I have way too many grains. When I moved into my current apartment, quite a few of my moving boxes were taken up by my pantry food. Yes, I moved my food. Is that weird? There are also things that made the move that went from my old freezer to my new freezer.
I have a hard time throwing things out, if you couldn't tell.
A few years ago, I went through a period of buying every single unidentifiable grain that I could find in stores, from Trader Joe's to tiny Indian markets.
It's time to clean out my pantry of all the couscous (whole wheat and white), moong dal, black azuki beans, whole green lentils, Sri Lankan red rice, millet and barley. Because if I don't find recipes for them now, I never will.
Moong Dal requires a rather long cooking time, probably about an hour or so. Might make a good plan ahead meal in a slow cooker.
- Moong dal tadka from Veg Recipes of India. A simple recipe of moong dal, tomato, onion and spices.
- Buttery moong dal from the New York Times. A similar recipe, but without the tomato.
Sri Lankan red rice uses a 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water. What I was really craving when I bought this was my amma's beetroot rice, but I got the red rice, even though I knew it was different. I might try making beetroot rice with the red rice and see if it turns out any good.
- Beetroot rice recipe that calls for basmati, but I'll try it with red rice instead. Will need to substitute some ingredients, like sambar powder and biryani masala. Mostly calls for a tomato, onion, beets (obviously), and spices.
- Another beetroot rice recipe, but it calls for chicken and coconut milk and no tomato.
Black azuki beans that I had no idea were azuki beans!! Randomly bought them at an Indian grocery because I thought they were... well, honestly I had no idea what they were. I just bought them. And now I am pleasantly surprised to find out that they are azuki beans. At least I think they are. I'm going to cook them tonight and find out!
- Osekihan
Whole green lentils were perhaps the most boring prospect in my cupboard, but I think they're turning out to be the most exciting!
- Persian lentil salad sounds refreshing and crisp. Simple too!
- Sprouted lentils used to be the bane of my existence as a kid. I would open the oven door and find a jar of lentils, sprouting. I would open the cupboard the week after and find a different jar. Then I would go to load the dishwasher and there was another jar. LENTILS EVERYYYWHERRRRRRE. It drove me crazy. I thought they were disgusting and slightly repulsive, especially the way they would grow in the dark. It would have been much more exciting if my mom had hid Nabisco snacks in our oven, dishwasher and cupboards, but of course she never would have done that. Interestingly enough, I've totally come around to lentils (and find Nabisco snacks repulsive), but I attribute it to eating delicious, warm and satisfying dal in Sri Lanka, not my mother... However, it is something we have in common now, which brings the grand total to 1. I might try a combination of the sprouted lentils in the Persian lentil salad! Now that sounds delicious.
I'm still looking for recipes for the millet, barley and brown rice mix.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Curried Couscous with Roasted Cauliflower
This dish is great hot or cold, but I prefer it as a cold curry salad. The curry is a savory, warm flavor, rounded out by the creaminess of the mayonnaise, altogether delicious when served cold.
Some great additions are fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh diced bell peppers (orange, yellow or red) and diced celery.
Ingredients
1 box Israeli couscous (1 lb)
1 head cauliflower, broken in florets
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 carrots, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1-3 limes (I always prefer more)
Instructions
Cook the couscous according to package instructions. Rinse in cold water, drain well, and set aside. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Toss cauliflower and carrots with all the spice powder and salt, then spread on a baking sheet and roast until just barely cooked, about 10 minutes. You don't want to overcook the cauliflower and carrots--in fact, you want them to have a slight bite in the finished dish. Remove and let cool.
Add the roasted vegetables to the couscous, then gently toss with the mayonnaise, lime juice, and any other additions.
Original recipe from Mendocino Farms
Some great additions are fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh diced bell peppers (orange, yellow or red) and diced celery.
Ingredients
1 box Israeli couscous (1 lb)
1 head cauliflower, broken in florets
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 carrots, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1-3 limes (I always prefer more)
Instructions
Cook the couscous according to package instructions. Rinse in cold water, drain well, and set aside. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Toss cauliflower and carrots with all the spice powder and salt, then spread on a baking sheet and roast until just barely cooked, about 10 minutes. You don't want to overcook the cauliflower and carrots--in fact, you want them to have a slight bite in the finished dish. Remove and let cool.
Add the roasted vegetables to the couscous, then gently toss with the mayonnaise, lime juice, and any other additions.
Original recipe from Mendocino Farms
Double Corn Cakes with Black Beans
Garnish with fresh avocado, salsa, fresh tomatoes, sour cream and/or guacamole.
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp cumin powder
2 cans black beans (15 oz each)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 cup corn and 1/2 cup corn
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tube pre-cooked polenta (18 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; saute 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, 1 cup corn. Season with salt and pepper if desired (go easy on the salt if the cans are not sodium-free), cook 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat, gently stir in lime juice. Cover and keep warm.
