Around the World in Foodventures (Bangladesh: DHOKAR DALNA)

Upon a cursory review, there were several Bangladeshi dishes that caught my eye (and at least one other that I definitely want to make, but I think it will come up for other counties as well). This one, though -- fried lentil cakes in a warm, spicy, tomato based sauce -- literally made me say “ooh, that looks good.” So, here we are.

Dhokar Dalna is a lentil curry, but made in an unusual way. The root word “dhoka” means “cheat/betrayal/deception,” and is apparently used in the name of this dish either because you can’t readily discern what ingredients are in it; or because families eat this on days when they are following a vegetarian plan, sort of fooling themselves into believing it’s meat. Not only is Dhokar Dalna vegetarian, but it rarely (in an effort to maintain a Sattvic diet) contains onions or garlic. Because I don’t want to be too wordy here, I’ll let you delve more into these research rabbit holes if you so choose.

Onward to my recipe, which I wrote as an amalgamation after consulting various sources….

INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

3/4 cup of split Bengal Gram Dal/Chana Dal 1/4 cup of Matar Dal (yellow split peas)

Spices For the Lentil Cakes (measure out into a Mortar & Pestle) -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and finely chopped    * 2 Green Chilies, stems removed    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 1.5 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric    * 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida    * 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon    * 1/8 teaspoon Cardamom    * 1 teaspoon Nigella Seeds

Spices for the Sauce -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and grated    * 3 Green Chilies    * 3 large Bay leaves    * 3 Cardamom pods, cracked    * 1/2 Cinnamon Stick    * 5 Cloves    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 2 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder    * 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

1.5 - 2 cups of Water 2 medium Potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon of Ghee

1 Tablespoon of All Purpose flour 4 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil, divided 1/4 cup of shredded Coconut 2 Tablespoons of Roasted Peanuts, crushed Vegetable Oil (enough to pour about 1" deep in your frying pan) 2 medium Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Lentil Cakes

1. Wash all the Dal in water a few times, until the water runs clear.  Then soak it for at least 6 hours, or better yet overnight.  Drain off the water.
2. In a mortar & pestle, create a paste from the Ginger, Green Chilies, and all the Lentil Cake Spices.  Divide this paste in half.
3. Using a minimal amount of water (no more than 1/2 cup), grind the drained Dal into a smooth paste along with with one-half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste.  Also mix in the All Purpose Flour.  I did this step in a food processor -- much easier!
4. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the Mustard Oil in a frying pan, and add the other half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste, as well as the shredded Coconut.  Saute all of this for a minute or two -- to toast the spices and the coconut, wake it all up, and remove any rawness.
5. Now, add the Dal paste and the Crushed Peanuts to the frying pan, cooking and stirring until it dries out and forms a dough ball.
6. Remove from the heat, and spread the dough out onto a greased surface (cookie sheet, roasting pan, whatever).  Aim to make it about 1” thick all around.  Put it in the fridge to cool.
7. Wash your frying pan because you're going to need it again.
8. Once the dough cools completely, cut it into 16 diamond shape pieces (or, really, any shape you want).
9. Heat about 1" of Vegetable Oil in the frying pan to 300-350°F -- and fry each lentil cake (turning over as needed) until crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside.  (You can test it like a cake; meaning a toothpick or knife should come out clean and without any dough sticking to it).  Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through (I didn't do it this way, but I'd guess 2-30 minutes at 350°F).
10. Set the cooked lentil cakes aside and make the sauce....

For the Sauce

1. Heat the other 2 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil in the frying pan.
2. Add the Ginger, Green Chilies, Bay Leaves, and all the Sauce Spices -- and lightly saute for just a minute or two until any raw smells dissipate.
3. Add in the Tomatoes and cook (stirring) until they get mushy (starting to look like spaghetti sauce).
4. Pour in the Water and the Potatoes.  Cover, and simmer (10-15 minutes) until the Potatoes are cooked through.
5. Stir in the Garam Masala and Ghee.
6. Finally, place the lentil cakes into the sauce, spooning some over the top so that each cake gets a little moistened -- and let it all simmer together for a couple of minutes until the lentil cakes are heated back up and have absorbed some sauce.
7. Serve immediately, because the cakes are somewhat delicate and can start to fall apart the longer they sit in the sauce.

