Machi Paka with Broccoli / Salmon and Broccoli in a Spicy Coconut Sauce

Saturday supper; to continue my Golden Jubilee Series I made Machi Paka or fish stewed in coconut sauce.  This is an East African Ismaili dish.  I added Broccoli to it to remind us of MHI and to make us all smile :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 leek or 1 medium onion; chopped

4 small potatoes; peeled and cut into halves

2-3 garlic cloves; minced

1 inch ginger; grated

2-3 green chillies; minced

1 large tomato; blanched; peeled and liquidised

1/4 tspn tumeric

1 tin coconut milk 

1 head of broccoli; cut in bite size pieces

1 lb of Salmon fillet of any firm fish; cut into 2 inch chunks

3-4 sprigs coriander for garnish; chopped fine

1.  Heat the oil in saucepan, add the leeks, and fry until soft, add the potatoes and continue frying

2. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies, stir and cook for a minute.  Add the tomatoes, mix and cook for a few minutes, add the tumeric.

3. Add the coconut, bring to boil, simmer, until the potatoes are cooked.

4. Add the broccoli, cook for 5-10 minutes, so that the broccoli is still slightly firm.

5. Add the fish, cook for a further 7-8 minutes, add the coriander and serve.

I served with basmati rice.  

Golden Jubilee continues

To continue this series I have plans to cook Canadian, Singaporean and French food

Canada

• Cheese Samosa ala Samosa King / Sultan  - first time I ever had these was in Vancouver, then in Toronto (I wish I was there).
  
• Poutine is a Quebecois dish consisting of chips (french fries),  cheese and beef  gravy........  yum I had some in Montreal last year
  

Singapore

Last time I was in Singapore (2 years ago), I had an amazing meal at Raffles, it was with Abhi, Kee Hai and Peter.

• Singapore Noodles  (a mixture of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine).
  
• Roti prata

France  

I hope to be in Paris for the GJ Durbar

• French Onion Soup
  
• Quiche

Kerala jo Shaak / Spicy Bitter Gourds Ismaili Style

Chachi made these last Sunday for Dolubai.  I got to have some too.  Slightly bitter, but very tasty.

Ingredients

4-5 unripe bitter gourds / kerala - should be firm to the touch

1 tblspn vegetable oil

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves; minced

1 inch ginger; grated

2 green chillies; minced

2 medium tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised

1/4 tspn tumeric

1 tspn coriander / cumin powders

Method

1.  Scrap the kerala / bitter gourds, and slice into 1/4 inch half circles.  Discard the ripe ones (with red seeds).  Or remove the seeds.  The seed in unripe kerala are tender.

2. Soak in salty water for at least 30 minutes

3. Heat the oil, and fry the cumin seeds, until they swell up, add the onion, fry until golden brown.

4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli paste, mix and fry for about 30 secs.

5. Add the bitter gourd and stir for about 5 minutes

6. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook for 5 minutes, add the tumeric, coriander and cumin powders, mix, reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until the bitter gourd is cooked.

Serve with hot chapatis

Good for diabetes

Coconutty Salmon and Pimento del Padrone Biryani

Sunday's lunch was a Malabar style coconutty biryani made with brown basmati rice.  Brown rice does not look as pretty as white basmati rice, but it tasted really good, slightly nutty.

This Kerala style biryani was inspired by

Food Workshop  

East, West, and in the Middle

Indian Pot Pourri 

Thanks for sharing your recipe.  Shaheen bought me some Padrone peppers, I could not resist putting them in this biryani, they complemented the salmon very well.  These peppers are the mild peppers you get as tapas in Barcelona.  I had so many of them when I was there earlier this year.

Ingredients

1 lb salmon; cut in 2 inch chunks

Marinade

Juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 tsp tumeric, red chilli powder to taste (I used 1/2 tspn) and salt

2 cups brown basmati rice

2 tablespoons oil

whole garam masala; 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 4 peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 pods cardomom

1 leek (or medium onion) chopped fine

4 small potatoes; peeled and cut into halves

1 cup buttom mushrooms

1 tbspn yogurt

4 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised,

1/3 packet of creamed coconut (half cup coconut milk)

2 teaspoon coriander and cumin powder

1/2 tspn tumeric

2-3 garlic cloves; minced

1-2 inch ginger; grated

2-3 green chillies; minced

1 courgette cut into 1 inch chunks

100gm / 4 oz pimento del padrone (mild Spanish peppers) 

Can be substituted by any mild peppers even bell peppers

1/4 tspn garam masala

pinch of saffron; soaked in a tablespoon of hot water

For Tempering

1 tspn cumin seeds

Method

1.  Marinate the salmon in the lemon juice, tumeric and chilli powder and salt for 30 minutes.

2.  Wast the rice and soak in some water for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat half of the oil in a large saucepan, fry the whole masala; cumin, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardomom, fry until they pop and splutter, add the chopped leeks and fry until translucent, Add the potatoes, fry for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and continue to cook.