Crumble polenta into microwave safe bowl and mash with fork until nearly smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup of corn. Microwave 1 minute to soften polenta, then fold in beaten egg until mixture is smooth. Shape polenta into 8 cakes, gently flattening with palm.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook corn cakes, 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve cakes over black bean mixture.
From the Vegetarian Times magazine, April/May 2015 edition.
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp cumin powder
2 cans black beans (15 oz each)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 cup corn and 1/2 cup corn
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tube pre-cooked polenta (18 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; saute 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, 1 cup corn. Season with salt and pepper if desired (go easy on the salt if the cans are not sodium-free), cook 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat, gently stir in lime juice. Cover and keep warm.
Crumble polenta into microwave safe bowl and mash with fork until nearly smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup of corn. Microwave 1 minute to soften polenta, then fold in beaten egg until mixture is smooth. Shape polenta into 8 cakes, gently flattening with palm.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook corn cakes, 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve cakes over black bean mixture.
From the Vegetarian Times magazine, April/May 2015 edition.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Tres Leches Cake
This cake is best baked the night before, then frosted and topped with strawberries right before serving.
Also... this is a huge cake that is quite rich, so could easily serve 10 or 15 (depending on their appetite for cake and tolerance for sweet richness). I always make too much cake every year. Next year, I think I'll try halving the recipe and making it in a 9x9 pan. Additionally, the original recipe calls for 3 tbsp of sugar for the icing, but I'd recommend 1 or even none--the cake is sweet enough as it is, and unsweetened whipped cream might help balance it a bit.
Something I want to try next time too is making this in a muffin tin--I think these would make fantastic little mini cakes!
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup sugar, divided (3/4 and 1/4)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
Tres Leches mixture
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Icing
1 pint (16 oz/2 cups) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoons sugar
1 lb of strawberries
Instructions
* Separate your eggs first, so your whites will be closer to room temperature before you start whipping them. Add a pinch of cream or tartar and/or salt to keep them from collapsing. If you don't have a hand mixer, a hand blender or regular blender will help turn the egg whites from translucent to opaque. But after that, use a hand whisk to take over. If you try using something with blades after you've gotten almost to the soft peak stage, the blades will collapse the whites.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Beat/mix egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add milk and vanilla, stir.
Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into the middle of the prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, put back in the original pan, then pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all of the tres leches mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the tres leches mixture overnight.
An hour or so before serving: wash, pat dry, then cut the strawberries into fourths. Whip the 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable. Spread over the surface of the cake. Top with the cut strawberries.
Original tres leches cake recipe from The Food Network
Also... this is a huge cake that is quite rich, so could easily serve 10 or 15 (depending on their appetite for cake and tolerance for sweet richness). I always make too much cake every year. Next year, I think I'll try halving the recipe and making it in a 9x9 pan. Additionally, the original recipe calls for 3 tbsp of sugar for the icing, but I'd recommend 1 or even none--the cake is sweet enough as it is, and unsweetened whipped cream might help balance it a bit.
Something I want to try next time too is making this in a muffin tin--I think these would make fantastic little mini cakes!
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup sugar, divided (3/4 and 1/4)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
Tres Leches mixture
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Icing
1 pint (16 oz/2 cups) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoons sugar
1 lb of strawberries
Instructions
* Separate your eggs first, so your whites will be closer to room temperature before you start whipping them. Add a pinch of cream or tartar and/or salt to keep them from collapsing. If you don't have a hand mixer, a hand blender or regular blender will help turn the egg whites from translucent to opaque. But after that, use a hand whisk to take over. If you try using something with blades after you've gotten almost to the soft peak stage, the blades will collapse the whites.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Beat/mix egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add milk and vanilla, stir.
Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into the middle of the prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, put back in the original pan, then pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all of the tres leches mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the tres leches mixture overnight.
An hour or so before serving: wash, pat dry, then cut the strawberries into fourths. Whip the 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable. Spread over the surface of the cake. Top with the cut strawberries.
Original tres leches cake recipe from The Food Network
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Chapatis
From a cookbook, Mangoes & Curry Leaves (p110-111) by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. I was borrowing this cookbook from a friend and had to return the book, but very much wanted to save this recipe.
CHAPATIS
Chapatis are one of the world’s simplest breads to make and one of the best to eat. A dough is made with flour, salt, and water, then balls of the dough are rolled out thin and cooked on a griddle or a skillet. Once you get the hang of making chapatis, you can turn out eight breads for breakfast or for dinner in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee (well. almost).
Chapatis, sometimes called rotis in the north of India and in Pakistan, are quintessential Subcontinent. Village people make them over a simple fire of dung, while people living on the street in Delhi, or herdsmen in the desert, cook them on a makeshift fire of scrap wood and brush. They are a true staple food (like rice) because they not only feed and nourish, but they also taste good day after day, meal after meal. Some of the best simple meals we have ever had have revolved around chapatis: chapatis and dad, chapatis and a curry.