This was quite delicious (the cakes were even pretty good all by themselves, plain, before going into the sauce).  Also, it really did mimic meat sauce as pieces fell off the lentil cakes and made the sauce a little lumpy.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Bahrain: KHANFAROOSH and SHARBAT ZAFRAN)

The national dish of Bahrain seems to be Machboos, but I already made that for Qatar. So I perused some lists of other popular Bahraini foods, and settled on diving into some dessert and drink for this round of foodventuring.

Khanfaroosh are little donut-like cakes with saffron, cardamom, and rose; and Sharbat Zafran is a sweet, lemony drink with a similar flavor profile.  It proved fairly difficult, though, to find hard and fast methods for for either, so after studying a bunch of videos and written recipes (most not in my native language), I concluded that Khanfaroosh dough can be made with varying amounts of milk, eggs, and spices -- all to personal taste or family tradition, I suppose; and Sharbat Zafran is basically akin to an Arnold Palmer (in other words, it's kind of like a mix of sweet tea -- in this case, saffron tea -- and lemonade) with various ways to get to that final product.  Here's the amalgamation of what I learned and tried --

KHANFAROOSH INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

¼ cup of Rose water 2 pinches (~1/2 Tbsp.) of Saffron 1.5 teaspoons of Cardamom Powder

2 eggs 4 ounces of Milk ½ cup of Sugar

1 cup of All Purpose Flour 1 cup of Rice Flour 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

Oil for frying Sesame Seeds

KHANFAROOSH INSTRUCTIONS:

(Makes a dozen donuts)

1. Steep the Saffron and Cardamom Powder in the Rose Water for about 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Preheat about 1" of oil in a frying pan, to 350°F.
3. Meanwhile -- whisk the Eggs, Milk, and Sugar together in a large bowl.
4. Strain the Rose Water into the bowl with the Eggs, Milk, and Sugar -- being careful to leave behind as much of the Cardamom Powder as possible (you've already extracted its flavor, but don't necessarily want its color in here).
5. Now add the All Purpose Flour, Rice Flour, and Baking Powder -- and mix it all together.  (Your final dough will be pourable, a little runnier than pancake batter.)
6. Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour dollops of the dough into the hot oil, and fry.  Spoon some hot oil over the top of each donut, and turn over once or twice -- sprinkling on sesame seeds as you go along.  The dough will puff up.
7. Remove each donut from the oil when golden-brown, and set on a cooling rack to drain.

SHARBAT ZAFRAN INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of Sugar 4 cups of Water

1/4 teaspoon of Saffron Threads 3 Cardamom Pods (this would be 24 - 30 seeds, if you can't find whole pods) 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice Basil Seeds (optional) Rose Water (optional)

SHARBAT ZAFRAN INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Break the Saffron Threads up in a mortar and pestle.
2. Combine the Sugar and the Water in a pot, and boil (stirring occasionally) until the Sugar is all dissolved.
3. Take it off the heat, add the Saffron to it, and set it aside to steep and cool. *
4. Meanwhile -- break open the Cardamom Pods, scrape the seeds into the mortar and pestle, and grind them up.  Add them to the pot after it's about halfway cooled.
5. When it's all totally cooled, add the Lemon Juice and stir to combine.
6. Serve in glasses with ice....either as-is, or rimmed with some lemon juice, sugar, and/or lemon zest.
7. If you want to use Rose Water, add it to each served glass just a couple drops at a time, to your liking (it's a strong flavor!).

* Optional at this point (or even after it cools at least halfway) is to add some Basil Seeds.  I didn't have any nor felt like hunting them down this time, so I chose to skip this.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (The Bahamas: CRACKED CONCH)

Hi!  It's been a minute.  But here I am, back with the next installment of my Around the World in Foodventures journey; this time bringing The Bahamas.

