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About Food, Recipes

My Very Own Thali

Indian Thali

I love Indian food. I love the spices, I love the mix of textures and flavours, and I absolutely love the variety you get in an Indian Thali. Indian thalis are platters that feature a number of dishes, alongside some kind of bread (such as naan or chapati) or sometimes rice. Most of the Indian food that people are familiar with are from North India, but it is important to note that there are many regional differences in Indian food. This is something I’d like to learn a little bit about, but I haven’t started researching it yet.

Indian Thali

My first Thali (clockwise from the top): Baingan Bharta, Saag Paneer and Chole.

I love to make Indian-inspired dishes at home, but haven’t had much success at making restaurant style dishes until recently. A few weeks ago, I tried a Palak Daal recipe that was fantasic but very lonely. We’re used to having multiple dishes in an Indian meal, so my loney daal didn’t go over as well as it should have. This inspired me to try making a group of dishes at once.

There are two challenges for me here: successfully making restaurant-style Indian dishes AND making multiple dishes at the same time and timing it all out properly. It was a great experience, and left me with the confidence to try more in the future!!

Enjoy!

A mix of the spices I used in one of the dishes.
Recipes after the jump!
Continue reading My Very Own Thali →
Recipes

Winter Warming Ginger Tomato Soup

Ginger Tomato Soup

This is one of my favourite soups in the winter. It’s fresh and gingery, a little spicy and very hearty. For a more brothy, soupy soup, you can reduce the amount of barley to 1/2 cup. The introduction of either chipotle pepper (a smoked pepper), or smoked paprika gives it a rich, rounded flavour. Fresh ginger gives a bit of a bite, but also a slight citrusy flavour that cannot be replicated with dried ginger.

Feel free to add in any random veggies, or leftover stuff in the fridge (within reason). This kind of soup can be a great ‘use it up’ meal!

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tsp oil
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped (plus some of the celery leaves, if you like)
  • 6 medium mushrooms, halved or quartered (depending on size and preference)
  • 1-2 medium carrots, cut into thick slices
  • 1-2 large potatoes, cut into big chunks
  • 2tbsp fresh grated ginger (dried will be quite different, so I do not recommend it)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chipotle pepper, powdered (if you don’t want spicy, you can use smoked paprika instead)
  • 1 cup corn kernels (can use fresh, frozen or canned)
  • 1 796 ml can of diced tomatoes
  • 4+ cups of broth (a lightly flavoured one, like vegetarian or chicken, can substitute with water if needed)
  • 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup of barley, dried
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a pot on medium heat.
  2. Once heated, add onion and celery. Cook until golden and soft – can add a tablespoon or so of broth or water to help with this. Be sure to cook off any extra liquid before the next step.
  3. Add the mushrooms, and saute until soft and lightly browned.
  4. Add the carrots, potatoes, ginger, garlic and chipotle (or paprika). Stir, and cook for a couple of minutes.
  5. Add the corn. If you’re using frozen or cold corn, cook until the corn warms up a little.
  6. Add the diced tomatoes.
  7. Add 4 cups of broth (or water). Make sure the liquid covers the vegetables completely. Add more broth or water if necessary.
  8. Cover. Let this cook for about 20 minutes on low heat.
  9. Add the barley. Cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until barley is cooked through. Stir occasionally, and check to make sure everything is still covered in broth. Add more broth or water as needed.
  10. Add the chopped parsley and chopped peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  11. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Challenges, the Mélange

Monthly Mélange: February 2010

Noodles!!

February was my first full month of blogging about food, and I packed it full of new cooking experiences. This has really helped to battle my usual winter blahs. I hope to keep things coming at the same frequency.

Here’s a rundown of some of my culinary highlights of February 2010. If there’s anyone out there reading my blog, feel free to comment with your own rundown of the month!

How did February 2010 taste?

