cumin

red and white onion bajiis

by Heguiberto on August 30, 2011

Bajjis, bhajis or pakoras are Indian vegetable fritters I adore. They sort of remind me of the type of vegetable/rice fritters my mother used to occasionally make when I was a kid. She called them bolinhos de arroz, or rice balls. It was a creative way of using leftover rice. There was never waste at home and that was a good thing.

red and white onion bajiis

red and white onion bajiis

To make her bolinhos de arroz she would mix flour, baking powder, mild spices, eggs, water, left over rice, grated zucchini or chayote and just fry and serve them as an appetizer or side dish. I thought it was such a treat when she made it! But when you grow up and develop a taste for bold flavors then you replace bolinhos de arroz with bajiis.

You can make bajiis with peppers, eggplant, potatoes, or cauliflower; but my favorite ones have onions.

Here’s a simple recipe with a Brazilian-Indian approach.

red and white onion bajiis

1 medium sized white onion, thinly sliced in half-moon shape
2 medium sized red onions, thinly sliced in half-moon shape
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup chick pea flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
3-4 tbsp cold water
Neutral oil such as canola for frying

Mix cilantro, sliced red and white onions together. Set aside.

Fill a skillet with about ½ inch of oil; bring oil temperature to high.

Meanwhile whisk flours, black and cayenne peppers, salt, cumin and turmeric powders together. Incorporate egg and water to make a thick batter. If too thick add a bit more of water. Fold in onions. Drop spoons full of batter into hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

{ 7 comments }

homemade “Mexican” rice, or vegetarian rice with tomatoes

by Heguiberto on August 12, 2011

I made this Mexican rice the other day to go with my tutu de feijão. I don’t even know anymore how Mexican or Tex-Mex, Brazilian or Californian this combo might be. It is vegetarian, but that sounds as limiting as any other category. I want to call it “international,” but these days that implies sort of gourmet multinational with a fancy presentation. And though this is gourmet, it sure ain’t fancy. So I’m going to follow the lead of my sometime culinary muse, Alton Brown, and quote him. This is simply “good eats!”

vegetarian rice with tomatoes

vegetarian rice with tomatoes

vegetarian rice with tomatoes

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
1 cup diced canned tomatoes with juices
1 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ small yellow onion, chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 tbsp olive oil

Heat saucepan with olive oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until aromatic. Add rice and toss to coat. Add water, tomato, cumin. Bring rice to a boil, turn temperature to low. Give it a good stir. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed—about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit, lid on, for 10 minutes before serving it. Obviously, serve with beans.

{ 9 comments }

tutu de feijão or vegetarian refried beans

by Heguiberto on August 9, 2011

Tutu is a dish made in my birth state, Minas Gerais, in Brazil, that consists of mashed beans seasoned with spices and some fat, either of animal or vegetal origin. In the essentials, it is more-or-less the same as the popular Mexican style dish in the US called “refried beans.” Traditionally tutu is served with fried pork skin, braised pork belly or ribs, fried egg, cassava flour, rice and sautéed collard greens. It is a delicious food bomb: you eat it and go directly into a food coma. Next time you visit Minas, make sure to include this on your culinary tour, for it is a local delicacy.

tutu de feijão or vegetarian refried beans

tutu de feijão or vegetarian refried beans

Steven and I used to eat tutu with all the fatty pork all the time, though not since we’ve become pesce-vegetarians. Nevertheless, the other day Steven cooked a large pot of red kidney beans so, feeling inspired, I decided to make some into a delicious vegetarian tutu. Turns out it doesn’t really need all the animal fat to be excellent. Tutu can be served as a side dish to any meal or as party dip. It is nutritious and full of flavor, and, since these are beans, children can have fun making jokes (after all, to English speakers this Portuguese name sounds a lot like “toot-toot”) while the whole family eats healthy.

tutu de feijão or vegetarian refried beans

6 cups cooked red kidney bean plus some of cooking liquid
3 cloves garlic, mashed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp cumin powder
Pinch cayenne
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
2 whole scallions, chopped

Place beans with some of the liquid in a deep pan. Using a stick blender process until it turns into a thick paste.

Add olive oil to a non-stick skillet, followed by garlic and sauté until aromatic. Next in goes bean paste, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper. Bring it to a boil, reduce temp to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes to allow time for flavors to blend. Stir every couple of minutes or so to prevent sticking. If excessively wet, cook longer.

Turn oven to broil.

Transfer bean to a heat resistant bowl. Mix cheddar cheese with scallions and scatter mixture over beans. Place bowl in the oven just long enough to melt cheddar. Remove and serve with a side of rice.