We first ate fried conch in Miami (close enough to The Bahamas to make sense) at a hole-in-the-wall place called Conch Town USA.  Recommended to us by a friend, it was so good that I consider it one of those "chasing the dragon" places.  Meaning, it's the standard by which I will forever judge any and all fried conch....and who knows if another can ever live up to it in my heart.  Still, when I found out that Cracked Conch is the national dish of The Bahamas, there was no question I would try making it.  It's nothing fancy, but it does take some technique.

So after consulting several videos and recipes online, and reviewing my notes from that delicious day in Miami -- here's what I did to create my own Cracked Conch that hits those traditional, spicy Bahamian flavors while also bringing in notes from Conch Town USA (i.e. what I guess were the flavors in their dipping sauce):

INGREDIENTS
Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

1 pound of trimmed and cleaned Conch Meat

4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice

1.5 cups Buttermilk 1 teaspoon Onion Powder 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/2 of a Habanero pepper, seeds removed, minced     (The recipe I learned from called for Goat pepper flakes, which is made     from Habanero; but after trying multiple retailers I couldn't get actual     Goat pepper flakes.  So an equivalent amount of fresh Habanero felt like     a good substitution; it will serve the same function.)

1 cup All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup Cornmeal A pinch of Kosher Salt Your favorite Spicy Cajun Seasoning (amount to your taste)

1 Tablespoon Honey 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard 2 teaspoons Key Lime Juice A small pinch of Kosher Salt A small pinch of Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the conch meat into strips.  Toss them around in the combined lemon and lime juice to "wash" it, then rinse it off with water.
2. Pound the rinsed conch meat pieces until they're pretty uniformly flat; when they shift from tough to tender, it will be pretty easily visually noticeable.  (You can do this inside a plastic bag, between two pieces of plastic wrap, or however else you normally pound meat.)  You now have "cracked" conch meat -- so called not because it's addictive, but because it needs to be tenderized like this before cooking.
3. In a bowl, combine the Buttermilk, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Kosher Salt, and Minced Habanero.  Stir in the cracked conch meat and marinate it (covered) in a refrigerator for 30+ minutes.
4. While the meat is marinating, mix together the All Purpose Flour, Cornmeal, Pinch of Salt, and an amount of Spicy Cajun Seasoning to your liking.
5. In another bowl, whisk the Honey, Mustard, Key Lime Juice, Kosher Salt, and Sugar together to form a dipping sauce.
6. Now, measure out into a pot, enough oil that you'll be able to deep fry the conch without it touching the bottom. The temperature to aim for should be just enough for a light sizzle, somewhere between 250-275°F.*
7. Remove the conch meat from the buttermilk mixture, shaking off as much as possible.  Dredge each piece in flour immediately before gently and safely dropping them into the oil.  (You don't need to cook them all at once; you can do it in batches, or just one or a few pieces at a time.)
8. Fry until they turn just barely golden beige (not brown).* This will only take a couple of minutes with small pieces (and they will continue cooking/browning a smidge after you remove them from the pan).
9. As you cook, you may want to scrape any spice residue off the sides of the pan, or skim out any bits that are floating about.  This will minimize all that stuff sticking to/"staining" your gorgeous pieces of fried conch.
10. Fried Cracked Conch is traditionally served with any combination of Hot Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Ketchup, or Pickled Onions -- but because I'm looking to mimic what we had in the restaurant, I'm choosing the Key Lime Honey Mustard.

* If you cook them too hot or too long, you'll end up with a final product that is either rubbery and/or too dark in color.

The verdict?  These came out pretty good, but -- unsurprisingly -- did not match the quality we had from Conch Town USA.  I definitely could've tenderized some of the pieces more than I did; possibly by washing in the Lemon-Lime mixture more or marinating in the Buttermilk longer, or maybe just pounding better.  And although my Key Lime Honey Mustard was delicious, it didn't give us that OhEmGee feeling that Conch Town USA's sauce did....so I'm guessing I didn't nail that part.  The real issue for me here, though, is the amount of work it took (and waste it created) to trim and clean the conch meat, which we had purchased with shells and "innards" already removed (see this, this, and this).  I'd estimate that at least 30-40% of the weight we bought went into the compost bin during this process.  For these latter reasons only (the time/work and waste -- due in my estimation to the fact that the conch we were able to purchase around our home were much smaller than those shown in the videos/what one would be able to get nearer to the Caribbean), I am unlikely to attempt this dish again; that is, unless I can get my hands on some larger specimens (which I will keep my eye out for because we have a friend who'd be very happy if I could perfect this recipe).  I do also wonder if larger conch just have more flavor and/or are already more tender to begin with.  In conclusion, as we like to say, there are just some foods that are better when someone else makes them for us....and this (for now) is one of them.  I guess we'll have to go to Miami again, or The Bahamas.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Thai Mango & Carrot Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

