27 posts tagged “cumin”
September's Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She has chosen Indian Dosas, a vegan and gluten-free delicacy to suit everyone's dietary needs.
Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).
Serves 4
Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher
Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour) [I used chickpea flour instead]
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed
Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated
Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced
Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste
1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.
Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced
1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Verdict: This dish is very easy to put together. You can make the sauce and filling in advance. Totally a keeper!
Our Daring Cooks August challenge host, the talented Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes has chosen a delicious Spanish recipe, Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes by José Andrés, one of the most important Spanish Chefs at the moment.
He trained under well-known Ferran Adria at his three Michelin star restaurant El Bulli. José Andrés lives now in Washington DC and he owns several restaurants in Washington DC area (El Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel…).
The recipe Olga brought us is from his US TV show Made in Spain.
Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Equipment:
* 1 Chopping Board
* 1 knife
* 1 medium saucepan
* 1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size.)
* 1 Saucepan
Ingredients (serves 4):
* 4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or freezed if fresh are not available)
* 12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)
* 1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)
* 1 glass of white wine
* 2 Cuttlefish (I used 'It's All Good' Mediterranean Chick'n Fillets)
* “Sofregit” (see recipe below)
* 300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well.) – about 75 gr per person (½ cup per person) Please read this for more info on suitable rices.
* Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
* Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)
* Allioli (olive oil and garlic sauce, similar to mayonnaise sauce) - optional (see recipe below)
Directions:
1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.
4. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.
5. Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.
6. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8. Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.
9. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.
different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)
Cooking time: aprox. 1 hour
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 2 small onions, chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
* 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
* 1 Bay leaf
* Salt
* Touch of ground cumin
* Touch of dried oregano
Directions:
1. Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2. Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)
Allioli is the optional part of the recipe. We were instructed to choose one of the two recipes given, and Olga highly recommended us to try the traditional one, which is the one I made. Allioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste. Boy, it was really strong and went so well with the paella!
Cooking time: 20 min aprox.
Ingredients:
* 4 garlic cloves, peeled
* Pinch of salt
* Fresh lemon juice (some drops)
* Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)
Directions:
1. Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.
2. Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)
3. Add the lemon juice to the garlic.
4. Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.
5. Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go.
6. Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.
José's tips for traditional recipe: It's hard to think that, when you start crushing the garlic, it will ever turn into something as dense and smooth as allioli. But don't give up. It's worth the extra time and effort to see the oil and garlic come together before your eyes. Just make sure you're adding the olive oil slowly, drop by drop. Keep moving the pestle around the mortar in a circular motion and keep dreaming of the thick, creamy sauce at the end of it all.
Allioli a la moderna (Modern recipe)
Cooking time: 3-4 minutes
Ingredients:
* 1 small egg
* 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (as above, Spanish oil is highly recommended)
* 1 garlic clove, peeled
* 1 Tbs. Spanish Sherry vinegar or lemon juice (if Sherry vinegar is not available, use can use cider or white vinegar)
* Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Break the egg into a mixing bowl.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic cloves, along with the vinegar or lemon juice.
3. Using a hand blender, start mixing at high speed until the garlic is fully pureed into a loose paste.
4. Little by little, add what's left of the olive oil as you continue blending.
5. If the mixture appears too thick as you begin pouring the oil, add 1 teaspoon of water to loosen the sauce.
6. Continue adding the oil and blending until you have a rich, creamy allioli.
7. The sauce will be a lovely yellow color.
8. Add salt to taste.
José's tips for modern recipe:
(1) If you do not have access to a hand blender, you can use a hand mixer (the kind with the two beaters) or a food processor. If you use a food processor, you must double the recipe or the amount will be too little for the blades to catch and emulsify.
(2) What happens if the oil and egg separate? Don't throw it out. You can do two things. One is to whisk it and use it as a side sauce for a fish or vegetable. But if you want to rescue the allioli, take 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water in another beaker and start adding to the mix little by little. Blend it again until you create the creamy sauce you wanted.
Olga’s Tips:
(1) In Spain, rice is not stired as often as it is when cooking Italian risotto. You must stir it once or twice maximum. This tip is valid for all Spanish rice dishes like paella, arròs negre, arròs a banda…
(2) When cooking the alternative style you can change the cuttlefish or squid for diced potato.
(3) If you can’t find cuttlefish or squid, or you’re not able to eat them because of allergies, you can try to substitute them for chicken or vegetables at your choice.
(4) Sofregit can be done in advance. You can keep it in the fridge or even freeze it.
(5) For more information on how to clean and remove the heart of artichokes, please watch this video.
(6) To watch how Jose Andres cooks this dish click here.
(7) To tone down the taste when you do it by hand in a mortar, then add an egg yolk. If you want to tone it down in the alternative way use milk or soy milk. Anyway, the best alternative way is the original oil and garlic alone.
(8) Allioli must be consumed during the preparation day and preserved in the fridge before using it.
(9) For help on conversion on metric to imperial, visit this page.