Wrapping up the Waste
The 2010 Food Waste Reduction Challenge is now over, and I can say that it was interesting to see just how much edible stuff we throw out every month. I suppose it’s less of a wake-up call for me, because I’ve always tried to use up everything I can. There are still a few weak spots – frozen items moreso than fresh foods. I can do better there. Planning meals helps with this, and only buying the items you really need for the meals you have planned.

Monthly Spice
I would probably say Berbere, because it probably was my favourite of the month, but it already got its own post. While making a Cajun-inspired shrimp dish the other night, I realized I had misplaced my Cajun mixed spices and had to make some up on the fly! Seriously, I realized I couldn’t find it RIGHT when I needed to add it in. Internet to the rescue, I found a couple of recipes that outlined the herbs and spices to use, and the proportions, and I was all set. The dish turned out great, by the way.

Mystery Ingredient
Leafy, leafy greens. I’m usually pretty good about eating my spinach (bought into the whole Lie of Popeye), but I never knew what to do with things like kale. This month, I chose some recipes that not only used lots of spinach, but also kale and collard greens. Sometimes referred to as a ‘superfood’, leafy greens contain many important nutrients, such as vitamin C, iron, potassium, magnesium, lutein, beta-carotene, folic acid and are high in dietary fiber (among other things). They’re pretty tasty, too!

I Made This!
Hubs says the best stuff I made this month was my Indian assortment, which I should be posting soon. I made three really yummy dishes, and overall we were more satisfied with these three than the Ethiopian three dishes (the closest competition – I wasn’t as impressed with the yellow lentil dish, so it lost some points there!). My favourite of the three Indian dishes was definitely the Saag Paneer – this is one of my all-time favourite Indian dishes, and it came out just the way I like it!! Joe’s favourite was a chick pea dish. Yum.

Shameful Secrets
I am happy to say that I haven’t had any Skittles since my last post, and have limited my Jelly Belly intake to 10 beans per sitting. My stomach has been doing much better, which is important since I’ve been cooking so much

On to March, and hopefully some longer days so my food pics turn out better!!

S

About Food, Found Favourites, Recipes

Ethiopian Feast!

I first tried Ethiopian food about 10 years ago, on the recommendation of a colleague. A vegetarian at the time, I was looking for new restaurants, and new flavours that didn’t involve eating Babe (or his little friends). When I go for Ethiopian food, I always get the vegetarian platter. All of the restaurants make these, and they often contain many of the same dishes (or variations of them). Comprised of a number of stews, the dishes may be spiced legumes (lentils, split peas), vegetables, collard greens, all placed in colourful mounds around a fresh salad, atop what can best be described as a sourdough pancake.

Injera, the aforementioned ‘pancake’, is an important part of the meal. It lines the platter, it provides the grain portion of the meal… and acts as your utensil. The flavourful stews are grabbed up, and masterfully rolled into a piece of injera, dipped in Awaze, and quickly popped into your mouth. Injera can be made at home, or bought from a number of stores that carry the handmade bread. It is traditionally made from Teff, the world’s smallest grain, which can be hard to find and expensive in Canada. We opted to buy Injera this time around, but my husband “the bread guy” thinks he could pull off a good batch next time (having found Teff flour at Rube’s in St. Lawrence Market).

A close-up of the platter. Clockwise from 12: Gomen, Mesir Allecha, Mesir Wat. Centre: Awaze. MMmmmmmm.

This meal is great for those who love complex flavours, varied textures, a little spicy kick and breaking ripping bread with friends.

This was my second attempt at making Ethiopian dishes. The first try did not go so well, and I gave up. This time, I figured I had a better feel for the food, hopefully a better eye for the recipes, and a new favourite condiment to devour.

In my earlier post, I mentioned Berbere, a very important spice blend in many Ethiopian dishes. I also mentioned Awaze, the bold and spicy condiment that is made from Berbere. This is my inspiration for trying again, and having successfully made a batch of Awaze, I was determined to make food worthy of being dipped in it.

