My next stop in my quest for global gastronomic domination was Bangladesh. I know what you are thinking...isn't Bangladesh pretty much like India. Not so fast my fez wearing friend. The food in Bangladesh is like Indian food...but the curry goes to ELEVEN! Inm fact,the most popular food in Bangladesh is curried chicken, which I made last week. What I want to talk about now is curried salmon.
First I put the juice of one lemon mixed with a 2 teaspoons of lemon, and marinated the salmon for 15 or 20 minutes, which gave me time to gather the spices, and chop a few things...like the onion and garlic. I heated up some vegetable oil in a skillet, and added one small chopped onion, about an inch of ginger root peeled and sliced, and two crushed cloves of garlic. In a few minutes, the onions were soft.
To the above, I added a tablespoon of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander seeds, a quarter teaspoon of chili powder, a can of stewed tomatoes and half a cup of vegetable stock. After thins is stirred together, I added the salmon, along with the marinade, into the skillet and cooked on medium for about 15 minutes. Before serving, i topped with a handful of fresh, chopped cilantro.
My side dish was rice. I While I was cooking a cup of basmati rice in a cup and a half of water, in a skillet, over medium heat, I heated some vegetable oil. I added one small chopped onion, 3 medium carrots sliced, a bay leaf, one ground cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves, 4 black peppercorns, 2 tablespoons of butter and some kosher salt. When the rice was finished, I mixed it with the other ingredients in the skillet, and cooked, on low, for about 15 minutes.
I have to tell you...if that meal is even a little of what one can experience in Bangladesh, i would certainly be curried away there! Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Vindication in Bahrain!
I really embarrassed myself when I last tried to produce a meal representing Bahrain. The chicken was dry. The pilaf was laughable. The entire experience was a flop. But I am happy to announce that I have vindicated myself! How did I do this? By making sure I stuck with beef. In the kitchen, beef is no bull.
This is how I made Bahrain Beef...in the Magic Bullet food processor, I ground a teaspoon of fennel, a teaspoon of cinnamon, 5 cloves, 2 star anise, and a tablespoon of coriander seeds. The result was mixed with 1 small onion chopped, half a tablespoon of chili powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of crushed ginger and a crushed garlic clove. I added a splash of red cooking wine.
I RARELY use cooking wine. In most instances, I use a nice red drinking wine. But, there are some beef recipes that traditionally use vinegar. There is one thing I learned by the now almost famous Hungarian goulash incident of 2011...I really...REALLY...don't like vinegar in beef dishes. Like I said, I use drinking wine instead. This was one of those rare occasions when cooking wine just felt like the right thing to do. So I did. I was right. I then added to the inspired marinade above a third of a cup of UNSWEETENED shredded coconut, a pinch of salt and about 6 whole, fresh curry leaves. These can be gotten at an Indian food store. I mixed the beef cubes in this Arabic goodness, and added just a splash of water. While this was marinating, I thinly sliced a large onion, and sauteed it in coconut oil. Coconut oil is a solid substance, much like ghee, that is rather expensive.
Once the onions begin to look a golden brown, I add the beef and curry mix. I put some garam masala in mine, because I will find any excuse to use garam masala. Stir this up in the skillet with that wonderful coconut aroma, and let it cook on low for a bit. I did not precook the beef, because I like my beef as raw as can be. If you like more cooked beef, you can boil it ahead of time. or brown it.
What did I put this masterpiece on? Well...rice, of course! Boil a cup of basmati rice in a cup and a half of water, with olive oil and salt. Once it began to boil, I reduced the heat to a simmer, and added whatever spices came to mind...cumin, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon...go nuts. The result is a bed of rice that adds to the flavor of the dish. There is little worse than a good recipe ruined by bland rice. I thought of putting some raisins in the rice, as well; but, my wife can't tolerate too much sweet. If you give that a try, why not comment, and let me know how it went?
There you go! My Bahrain redemption. Enjoy!
This is how I made Bahrain Beef...in the Magic Bullet food processor, I ground a teaspoon of fennel, a teaspoon of cinnamon, 5 cloves, 2 star anise, and a tablespoon of coriander seeds. The result was mixed with 1 small onion chopped, half a tablespoon of chili powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of crushed ginger and a crushed garlic clove. I added a splash of red cooking wine.
I RARELY use cooking wine. In most instances, I use a nice red drinking wine. But, there are some beef recipes that traditionally use vinegar. There is one thing I learned by the now almost famous Hungarian goulash incident of 2011...I really...REALLY...don't like vinegar in beef dishes. Like I said, I use drinking wine instead. This was one of those rare occasions when cooking wine just felt like the right thing to do. So I did. I was right. I then added to the inspired marinade above a third of a cup of UNSWEETENED shredded coconut, a pinch of salt and about 6 whole, fresh curry leaves. These can be gotten at an Indian food store. I mixed the beef cubes in this Arabic goodness, and added just a splash of water. While this was marinating, I thinly sliced a large onion, and sauteed it in coconut oil. Coconut oil is a solid substance, much like ghee, that is rather expensive.