The Verdict: We loved this rice dish immensely. We had it for breakfast and we had it again for dinner. It was that delicious! I would make this again, with different ingredients. This is the major advantage of paella. You can throw everything but the kitchen sink into it.
To see more beautiful rice dishes other Daring Cooks made in August, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.
Yellow Curry Risotto
(Makes 5-6 servings)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
2/3 cup baby carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/3 cups white jasmine rice or arborio rice
1 16-oz can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 cup warm organic vegetable broth
3 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded
1 1/2 cups snap peas, ends discarded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups hot water
A healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the carrots have softened a bit.
2. Add parsley and cook for another minute.
3. Add rice, and mix well until the rice is throughly coated with oil. Cook for a minute or two. Pour in the coconut milk and add curry powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. Mix well and cook until the liquid is pretty much absorbed.
4. Ladle in the warn vegetable broth. Mix well and make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook until most broth has been absorbed.
5. Add in Brussels sprouts and snap peas, as well as one cup of hot water. Again, keep stirring from time to time and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat the same process until all the water has been used up.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in salt and pepper and thoroughly mix. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
I can't think of a better title for this post. This is perfect! I have been following Mary's blog One Perfect Bite for a little while, with secret admiration. There are many great recipes that can enrich your lunch or dinner table without taking up too much of your precious time. And it's so much fun to just browse through those gorgeous photos.
I have already tried two recipes in the past two days. I think my admiration is growing more ardent. The first recipe to recommend is Moros y Christianos (Moors and Christians), a Cuban rice dish that will hit that spot when you crave for something nourishing and delicious.
Last night, I had a sudden urge to make my own seitan, which turned out to be really much easier than I had expected, thanks to the wonderful recipe by Joanna Vaught. Now I have two containers of chicken-style seitan waiting to be "butchered", and I can't recall the last time I have made pasta in my kitchen, a crazy idea was born: I should make a seitan pasta that combines all the flavors in the world! This is more or less a mission impossible. First of all, I don't even know half of the flavors around the world; secondly, I have actually never combined seitan with pasta before; last, I simply don't know where to even begin. Do I look up some recipes or think of one by myself?
But the dilemma resolved itself when the morning arrived. I was too hungry to consider what I would actually do with the seitan bathing in the broth in the refrigerator, or the fettuccine that looked so eager to be picked up. All the flavors in the world - the heck with it! I started cooking and the chef in charge was my hungry stomach. That's how this pasta dish finally emerged out of our kitchen. I was really pleased with the taste and the look of it. Of course my stomach loved it more.
I am submitting this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast and she will be hosting this week's event as well.
(Makes 2 large servings)
3 lb. uncooked whole wheat fettuccine (or enough for 2 people)
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. sliced ginger, minced
5 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups homemade chicken-style seitan (I used Joanna Vaught's recipe), cut into small thin strips
2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tsp. ground coriander
A good pinch of fine sea salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Smoked paprika for garnish
1. Start a big pot of water cooking on the stove. When the water boils, put the fettuccine in and cook according to the package instructions. The timing should work out in a way that you can put the pasta in when the sauce is ready. But if the pasta is cooked al dante first, pour some olive oil in and mix well to prevent sticking. If the pasta is cooked after the sauce done, you will just put the sauce aside for a little while.
2. Over medium heat, sauté onions, garlic, ginger, scallions and red pepper flakes for 8-9 minutes until onions get softer.
3. Add in seitan strips and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in red pepper paste and cumin, and thoroughly mix. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and turn up the heat a bit to reach a slow boil. Then reduce to simmer and continue to cook for another 7-8 minutes.
6. Add in ground coriander, sea salt and black pepper and throughly stir. Remove from heat.
7. Reserve a little sauce, and add most of the sauce into the pasta and mix very well. Plate. Pour the reserved sauce on top of the pasta and sprinkle some smoked paprika on top for garnish.
Serve warm, with baby spinach and carrots (or any greens you prefer) on the side.
Thanks to Purplesque's thoughtful recommendation, I'm so ready to make my first sourdough starter now. I just made my first sponge starter yesterday and now I am in the process of making my first Ciabatta. When my hubby picks up some rye flour in our next grocery shopping, I will make my first sourdough starter and we shall see what comes next. I am really excited about it, and hopefully I can participate in YeastSpotting very soon. I have learned so much about the art of bread making from Susan's Wild Yeast and Baking911 in the past two to three days. When all is said and done, my favorite thing to do in the kitchen is actually to bake a loaf of bread. Nothing beats that haunting aroma of the fresh baked bread right out of the oven. So here is to more bread baking in 2009!
In the meantime, I have another awesome scrambled tofu recipe to share. I probably should have made it during Christmas because of its festive colors. I guess when I feel lazy, scrambled tofu is my ultimate comfort food.