If you’re making chapatis for the first time, try to find atta flour in a South Asian grocery. Atta is a special kind of whole wheat flour, made from hard durum wheat that is very finely ground. An attractive pale yellow brown in color, it makes the best chapatis because it is strong and makes a dough that rolls out very smoothly. The cooled breads have an inviting warm-grain flavor and fine texture.
About 2 cups atta flour, or substitute whole wheat flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
About 1 cup warm water
To make the dough by hand, in a medium bowl, mix together the 2 cups flour and the salt. Make a well in the middle and add a cup warm water. Mix with your hand or with a spoon until you can gather the mixture together into a dough (depending on your flour. you may need a little extra water or a little extra flour to make a kneadable dough). Turnout onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to to minutes.
To make the dough in a food processor. place the 2 cups flour and the salt in the processor and pulse to blend. With the machine going. slowly pour the water through the feed tube and continue to process for about 5 seconds after a ball of dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. (The longer the dough stands. the easier the breads are to shape and the more digestible they are.)
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each one into a ball under your lightly cupped palm. Place some flour on your work surface, dust your palm with flour, and flatten each ball in the flour, pressing both sides into the flour in turn.
To shape the breads. work with one piece at a time, leaving the others lightly covered. Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough with a rolling pin, without turning it over, rolling from the center outward with light strokes and rotating the bread slightly between each stroke, until it is 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breads. Do not stack the rolled-out breads; if you don't have enough counter space for them all, roll out just a few and begin cooking, then roll out the others as the breads cook.
Heat a cast—iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the surface with a well—oiled cotton cloth or paper towel. When the griddle is hot, place a chapati top side down on the griddle and let it cook for only 10 to 15 seconds, then gently flip to the second side. Cook on the second side until small bubbles begin to form in the dough. approximately 1 minute. Turn the chapati back over and finish cooking, about another minute. At this stage, a perfect chapati will start to balloon. The process can be helped along by gently pressing on the bread. Because the bread is hot, we find the easiest method is to use a small cotton cloth or a paper towel wadded up to protect your fingertips. Gently press down on a large bubble, forcing the bubble to widen. If the bread starts to burn on the bottom before it has ballooned, move the bread (with the help of your paper towel) across the skillet, dislodging it from the point at which it is beginning to burn. When you are satisfied with your chapati, remove it and wrap in a clean towel.
Cook the other breads, stacking each as it is finished on top of the others and wrapping the stack in cloth to keep the breads soft and warm.
MAKES 8 BREADS, SERVES 3-4
Serve with any meal, or for breakfast or a snack. Use to scoop up salsa or to lift pieces of kebab, or wrap them around sandwich fillings.
VARIATIONS: You can include 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee or melted butter to make more tender breads. Add it to the flour and mix it in before adding the warm water; you will need a little less water. To make smaller breads, which are easier to handle, divide the dough into twelve pieces: the breads will be about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. And you can also cook the chapatis in oil or ghee: Put about 1/2 teaspoon oil or ghee on the hot skillet and spread it over the surface before you lay down each bread to cook.
MAKES 12 BREADS
PHULKA: If you cook the breads over a gas burner or a wood fire, you can make the version of chapati known as phulka or phulka roti. You need heatproof fingers (as most experienced chapati makers have), or a light touch with tongs. to do this successfully. Proceed as above, cooking the bread in a skillet. Once you have turned the bread back over onto the first side, cook it for a minute. then hold it vertically directly above the flame and turn it slowly to expose the edges to the heat. The bread will puff out as the air in it expands and the edges will get evenly cooked. You can also try doing this using the skillet as your heat source: Lift the chapati out of the skillet, place the edge on the hot surface, and then turn it slowly as if you were rolling it on the skillet so the whole outside edge gets exposed to the bot surface; the chapati should puff.
TANDOOR ROTI: Chapatis are sometimes baked in tandoor ovens. To bake your chapatis, set up the oven as described in Home—Style Tandoor Naan (page 116) and preheat it to 500°F before you start rolling out the breads. Place as many breads as will fit directly on the preheated stone or tiles and bake until done, about 2 minutes. They will usually puff up while baking and become touched with color. Use a long—handled spatula to remove them from the oven. Brush the top of each with a little ghee or melted butter if you wish, then stack them and wrap them in a cotton cloth to keep warm while you bake the remaining breads.
CHAPATIS
Chapatis are one of the world’s simplest breads to make and one of the best to eat. A dough is made with flour, salt, and water, then balls of the dough are rolled out thin and cooked on a griddle or a skillet. Once you get the hang of making chapatis, you can turn out eight breads for breakfast or for dinner in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee (well. almost).
