Spiced Minced Chicken with Garam Masala & Pistachios

Whenever I buy minced meat all I think of is speed. All minced-meat dishes are quick to prepare, easy to make, and great for the waistline, as very little oil is used for frying.

Type of cuisine: Indian


Cooking time: 30 minutes


Difficulty: easy

For this delicious Indian dish, you'll need the following spices:

garam masala mix

cinnamon

freshly grated ginger

freshly crushed garlic

coriander

cumin

sweet chilli

mustard seeds

onion seeds

turmeric

(hot chilli)

Preparation

Peel two onions and dice them finely. Dice two small tomatoes. Have all the spices at hand.

Method

Fry the cumin, coriander, mustard and onion seeds till they pop. Add the onions, garlic and ginger, fry for a minute or two until they turn a golden hue.

Fry 500 gr of minced chicken till the meat separates in small globes, then work in the spices: cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, sweet chilli, extra coriander and cumin seeds. Stir constantly to prevent  from sticking.

Add the diced tomatoes and allow to soften.

Finally, chop some parsley and add to the meat. Season with salt and lime juice and decorate with pistachios, pomegranates, pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.

The meat by itself will be dry, so I would suggest you have some dips and salads as side dishes: raita, pappadums, paratha, chutney, or a mixed salad of carrot, orange & nut with a sprinkling of pomegranate juice. Bombay potatoes go very well with this dish, as does any vegetarian curry.

Generally I prefer mildly hot dishes, so I use hot chilly sparingly.

Think Gourmet!

On all kinds of culinary goodies ...

p'tit resto en France 

Would it be pushing it to say that people don’t eat well these days? With hardly any free time under our belt, stressed and joggling through too many ‘to-do’ tasks, we find ourselves forced to eat fast meals, if not actually fast food.  Lunch time is short and even this much anticipated break is used to deal with emails and other professional or personal duties.  Dinner often happens in front of the telly in the living room, with a bowl on our lap. Lack of resources and money is another factor which contributes to a poor and boring diet.

I love food. The belief “you are what you eat” (hence the description of my blog) has always appealed to me because food is interlinked with psychology and social background. We are influenced by what we have read, seen, visited, smelt, tasted, tried and sampled. Food is all about discovery - including self-discovery.

Should somebody need to be a foodie or be rich in order to appreciate a delicious bite? Not at all. Gourmet is not only about dining at the most exclusive restaurant in town. We have been led to believe that hard-to-get products (such as tuna fish, macadamia nuts, truffles, or Japanese Wagyu beef, to name just a few) constitute the basis of a gourmet dish. Quite to the contrary, gourmet food is all about simple ingredients that taste good and take you to a trip to Paradise. 

Good food (or what is often referred to as gourmet) is, in my opinion, cooked with passion and style using fresh, simple ingredients.

Here are some dishes that can easily be boring, but which can equally be twisted-and-turned into a true gourmet experience.

Eggplants

Boring: eggplant salad with salt and mayonnaise

Exciting: eggplant salad with avocado, zucchini, red onion, cherry tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds. Decorate with green lettuce leaves and sprinkle vinaigrette on top

Eggs

Boring: boiled eggs with salt

Exciting: boiled eggs with a sweet mustard sauce and green salad as a side dish.

The mustard sauce I often make is delicious and easy to prepare in a very short time: 2 spoons Dijon mustard, 1 spoon regular mustard, 1 teaspoon of honey, ½ or 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 4 spoons low-fat cream (or yoghurt) and linseeds  

Yoghurt

Boring: plain yoghurt

Exciting: Yoghurt will never be boring when you revamp it into raita, labneh or lassi, the last being probably one of the most versatile drinks on earth! (Click on the link to pick your own favourite lassi.)

Polenta

Boring: polenta as a side dish (a staple in the Romanian diet)

Exciting: polenta cubes, squares, wedges or triangles broiled in the oven with grilled paprika and balsamic vinegar sauce

Honey

Boring: honey spread on bread for a quick and healthy breakfast

Exciting: grind some almonds or dry coconut flakes and mix them with honey. Spread them on fresh baguette or Irish soda-bread. Enjoy it with strong coffee in the morning.