Once the onions begin to look a golden brown, I add the beef and curry mix. I put some garam masala in mine, because I will find any excuse to use garam masala. Stir this up in the skillet with that wonderful coconut aroma, and let it cook on low for a bit. I did not precook the beef, because I like my beef as raw as can be. If you like more cooked beef, you can boil it ahead of time. or brown it.
What did I put this masterpiece on? Well...rice, of course! Boil a cup of basmati rice in a cup and a half of water, with olive oil and salt. Once it began to boil, I reduced the heat to a simmer, and added whatever spices came to mind...cumin, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon...go nuts. The result is a bed of rice that adds to the flavor of the dish. There is little worse than a good recipe ruined by bland rice. I thought of putting some raisins in the rice, as well; but, my wife can't tolerate too much sweet. If you give that a try, why not comment, and let me know how it went?
There you go! My Bahrain redemption. Enjoy!
Friday, January 13, 2012
THAI SHRIMP LETTUCE WRAPS
The next country on my world tour was Bahrain. I will be honest with you...I crash landed. Yep...this was not my first aborted mission; nor will it be the last. I made a chicken dish that stuck in the throat.
So...let me tell you about some really good food I made last night! Don't look at that dried carcass of a bird behind the curtain. We are talking about one of the tastiest cuisines in the world...Thai! It is not only delicious, it is also easy to make. Which is a good thing, because I don't think my mojo could withstand two major disasters in a row. No sir! When life hands this Rooster a lemon, he finds something easier!
Thai shrimp lettuce wraps follow the ancient Thai formula of filling your mouth with four different kinds of flavor at once. We have your sweet...we have your sour...we have your spicy, and, we have your salty. In a dry pan, heat a third of a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. I was unable to find unsweetened, so I only used a quarter cup. It worked fine. Once the coconut begins to brown, and you are driving the cats, dogs or gold fish crazy with the great smell, put the coconut aside, in a bowl, to cool. Either get a cup of cooked baby shrimp; or, do what I did. I used a cup of raw, medium sized shrimp, cooked them briefly in a little olive oil, and cut them into smaller pieces. These go into a mixing bowl. Also, into the bowl, goes 1/3 cup of chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts, 2 green onions sliced thin, 2 cloves of garlic pressed, 2 teaspoons of grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of dried crushed chili peppers, a half a teaspoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of coconut milk. All of this is stirred together. Now add the coconut.
Spoon this out onto several leaves of romaine lettuce. The sour comes from squeezing the juice of a lime into the finished product. Don't sweat it if you don't have limes. I forgot to do this, and it tasted wonderful. Fold the lettuce around the mixture and enjoy! See...isn't that a LOT better than dry chicken?
So...let me tell you about some really good food I made last night! Don't look at that dried carcass of a bird behind the curtain. We are talking about one of the tastiest cuisines in the world...Thai! It is not only delicious, it is also easy to make. Which is a good thing, because I don't think my mojo could withstand two major disasters in a row. No sir! When life hands this Rooster a lemon, he finds something easier!
Thai shrimp lettuce wraps follow the ancient Thai formula of filling your mouth with four different kinds of flavor at once. We have your sweet...we have your sour...we have your spicy, and, we have your salty. In a dry pan, heat a third of a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. I was unable to find unsweetened, so I only used a quarter cup. It worked fine. Once the coconut begins to brown, and you are driving the cats, dogs or gold fish crazy with the great smell, put the coconut aside, in a bowl, to cool. Either get a cup of cooked baby shrimp; or, do what I did. I used a cup of raw, medium sized shrimp, cooked them briefly in a little olive oil, and cut them into smaller pieces. These go into a mixing bowl. Also, into the bowl, goes 1/3 cup of chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts, 2 green onions sliced thin, 2 cloves of garlic pressed, 2 teaspoons of grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of dried crushed chili peppers, a half a teaspoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of coconut milk. All of this is stirred together. Now add the coconut.
Spoon this out onto several leaves of romaine lettuce. The sour comes from squeezing the juice of a lime into the finished product. Don't sweat it if you don't have limes. I forgot to do this, and it tasted wonderful. Fold the lettuce around the mixture and enjoy! See...isn't that a LOT better than dry chicken?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
CERAMIC KNIVES
There are two things in my kitchen that have saved my sanity over the last couple of years...my knives, and my cutting boards. Okay...there is the liquor cabinet; but, that is best left secret.