Chapatis, sometimes called rotis in the north of India and in Pakistan, are quintessential Subcontinent. Village people make them over a simple fire of dung, while people living on the street in Delhi, or herdsmen in the desert, cook them on a makeshift fire of scrap wood and brush. They are a true staple food (like rice) because they not only feed and nourish, but they also taste good day after day, meal after meal. Some of the best simple meals we have ever had have revolved around chapatis: chapatis and dad, chapatis and a curry.
If you’re making chapatis for the first time, try to find atta flour in a South Asian grocery. Atta is a special kind of whole wheat flour, made from hard durum wheat that is very finely ground. An attractive pale yellow brown in color, it makes the best chapatis because it is strong and makes a dough that rolls out very smoothly. The cooled breads have an inviting warm-grain flavor and fine texture.
About 2 cups atta flour, or substitute whole wheat flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
About 1 cup warm water
To make the dough by hand, in a medium bowl, mix together the 2 cups flour and the salt. Make a well in the middle and add a cup warm water. Mix with your hand or with a spoon until you can gather the mixture together into a dough (depending on your flour. you may need a little extra water or a little extra flour to make a kneadable dough). Turnout onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to to minutes.
To make the dough in a food processor. place the 2 cups flour and the salt in the processor and pulse to blend. With the machine going. slowly pour the water through the feed tube and continue to process for about 5 seconds after a ball of dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. (The longer the dough stands. the easier the breads are to shape and the more digestible they are.)
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each one into a ball under your lightly cupped palm. Place some flour on your work surface, dust your palm with flour, and flatten each ball in the flour, pressing both sides into the flour in turn.
To shape the breads. work with one piece at a time, leaving the others lightly covered. Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough with a rolling pin, without turning it over, rolling from the center outward with light strokes and rotating the bread slightly between each stroke, until it is 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breads. Do not stack the rolled-out breads; if you don't have enough counter space for them all, roll out just a few and begin cooking, then roll out the others as the breads cook.
Heat a cast—iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the surface with a well—oiled cotton cloth or paper towel. When the griddle is hot, place a chapati top side down on the griddle and let it cook for only 10 to 15 seconds, then gently flip to the second side. Cook on the second side until small bubbles begin to form in the dough. approximately 1 minute. Turn the chapati back over and finish cooking, about another minute. At this stage, a perfect chapati will start to balloon. The process can be helped along by gently pressing on the bread. Because the bread is hot, we find the easiest method is to use a small cotton cloth or a paper towel wadded up to protect your fingertips. Gently press down on a large bubble, forcing the bubble to widen. If the bread starts to burn on the bottom before it has ballooned, move the bread (with the help of your paper towel) across the skillet, dislodging it from the point at which it is beginning to burn. When you are satisfied with your chapati, remove it and wrap in a clean towel.
Cook the other breads, stacking each as it is finished on top of the others and wrapping the stack in cloth to keep the breads soft and warm.
MAKES 8 BREADS, SERVES 3-4
Serve with any meal, or for breakfast or a snack. Use to scoop up salsa or to lift pieces of kebab, or wrap them around sandwich fillings.
VARIATIONS: You can include 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee or melted butter to make more tender breads. Add it to the flour and mix it in before adding the warm water; you will need a little less water. To make smaller breads, which are easier to handle, divide the dough into twelve pieces: the breads will be about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. And you can also cook the chapatis in oil or ghee: Put about 1/2 teaspoon oil or ghee on the hot skillet and spread it over the surface before you lay down each bread to cook.
MAKES 12 BREADS
PHULKA: If you cook the breads over a gas burner or a wood fire, you can make the version of chapati known as phulka or phulka roti. You need heatproof fingers (as most experienced chapati makers have), or a light touch with tongs. to do this successfully. Proceed as above, cooking the bread in a skillet. Once you have turned the bread back over onto the first side, cook it for a minute. then hold it vertically directly above the flame and turn it slowly to expose the edges to the heat. The bread will puff out as the air in it expands and the edges will get evenly cooked. You can also try doing this using the skillet as your heat source: Lift the chapati out of the skillet, place the edge on the hot surface, and then turn it slowly as if you were rolling it on the skillet so the whole outside edge gets exposed to the bot surface; the chapati should puff.
TANDOOR ROTI: Chapatis are sometimes baked in tandoor ovens. To bake your chapatis, set up the oven as described in Home—Style Tandoor Naan (page 116) and preheat it to 500°F before you start rolling out the breads. Place as many breads as will fit directly on the preheated stone or tiles and bake until done, about 2 minutes. They will usually puff up while baking and become touched with color. Use a long—handled spatula to remove them from the oven. Brush the top of each with a little ghee or melted butter if you wish, then stack them and wrap them in a cotton cloth to keep warm while you bake the remaining breads.
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