Pumpkin

Boring: baked pumpkin with brown sugar or cinnamon/nutmeg sprinkled on top

Exciting:  roasted pumpkin cubes with minced ginger

Chips

Boring: fried potatoes, aka chips with ketchup from a jar

Exciting: cut the potatoes in 8, boil them for 10+ minutes, drain them and put them in an ovenproof dish. You can roast them in many ways, after adding the following herbs and/or spices:

European style: herbs (use your imagination: rosemary, herbes provencales etc), Camargue salt or fleur de sel, a dash of olive oil

Indian style (Bombay potatoes): mustard seeds, onion seeds, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, hot chilli, curry leaves, freshly grated ginger, turmeric, garlic, garam masala powder mix, olive oil, salt

Lebanese style: mint, sweet paprika, one diced tomato, mint, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, fleur de sel, olive oil

My own style J: cumin, coriander seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, fleur de sel, extra virgin olive oil

Have them with one of the following dips: raita, satay (peanut butter, coconut milk & spices), tomato & mint chutney, honey & mustard sauce. All should be home-made.

Milk

Boring: warm milk

Exciting: hot milk with honey & ginger, or hot chocolate with honey & crushed mint

Coffee

Boring: Filter coffee

Exciting: Coffee with hel (aka cardamom)

Black Tea

Boring: black tea with sugar

Exciting:  black tea with rosewater & saffron sugar or Spiced Lebanese tea

Green Tea

Boring: plain green tea

Exciting: green tea with fresh mint or ginger

Pancakes (crepes)

Boring: pancakes with jam or Nutella

Exciting: Crêpes Suzette, or crepes with wholemeal flour, banana, pumpkin seeds, milk & vanilla, and filled with honey

Rice

Boring: (gluey) pilaf L

Exciting: biryani, bukhari, paella, risotto

Lentils

Boring: lentil soup, Lebanese style

Exciting: lentil-&-prawn chowder or mujardarra (lentil & rice with spices and sweet onion jam)

White beans

Boring: white bean salad

Exciting: white bean curry or carrot & bean soup

Chicken breast

Boring: chicken schnitzels or plain chicken skewers

Exciting: chicken satay, or shish tawook

Turkey

Boring: grilled turkey with green lettuce

Exciting: grilled turkey with forest fruit coulis or hoi-sin sauce

Minced beef

Boring: (European style) meatballs

Exciting: beef kofta, Lebanese style pizza or chilli con carne

Fish

Boring: British style fried fish (with chips)

Exciting: learn about fish, some fish are better steamed, grilled or baked in the oven.

Plain water

Boring: plain water

Exciting: served with thin slices of apple, orange and/or tangerine, fresh mint leaves, orange blossom water, and ice cubes. Or plain water with rosewater.

Fizzy (sparkling) water

Boring: fizzy water with a slice of lemon and ice cubes

Exciting: ‘Saudi’ champagne - 1 measure apple juice, 3 measures fizzy water, 

thin slices of apple & orange, fresh mint, ice cubes or crushed ice

Carrots

Boring: carrots in boiled mint or coriander

Exciting: Moroccan style orange-&-carrot salad with cinnamon, brown sugar, orange blossom water, lime juice

Couscous

Boring: couscous with tomatoes & red onions

Exciting: couscous with dried apricots, fresh figs, golden raisins, pistachios, almonds, spring onions, pomegranate (Use your imagination, add, remove, or mix any of the ingredients from the list)

Other tips that can make life beautiful:

Go to gourmet shops and make a mental note of the ingredients listed on jars. You can usually replicate them at home. Olive paste is very easy to make at home, and because you are not limited to a small jar, you can share this delicious Mediterranean black spread with your family and friends.

Opt for extra virgin olive oil instead of regular oil or very cheap olive oil.

If you have time, cook daily. Don’t eat food which is more than 24 hours old.

If you can, go to the market at least twice a week to buy your vegetables fresh and crisp.