Red and Green Scrambled Tofu
(Makes 4-5 servings)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
8-9 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 1/2 cups portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
2 roasted red peppers (roasted or jarred), diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 tsp. parsely
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dill
1/4 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1 3/4 packages extra-firm tofu, cubed
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. red curry paste
1 bunch asparagus, rough ends discarded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, tips reserved
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
1.
Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and green onions
over medium heat for 10-11 minutes, until onions are translucent and
mushrooms have released the juice.
2. Add in the spices from parsley to Chinese five-spice powder. Mix well and cook for another one minute.
3. Add in tofu and diced tomatoes and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to release their juice.
4. Stir in red curry paste and mix well. Add in asparagus and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add spinach in by handfuls, and cook for just one minute to heat through.
6. Remove from heat. Pour in nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper according to your taste. Serve warm.
Before I have completely turned against "pan breads", I did make a loaf of beer bread - a real quick bread which gives you a buzz without getting you into trouble. The recipe is by Eat'n Veg'n Vegan Food and Recipes.
And I happened to make a batch of peanut butter jam thumbprints (recipe by Jonimarie of 'Just the food') right before the peanut butter recall sufficiently scared us. I used creamy peanut butter and black raspberry preserves, which is a wonderful combination. These cookies were so great that before they cooled off, one was snatched by my hubby. My usual attitude towards peanut butter is very stern; I mean peanuts are not nuts. Nor are they peas. Why should they be called peanuts? And so many people are allergic to peanuts. But I figured this time, what the heck. But then the peanut butter product contamination became bigger and bigger. We ended up throwing out all the rest of the cookies and two jars of peanut butter that we just bought. So here is the last photo that we can savor without possibly getting sick physically or emotionally.
We have been trying to entice more squirrels to come visit our yard more often by leaving mixed nuts on our lounge chairs and on the ground outside our lanai. So far, the first batch of nuts were consumed by one single squirrel a week ago; I watched the little fellow eat most of them and bury some in different holes. The second batch of nuts were mysteriously "stolen", on two consecutive nights, by some nocturnal animal. I haven't found any evidence of a raccoon living in the neighborhood, but I have seen a few cats wandering in our yard every day. Do cats eat nuts too? The mystery is that whatever animal ate the nuts, it also left a lot of white powder around the site. Since yesterday we had a lot of rain, unending. Now that the white powder is gone, the nuts gone, and it is super wet outside, I haven't seen any squirrel out in the yard yet. By the way, our nuts have a serious competition. My hubby told me that there is a lady living a street down who has some squirrel feeders that attract at least a dozen squirrels every day.
While waiting for the squirrels to come, I concocted a dish that combines my two favorite staples: scrambled tofu and tofu paprikash. So I named this Scrambled Tofu Paprikash. It is by far the best tofu dish we have ever tasted, since it combines the sweet paprika and tangy tomato taste and lots of fresh vegetables like cauliflower and yellow squash.
Scrambled Tofu Paprikash
(Makes 5-6 servings)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup sliced green onions
4 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite size
4 small to medium yellow squashes, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tomatoes, chopped and juice reserved
1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 Tofurky Italian sausage, thinly sliced
5 tsp. sweet paprika
3 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1. Saute onions, garlic and carrots in olive oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes.
2. Add cauliflower, yellow squashes and tomatoes and mix well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Uncover. Add paprika, parsley, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add tofu and sausage pieces and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Mix in salt and pepper and nutritional yeast and adjust the spices if you want. Serve warm.
I have been completely absorbed in reading lately, which is the reason why I haven't had much time for cooking. I am currently reading the last volume of In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust) and To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf). I just finished Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf) 2 days ago. Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf are my two favorite authors, and I can't read enough of their books. So, I only have two food photos to share this time.
Marinated Italian Tofu (Veganomicon). This is still one of my favorite ways of eating tofu.
Maple Snack Cake (recipe by Gretchen Noelle of 'Canela & Comino'). This is a must-try recipe for anyone who loves maple syrup. And who doesn't love maple syrup? It is a very dense and moist cake perfect for afternoon tea.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We cooked a lot and ate a lot, like there is no tomorrow. I guess during Christmas it is virtually impossible not to overeat. We have decided that we are not going to make any New Year's Resolutions because we already know - because we know ourselves well enough in this aspect - that we will not honor our resolutions for more than two months. So we feel rather relieved for not making any attempt. :) And you know what, I feel rather good about this. For the first time, we just accept and respect ourselves for what we are, and go with the flow. 2009 will be a good year, because we will work more on complimenting ourselves from time to time and being with ourselves in a friendly and loving manner.
Now, back to the food we cooked up for Christmas. Nothing too fancy. I almost did an all-Veganomicon feast.
1. French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme (Veganomicon, page 141).
2. Mac Daddy (Veganomicon, page 195).
3. Seitan Vindaloo (Vegan Dad, recipe here).
4. Singapore-Style Yellow Curry Rice Noodles with Tofu (Vegan Express, page 118).
5. Pumpkin Coconut Cakey Bars (My own recipe).
I wish everyone a happy New Year's Day in advance, and God bless!