We're using up freezer-stash Mango today.  Here's what happened --

INGREDIENTS*
* Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 medium-to-large Onion (chopped)
• 5 cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of Ginger (peeled with a spoon, and minced)
• 4 medium-to-large Carrots (cut into rounds)
• 1 Red Bird’s Eye Chili (roughly chopped)
• 1 stalk of Lemongrass (cut into segments short enough to fit into your pot but large enough that you will be able to easily find them later)
• 3 Mangoes (peeled, flesh removed from core, and chopped)....or ~4 cups frozen mango chunks
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• A few fresh grates of Nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground White Pepper
• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 8 Makrut Lime Leaves (bruised)
• 1 can of lite Coconut Milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a medium-to-large pot, and then sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, chili, and lemongrass over high heat until the onions just start to take on some brown color.
2. Add in about 2/3 of the mango and all the spices, and cook on high heat for just a few minutes to develop those flavors – then tip in the vegetable broth, toss in the lime leaves, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and let it all simmer together for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
3. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves from the pot and toss in the rest of the mango and the coconut milk.
4. Using a stick/immersion blender, work the soup until it’s completely smooth. (Alternatively, you can accomplish this process in a regular blender – you’ll just have to pour the soup back into the pot afterwards.)
5. Return the lemongrass and lime leaves to the pot, and bring it all back up to temperature -- tasting and adjusting any spices you wish as you go.
6. Serve with an optional garnish of fresh cilantro, maybe a tiny sprinkle of extra nutmeg, or even some additional chilies if you're feeling spicy. (The lemongrass and lime leaves aren't meant to be eaten – but if you really, really want to….)

NOTES:

• I leave the Lemongrass and Lime Leaves in the soup as it sits, so they can continue infusing their flavor -- even when storing any leftovers.
• The soup will likely get a little spicier the longer you store leftovers in the fridge or otherwise, as the Bird's Eye Chili will also keep doing its thing.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Tomato Soup (Basil, or Curried)

Did you know that Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup has wheat in it?  I didn't.  (I kind of wonder if the presence of wheat was always the the case .... because I wouldn't have used the soup for the purpose I did had I been aware before.)  Hmmmm.  But I certainly could have just made a mistake or overlooked it.  Yikes!

Anyways, the problem wasn't brought to my attention until we were in the middle of making a batch of soup for almost 200 people (which was supposed to be both Vegan and Gluten-Free) at Burning Man this year .... when one of my staff noticed the ingredient that truly has no business being there.  Luckily, it was early enough in our process that we could pivot and make a separate smaller pot of actually Gluten-Free soup for the people who needed it, and continued on with the criminal (but still Vegan) version for everyone else.

All of this left me wanting to figure out a new Tomato Soup recipe, because if I don't have to make separate or additional pots for dietary restrictions -- i.e. if I can use one recipe that serves everyone's needs -- that's what I want to do.  So, here's the recipe I wrote and tested over the past few days (including flavor variations).  Both are super quick and easy.

TOMATO-BASIL SOUP (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

• Four 6-ounce or Two 12-ounce cans of Tomato Paste
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) of Coconut Milk
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) of Almond Milk
• Two 14.5-ounce cans of (Fire-Roasted if you can find them) Diced Tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons of (Penzeys Roasted, if you can get it) Garlic Powder
• 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
• 2 teaspoons of Dried Basil
• 2 teaspoons of Paprika
• 2 teaspoons of Dried Oregano
• 2 teaspoons of Dried Parsley
• 2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt (you'll probably want to use less if your Tomato Paste already has salt in it)
• 2 teaspoons of freshly-cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot.
2. Whisk together until the Tomato Paste and Coconut Milk smooth out.
3. Simmer (whisking occasionally) until you're ready to serve (but at least 30 minutes so all the flavors have time to marry well).

