Tag Archives: Spices

Red Rice, Cauliflower & Green Bean Biryani

26 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in Main Courses, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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In the lockdown I got into ordering some of the food stuffs less easy to get hold of locally online, and that is where I found the red rice. I overcooked it the first time I used it, but now I’ve got it right. It’s all down to the soaking. This rice wants to be steeped in cold water for a couple of hours or so before it’s cooking.

For 4 portions

120 grams red rice

500 ml vegetable stock

50 grams raw cashew nuts

2-3 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

1/2 red onion – diced

3-4 cloves garlic – finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 red chilli – finely chopped

Seeds from 10 green cardamoms

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 medium courgette – cut into small cubes

1/2 cauliflower – just the florets cut small

150 grams french green beans – cut into 1/2 cm lengths

salt and freshly ground black pepper

At least two hours before you are going to cook, put the rice to soak in enough cold water to cover it generously.

Toast the cashews in a thick based pan over a low heat until golden brown. Put to one side.

Drain the rice from its soaking liquid. Heat the stock in a saucepan and once it is boiling add the rice and a pinch of salt. Leave to cook on a slow simmer for about ten minutes.

Heat the oil or butter in a wok or deep frying pan over a low heat and add the onion. Fry until translucent then add the garlic and ginger. Continue frying until the contents are lightly browned.

Add the spices and fry for a few minutes.

Add the courgettes and cauliflower florets. Cover the pan and continue cooking.

After the rice has had its ten minutes of cooking, throw in the green beans and cook for a further 3-4 minutes by which time most of the cooking liquid will have been absorbed.

Add the rice and beans to the rest of the vegetables and stir well to mix. Cook for a further five minutes for the flavours to mix and to dry the Biryani if it is a bit too liquid.

Check the seasonings adding salt and pepper as needed.

Lastly stir in the cashew nuts and serve.

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Spicy Cauliflower Salad with Toasted Almonds and Coconut

15 Saturday May 2021

Posted by in salads, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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One of my fellow gardening friends has given me a cauliflower he has grown, and it’s the tastiest most tender cauliflower I have eaten in a long time. I blanched some of the florets in boiling water for a minute, before draining them and adding the florets to a mixed salad the other day, which is when I discovered how exceptionally tasty they were. So today I thought to make them the stars of a salad to accompany some Onion Bhaji.

Half a cauliflower – cut into even sized florets

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons almond flakes

2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 sweet onion – sliced

2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

1 small green chilli – finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice

fresh chopped coriander or green coriander seeds

Put the cauliflower florets in a bowl and cover generously with boiling water. Leave to steep for 2-3 minutes then drain. Leave to cool a little.

Put the coconut in a thick based frying pan on a low heat to toast, stirring from time to time. It will suddenly start to brown so don’t be tempted to wander off as I did once. When it has started to brown stir constantly until the coconut is an even golden brown colour, then tip the coconut onto a plate to cool.

Add the almond flakes to the same pan and toast these. Again to a golden brown colour an the tip onto the plate with the coconut.

Again using the same pan, put the 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan, and then the mustard and cumin seeds. Fry for a minute or two until the seeds start to pop.

Add the onions, chilli and garlic and fry gently until soft. Add the turmeric and stir to mix.

If there is enough room in the pan, add the cauliflower florets, or add the contents of the pan to the florets in a bowl. Stir to mix well.

Add the coconut and almonds and mix again. Season with salt, pepper, chopped coriander or seeds and lime juice.

Enjoy!

Steamed Broccoli & Cabbage with Whole Spices

17 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by in salads, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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Although the vegetables in this dish are cooked, you stop the cooking while they still have some crunch, so it’s like a warm spicy salad, which is just as good when left to go cold.

For 2 portions

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon kalonji/onion seeds

peanut or olive oil

1/2 onion – sliced

4 cloves garlic – finely chopped

1/2 fresh green chilli – finely chopped

1/4 red pepper – cut into small squares

1/4 cabbage – finely sliced

Small head of broccoli – broken into florets

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan and when hot add the whole cumin, coriander and kalonji. Fry until they start to pop and release their flavour.

Add the onion, garlic, red pepper and chilli. Fry for five minutes.

Add the cabbage and broccoli. Stir well to coat with the onions and spices.

Season with the garam masala, salt and pepper.

Cover and continue cooking until the cabbage has wilted. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by about half a centimetre.

Cover and continue cooking, stirring from time to time, for around ten minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still with some bite.

Spicy Pork Kebabs – Malaga Style

30 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Main Courses, Starters

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In Andalucía there are many culinary legacies of the times when Moorish princes lived in the palaces of Granada and Seville. Just the names of some ingredients show their Arabic origins – berenjena, zanahoria, albahaca, and azafran for example, which translate as aubergine, carrot, basil, and saffron.

These kebabs are part of this legacy with their seasoning of spices and the drizzle of the bitter sweet sugar cane syrup at the end. When I was first served these as a tapa, the cubes of meat were alternated with dates for an even sweeter taste. The spices are dominated by the flavour of the allspice and cloves which complement so well the pork. I know you are wondering what pork is doing in a dish with arab origins, but that is Andalucía for you. I had a student on my recent tapas cookery class who didn’t eat pork, so I used some nicely gamey free range turkey, which was very good too.

P

PINCHO MORUNO ESTILIO MALAGUENA

For 4 as a main course, for tapas halve all the amounts

700 gms lean pork cut into cubes

10 ml allspice berries or Pimienta de Jamaica

5 ml whole cloves

5 ml Cumin seeds

5 ml coriander seeds

5 ml ground cinnamon

2.5 ml chilli powder or the equivalent in fresh red chilli

2.5 ml pimenton or paprika

2.5 ml Salt

2-4 cloves of garlic

15 ml olive oil

Sugar cane syrup to serve

In a heavy based frying pan put the allspice berries, cloves, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and heat over a low heat. Shake the pan from time to time until the spices are warm and exuding their fragrances.

Put in a mortar together with the salt and grind down to a powder.

Peel and roughly chop the garlic and add to the spices together with the chilli and pimento. Grind to a paste adding the olive oil.

In a bowl mix the marinade with the pork cubes to coat the cubes on all sides. Cover and leave in the fridge for the spices to penetrate for at least an hour.

Thread the pork cubes onto skewers and cook either on a griddle, or grill on the cooker or barbeque.

To serve drizzle with sugar cane syrup.

I have also used this same marinade very successfully to season a joint of pork prior to roasting it.