Want some injera or spices? Toronto has quite a few places that carry these items, but the ones that we shopped at this time around are Piassa Ingera (260 Dundas Street East) and, oddly enough, the Hasty Market at King & Dufferin.

Looking for someone else to make it for you? Try Ethiopian House Restaurant (4 Irwin Avenue, Toronto)

Want to try making it for yourself? Here are recipes I followed (slightly modified from recipes I found online). Don’t forget to refer to the Berbere and Awaze post!!!

Niter Kebbeh (spiced, clarified butter)

This is the start of many great Ethiopian dishes. This butter is full of flavour, and really can’t be omitted from the dish (although I generally use less than recommended in the original recipes). I made this well in advance, let it cool in a rectangular dish, then chopped into cubes and frozen. I should have enough Niter Kebbeh for the next 3-4 meals, maybe more!

Modified from this Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound butter
  • 4 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, scraped and finely grated or minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:

  1. Slowly melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat.
  2. Add the other ingredients and simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for about 20-30 minutes. Do not let it brown.
  3. Strain the mixture through a double layer of cheesecloth or a fine strainer, discarding the spices.
  4. Refrigerate until set.

Gomen (Stewed Collard Greens)

The collard greens have always been one of my favourite parts of the meal. Their slightly bitter, buttery deliciousness is a great contrast to the lentil dishes and is a must for any platter. I actually doubled this recipe when I made it, and found that this was the perfect amount.

modified from this recipe

  • 1 large bunch collard greens, about 1½ pounds
  • 1 tbsp niter kebbeh, ghee or olive oil
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and minced (or to taste)
  • 1 cup broth
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon
  • black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  1. Tear stems from collard greens, and wash greens well.
  2. In a large skillet or stir fry pan, melt the niter kebbeh (or oil). Add onion, garlic, ginger and hot peppers and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add collard greens, broth, salt, pepper and cardamom. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of water has evaporated from pan and the greens are very tender (this took me about 1/2 hour… leave some time!).

Mesir Wat (spicy red lentils)

This is my absolute favourite dish in the platter. The lentils are soft and spicy and creamy. The berbere spice is really hard to describe in this dish, as it adds not only spice but a really well-rounded warmth and flavour. This recipe makes a LOT of food, and could be halved (especially if made alongside the other two recipes here). I made the full recipe, and have quite a lot left over… but I’m fine with that. Did I mention this is my favourite? I may try freezing some to see how it holds up.

Serves 4 to 6 – modified from this recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced or grated
  • 2-3 tbsp Niter Kibbeh (or oil or butter)
  • 3 tablespoons berbere
  • 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
  • 4 cups, water or broth
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree. Add a little water if necessary.
  2. Heat the oil, butter or niter kibbeh in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. Add berbere and stir rapidly to color the oil and cook spices through, about 30 seconds.
  3. Add the onion puree and sauté until the excess moisture evaporates and the onion loses its raw aroma, about 5-10 minutes. Do not burn.
  4. Add lentils and water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are cooked through and fall apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep the lentils from drying out.
  5. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Mesir Allecha (mild lentils)

These lentils are mild and buttery. Although not the most stand out dish of the bunch, for me it offers a mild balance with the other dishes. I chose this dish to round out my platter. This recipe makes a conservative amount – which was fine with me, because I eat less of this one than the other two. Notice that the recipe calls for half the amount of lentils required in the Mesir Wat above.

modified from this recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon niter kebbeh
  • 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal), picked over, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons seeded and finely chopped jalapeño peppers
  • 4 cups water (adjusted as necessary)
  1. In a medium saucepan, soak red lentils for one hour in three cups of the water.
  2. Bring the lentils and water to boil and cook for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft, adding more water if necessary. Drain off any extra water and mash.
  3. Heat the niter kebbeh in another pan over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the mashed lentils, turmeric, salt and hot pepper. Stir well.
  4. Add the remaining cup of water (or less, pour slowly) and cook for 3-4 more minutes more to reduce the mixture to a thick, well spiced puree.