Tag Archives: rice

Kushari (Koshari)

27 Sunday May 2018

Posted by in Dinner, lentils, Rice, Uncategorized, Vegetables

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Apparently this is the national dish of Egypt.  It is totally delicious.  This recipe came via the Bite site and is from an Auckland (NZ) restaurant called Altezano.   I haven’t been there but if they make food as good as this it is definitely on my visit list.

Both of us decided this is definitely on the ‘repeat’ list.  Mr MWCED even said that he thought he might have it as a ‘left-over’.   High praise indeed.

A few steps, so a bit longer than my usual recipes.  However definitely worth it.  And don’t sub the pistachios – they make it!

To save some time you could always make a double or triple batch of the tomato sauce ahead of time and then just heat up when required.   It is Very Good – and you’d easily find many other ways to use a big batch.

KUSHARI

 

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Lentils & Rice

50g                  Butter
2-1/2 cups       Water
1 cup               Green Lentils (I used puy lentils, already in the pantry)
2 cups              Chicken stock (or water)
1 cup                Basmati rice
1 tsp                 Sumac powder
1 tsp                 Nutmeg (I used ground) but grated would be better
1-1/2 tsp           Cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp           Salt
½ tsp                Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup               Olive oil
2                        Onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup                Pistachios, toasted
1 cup                Parsley, chopped
1 cup                Coriander, roughly chopped

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Spicy Tomato Sauce

¼ cup                Olive oil
3                        Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3                        Red chillies, seeds removed and chopped
1 can                Crushed tomatoes, 400g
1-1/2 cups        Water
¼ cup               Cider vinegar
1 tsp                 Salt
1 tsp                 Ground cumin
1 tsp                 Ground paprika
¼ cup                Coriander, finely chopped

To Prepare Lentils:

In a sieve or small holed colander rinse lentils under cold running water to remove any dirt or stones.
Add the lentils and water to a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a pinch of salt towards the end to avoid tough skins.  When tender remove from heat. Drain and set aside.

To Prepare Tomato Sauce:

Place a saucepan over high heat. Add oil, chillies and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, water, vinegar, salt, cumin and paprika.  Bring to the boil and then lower heat and simmer for around 30 minutes or until thickened.  (I found it was more like 50 minutes).

To Prepare the Rice:

In a saucepan melt butter and then add rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add the stock (or water), sumac, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Bring to boil and then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 12 minutes then remove from heat.   (Next time I am going to make this in the rice cooker).

To Prepare the Onions:

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil to medium heat, add onions and cook until dark gold in colour.  This should take around 20 minutes.

In a large bowl mix the rice, cooked lentils, toasted pistachios, parsley, coriander and 2/3 of the cooked onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pile high on a platter and serve with the tomato sauce.

I added some grated carrot to the mixture and heated for a few minutes to warm through, then toppings with a smidgeon more grated carrot.    For more veggie content I might add some chopped spinach next time.    As with many national dishes I am sure there are multiple variations  –  it certainly is a dish that can be adapted to whatever you might have in the cupboard.     We ate this as a main,  but it could easily be a side dish if you are feeding more people.

Oregano Chicken and Rice

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by in chicken, Dinner, Rice, Uncategorized

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Thanks to http://www.recipetineats.com/one-pot-greek-chicken-lemon-rice/ for the inspiration for this dish. It looked so damn good that I just wanted dinner immediately.   Luckily this is all made in one pot, so even though it wasn’t immediate, it was definitely easy to prepare, cook and serve. Cooking the rice with the chicken on top adds extra flavour to the rice because the chicken juices get soaked up by the rice.  Even Mr MWCED said how tasty it was and went back for seconds. That is no mean feat. The Plus was that there were plenty of leftovers, which could have been another meal at home, but I chose to take some to work for lunch. (Our super spoilt dog had the remainder!).

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Oregano Chicken & Lemon Rice – One Pot

This is made using classic Greek ingredients.  It will feed a hungry three, or maybe 6 if you stretch it out with other courses and some crusty bread.   As it was the weekend and I wanted easy, we ate this dish on its own with no other accompaniments  –  well, chocolate later……)

 Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade

  • 6 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (about 1 kg) Skin on and bone in will give the best flavour, but if you don’t have that then use whatever you have available. But without bone the chicken will take less time to cook – so you may like to add it a bit later rather than from the beginning.
  • 2 lemons, use the zest + 4 tbsp lemon juice (this will probably be about the amount of juice you get from the 2 lemons – don’t angst if it turns out to be not quite 4 tbsp, just use what you get
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano – again, if you don’t have enough oregano then substitute. I had a nearly empty container of oregano so had to make it up with dried mixed herbs.
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced – my garlic amount is always increased, we eat a lot of it, so use more if you like – you won’t be disappointed.
  • 1/2 tsp salt

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Rice

  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, separated
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup / 180g long grain rice – I used a good quality basmati – but any long grain would be fine. Don’t use a risotto rice though as it will probably go a bit sticky.
  • 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml chicken broth / stock
  • 3/4 cup / 185ml water
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano (see my note above about subbing if you don’t have enough)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Garnish

  • Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
  • Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)

Instructions

  1. Combine the Chicken and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.   Either do this in a plastic bag or in a bowl with a cover/lid.