Notes:
You can also throw in some chiffonaded fresh basil for an additional pop of crispness.

Makes 8 cups.

CURRIED TOMATO SOUP (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

• Four 6-ounce or Two 12-ounce cans of Tomato Paste
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) of Coconut Milk
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) of Almond Milk
• Two 14.5-ounce cans of (Fire-Roasted if you can find them) Diced Tomatoes
• 6 teaspoons of Kosher Salt (you'll probably want to use less if your Tomato Paste already has salt in it)
• 8 teaspoons of Penzeys Salt-Free Sweet Curry Powder; or whatever Curry Powder you have and like (just be aware if yours already has salt in it - Penzeys doesn't - that you may want to reduce the amount of Kosher Salt that you add.)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot.
2. Whisk together until the Tomato Paste and Coconut Milk smooth out.
3. Simmer (whisking occasionally) until you're ready to serve (but at least 30 minutes so all the flavors have time to marry well).
4. Garnish with a little sprinkle of extra Curry Powder.

Notes:

Makes 8 cups.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Vegan Pesto

I had a bunch of fresh Basil and Parsley lying around, extra after using what I needed for other recipes -- so I decided to make some Pesto to be used at our next potluck dinner.  Here it is....

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 batch of my Vegan "Grated Parmesan Cheese" (Note: I used Almonds this time because I was out of Cashews, and it turned out just as well.)
• 2 loosely packed cups of Fresh Basil Leaves
• 2 loosely packed cups of Fresh Italian (i.e. flat leaf) Parsley
• 4 large cloves of Garlic, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked Black Pepper
• 1 cup of Olive Oil (I happen to have Extra Virgin)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put everything except the Olive Oil into a food processor and pulse to combine;
2. Then, while running the machine, drizzle in the Olive Oil until your Pesto is fully formed -- about a minute or so.
3. Serve it as a sauce on pasta or potatoes, spread it onto bread, use it as a veggie dip, stir a dollop into soup, etc.  Or, like me today, just freeze it for later.  The possibilities are endless!

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Crispy St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef Dinner Dumplings

After a two-year pandemic break, my employer last week once again served the traditional St. Patrick's Day luncheon. Our caterer is fantastic and makes, hands-down, the best corned beef I've ever had.  As per usual, however, there were a lot of leftovers....and office policy is that the fridge gets cleaned out and all food thrown away every Friday around 4:00 PM.  But I wasn't going to let all that stuff go to waste.  You can see from my Instagram post what I took home, what I already did with some of it, and what I plan to create with the rest.  This is one of the things I made and brought to our weekly potluck last night: 

Since this was a "create as I go" endeavour, I'm not giving a formal ingredient list this time, but have instead highlighted in bold green below each ingredient as I used it.

So, to make them -- chop up leftover Corned Beef, leftover Carrots, and leftover Potatoes; then make a small pile of those ingredients in the middle of some wonton wrappers (I finally used up the rest of our wonton wrappers that I've had in the freezer for a while now here, too!).  On top, put a small dollop of Whole Grain Mustard.

Then roll them up like tiny burritos to make bite-size packets, using an Egg Wash (egg mixed with a little water) to seal them closed.

Plop them, seal-side down, onto a baking tray covered with aluminum foil and greased with cooking spray.  I also sprayed the dumplings on top to help with browning and crisping.  My unfrozen, test batch were ready (golden brown and crispy) after about 10 minutes in a 375°F oven.  (The rest that we took to the potluck were cooked from frozen, and so took about twice as long.)  Serve with your favorite gravy (stout or otherwise) as a dipping sauce.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Spicy Pan-Fried Sesame-Lime-Coconut Tofu

A friend posted that they had made this recipe a while back, and it looked tasty and intriguing -- so I also wanted to try it.  As I was starting to put it together, though, I decided to make some modifications.  This is my revised version of the original:

Note -- Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup of Coconut Milk
• The Zest and Juice of 2 Limes
• 2 Tablespoons of Sambal Oelek
• 1 Tablespoon of Light Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup of Sesame Oil
• a pinch of Kosher Salt
• 10 twists of freshly cracked White Pepper
• 1 package (mine was 14 ounces) of Extra Firm Tofu (pressed to reduce moisture, then cut into about 14 or so pieces)
• ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds (I used a mix of black and white)
• 2 Tablespoons of shredded Coconut, very lightly toasted
• ½ teaspoon of freshly cracked White Pepper
• a pinch of Kosher Salt
• 1 large Egg
• enough neutral oil to fill your skillet about 1/8" (I keep Safflower on hand)
• fresh Chives, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together (highlighted red above) until emulsified.
2. Place the Tofu slices in a shallow pan or dish, and pour the marinade over.  Refrigerate for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours (it happens to be Sunday, so I had time to start early -- and marinated mine for about 3 hours).  Flip the slices over halfway through whatever your marinating time is.
3. When you're ready to cook, mix all the breading ingredients together (highlighted orange above) in a shallow bowl.  In a separate shallow bowl, whisk the Egg.
4. Heat the Neutral Oil in a skillet or other shallow pan.
5. Shake off excess marinade; and gently dip each piece of Tofu into the Egg, then dredge in the Sesame-Seed/Coconut Panko mixture, and then pan-fry them (aiming to maintain the oil at medium-high heat) for several minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.  Drain on paper towels.
6. In a separate, small pan -- heat and whisk the extra marinade to form a finishing sauce.
7. Serve with your choice of rice, vegetables, and/or noodles.  (I went with Baby Spinach sauteed with Shallots, Salt, and Pepper; plus some Baby Carrots leftover from another meal).  Drizzle a spoonful or two of the sauce on top of the Tofu; and sprinkle the finished plate with some Chopped Chives and, if desired, additional Sesame Seeds.

This post is a semi-original recipe that I adapted from Nik Sharma's.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

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If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Azerbaijan, redux: KUFTA BOZBASH)

There was another Azerbaijani recipe that caught my eye, which I would have preferred to cook at the same time as the Shorgoghal and do one post with both together-- except I didn't feel like hunting down its special ingredient before. But now I have it (thanks to the kindness of Feride Buyuran who quickly responded to my inquiry via her website asking for good sources), and made the thing for dinner tonight....so here is a rare second post for a country I've already foodventured to --

Note -- Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound of Ground Beef
• 1/2 pound Ground Lamb
• 1 medium-to-large Onion, very finely minced or grated
• 1 large Egg
• 1/4 cup of medium-grain White Rice, rinsed
• 1 - 2 teaspoons of minced Fresh Mint (to your preference)
• 1 teaspoon of Dried Savory Leaves
• 1 teaspoon Crushed Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 dried Cherry-Plums*
• 2 Tablespoons of Clarified Butter or Ghee
• 1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 4 cups of Beef Broth
• 3 cups of Water
• 4 medium Potatoes (I am using a mix of red and white ones)
• 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 cup canned Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 Roma Tomatoes, whole
• 1/2 cup of Green Peas (frozen or raw)
• Additional Fresh Mint, Salt & Pepper (for garnish)

* I purchased some "Aloo Bukhara Sour Plum - Aloocheh" from Persian Basket.  They still had their pits in them, and I was mistaken to think I would be able to remove those pits before cooking.  They were very, very difficult (if not impossible) to get out -- so I just used them with the pits left in and was mindful of that while eating.  You may want to opt for a Cherry-Plum variety that was pitted before being dried.