If you don’t live in the city and have access to the outdoors, go fishing, and grow your own veggies and fruit.

If you have a small garden, plant at least some aromatic herbs and tend them with love and care. Plants need sunshine and lots of TLC.

Don’t buy sweets and biscuits from the supermarket. Bake your own cakes.

Invest in a good quality coffee machine, so that you can enjoy countless creamy cappuccinos and espressos at home.

Make your own chutneys, using a variety of ingredients, e.g. apple, tomato & mint, fig, mango, or peach.

Make sure to always have orange blossom water and rosewater in your pantry.

Buy fresh milk and bread every day.

If it is possible, use fresh herbs instead of dried ones (especially mint which is ideal for Lebanese style dishes such as labneh or raita)

If you can, make your own bread and pasta.

Avoid using ginger powder instead of ginger root. Ginger root stores well in the fridge.

Use honey and brown sugar instead of refined white sugar.

Have lots of different kinds of tea in the house.

Use coffee beans instead of ground coffee. That will surely wake you up!

ALWAYS go for fresh, local, bio and sustainable products.

Use imported products only for items which cannot and should not be anything but the original ™® (Roquefort, chorizo, Thai rice, basmati rice, salam de Sibiu, pappadums, exotic fruit & vegetables etc). Don’t buy garlic from China, peppers from Holland, watermelon from Turkey, apples from Italy etc, if they grow naturally in your country.

Read about food, spices & herbs; go through food blogs, listen to suggestions and learn (from mistakes, as well). :)

Have blue cheese or chèvre with a sip of velvety red wine, walnuts, and grapes. (La vie en rose). 

If you have guests for dinner, be generous - be a perfect host.  Your food will make people happy and your guests will want to come back.

This posting has been quite long (and I still haven’t finished!), but I hope you have found it interesting. I’ll probably update it one of these days. This is what I go for on a regular basis.  It doesn’t cost extra money and it makes life sweeter in the kitchen and beyond. 

And remember, when you cook it with passion, then it’s definitely gourmet!

PS. If you have any other suggestions on how to spice up a relatively boring meal, feel free to drop me a line. Your comments always make me happy... xx

Satay & A (virtual) Trip to South East Asia

I have never been to Asia, unfortunately, but the dream trip there has been in the pipeline for quite a long time. 

Deceived by the internet and by the general speed at which we travel with these days, some people say the world is small. Quite to the contrary, the world is vast and diverse. Every land has it own customs, laws, etiquette, local foods and dishes, stories, routines, dialects, peculiarities, and, generally, a way of doing things that might seem strange back home. 

There is "a method in my madness", as Hamlet would  say - it is not a mad world we live in, but a beautiful, eclectic one waiting to be discovered. 

A couple of years ago I discovered satay. I make it quite often. The other day I found coconut milk in the supermarket and needless to say, I stocked up :)) Sometimes I find it hard to get fresh ingredients to cook Asian (Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese etc), but to make satay is quite effortless, once you have the milk, the spices and the meat. 

Satay skewers with baby lettuce & peanut butter dip

Type of cuisine: Asian (I know, it's a profane term to define this dish, but there are so many ways of making satay)

Difficulty: medium
Cooking time: early preparations: 15- 20 minutes; to marinade: minimum 2 hours; grilling and satay dip: 30 minutes

This is a step-by-step recipe, I hope you won't think I am taking the liberty of teaching you how to make satay, but writing it in stages will help me clear my thoughts, as I did it stages. 

Stage 1: Early preparations: chop the chicken in square chunks, make the paste for the marinade and chop the veggies 

Stage 2: Marinade

Stage 3: Grill the skewers and make the peanut butter dip

To make the marinade you will need:

2 tsp coriander seeds 

2 tsp chopped lemongrass

2 cloves of garlic

1 x 3 cm cube of ginger, sliced

2 tsp sweet chilly powder

1/2 tsp hot chilli powder

6 star anise

2 shallots  (or half an onion)

4 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce


4 tbsp peanut oil (any nut oil, or olive oil, will do as a substitute)

what a beautiful, vibrant colour

Method

Place coriander, lemon grass, garlic, onion, ginger, chilly powder and anise in food grinder to make a powder. Place in a small bowl, and stir in the soy sauce, oil, fish sauce. Stir well to make a creamy paste. 