To Cook

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  2. Remove chicken from marinade, and reserve the Marinade.
  3. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy based pan over medium high heat. If, like me, you try to reduce the number of dishes you use in the kitchen, use the pan that you are going to bake the chicken in (so it needs to be oven proof).
  4. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  5. Pour off fat and wipe the pan, then return to the stove.
  6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining Rice ingredients and reserved Marinade.
  7. Let the liquid come to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Place the chicken on top then place a lid on the pan. If you don’t have a lid use foil. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.IMG_1294.JPG
  8. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (so around 45 minutes in total).
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest, if desired.

Then enjoy the wonderful flavours and congratulate yourself on yet another tasty dish.

More Pumpkin……this time it’s Risotto

08 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Pumpkin, Rice, Walnuts

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Saturday night, what to cook, what to cook, make it reasonably quick so we are done and dusted in time to watch the rugby. Tonight it was All Blacks vs England. We were expecting it to be a tougher game than the media were predicting, though figured the All Blacks were going to win. (Win they did, but it wasn’t pretty.)

So, back to the kitchen. I had chicken, but in the end felt like veggie. That called for a quick look in the fridge to see what was on hand. Found some pumpkin and a few brussel sprouts along with some basil leaves and there is always plenty of parmesan in our fridge. On the bench I had some walnuts which had been shelled last week and some standby chicken stock in the pantry. Quick check of the rice supplies, and I figured we were good to go with a Pumpkin, Walnut and Basil Risotto. Mmmm mmm, tastebuds were getting excited.

 

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This is a recipe that doesn’t really need exact ingredients, and you can substitute/add/delete as much as you wish. But for the record here is an approximation of the ingredients used for this risotto:

 

One and a half cups of arborio rice (makes about 3 cups cooked – enough for about 4)
Some pumpkin – I had a small green pumpkin
Brussel sprouts – there were about 6 looking lonely in the fridge. I cut off the ends and discarded some of the outer leaves. Pulled off the best leaves and discarded the centres as well.
1 medium onion – diced
garlic cloves – I used 7. 6 to roast whole, and 1 peeled and cut finely.
parmesan – grated there was about one cup, plus some shavings for decoration
parsley – about 1 cup chopped finely
walnuts – a handful
chicken stock – if you have ‘real’ chicken stock – this would be perfect. My standby is the jelly like little stockpots. If Marco Pierre White is on the packet then it must be good, even if just for the eye candy moment. The packet says one little pot makes about 2 cups, but I think you can stretch it to 3 if you need to. As everyone knows stock should be hot when you ladle it in a bit at a time into your risotto. But don’t stress, I didn’t. And I reckon Mr MWCED probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Butter – about 50 grams
Chilli – about 1/3 of long red chilli – chopped, no seeds. It gave just a hint of chilli heat, so use whatever you wish to make it hotter, or omit
White wine – whatever you happen to be drinking, hopefully good and hopefully dry. I was enjoying a Villa Maria 2012 Chardonnay – felt a trifle piqued to have to give some away to the risotto!
basil leaves – about a handful, cut at serving time as garnish
olive oil

First up, peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes and put into a roasting pan with 6 of the garlic cloves. Drizzle over olive oil and salt and pepper. Put into a hot oven for about 30/40 minutes. You might want to take out the garlic cloves a little sooner than the pumpkin, otherwise they tend to overcook. You want the pumpkin to be soft. (You could peel the pumpkin after it has been roasted, whichever you prefer).
When the pumpkin is done, let it cool a bit. Put about half the cubes into a food processor. Skin the garlic cloves and put roasted garlic into processor. Whizz. Maybe add a little water, it should end up being nice and smooth, similar to a thick pumpkin soup consistency.
Put the handful of walnuts into the roasting pan the pumpkin has just come out of. The oil in the pan should be enough to mix into the walnuts. Roast them for about 10 minutes. When cooled, chop into medium/small pieces.
In your favourite pan, put a little olive oil and the butter. Heat and when spitting put in the arborio. Stir so rice doesn’t stick and until it starts to colour. Then add the onion, one chopped garlic clove (the one you didn’t roast)and the chilli. Keep stirring for a couple of minutes. Add a slosh of wine, keep the heat up so that the alcohol evaporates, just leaving that lovely wine taste. Keep stirring. After a couple of minutes add some of the chicken stock, about 1/4 of a cupful. As the rice begins to absorb the stock keep adding a little more. After about half the stock has been used, add the pumpkin puree and 2/3 of the chopped parsley.

PumpkinRisotto1Oh my, see how delicious that colour is looking now. The rice has probably been cooking about 15 minutes now – it is starting to plump up but probably still a bit undercooked. Keep stirring and ensure the mixture is constantly kept topped up with liquid. At this stage add the brussel sprout leaves and a handful or so of the grated parmesan. The aim is to have a risotto which is creamy but not too liquid. Salt & pepper to taste. Keep checking the rice, and once it is ‘al-dente’ you are ready to serve. That means it should be firm when bitten, don’t overcook it so it is soft and mushy.
Pile it into your chosen bowl, add some of the walnuts, basil, parmesan slivers and parsley to decorate. We usually put little bowls of grated parmesan and parlsey on the table for more top ups, plus tonight I also added a bowl of the roasted walnuts.

PumpkinRisotto4As there were 2 of us we now have a lot of leftover risotto. I feel arancini coming up………