{ 6 comments }

camarão com chuchu AKA shrimp with chayote

by Heguiberto on August 1, 2011

camarão com chuchu AKA shrimp with chayote

camarão com chuchu AKA shrimp with chayote

I was feeling like listening to Brazilian music the other day. For some reason, I haven’t been doing that as often lately, and I was missing the cool, soothing sounds of Bossa Nova. I like the old guard, so I set my iTunes for classics from João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Elizete Cardoso, Maysa, Caetano Veloso and other Brazilian singers from the 50’s and 60’s of less international prominence. I was really getting into the groove, that is until a song by Carmen Miranda came on. Wait a minute! Carmen Miranda has nothing to do with Bossa Nova. I happily listened to her sing, but then I moved her to a different folder.

Here’s the song:

In this samba-styled song “Disseram que eu voltei americanizada,” Carmem is criticized by the crowd for returning to Brazil completely Americanized after her stint in Hollywood. She’s accused of forgetting her roots. Here, she argues that though she may have become a bit Americanized, she reassures her fans that she’s never been more Brazilian. As proof, she still likes and sings samba, and enjoys some of its most popular musical instruments, such as the tambourine, or ‘cuíca.’

Believe it or not, the last couple of sentences in the lyrics are about food! She sings that when it comes to food her favorite is camarão com chuchu, or shrimp with chayote. So today I offer this adaptation of Carmen’s favorite dish. The original is more like a stew. You sauté all the ingredients together and serve it over rice. In my version I broiled the shrimp and prepared the chuchu with Brazilian corn flakes, giving the dish a sort of tamale/polenta look, texture and taste. Delish!

prickly chayote or chuchu in Portuguese

prickly chayote or chuchu in Portuguese

chayote interior

chayote interior

There are two kinds of chayote commonly available. One is smooth and the other has sharp bristles on the surface of the skin. Usually I use the smooth, as it tends to be easier to handle. This time, I had the bristly one. If you’re using the later, than you should be very careful and wear gloves to peel the little monsters, or you could get hurt.

camarão com chuchu AKA shrimp with chayote

2 chayotes, peeled, pitted and passed through the mandolin
1 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails on
4 cloves garlic crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp paprika
2 tbsp Italian parsley
¼ tsp cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
8 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vegetarian bouillon paste
4 tbsp farinha de milho (Brazilian corn flakes)

Rinse and drain shrimp. Toss shrimp with salt, peppers, Italian parsley, cumin, lemon zest, paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil and the equivalent of 1 garlic clove. Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Turn oven on to broil.

Place 3 tbsp olive oil on a saucepan, add remaining garlic and sauté until aromatic. Add chayote, salt, black pepper, vegetarian bouillon, give it a good stir then cover pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add ½ cup of water and further cook until chayote threads are soft. Incorporate corn flakes stirring to make a thick porridge. You may need to add a bit more water to get the desired consistency. Remove from heat. Set aside, keeping it warm.

Meanwhile place marinated shrimp in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with lemon juice and some olive oil and broil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven.

Place chayote porridge on a serving platter, top with shrimp, drizzle with finishing olive oil and some of the juices from shrimp. Serve with a crisp white wine.

{ 10 comments }

quinoa, fresh fava bean and avocado salad

by Heguiberto on July 25, 2011

quinoa, fresh fava bean and avocado salad

quinoa, fresh fava bean and avocado salad

I’ve adapted this light and protein-rich salad from Plenty by Yotam Ottelenghi. It is flavorful and perfect for a barbeque party. You will enchant all your guests with this one, whether they’re vegan, vegetarian, or more omnivorous. The dish combines ingredients from both new and old worlds to become a beautiful international delight, just the way we like it ;)

quinoa, fresh fava bean and avocado salad

½ cup red quinoa
½ cup white quinoa
2 ripe Hass avocados
1½ cups fresh fava beans, from about 2 lbs fava pods
8 fresh multicolor oblong French radishes, quartered
1 cup frisée escarole, cleaned, cut into bite size pieces
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove crushed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Aleppo pepper chili flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Add both red and white quinoa to a sauce pan, top with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature to medium and cook until soft and little seeds have partially burst. Drain, rinse and let cool down to room temperature in a strainer.

Using a sharp paring knife cut a tiny strip off the stringy part of the fava pod lengthways, pop beans out of their velvety pod. Repeat process for remaining pods. Add beans to a pot with boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain, shock beans with cold water, let them cool down. Remove outer membrane from around each bean, being careful not to crush them.

Cut avocados in halves, remove large seeds. Slice into wedges, transfer to bowl and sprinkle with some lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix garlic, salt, peppers, remainder of the lemon juice, cumin and olive oil.

Transfer quinoa, fava, radish and frisée to a serving dish, pour dressing over everything and toss to combine. Adjust flavors if necessary. Gently fold in avocado wedges.  Garnish with some crisp lettuce leaves.