Cut the chicken into 3 cm (approx) cubes and marinate in paste for at least 2 hours. 

Chop red and green peppers and a large onion into skewer sized pieces. 

Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for at least 2 hours (to avoid burning).

Prior to cooking, thread vegetables and pieces alternatively onto skewers leaving at least 1.5 - 2 cm at either end free.

For the dipping sauce, you will need: 

2 tbsp nut oil

1 small onion, very finely chopped

4 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

200ml coconut milk

2 heaped tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp light soy sauce

juice of 1/4 of a lemon

1/4 tsp chilli powder

Method

Fry the onion, cumin, and coriander in oil, until the onions start to brown. Reduce heat. 

Add peanut butter and stir until softened to a creamy paste. 

Add coconut milk, vinegar, and sugar, and stir until fully dissolved. 

Add soy sauce and lemon. 

Finally add chilli powder. For a milder sauce, add less chilli. Leave to simmer on a very low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to pan.

Serving suggestion

Two or three skewers per person with Thai jasmine rice (my favourite) and salad of (preferably iceberg) lettuce and radishes.  Use the sauce as a dip.

The secret of a good Asian dish?  Read, read, read, learn about spices and sample them, taste to balance the flavours, mix and match to suit your taste (mild/medium/hot), increase or decrease the spices as you wish (as long as you understand how each element of the dish can work out for you). 

Veggie's Delight: Spinach Pulao & Aubergine Curry

Spinach Pulao with Jumbo Raisins, Toasted Almonds and Pomegranate Seeds

&  Aubergine Curry

Type of cuisine: Indian/Vegetarian
Cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: medium

Since the last time I cooked Indian was more than a week ago, today I had a craving for a curry, and not just any curry, I felt like having a vegetarian curry.

Vegetarian curries are colourful, zesty, and exciting to cook. Even though it was pretty time-consuming (I spent the bones of two hours baking, frying, chopping, dicing, peeling, grating, crushing, etc :) I was happy at the end when I got to take the pictures and we both enjoyed a very nice meal.

If you have cooked Indian before, you know that there's no Indian dish without spices: cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cinnamon,  turmeric, saffron, cloves, onion seeds, sweet paprika, and chilly- to name just a few. These wonderful spices are the base of whatever you cook.

Preparation

If you want to cook them both (it's a very good combination), you must start with the eggplants. Wash them, pierce their skin with a sharp knife and bake them in the oven for 45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

The Spinach Pulao

In the meantime, deal with the rice. Basmati rice will take more time to steam and it's a good idea to let it soak all the water while you are busy doing other things.

Fry some oil in a medium-size pot, add the spices (cumin, coriander, mustard and onion seeds) and let them pop. Cover with a lid, they are leathal :)

Add two cups of Basmati. Fry and mix with the spices. Pour water to cover and add salt (I used Camargue salt with crushed curry leaves- it's home-made), turmeric, a handful of jumbo golden raisin (yes, be generous) and bay leaves. Let it simmer.

While the rice and aubergines are taking care of themselves, prepare the veggies.

For both dishes, you will need the following vegetables 

a bag of baby spinach 

3 medium-size aubergines/eggplants

3 carrots 

2 red peppers

5 small red onions

 4 cloves garlic

fresh ginger

fresh tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes

a handful of almonds

jumbo raisins

pomegranates (to decorate)

Method

Going back to the rice, fry a pinch of cumin and onion seeds in the wok and cover.

Cut the two carrots julienne and put them in fry them with the two onions.  Set aside.

Cut the spinach if the leaves are long and fry them in butter.

Toast the almonds.

The wine is just for the show :) I love the reflection mirrored in the black bottle

To finish the Pulao, incorporate the carrot and onion mix with the rice, add the spinach and use a soft rubber spoon to mix. 

Top with toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds. 

