As much as Kemal and I love Mediterranean food, we also have a passion for Indian cuisine. We’re getting better and better at cooking our favorite Indian meals, and one meal I couldn’t wait to try to make myself is masala dosa which is basically crepes (made with rice and lentils) that are stuffed with ... [read more]]]> As much as Kemal and I love Mediterranean food, we also have a passion for Indian cuisine. We’re getting better and better at cooking our favorite Indian meals, and one meal I couldn’t wait to try to make myself is masala dosa which is basically crepes (made with rice and lentils) that are stuffed with soft potatoes and onions that have been cooked in warm spices.

When I tried masala dosa at our favorite Indian restaurant (Little India Cafe), I fell in love with them. The crepes were light, airy, fluffy…with a bit of a tangy taste. The Indian spiced potatoes inside the crepes were just heavenly! They were served with a coconut chutney, but honestly, I hardly touched the chutney because I thought they were perfect without any kind of dipping sauce.

Anyway, after enjoying them at the restaurant, I was inspired to try to make them myself. So I did!

The crepes are made with rice and lentils (I used red lentils) that are soaked in water for about four hours. Then after they’re softened, you drain some of the water off them and puree them to make a paste. Then you let the mixture ferment for 8-24 hours.

The potatoes can be made on the day you’re letting the pureed rice and lentil batter ferment; that way the filling will be ready when you ready to start making your dosas. Here’s a picture Kemal took of my potato stuffing which is spiced with curry, cumin, chili powder, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt, and pepper.

I had no problems making the batter or the potatoes or the crepes; however, I did have a bit of trouble in the presentation department. Let me explain.

I made them on a counter top electric grill/griddle that I have, and while they cooked just fine, the outside of the dosa wasn’t at all pretty when I rolled it up. So what I did was make sure I put the filling on the side of the crepe that is “ugly” in texture so when you roll it, the outside looks pretty. Easy fix!

So how did they taste? Mmmmmmmmmm….they were wonderful!!! I dipped a few of them in a tamarind chutney, and the sweetness of the tamarind made a lovely contrast with the slight tang of the dosas and the spiciness of the potatoes.

One word of caution though. These dosas don’t do well if you microwave the leftovers the next day. Next time I make them, I’ll let my leftovers warm up in the oven. Hopefully it’ll work better that way.

Now I just need to learn to make own tamarind chutney.

Masala Dosa (Rice Lentil Crepes with a Potato Stuffing)

Recipe Sources:

1. Recipe found at www.epicurious.com. Their recipe came from Gourmet, January 2006; originally published 1985
2. Tutorial, recipe, and step-by-step instructions submitted by Bhavna from superveggiedelight.com on www.youtube.com (This link is for part 1.)
3. Tutorial, recipe, and step-by-step instructions submitted by Bhavna from superveggiedelight.com on www.youtube.com (This link is for part 2.)

I love fried rice…especially when everything is fried in sesame oil.Yummmmm!

If you’ve never tried stir frying your rice and/vegetables in sesame oil, I highly encourage you to try it because the sesame oil adds such a wonderful flavor.

I love my fried rice both hot and cold. Either way, it tastes amazing!

On an unrelated note, I’m ... [read more]]]> I love fried rice…especially when everything is fried in sesame oil.Yummmmm!

If you’ve never tried stir frying your rice and/vegetables in sesame oil, I highly encourage you to try it because the sesame oil adds such a wonderful flavor.

I love my fried rice both hot and cold. Either way, it tastes amazing!

On an unrelated note, I’m curious if any of y’all have a black hole in your house. What am I talking about?

Well, do you ever have things mysteriously just disappear. You’ve look everywhere for it and it’s nowhere to be found? I ask because this has happened to us twice this week, and we can’t figure out where these items must be unless they’ve gotten sucked into the black hole which must be lurking somewhere in our apartment. Tell me it’s not just me. I’m not the only one with a black hole in their home…am I?

Veggie Fried Rice

Adapted from: a magazine I picked up at the grocery store. The magazine is called “Chinese Favorites,” and it’s Vol. 8, No. 22, February 8, 2011 issue of Favorite Brand Name Recipes. The publisher is 2010 Publications International, Ltd. The recipe was on page 41 (Stir-Fry Rice and Vegetables).

If you can’t travel to exotic places, the next best thing (besides looking at photos) is to try to experience its exotic culture by enjoying its cuisine.

Kemal and I would love to visit Jamaica one day, but until we’re able to do that, we’ll have to settle for looking at pictures of this lush paradise ... [read more]]]> If you can’t travel to exotic places, the next best thing (besides looking at photos) is to try to experience its exotic culture by enjoying its cuisine.

Kemal and I would love to visit Jamaica one day, but until we’re able to do that, we’ll have to settle for looking at pictures of this lush paradise and making and tasting the the island food.

Last night we made a huge batch of Jamaican fried rice.

It’s a Jamaican family recipe that I found at “Hannah Lives,” and we very much enjoyed it last night for dinner.

We were unable to find the mushroom soy sauce that Hannah’s father uses in the rice, so we just substituted it with regular soy sauce.

Hannah said you can customize the recipe to your tastes, and so we did. She said you could add some ginger to the oil, but instead of doing that, we added a little bit of some ginger chili sauce. We also had some asparagus we needed to use up so Kemal fried that with the leftover chicken then added it to the fried rice mixture. Turned out great!

And it’s very easy to prepare too! I just diced some green onions and then made some scrambled eggs in butter It should be noted that Hannah’s father prepares his eggs a little differently. He fries his eggs in butter, but instead of scrambling them, he lets the eggs set up and makes two plain egg omelets…without any cheese or fillings…just eggs. Then he cuts the egg up into little pieces. Since scrambling the egg would save time without changing the taste, I went ahead and did that.

Anyway, once that was done, I fried six cups of cooked jasmine rice in sesame oil, and then added the scrambled eggs and green onions. I sprinkled garlic powder over everything, added soy sauce, and stirred the rice mixture around constantly.

While I was doing that, Kemal fried the leftover chicken and cut asparagus in sesame oil and ginger chili sauce. When the asparagus was tender, he added it and the chicken to my fried rice mixture. Then we added some black pepper and a little salt and that was it.

We so much enjoyed our Jamaican fried rice, and it matched perfectly with a mango mojito. Yummmm!!

Anyway, if you’re interested in tasting the flavors of this island paradise, click here to see Hannah’s family recipe so you know the exact amount of ingredients to use when making the fried rice.

to go along with our chicken and mole. The rice was pretty good, but maybe just a little tomatoey.  I know “tomatoey” isn’t a word, but I guess it’s the best way to describe it.

I should have used tomato sauce as directed in the recipe, but I didn’t have any ... [read more]]]>

to go along with our chicken and mole. The rice was pretty good, but maybe just a little tomatoey.  I know “tomatoey” isn’t a word, but I guess it’s the best way to describe it.

I should have used tomato sauce as directed in the recipe, but I didn’t have any so I substituted with tomato paste. The rice was good, but I think it would have been better with tomato sauce or petite diced tomatoes, and that’s how I’ll make it the next time I need some Spanish rice.

Tonight we’ll enjoy our leftover rice

with some homemade taquitos. Yummmm!!

Actually, I think the rice tastes even better the next day. I had a little rice and chicken this morning for breakfast, and it doesn’t taste quite as “tomatoey.” Somehow the flavor of the rice is even better.

In my experience though, leftovers often taste better, especially meals like chili, enchiladas, lasagna, and soup beans. Wonder why that is?

Spanish Rice

Adapted from: www.about.com

The recipe I ... [read more]]]>

The recipe I used called for large brown lentils, but I used red lentils since I didn’t have any brown ones on hand. The recipe also called for long grain rice, and while jasmine rice does fall under that category, it’s a rice that’s stickier and holds together well instead of being fluffy.

The result was that my lentils and rice stuck together instead of being a loose mixture.

Even though it didn’t turn out exactly the way it should have, it still turned out really good. I just cut the pieces into pie-like shapes and served it that way.

As far as taste is concerned, I was very pleased. The rice and lentils had a beautiful flavor, and we liked it so much we’ll definitely make it again.

Greek Lentils and Rice

Slightly Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Greek Cooking” by Rena Salaman & Jan Cutler, page 207, (Rice with Lentils), Anness Publishing Ltd., 2005, 2008

It’s simple and easy to make and makes a perfect accompaniment to most any meat dish, can be served as an appetizer,

or if you’re like us, it can also be enjoyed by itself with a little fresh bread. In fact, that’s what ... [read more]]]>

It’s simple and easy to make and makes a perfect accompaniment to most any meat dish, can be served as an appetizer,

or if you’re like us, it can also be enjoyed by itself with a little fresh bread. In fact, that’s what we had for dinner last night…a little risotto with bread fresh from the oven. Yummmm!!!

The other thing that’s wonderful about risotto is that the recipe can be changed and modified easily. It’s so versatile that you can make taste different every time you make it by using different vegetables, such as peas or garlic, and you can even use different types of wine and seasonings to change the flavor. Hope you enjoy it.

Risotto

Recipe is adapted from the “Real Italian Risotto” recipe on the back of my box of BelAria Arborio rice

Today something totally magical happened. I made a rice pudding for Kemal, and ... [read more]]]>

Today something totally magical happened. I made a rice pudding for Kemal, and when I tried it, I fell in love! I was oooohing and aaaaahing while I enjoyed every rich, creamy bite! Kemal really enjoyed it as well and said I did a really good job.

So how did this recipe come about?

Well, a while back when I made Russian Hat Cake, Kemal and I sampled the cream filling and thought it was excellent. He said he could imagine that filling being used as a base for rice pudding, and today, I made the pudding the way he envisioned it. I just basically cut the cream filling ingredients in half and added some vanilla. Then I added the soft, milk-soaked rice and presto…a rich, creamy rice pudding was born! Thanks to my friend, Vesna, for the cream filling recipe, and to Kemal for the idea and inspiration! Also, thanks to my mom for the bread basket liner she made which I used as a background when I photographed my pudding.

If you decide to make it, you’ll need about an hour or so, and you’ll be doing a lot of stirring. My fingers were aching by the time the rice was done, but it was definitely worth the time and effort.

Rice Pudding That Makes You Oooooh and Aaaaaah!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, salted
• 6 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 7 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 pkg. vanilla sugar (Optional)
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla

Instructions:

• Put the stick of butter on your counter top so it can soften.
• In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together 5 1/2 cups milk and rice, and then bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
• After the milk begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, stirring constantly until the rice becomes soft.
• Remove it from the heat when the rice is done, and then stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Set it aside to cool a little.
• Next take 1/2 cup milk and 7 1/2 tbsp. flour and whip it by hand with a whisk until there are no lumps. Set it aside when you’re done.
• Put 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, and vanilla sugar in a sauce pan and heat it on medium well heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
• After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and then add the flour/milk mixture that you just whisked together, stirring it in with the warm milk/sugar very quickly.
• Keep stirring it on low heat until it has the consistency of a pudding.
• When the mixture becomes pudding-like in texture, mix in the 2 tsp. vanilla.
• Then refrigerate it so it can chill.
• After the cream cools and is nice and cold, take your mixer and beat the stick of softened butter into the mixture.
• Then stir the rice mixture into the cream mixture, mixing well.
• Serve warm or chilled.
• Optional: You can garnish the top of the pudding with cinnamon sugar or with a sweet cocoa powder if you like.

This Balkan soup is mild in taste, light ... [read more]]]>

This Balkan soup is mild in taste, light on your stomach, and tastes wonderful. It can be eaten as a main dish or a side item. We had it as our meal, and it really hit the spot.

Pirjan od Spanaka (Spinach and Rice Soup)

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 7 cloves garlic, diced
• 10 baby carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup butter, salted
• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Dice the onions, garlic, and carrots.
• Cook the rice in the water for about 10 minutes on medium high heat.
• While the rice is cooking, fry the onions, garlic, and carrots in the olive oil and butter on medium heat until they’re soft and when the onions start to turn yellow.
• After the rice has cooked about 10 minutes, put the spinach on top of the rice and water. Then cover the pot just until the spinach is steamed and it can be incorporated into the rice/water mix.
• Then remove the lid and add the fried vegetables. Cook on medium until the rice is done and until some of the water evaporates. How long you cook it depends on how much broth you want your soup to have. If it looks like the rice is going to be overcooked, you can remove some of the water.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

We don’t make our soup the same way every ... [read more]]]>

We don’t make our soup the same way every time. Most of the time, we add both potatoes and rice, but there are times, like tonight, that we skip the rice. Sometimes we make our chicken soup thin and leaky, while other times we thicken it up so it’s dense and heavier.

Tonight we made the soup denser and without rice. If you want your soup to be thick, just add some potato starch to it. Cornstarch would probably work okay too. The soup is pictured here with some slices of polenta sunflower bread.

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts (or you can use chicken thigh meat instead)
• 5 large potatoes, diced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 30 baby carrots, diced
• chicken broth (1 can)
• water
• salt
• pepper
• parsley
• Optional: cornstarch or potato starch
• Optional: rice

Instructions:

• Wash and quarter the potatoes. I leave the skins on but if you prefer to peel them, that’s fine.
• Put the chicken and potatoes in a large pot with water and the chicken broth and cook on high until the water comes to a boil. If you want to add some rice to the soup, add it with the potatoes and chicken.
• After the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium.
• While the chicken is cooking, dice the carrots and celery, and then add the carrots to the pot.
• Cook the potatoes and chicken until the potatoes are soft and the chicken is cooked (165 degrees).
• Turn the heat down to low and add the diced celery.
• Mix about 2 tbsp of potato starch with 3/4 cup of cold water, and then add it to the soup to thicken it up.
• Mix in the spices. How much you use is up to you.
• Stir the soup for a few minutes until it starts thickening up. If you want your soup thicker, add a little more potato starch to some cold water, stir, and then add to the pot.
• Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes or so and then serve.