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the meatballs, combine the Ground Beef, Ground Lamb, Onion, Egg, White Rice, Mint, Savory, Basil, Salt, and Pepper.  Mix very thoroughly, until it starts to become pasty.  Then divide the mixture into 4 and shape into balls.  Make a hole in each one and place one dried Cherry-Plum into the center and re-close the meat around it.  Pack the meatballs hard so they hold together while cooking.
2. To make the soup -- in a large pot, briefly cook the Tomato Paste in the Clarified Butter or Ghee.  Pour in the Beef Broth and the Water.  Bring it to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently drop in the meatballs.  Cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any froth that gathers on the surface.
4. Now add the whole Potatoes and the Turmeric, and season with additional Salt & Pepper to taste.  Continue cooking on a low-to-medium boil for another 20 minutes.
5. Add the Chickpeas, the Tomatoes, and the Green Peas -- and cook for 10 more minutes.  Check that the potatoes are cooked through by poking with a fork, and use a thermometer to make sure the meatballs are done (they should reach 160°F in the center). If things need to cook more, do so until the meatballs reach a safe temperature and the potatoes are soft to your liking.
6. To serve, put one Meatball, one Potato, and one Tomato into each bowl (my potatoes were probably bigger than they should have been, so I cut them in half before serving); then ladle over some of the broth along with Chickpeas and Green Peas.  Garnish each bowl with additional Mint, and Salt & Pepper to taste.

This was pretty yummy, and I especially enjoyed the little pop of tartness at the center of each meatball.  I'd happily make it again -- except next time I would make the meatballs smaller so that I could get that delightful taste of Cherry-Plum in every bite instead of only with the very center portion.  I see no reason why the potatoes and tomatoes couldn't be smaller to match the meatballs, too (for example, using cherry tomatoes and those bags of "new/baby" potatoes you find in the supermarkets).

I studied several web pages (see: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) -- then used a combination of them plus personal knowledge and experience to write my own recipe that you see above.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Elizabeth Ingram's Quarantine Quitchen Kale Caesar Salad

This isn’t my recipe, but I wanted to post it here because it’s SPECTACULAR and I feel compelled to preserve it for future reference. (I sure as heck know I'm gonna want to revisit it time and time again.)

It was made up 100% on the fly by Elizabeth Ingram during an episode of Quarantine Quitchen on July 13, 2021. We just happened to have extra of one of the relatively specialized ingredients lying around (Bottarga), with no particular plans for finishing it off -- so we decided to procure the rest of the ingredients and make the salad ourselves.  Boy are we glad we did! This is, hands down, the Caesar salad that all Caesar salads wish they could be.

Combine the following things in a bowl and whisk together until they become salad dressing:

• 2 small Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup grated* Manchego Cheese
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Cumin
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon Smoked Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Sumac
• 1.5 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil
• Bottarga, grated* (I probably used about 3/4" of it; 3-4 Tablespoons)

*I use a microplane for grating.

Toss the dressing with torn Lacinato (“Dinosaur”) Kale leaves, and prepare yourself for the yummy noises you are about to make while eating it.  Seriously.

Around the World in Foodventures (Azerbaijan: SHORGOGHAL)

Shorgoghal are laminated (meaning, layered) pastries traditionally prepared for Azerbaijan's Novruz holiday, which celebrates the new year and the coming of spring. I was intrigued to make them because in my world, the majority of pastries are sweet or filled with sweet things. But these are savory and stuffed with a spiced filling (which while savory pastries certainly aren't unheard of, they just isn't as common). So, here we are:

Note -- Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoon of Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
• 1/3 cup of Warm Water
• 5 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if using Morton)
• ½ teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup (= ½ pound, or 8 ounces, or 16 Tablespoons, or 2 U.S. sticks) of Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 cup of Milk
• 1-2 cups of Clarified Butter or Ghee (or strained Brown Butter*), melted
• Extra All-Purpose Flour for dusting

* I went too far with my butter in the clarification process, thus turning it into good ol' Brown Butter -- but that's okay; it still worked great for this recipe (strained, of course -- we don't want the solids here).  If you want to read more about the similarities of and differences between Clarified Butter, Ghee, and Brown Butter -- go here.