{ 5 comments }

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade

by Heguiberto on July 7, 2011

Like us, our friend Kristen adores Mediterranean, Middle/Near Eastern and North African foods. We haven’t seen her much since she was married so it was a real treat to have her spend the evening with us recently. Whenever she’s here, we hang out in the kitchen: cooking, snacking, sipping wine and caching up with the latest events of our lives. We always finish dinner late because there’s so much to talk about… and to eat. This time, it was all about North African cooking. This recipe, then, comes from Tess Mallos’ lovely book, North African Cooking (normally I’d put the link to Amazon, but as you know, we’re in California, so Amazon just dropped our affiliate agreement. Not that it really matters financially, since we never make a dime on it. But I’m sure that some of you like to look at the books we use. Sorry.)

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade

I had already bought a couple pounds of Panamanian wild caught corvina steaks from our favorite fish market, Sun Fat in the Mission. And since Kristen and I talked before she arrived, I had also bought a jar of preserved lemons at a Middle Eastern store in the same area, already thinking we might need them for the dinner feast.

After a few focused minutes browsing the book, I landed on this recipe using charmoula marinade. Tess calls for tuna here, but the wild corvina turned out to be a perfect substitute. Corvina has a white and firm flesh with a delicate flavor, perfect for grilling or broiling, and very tasty.

The recipe calls for marinating the fish for a minimum of two hours and up to overnight. We didn’t have that much time, so we skimped and gave it only twenty minutes. Nevertheless, this dish came out as yummy as it can be. I guess everything is an adaptation here because we also tweaked the amount of ingredients in the sauce to adjust it to our tastes.

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade

2 lbs wild corvina steaks, rinsed and pat dried
1 small preserved lemon, seeds removed
2 large cloves garlic
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
¾ tsp sweet paprika
Large pinch saffron threads
¾ tsp ground cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste
Kosher salt
Juice of a large lemon
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

To make charmoula marinade, put everything except fish in food processor and blend to a paste.

Arrange corvina steaks on a glass baking dish then coat with charmoula sauce and let marinate for about 20 minutes (or more).

Set oven to broil.

Adjust oven rack to be as close as possible to the heat. Broil fish for about 10 minutes.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 500F for another 5 to 8 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the thickest part of the fish. Remove from oven. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with more preserved lemon and any leftover charmoula marinade. We had this with plain couscous and sautéed kale from our community garden plot.

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade is great with couscous and kale

broiled corvina in charmoula marinade is great with couscous and kale

{ 6 comments }

Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

by Heguiberto on June 17, 2011

Everybody throughout the northern hemisphere is probably eating summer food right now; you know: barbecue, ice cream, sno-cones, watermelon, and most anything grilled. Not us! The heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring past the 100’s elsewhere has yet to reach San Francisco. So we’re ‘stuck’ in the almost eternal refrigerator chill that makes the City by the Bay that much more unique. Yesterday was typical. The sun peeked out early in the afternoon, but then as night began to fall, the fog blew in and temperatures plunged. So San Francisco. We all know that nothing’s better than a warm, spicy bowl of soup on a cold day, whatever the season. So that’s my inspiration. If this sounds appealing to you, then bookmark the recipe for winter ;) or come for a visit sometime soon.

Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

This is based upon another soup that I’m partial to: vegan spicy Indian red dal. The advantage of making dal soups is that you can improvise, adding many different ingredients that will completely alter the flavor and texture, giving them new dimensions. This time I added Savoy cabbage, which I do not believe is a typical Indian vegetable.

To me, Savoy cabbage looks like a mixture between “regular” and Napa cabbage. It has the spherical shape of the former but the leaves are tender and wrinkled, like you see in the later. Savoy is sweet, and healthy, of course. Like broccoli, cauliflower and the other cabbages, it is a member of the brassica family. I love that name, “brassica,” which is why I’m constantly writing it on the blog. Plus they’re good eating and very versatile. They’re especially successful in soups, like here, or simply sautéed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

key ingredients for Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

key ingredients for Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

Indian red lentil soup with Savoy cabbage

½ cup of red lentil, picked over and rinsed
1 stalk celery, chopped
¼ tsp turmeric
2 medium carrots, diced small
3 medium onions chopped
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp grated fresh garlic
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
5 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
½ head Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 Poblano pepper, seeds and ribs partially removed, cut into small squares
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp ground chili pepper (e.g cayenne)
4 tbsp canola oil
½ bunch chopped cilantro
Wedges of lemon
Salt

Place lentils, turmeric, carrots and celery in a large pot. Add about 5-6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, until soft. These foam up a bit so to avoid a mess, keep lid partially off. Stir every now and then to prevent sticking. Add a bit more of water if needed but don’t overdo. Lentils are ready when soft and mushy with a thick consistency. Turn temperature down, add cabbage, cover pot and let simmer.

