IFN: Saudi Arabia

More Arabian food! Woot!

So the Arabian food was a lot like the Moroccan food... no curry though, saffron instead, but the premise is very similar (tomato base, veggies, etc.)

I made Al Kabsa, Fattoush, and Falafel (I think I didn't put enough bread crumbs in the falafel because they didn't fry up right, so that recipe is going to be excluded until I figure out what works...)

Enjoy!

Al Kabsa
serves A TON

1/4 c. butter
Chicken breast pieces (how every many people you're planning on serving - 8-10)
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. tomato sauce
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c. grated carrots
4 whole cloves
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch coriander
1 pinch saffron
6 whole allspice berries
1/2 t. cinnamon
(Other spice suggestions are white pepper, dried limes, and green cardamoms, which we didn't have)
salt
pepper
4 c. hot water
1 chicken stock cube
2 1/4 c. basmati rice
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Melt butter in large pot. Add chicken pieces, onion, and garlic and saute until onion is tender.

Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, carrots, and spices. Cook for a few minutes. Add water and stock cube.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.
Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add rice and stir carefully.
Re-cover and simmer for 45 minutes until rice is tender.
(Can remove chicken and brown it in the oven at low temperature instead of boiling it)
Serve rice on platter with chicken and garnished with almonds.

Fattoush (bread salad)


*This is a great fresh salad that is a bit tangy, but has a lot of different flavors to it

4 c. lettuce
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
2 c. well-toasted pita bread, broken into small pieces

Mix all except pita.
Add pita bread. Mix again.
Serve.

Enjoy!

IFN: Bahrain

Okay. So either I'm not looking in the right place... or Arabian/Middle Eastern food is pretty similar. They all use pretty much the same spices, and a lot of rice and some tomatoes. But at any rate, it tasted pretty good, and we especially liked the sweet rice.

So... Bahrain is a little island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. We looked it up. Haha.

We essentially had two things, and they pretty much looked the same. Though they were very different in taste. Machboos and Muhammar.

This is the Chicken Machboos. It's a savory dish with a lot of spices in it.

This is the sweet rice Muhammar. Yum!

Essentially we ate rice with a bit of chicken and veggies for this meal, but it was incredibly filling and we had a ton of leftovers. (They're also pretty much one-pot-wonders, which is a plus.)

Enjoy!

Chicken Machboos
serves 4

2 c. water
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 chicken breasts
2 onions, finely chopped
coriander (fresh chopped, or powdered)
hot pepper
cinnamon
paprika
tumeric
cloves
cayenne
cardamom powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice gingerroot, minced
2 T. butter
1/8 c. lemon juice
3 T. oil
3 t. salt

Heat the water. While heating, mix together paprika, tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cayenne. salt, and pepper. Rub onto chicken.

Heat oil and fry onions, garlic, and ginger until golden brown. Add your favorite hot pepper. Add chicken and brown. Sprinkle more cinnamon and the remaining mixed spices. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes, turning often.

Add tomatoes, turn ingredients, and cook for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle additional salt on top of everything and pour water on top while it is still hot.

Cover the pan and let it cook for about 1 hour on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked. Add coriander about 5 minutes before you remove chicken from the stock pan. While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice in cold water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot, place in pan, brush with oil, and sprinkle more cinnamon on top. Place in oven at 325 degrees and allow chicken to become golden brown.

Add rice to the stock pot. Stir and cook at low heat until the rice absorbs the stock and is almost done. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top, and place butter pieces. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 more minutes.


Heap rice in serving dish and top with chicken.

Sweet Rice Muhammar
serves 4

2 c. basmati rice
1/4 t. saffron
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
 2 T. water

Soak together saffron, cloves, and cinnamon in water.

Boil 6 c. of water and add rice. Boil to half cooked (about 8 minutes) and drain.

Stir sugar throughout. Add butter and stir. Pour spices on top and stir.

Cook on very low heat for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Top with more melted butter.

Enjoy!

IFN: South African Tastiness

International Food Night strikes again! South Africa was the destination location. I will admit, I was a little wary... mainly because meatloaf is not my favorite food ever, but this recipe is truly fantastic!

Unfortunately... it looks kind of yellow and brown generally, but pair it up with a green salad, and you'll have a fantastic meal! A note, we cut all these recipes in half and they worked out wonderfully, so if you double it, you'll have enough to feed a much larger crowd. With us we had more than enough for both of us to take for lunch the next day.

Bobotie
3-4 servings

1 T. oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. ground beef
2 slices bread (the recipe calls for white, we used wheat), crust removed and cubed
1/2 c. milk
1/8 c. lemon juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)
1 T. sugar
2 T. curry powder (we used spicy)
1/2 t. tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
5 bay or lemon leaves (opt)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium. Add onion and saute until translucent and just starting to brown. Add beef and cook until crumbly. Remove from heat, drain of any excess fat and place in a large bowl.

Put the bread and milk in a bowl and soak for 5-10 minutes. Remove bread and squeeze it dry, adding the excess milk back into the bowl.

Add the soaked bread, lemon juice, raisins, sugar, curry powder, tumeric, salt, and peppter to the bowl with the cooked meat and onions. Mix well.

Pour the meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and smooth out the top. If using the leaves, arrange them in a decorative fashion on the top of the dish. Press them down slightly to make them stick. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Beat the eggs with the reserved milk. After the meat has baked for 30 minutes, pour the egg mixture over the top of the meat and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and serve hot with geelrys and mango chutney.

Geelrys
serves 3-4

2 1/4 c. water or stock
1 1/4 c. long-grain rice
1/2 t. tumeric
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. sugar
salt and pepper
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)

Add the water or stick to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is absorbed). You might need to add a little more water that noted (since ours was a little crunchy).

Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick, fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Mango Chutney (Aam ki Chatni)
serves 3
I made mine the night before so it could cool

1 T. oil
1/2 t. ginger, minced
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. tumeric
1 green or ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. lime juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. mint, chopped
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. salt

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the ginger, coriander, and tumeric and saute lightly to cook ginger and toast the spices (about 30 seconds).

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the mango softens and the chutney becomes glossy.

Remove from heat and cool completely. Put into a clean glass jar (it will stain plastic) and store refrigerated. (Good for weeks).

Try these out! Seriously they are awesome!