Serve warm with indian pickles (achar) like mango pickle, or lime pickle etc. I like it as-is even without any pickle.

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Thursday, October 26, 2006

mesir wat


Injera without mesir wat feels like Christmas without a caroling, Diwali without fireworks... so, I usually try to plan at least mesir wat with injera, if not any other side.

This recipe is probably not very traditional, as with most of my recipes. I usually make a jar of berbere paste and keep it refrigerated and handy; but as I ran out of berbere paste a few weeks ago and have not had a chance to make some more, this recipe approximates the taste even without the pre-made berbere paste.

Ingredients
for the paste:
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic
4-6 dry red chilies (depending on variety - some are very hot)
1-2 cloves (optional)
---
spices:
4 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp five spice (or allspice) powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg (less if you don't like the strong flavor)
1/4 tsp fenugreek powder (sold as 'methi powder' in indian stores- omit if you can't find it)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
---
2 cups dry brown lentils
2 Tbsp oil
water as needed
salt to taste

Preparation
  1. pressure cook the lentils, if you have a pressure cooker; else just boil some water and throw the lentils in and cook till well done, slightly mushy, while some of them still retain their shape
  2. combine all the ingredients for the paste and blend them into a fine paste
  3. heat a pan, add the dry spice powders and lightly toast them on the dry pan, then add oil and the paste from step 1, stir till well incorporated and raw flavor of onions and garlic is gone
  4. then add the cooked lentils, some water as needed, adjust salt to taste and cook till flavors are well-mingled
  5. serve warm with injera, along with gomen, cabbage-potato alicha

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Monday, October 23, 2006

Injera

ethiopian-meal-1


Every once in a while, I love to cook a simple Ethiopian meal of Injera and a few sides. Last Friday was one such day where we had injera, cabbage and potato alicha plus mesir wat, y'abesha gomen, selatta and a chutney to boot!

Usually I like to make Injera with Tef flour, but, all-purpose flour serves as a good substitute. Here's a recipe for Injera with all-purpose flour.
A mix of teff and all-purpose flour works better than pure teff flour in my experience.

injera-1

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 tsp baking powder
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil


Preparation
  1. add the yeast to the flour and slowly add the water and stir it well to form a thin batter; cover and let it sit in a warm place for 3 days; stir the batter once a day
  2. when ready to make the injera, add the baking powder and salt to taste, stir well
  3. heat a large non-stick pan/griddle, brush it with some canola oil, set heat at medium-high
  4. take about 1/2 cup of batter and pour it on the pan and swoosh it around to spread the batter into a thin layer on the pan (sort of like making crepe)
  5. bubbles/holes will form on the surface as the batter cooks and gets dry; usually, injera is cooked only on one side, so not necessary to flip it; oil the pan as needed to make sure injera comes off the pan without struggle
  6. remove from pan; layer a few injera at the bottom of the serving platter, overlapping each other; then, roll up the rest of the injera as they come out of the pan and arrange them on the serving platter; the quantity here makes about a dozen 8" injeras which seems to be plenty for two
  7. sides are usually served on the bed of injera, but, i enjoy holding a rolled up injera in one hand and taking a piece and dipping it in my plate of sides with the other:-)

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Sunday, October 22, 2006

Cabbage and Potato Alicha

cabbage potato alicha ethiopian stew vegetarian


Cabbage and Potato cooked together as a stew or done separately, makes a delicious side to scoop Injera with and enjoy. I like to present cabbage and potatoes as separate dishes to accompany injera because it adds to the number of sides, each with distinct flavor (usually, at least half-a-dozen sides is what i like to aim for :-))

This here is a cabbage+potato alicha, and not too runny - I try to keep it a little on the dry side as Injera soaks it up and falls apart easily - which is not necessarily a bad thing, but, gets harder to scoop up if it is runny...

Ingredients
1/2 medium cabbage, coarsely chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp five spice powder (OR, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil
water as needed

Preparation
  1. heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan, add the cabbage, sautee, adjust salt to taste; set aside
  2. heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan, add the onions, spices and potatoes, stir well; add enough water, cover and cook the potatoes till done; adjust salt to taste
  3. if making a cabbage+potato stew, stir in the cabbage from step 1, adjust the water to get a thick stew-like consistency
  4. serve warm with Injera, and other sides for injera like y'abesha gomen, mesir wat, cabbage and potato alicha.