Now, with the Pulao out of your hair, the Aubergine Curry will be a piece of cake.

Remove the aubergines from the oven and peel them. Drain and chop. Set aside.

Prepare the curry base: fry the spices (mustard, coriander, cumin, onion seeds- the usual). Add the freshly diced (or grated) ginger, the garlic and the chopped onions (should be the last three).

Add a carrot, two peppers and the diced tomatoes with a spoon of brown sugar, mix the lot, season with a little salt, turmeric, sweet paprika, a pinch of hot chilly, and a spoon of  Madras curry powder.  Reduce.

Can you see the onion seeds on top? They're beautiful.

Work in the chopped aubergines and let them simmer quietly. 

I hope you will enjoy this dish as much as I did. Have it with naan, papadums, raita, or chutney.  

Even though it takes longer to prepare, don't feel discouraged and arm yourself with patience. It took me two hours because it was the first time I cooked these particular dishes.  If you are organised and have all the veggies ready for cooking, you might even spend less time in the kitchen and more time entertaining your loved ones.  Enjoy :))

Philoxenia: Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk & Roasted Almond Flakes

A quick search on the internet will explain the meaning of the Greek word philoxenia as the equivalent of hospitality or lover of strangers.  

Nowhere like in the Middle East can you experience a deeper sense of hospitality and generosity. In a land where even time stands still, melted under the intensity of the desert sun, people have a passive awareness of the passage of time: Salaam, and a stranger is greeted, with a warm, yet firm shake of hand, a broad smile and the gesture to come in. No matter where you go - a modest bedouin tent, a luxurious weekend 5-star tent, a simple rented city apartment or the villa of a wealthy family, a stranger will be invited into the front room: a large saloon decorated with big Persian rugs in bold colours, cushions, small coffee tables and sofas placed along the walls. Along with the small talk comes the tea accompanied by a tray of sweets: basbossa (semolina cake soaked with rich sugary syrup), baklawa, or gatayef (small pancakes stuffed with nuts).

Tea is strong and served in small cups, then sugar is added and maybe a leaf of mint will be immersed to add some flavour to the black essence. 

*a photo of a photo* Tea in the Desert,  at an art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh

small coffee cup, art exhibition at DAU, Riyadh, May 2010

Time will go in circles in this cool, dark room which has now become a shelter for the thirsty traveller. Time refuses to obey the laws of physics in the Middle East. It expands and contracts, as if it were under a magician's wand. A problem is treated philosophically, yet with a sense of urgency that we cannot penetrate: mafi mushkila (no problem, in Arabic). 

The host and the stranger will easily find mutual interests and topics of conversation, in spite of what could drift them apart.  They mention the family, the weather, the guest's purpose to such a distant and heat-ridden country, the holidays, the job and the working conditions, the host's travels to the West, current affairs, and the world in general. 

Having in mind the stories of old, I will tell you about a wonderful spiced Lebanese tea that I discovered not so long ago. 

Spiced Lebanese Chai with Milk and Roasted Almond Flakes

The Spices

coriander seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cardamom pod

The Tea

black loose tea/2 bags of jasmine tea/green loose tea (your choice)

Milk

Honey or Sugar

Almond flakes

Method

Crush the spices (star anise, cardamom, coriander, cloves, cinnamon) in the mortar and pestle.  

Boil the water. Add the loose tea and the crushed spices, the ground ginger, the sugar/the honey. Let it simmer.

Finally, pour the milk and stir.

In a non-stick pan toast the almonds - make sure you won't overdo them. They blacken in no time (learned that by trial and error!)

Serve the tea hot, topped with almonds.

a full cup of the Middle East

Once they fill with water, the almond flakes will sink to the bottom of the mug. They will hold a soft crunchiness that you will spoon when the tea is gone. The honey makes the tea light and imparts a mild sweetness which is sure to make this amazing chai a treat for you and your guests. 

"Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels" (from the Bible) Hebrews 13/2

"Tell me, Baba", said Joha's son to his father, why do you speak so little and listen so much?"

"Because I have two ears and only one mouth"  (from Tahir Shah's In Arabian Nights)