There is just something about the rhythmic chop, chop, chopping that is music to my ears; not to mention my stomach. These knives are of various sizes, depending on the job at hand. My favorite is a medium sized knife that I use when cutting meat, potatoes, carrots...things of that nature. One of the things that I have noticed, though, is that I have developed pain in the index knuckle of my right hand. it seems that age is beginning to creep in on me, and decided to gift me with arthritis.
I am pleased to say that I have found some relief. Thanks to my Kyocera ceramic knife, I am able to tackle these jobs with less pain. It is lighter than my metal knives and keeps that sharp edge longer. It does not rust, in case I do not get to washing and drying it immediately. I have to be sure to use proper hand form when cutting, because it can do some damage if i am careless.
I would like to endorse these wonderful kitchen tools. If you like to cook from scratch, you would be doing yourself a favor by purchasing at least one.
Now, if could only find a painless way of opening my gin bottles, i would have it made.
There is just something about the rhythmic chop, chop, chopping that is music to my ears; not to mention my stomach. These knives are of various sizes, depending on the job at hand. My favorite is a medium sized knife that I use when cutting meat, potatoes, carrots...things of that nature. One of the things that I have noticed, though, is that I have developed pain in the index knuckle of my right hand. it seems that age is beginning to creep in on me, and decided to gift me with arthritis.
I am pleased to say that I have found some relief. Thanks to my Kyocera ceramic knife, I am able to tackle these jobs with less pain. It is lighter than my metal knives and keeps that sharp edge longer. It does not rust, in case I do not get to washing and drying it immediately. I have to be sure to use proper hand form when cutting, because it can do some damage if i am careless.
I would like to endorse these wonderful kitchen tools. If you like to cook from scratch, you would be doing yourself a favor by purchasing at least one.
Now, if could only find a painless way of opening my gin bottles, i would have it made.
Monday, January 9, 2012
THE BAHAMAS
It has been a couple of weeks of much activity out of the ordinary; but, I am finally getting back on schedule. And the next stop on that schedule is the Bahamas! I decided to do a variation on a theme.
The dish I chose to represent The Bahamas is orange Fish. A lot of food is cut into bite sized pieces and grilled on the island, but I wanted to cook whole cuts of fish indoors, so I set the oven to 400 degrees, laid out four pieces of tilapia, and oranged it up. In a bowl, I mixed4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, a quarter cup of orange juice, the rind of half an orange, and salt and pepper.
I then created a tent using aluminum foil. At the bottom of this tent went a bunch of whole parsley. I put the fish on top of this and poured the marinade on the fish. It only needs to set for half an hour. Deciding there was not enough orange, I squeezed the juice from the half of the orange I zested onto the fish. Still not enough...so I sliced the other half of the orange into thin wheels, and placed these on top of the fish, one layer deep. Now I was ready to cook the fish. I sealed the fish with another layer of foil, and baked the fish for half an hour. Because it was completely covered I didn't have to worry that the fish would get overcooked and dry. It was tender and moist. I layered the bottom of the plate with the cooked parsley, and carefully put the fish on top. I then spooned some of the juices onto the fish. Make sure you serve with the cooked orange wheels. These can be eaten whole, as i found out from my wife. They are tasty, and nutritious.
While not a Bahama recipe, I served the fish with a side of freshly made avocado salsa. The was made with avocados, tomatinas, jalapeno peppers, a tomato, cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
The dish I chose to represent The Bahamas is orange Fish. A lot of food is cut into bite sized pieces and grilled on the island, but I wanted to cook whole cuts of fish indoors, so I set the oven to 400 degrees, laid out four pieces of tilapia, and oranged it up. In a bowl, I mixed4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, a quarter cup of orange juice, the rind of half an orange, and salt and pepper.
I then created a tent using aluminum foil. At the bottom of this tent went a bunch of whole parsley. I put the fish on top of this and poured the marinade on the fish. It only needs to set for half an hour. Deciding there was not enough orange, I squeezed the juice from the half of the orange I zested onto the fish. Still not enough...so I sliced the other half of the orange into thin wheels, and placed these on top of the fish, one layer deep. Now I was ready to cook the fish. I sealed the fish with another layer of foil, and baked the fish for half an hour. Because it was completely covered I didn't have to worry that the fish would get overcooked and dry. It was tender and moist. I layered the bottom of the plate with the cooked parsley, and carefully put the fish on top. I then spooned some of the juices onto the fish. Make sure you serve with the cooked orange wheels. These can be eaten whole, as i found out from my wife. They are tasty, and nutritious.
While not a Bahama recipe, I served the fish with a side of freshly made avocado salsa. The was made with avocados, tomatinas, jalapeno peppers, a tomato, cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
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