4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, mix and fry for a few minutes.  Add the yogurt, mix and cook for a few minutes

5. Add the tomotoes mix and fry for a few minutes; add the cumin and coriander powders and tumeric powder and add the coconut cream,  simmer for 15 minutes.

6  Meanwhile, heat the other half of the oil in a frying pan, fry the peppers, set them aside, fry the courgette and set aside, fry the fish until slightly brown and set aside.

7.  Add the fish, peppers and courgette to the tomato mix, add the garam masala, stir and simmer for 10 minutes,  

8. Boil the brown rice in salted water for 20 minutes, drain, rinse with cold wate and set aside.

9. Layer the rice and the sauce starting with the rice and finishing with rice.  I managed to get 3 layers of rice and 2 of the salmon mixture.  Add the water / saffron mix on top.

10. Fry the cumin in a little oil, pour over the rice, 

11 Place in the oven at 160 degree centigrade for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!  I served it with a baby spinach and tomato salad

Vegetable Biryani

This was our Sunday lunch,  the starter was Gujarati Muthiya

Ingredients

2 tablespn oil
2 sticks cinammon

4 pods cardomom

5 cloves

1/2 tspn cumin seeds

3-4 pepper corns

1 large onion; chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic; minced

1 1/2 inch ginger; grated

3-4 green chillies; minced

6-8 very small potatoes; peeled

2 carrots; peeled and sliced into 5mm (1/4 inch) slices

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup chopped fenugret

1 cauliflower; cut into bite-size florets

4 large tomatoes; peeled and liquidised

2 tspn coriander and cumin powders

1/2 tspn tumeric

1/4 tspn garam masala

2 cups rice; washed and soaked in water

pinch of saffron; soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm water

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the whole masala; cumin, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardomom, fry until they pop and splutter, add the onion and fry until translucent.
2. Add the potatoes, fry for a few minutes
3. Add the carrots, peas and fenugrek, mix and cook for a few minutes

4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, mix and fry for a few minutes.  Add the yogurt, mix and cook for a few minutes

5. Add the cauliflower and tomotoes mix and fry for a few minutes

6. Add the cumin, coriander and tumeric powders, mix and cook for 15 minutes

7. Add the garam masala mix.

5.Meanwhile parboil the rice in lots of water, strain and wash with cold water
6. Place half the vegetable mixture in an oven proof dish, place half the rice on top of it.
7. Fry the cumin in the oil
8. Pour half the cumin / oil mixture on the rice, pour half the saffron mixture on the rice.

9. Layer the other half of the vegetable mixture. Top with the other half of the rice
Pour the the other half of the cumin and saffron on the rice.
10. Place in a moderate oven for 15 minutes.

 

Dudhi na Muthiya

I am starting a new series; cooking or other blogs.

Kajal, Bee from Jugalbandi and Coffee from the the Spice Cafe have inspired me to make these.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup semolina

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1tspn sodium bicarbonate

1 large dudhi / bottle gourd or 2-3 courgettes / zucchini; grated

1/2 cup chopped fenugrek

2-3 cloves garlic; minced

2 inch piece of ginger; grated

3-4 green chillies; mince

1/2 tspn tumeric

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup Chopped coriander for garnish

For vaghar or tempering

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon melon seeds

1 tspn mustard seeds

1 tspn cumin seeds

Method

1. Mix the 4 flours and sodium bicarbonate

2. Add the garlic, ginger chilli pastes

3. Add the chopped fenugrek and grated dudhi

4. Add half the oil, salt and water

5. Mix to form a fairly firm dough

6 Wet your hands and form log shaped muthia (see picture above)

7. Place in a slightly oiled steamer and steam for 20 minutes.

8. Let them cool

9 Slice into 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices, and pan fry in the remaining oil, place in a large dish

10. To prepare the tempering; heat the oil in a frying pan, add all the seeds, as soon as they start popping, pour over the muthia slices.

11. Garnish with chopped coriander

Serve with a minty yogurt raita

Hummus Bi Tahini - Syrian Chickpea Dip

Hummus was also part of all the meals we had in Syria. I loved it, since I have come back it is my lunch on Saturdays. Hummus and pitta bread....... yummmmmm! This recipe is part of the Golden Jubilee Series.


2 tins (500g / 16 oz) of chickpeas; drained and washed in cold water

1/2 cup Tahini
1 tsp cumin powder
1 lemon; juiced
6-8 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp Salt

1 cup Water
2 sprigs of coriander; chopped fine
1 tbspn extra virgin olive oil



Method

1. Place the lemon juice and the garlic in a food processor and liquidise
2. add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, cumin, salt and water, liquidlise

3. At this stage you can add more water / oil  or tahini to make it to the desired creaminess if you want.
3. Place in a serving dish, garnish with coriander and the extra virgin olive oil
Serve with warm pitta bread. Should keep in the fridge for 7 days (or in my case, in 3 days it is gone!)