Toast cumin seeds in a large pan for a couple of minutes just to bring the aroma out. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Using the same pan, add oil then mustard seeds and fry them. As they begin to pop, about a minute or so, add onions, Poblano pepper and sauté until onion becomes translucent (about five minutes). Push onion mix to one side of the pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until raw smells are gone but avoid burning. Stir everything together. Add toasted cumin seeds, chili pepper, coriander and cumin powders to onion mixture. Stir again. Add tomatoes and a cup of water. Bring to a boil then reduce temperature to simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Pour onion/tomato mix over lentils and fold together. Add salt to taste. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

Serve with basmati rice and a wedge of lemon.

see what I mean about the fog

see what I mean about the fog?

{ 7 comments }

palak tofu or Indian pesto with tofu

by Heguiberto on June 6, 2011

I love palak paneer, that Indian dish of spinach and cheese, but every time I go to Indian restaurants I tend to stay away from it. There’re a couple of reasons. The first is that the color of the dish scares me a bit. So often, the spinach has that uninviting rusty grayish green shade that says, “I’ve been sitting here forever waiting for you to order me.” Not good.

palak tofu or Indian pesto with tofu

palak tofu or Indian pesto with tofu

But don’t get me wrong on this. Usually, I find that most types of curries, including the ones I make at home, taste even better after they get some rest. Somehow the flavors intermingle more harmoniously. Not so with palak paneer. I don’t think that it improves with rest: it just discolors.

My second “issue” is the ghee. Restaurants are very fond of that ingredient, which I know is extremely popular in India, too. But not for me. I get indigestion when I overindulge. I’m just not used to so much butter. It is true that palak (spinach) and paneer (Indian cheese) are a bit bland by themselves. And ghee does have flavor. But come on. Indian cuisine is so rich with spices, isn’t there something else that might spare my stomach and waistline?

On my quest to find the ‘ideal’ spinach curry I bumped into this interesting blog, and this other one, and this one. Then I improvised.

I think I finally nailed it. The recipe is healthy, nutritious and completely vegan. Here paneer was replaced with firm tofu, ghee was substituted with olive oil and to add creaminess and thickness, I added ground cashew nuts. We had it with carrot and cumin flavored basmati rice, minus the carrots. Steven thought it sort of resembled Italian pesto based on the ingredients and preparation method, hence my alternate name.

palak tofu or Indian pesto with tofu

1 large container of fresh spinach, leaves only (1lb)
3 jalapeño peppers, seeds partially removed, chopped
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1 container firm tofu, cubed
1 medium white onion, cubed
3 ripe Roma tomatoes
¾ tsp grated/ground fresh ginger
5 tbsp minced cilantro
¾ tbsp grated/ground garlic
½ tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp raw cashew nuts
Kosher salt to taste

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot on high. Add jalapeño peppers and sauté until soft. Add spinach and continue sautéing until wilted and volume reduced to about ¼. Set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut top of tomatoes off and make a cross incision at the other end. Plunge them in hot water and remove when skin curls. Let tomatoes cool down a bit, peel skins off and cut into cubes. Set aside.

Add some salt to hot water used to skin tomatoes, pour it over tofu and let it soak for about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet and gently toast/sauté the tofu cubes. Turn the heat off and keep it warm.

Place cashews in a skillet and toast them for a couple of minutes without burning them. Add to food processor and grind to a paste. Add sautéed spinach/jalapeño pepper mix, cilantro and fenugreek. Continue processing to a paste. Set aside.

sauteing tofu and preparing palak sauce

sauteing tofu and preparing palak sauce

Meanwhile heat remaining olive oil in pan, add cumin and toast until aromatic. Add ginger and garlic, stirring until raw smells are gone. Toss in onion and cook until translucent. Add spinach mix, salt to taste and cubed tomatoes, stir to combine and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent sticking.

Either gently fold in tofu or plate it as we did here. Serve with rice.

{ 8 comments }

advieh

June 2, 2011

This recipe comes from the amazing book by Najmieh Batmanglij, Food of Life. I made advieh for basmati and fava rice. Personally, I find spice mixes fascinating and mysterious bordering on scary. They’re so puzzling when you buy them pre-made. Whatever could be in these things? Chinese five spice is a perfect example. I look [...]

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basmati rice with dried yellow fava beans

May 27, 2011

This delectable dish comes from the sublime Najmieh Batmanglij’s book, Food of Life. I made it with some success for a recent dinner party on a day when I felt little inspiration. Najmieh always cheers my mind and appetite. Her recipe calls for dried peeled yellow fava beans, which I happened to have. Hegui picked [...]

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