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

y'abesha gomen

easy recipe ethiopian collard greens y'abesha gomen ye abesha gomen injera
I got introduced to Ethiopian food at Queen Of Sheba in downtown Indianapolis back in 1996. The proprietress was a very nice lady, very friendly, and the food was incredibly tasty. The last I heard, unfortunately, this charming restaurant had to close due to rising property taxes.

I *had* to learn how to cook Ethiopian food!

I've tried several recipes from several sources over the past 10 years and I think I've adapted the recipes to available ingredients fairly well.

This is a very simple collard greens dish that usually accompanies Injera.


Ingredients
1 bunch collard green leaves, (usually sold about 8-10 large leaves per bunch)
1 medium red onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 green chilies slit lengthwise (omit if you don't like the heat)
1" piece ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
spices:
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp allspice (or 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp black pepper powder (optional)
salt to taste

water as needed


Preparation
  1. pound the ginger, garlic, dry red chilies into a coarse paste and set aside
  2. coarsely chop the collard greens, rinse well
  3. heat the oil in a pan; add the onion, slit green chilies, tomatoes and the pounded paste from step 1 and sautee till onions turn translucent; add the paprika and stir it in
  4. add the washed, chopped collard greens; add a cup of water and 1 tsp salt to start the greens cooking; stir and check frequently to make sure there is enough water till the greens cook enough to be soft but not mushy; drain any excess water, if necessary; this dish is fairly dry, not too soggy
  5. off heat, stir in the black pepper powder and lemon juice; adjust salt to taste
  6. serve warm with fresh injera, mesir wat, selatta, alicha and shero wat

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Saturday, October 14, 2006

telor balado

easy recipe telor balado hard-boiled egg curry

I like hard-boiled eggs and i like spicy sauce; this dish combines the two favorites of mine.

Ingredients
3-4 hard-boiled eggs
oil for frying

for the sauce:
¼ cup sambal oelek (or chili paste)
¼ cup tamarind concentrate
¼ cup tomato purée (or, tomato paste diluted in water)
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 shallot finely diced
1 Tbsp Thai Chili-Basil paste
2 Tbsp Kecap Manis
1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 Tbsp White wine vinegar (optional)
water as needed

Preparation
  1. Heat oil for frying and deep fry the hard-boiled eggs for 3 minutes or so till golden brown; drain set aside
  2. In a saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients except water and let it simmer for a few minutes; add water as needed to keep the sauce consistency rather like a thick pasta sauce but not pasty
  3. cut the fried hard-boiled eggs in half and gently set it in the saucepan and let it simmer with the sauce; stirring breaks up the eggs
  4. serve warm with steamed rice, or even hot rotis

easy recipe telor balado hard-boiled egg curry

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Thursday, October 05, 2006

Snake Gourd

snake gourd


Snake gourd used to be on the bottom of my list of favorite veggies growing up. But now, I find that it has become one of my comfort foods: along with rasam and rice, this dish completes one of my favorite meals.

This is a simple snake gourd recipe - just sauté lightly salt and serve South Indian style with tempering and curry leaves.


Ingredients:
2 medium snake gourd(each about 10"-12" long), cut into rings
OR
1 pkt frozen, cut snake gourd*
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

for tempering:
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp urad dal

*I prefer the frozen ones as they are readily available in indian stores locally, and so far have not been bitter at all; fresh snake gourd can sometimes turn out to be incredibly bitter; even salting and draining sometimes does not remove all the bitterness.

Preparation:
  1. if using fresh snake gourd, cut them in half, scoop out the spongy insides, cut them into rings, salt them and let them sit for a while then rinse in fresh water and pat them dry
  2. heat the oil in a pan; add the urad dal and mustard seeds; ural dal will turn nice golden brown and release nutty aroma; mustard seeds will spatter (have a screen lid handy) and die down
  3. add the turmeric powder, frozen (no need to thaw) or fresh cut snake gourd, and salt to taste; cover and let it cook till tender but firm
  4. if not using frozen, check and add a few Tbsp of water as needed to cook the snake gourd till it is fork-tender, but not mushy and still holds shape
  5. stir in the black pepper powder, adjust to taste; serve warm as a side with rice or roti

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