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!