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon of Fennel Seeds
• 2 teaspoons of Anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (double this if using Morton)
• ½ teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 cup (= ½ pound, or 8 ounces, or 16 Tablespoons, or 2 U.S. sticks) of Unsalted Butter, melted

GLAZE/DECORATION INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Nigella Seeds

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof.  It should get bubbly/foamy. (If it doesn't get bubbly/foamy, you have one of three problems: your water was too hot--try again with cooler water, your water was too cold--try again with warmer water, or your yeast is unfortunately dead and you'll need to get new yeast before continuing.  The water temperature should be between 105 and 110°F)
2. Whisk the flour, salt, and turmeric together. Then add the yeast mixture, the egg, the 1 cup of butter, and the milk. Stir to combine into a dough.  (Don't be afraid to add a little bit more water, if it seems too dry; this will depend on many factors such as the temperature in your kitchen, the altitude where you live, etc. -- just go slow and be careful.)
3. Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, but not tight – adding little bits more of flour as needed if it's too sticky.
4. Put it in a bowl in a warm place and let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in volume.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

1. Roast the 2 cups of All-Purpose Flour in a 350°F oven until it turns a light cream color (this took about 20 minutes with the flour spread out on a baking tray).
2. Toast the Fennel and Anise seeds on the stovetop (just a couple of minutes over low-to-medium heat) until they are fragrant. Grind them either in a coffee grinder, a spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle. They don't need to be super fine. Combine with the rest of the spices.
3. Mix the spices with the roasted flour; then, using a fork, combine with the melted butter until you get a crumbly, wet sand-like mixture.
   
   

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

1. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls and cover them with a towel to keep moist.
2. Roll the first ball out into a square that you can just about see through (use dusting flour as necessary – but sparingly – to prevent sticking).  Brush on a generous amount of the Clarified Butter/Ghee/Brown Butter (reserving enough to do the same on each of the next 7 layers to come).  Don’t worry about any holes that may happen; patching isn't necessary.
   

   

   You can see here that my squares were the size of my rolling pin, about 18" wide.

3. Roll the second ball out -- same as the first one -- into a square that you can just about see through (again, use dusting flour as necessary – but sparingly – to prevent sticking). Place it on top of the first one, and brush it with butter just like the first layer (and as before, reserving enough for the remaining layers).  Still, don’t worry about any holes that may happen; patching isn't necessary.**
   ** You may find that the dough retracts some when you pick it up to place it on the layered pile.  But you can utilize the butter that you spread out to sort of stick it down and re-stretch it to fit the same area.
4. Repeat this process until you are out of dough and butter.
   

   

   This is what my pile looked like after 3 layers.

5. Now, you can either roll the whole layered thing up first, then cut it into pieces about 1-to-2” wide -- or you can cut the layered rectangle into 1-to-2” strips and roll them up individually. (If you go with the former, you can even stretch the full roll out a little more to make it longer before cutting it into individual rolls -- to get more yield. I took this option.)  Either way, you should end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 or 15 pieces that look like this:
   

   

   I also had the 2 uneven scraps from the ends that could still be cooked and eaten --
   but I used them for another purpose.  See Step # 9 below....
   

6. Let the rolls rest, cut sides up and down, for 10 minutes.
7. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare enough baking sheets to fit all the rolls plus space in between, with paper.
   
   
8. If necessary, gently seal the end of each roll so that it isn’t sticking out; then, using your fingers inserted into the center of each roll, begin pushing out from the center to make a little crater in which you will put the filling. Be careful not to puncture all the way through– you need the roll to still have a bottom.
   
   
9. Fill the hole in each roll with 1-2 Tablespoons of the spiced filling, then bring the edges together and seal the filling completely in. I found this closing-of-the hole/sealing part to be difficult, and so decided to enlist the uneven scrap ends from the roll --> I divided it up into the same number of rolls I had, flattened each little piece out, and used it to help patch the hole, cover the filling, and seal it in as best I could.  (It ended up working quite well.)
   
   
10. Put the rolls patch/seal-side-down onto your baking sheet, and lightly press each one to flatten into an approximately 4-to -4.5” disc. They should be at least 1-inch apart on the baking sheets.
11. Mix the egg yolks and olive oil together, and brush some onto the top of each roll. Then sprinkle Nigella seeds all over in any pattern you wish.
12. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through -- or until they are golden brown with an internal temperature of ~190°F.
13. Let them cool before eating. Serve with tea.
    

    

    The inside.

I studied three web pages (1, 2, 3) -- and used a combination of them plus other knowledge to write my own recipe that you see above.

 

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain