Indian
Kela Anar Kachamber (Banana and Pomegranate Salad)
Serves 4
- 1 medium pomegranate
- 2 medium firm ripe bananas
- 2 Tbs fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbs date sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Procedure
Cut the pomegranate into quarters and twist each wedge to loosen the cells. Gently shake, tap, scoop, and coax the cells onto a serving plate and arrange them in a neat mound in the center. Peel the bananas and slice them on the diagonal into 1/4 inch rounds. Arrange them in a circle around the pomegranate cells. Sprinkle with the lime or lemon juice, sweetener and salt, and serve immediately.
The Best Chah Masala (Chai) in the World
Cedar’s of Brooklyn Restaurant; 4759 Brooklyn Ave. NE; Seattle, WA 98105
For 4 cups of tea, combine the following in a sauce pan:
- 3 cups water
- 2 tea bags of Orange Pekoe Tea
- 10 cardamom pods (crushed optional)
- 5-6 cloves
- 1/8 t fennel seed
- sugar to taste
Cook covered approximately 10 minutes reducing the liquid by a cup. Ingredients should cook before you add milk. Add 4 cups milk and bring to boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain before serving.
Optional: add cinnamon sticks or ginger.
Saffron Rice
- Clean and rinse 1.5 cups of basmati rice (9 rinsings or so).
- Put in rice maker w/ apprpriate amout of water (minus 2 ounces or so).
- Put 2 ounces of water into a cup and nuke for 2 minutes.
- add a pinch of saffron to water, let it steep for a minute.
- add to rice maker and start.
- When rice cooker is done cooking, fluff the rice and wait 5-10 minutes.
Ryan’s Indian Black Beans
- Hand grate 1/2 onion into bowl, keep juice w/ gratings.
- Separate large leftover pieces of onion and hand chop fine.
- Peal 4-40 cloves garlic (to taste) and mince.
- Add onion and garlic to hot frying pan w/ olive oil.
- Saute for 10 minutes or until onion is soft.
- Add some cumin seed, mustard seed and tumeric, to taste (go strong, it mellows).
- Stir often.
- Take two cans of black beans (if you don’t have time like me), pour into colander and wash.
- Add beans and 1 can of fresh (hot) water to pan.
- At this point it is best to transfer contents of pan to large pot.
- Use potato masher or something to mash beans, doesn’t have to be perfectly mashed, just the majority.
- Cook on highest setting until cooked down into a nice consistency.
Cajun
Red Beans and Rice
- 2c Red Kidney Beans
- Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Bay Leaf
- Cajun Spices (Tany Cachere or Three-pepper and beaucoup salt)
Soak beans overnight. Discard water. Boil in 6 c water for 4 hours adding water as necessary. Add veggies and spices. Cook until tender and thick.
Mexican
Tomatillo Salsa
- 1# Tomatillos
- .25-.5 t. cumin seeds, crushed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- .5 c. onion finely minced
- .5 c. pitted green olives, chopped
- 4 jalapeño chilies, seeded, minced
- .25 c. parsley, minced
- .5 c. cilantro, minced
- .5 t. sugar
- 2-3 Tab. rice vinegar
- .33 c. olive oil
Steam cleaned tomatillos. Allow 10 minutes to cool. Roughly chop tomatillos w/ everything else.