As you all have realized, whether it is my history with India and Eastern religions, my time spent living in an Ashram, or just my general condition of xenomania, I LOVE Indian and Eastern food. Even those of you who love your meatloaf and mashed potatoes will admit that exotic new foods can spice up not only dinner....but those after dinner treats (if you get my drift...)
3 cups natural rice
3/4 cup yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon Clove
Pinch Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Saffron
1/4 cup Milk
1 Tablespoon chopped Cashews
1 Tablespoon chopped Walnut
3 Tablespoons Coconut or Olive Oil (as preferred)
Sprinkle Sea Salt
Wash and soak rice to soften. Slice the onions and heat the oil, then saute onions until golden brown. Drain.
Saute spices and turmeric, then add rice, and sauté more, 4-5 minutes. Add half of the saffron, dissolved in warm milk. Add hot water then mix gently. Cook 3-4 minutes then finish with remaining saffron & cook until rice grains are separated.
Serve garnished with fried onions and nuts. Traditionally, it is served with mutton.
You've all heard of them, maybe some of you have tried them. Dim Sum comes in a wonderful array of flavors and ingredients. Here is one of my favorites.
4 pieces of cleaned chicken breast, skin on
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornflour
6 medium shiitake or black mushrooms
3 hardboiled eggs
2 cups chinese cabbage
Cut the chicken into small pieces and mix the pieces with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and cornflour. Set aside. Soak the black mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the stems and cut the caps into small sticks. Set aside. Cut each hard-boiled egg into eight pieces and set aside. Blanch the cabbage in 2 cups boiling salted water for 5 minutes, remove from the water, cut into 2 inch by 6 inch strips and set aside.
On each strip of cabbage, place some chicken, mushroom pieces and, at the top, near to one end, a piece of egg. Roll the cabbage up to make a neat bundle. Continue with each strip of cabbage until all the ingredients are used. Put two bundles into each small dish and steam over a high heat for 7-10 minutes.
Serve with sauces, rice, drinks, and friends.
3 Cups all purpose brown natural flour
1 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Currants
1 cup grated Coconut
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup 1percent milk
2 small eggs
1/2 cup softened margarine
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Angostura Bitters
1 cup canned sweet Cheries
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly butter a nine inch baking pan. Blend together the coconut, milk, brown sugar, and egg. Add the angostura bitters, butter, and vanilla blending without lumps. Sift together flour and baking powder then add the coconut mixture. Finally, add the currants, raisins, and cherries to the mix. Stir well to blend throughout.
Place the batter in the bread pan and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool on rack before attempting to cut. Wonderful when served with butter and a glass of eggnog.
Using, for example, 2 ripe mangoes, add,
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoon chopped raisins
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons curry
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered pimiento
Skin mangoes and mash into bowl. In pan with a small amount of water, cook all ingredients until mixture is smoothly blended, soft, and the texture of jam. Serve with a lovely curried goat and chapati dinner.
...not to be confused with Bully Beef (canned corned beef) although the two go nicely together, if desired
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted margarine
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pimento
Preheat oven to 400 degrees then Combine in mixing bowl the sugar and water.
Mix all dry ingredients and mix up the sugar mixture and butter with the dry mixture, kneaqding until smooth and blended.
Form round 3/4 cup cakes on buttered baking sheet. This recipe makes about a dozen bulla cakes. Bake tthe cakes for approximately 20-30 minutes until browned and cooked (testing with toothpick).
