A rant about calories, and a recipe for Shrimp Curry

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. – Buddha

That's me on the left.

Let’s just admit it. We all have at least one secret. But did you know that many of the foods we put in our mouths have secrets as well?

It’s secret calories – or calories that you don’t realize are there – that put a diet off the rails. If you’re trying to drop a pound or even 100, it’s important to track each and every calorie.

To lose weight you must run a calorie deficit for what your body needs. Sources say that to lose 1-2 pounds per week you must consume 500-1000 fewer calories than you need to maintain your current weight, at your activity level.

I’m too sedate. To maintain my proper weight (several sources say no more than 150 lbs...), I should be consuming about 2,000 calories per day. I didn’t check before I started, but I bet I was up to 3,000. Now I’m trying to keep it to 1,500 per day to get results.

It’s not really that difficult if you know what you’re eating. For example, one serving (2 bars) of Nature Valley Crunchy Oats and Honey Granola Bars has 190 calories. A medium apple is only 100 calories; a regular sized banana is 105.

To burn the calories just in those granola bars you would have to walk for nearly an hour. 

Unexpected calories are in everything – from added fats and oils, corn syrup and coconut oil, to the most sneaky of them all: the serving size listed on the nutrition label. Even if you do check, the “serving” may be for 1 teaspoon of that item—nowhere near what you would normally use.

Even foods you may think are healthy (or healthier) can sabotage you. One Tim Hortons cran apple walnut bran muffin contains 350 calories. That’s more calories than 2 cups of cooked oatmeal. Don’t think you’re getting away better with a fruit explosion muffin. They’re 340 calories. (Source timhortons.com)

Spice mixture for the recipe.

And for goodness sake, watch out for nuts. There’s 410 calories in 1/2 cup of almonds. That’s apporaching the whole dinner recipe I’m posting today. Cashews are 320 cal per 1/2 cup and walnuts are just under 400 calories.

Calories even sneak in through the most innocuous ingredients – for example, garlic, ginger and spices. That splash of olive oil in the pan adds 120 calories per tablespoon. Who thinks of calories in them? Every. Calorie. Counts.

You have to be hyper-aware of what you’re eating if you’re going to keep a weight loss resolution. Write down what you eat. Cut back on the things you don’t need (like too much sugar and fat) and start putting better foods back in your diet.

Shrimp Curry, for One
Prep: 5 min  | Cook: 20 min  |  Serves: 1  | Calories per serving: 433
12 large shrimp, 31-40 per lb size (65 cal)

1 cup tomato purée (95 cal)
1/2 cup onion, chopped* (32 cal)
1 garlic clove, diced (5 cal)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (23 cal)
1 cup basmati rice, cooked (190 cal)
Spice blend:*
1 tsp coriander, ground (5 cal)
1 tsp cumin, ground (4 cal)
1 tsp turmeric (4 cal)
1/2 tsp ginger, ground (3 cal)
1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground (2 cal)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (2 cal)
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper (2  cal)
1/4 tsp salt

First, start cooking the rice. It takes 20 minutes (15 min simmer, 5 min sit).

In a saucepan, dry sauté** the onions. Then add the tomato purée, onion, lemon and spice blend (or curry powder). Let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Peel the shrimp, add to the sauce and let cook just until opaque.

Serve over the rice.

* Instead of making your own spice blend, substitute your favourite pre-made curry powder, and add the black pepper and salt.

** No one likes crunchy onions in their curry. To minimize this, add 1/2 cup of water while you sauté the onions. Cook until the water evaporates. Then cook a further minute; then add the tomato, etc.

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Chicken, Fruit & Wild Rice Pilaf

Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale. – Elsa Schiaparelli

I’m in need of a morale boost this month. I made a distinctly wrong decision by stepping on the scale last week. Not a good idea. I’m in need of dropping quite a few pounds. 

I KNEW those tight pants were telling me something... Against my hopes, it was not an evil conspiracy hatched by the clothes washer and dryer.

I have an ugly habit – I’m a boredom eater. While sitting in front of the TV in the evening, my oft-time companions are ice cream, cookies or potato chips. Kind of like the twins in The Shining with an extra sister... So I’m starting to pay much more attention to what I eat.

I know that January is the “guilty” month so weight loss is what we’re being pedalled by the media. But this morning on CBC Radio the hosts were talking about weight gain and age, and how people of my vintage start to see changes in body shape.

The browned chicken balls, onion and garlic.

Great. Just great. But I will not go down without a fight. I may even pull out the big gun in this battle: exercise (shudder). I’m a rather sedentary creature—even more so since Henry our dog passed away—which I know will come back to bite me in future if I don’t do something about it.

So I have a lot on my plate, metaphorically. But I will succeed. And the first step is what goes into my mouth, as opposed to that which falls out, like this post.

This is an “under 500 calorie” dinner. I succeeded and it was quite delicious and filling, to boot. You don't really have to suffer while watching what you eat.

I’ve broken out the calorie count for each ingredient (number is for whole ingredient) so you can see where the big calorie items are. Those with zero or one calorie are not listed. Six servings does not give heaping platefuls, but the rice and chicken are quite filling, and the sweet fruit rounds it all out nicely.

If course, if you’re not in need of low calorie meals, feel free to make this recipe four servings, two servings, or even just one! We all know how that ends... :-)

Warm Chicken, Fruit & Wild Rice Pilaf
Prep and cook: 1 hour  |  Serves: 6  | 437 calories per serving
1 cup wild rice (478 cal)

Chicken and fruit. Covering the pan not only finishes cooking
the meat, but also partially re-hydrates the fruit as steam collects.

1 cup chicken stock (86 cal)
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
chicken balls:
1 lb lean ground chicken, breast (496 cal)
1 cup bread crumbs (427 cal)
1 tbsp finely diced onion (6 cal)
1 tsp yellow mustard (3 cal)
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp mint
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
remaining:
1 tbsp olive oil (120 cal)
1 cup chopped dried apple (290 cal)
1/2 cup dried cherries, whole (268 cal)
1/4 cup pecan pieces (340 cal)
1/4 cup diced onion (16 cal)
1 garlic clove, minced (5 cal)
1/2 cup orange juice (55 cal)
1 tbsp corn starch (30 cal)

The sauce is key. It adds a moistness to the dish that it
otherwise would not have. It makes it more of a "meal."

Combine the rice, stock, water and salt in a saucepan. (If stock is heavily salted, omit salt). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 45 min, or until about half the rice has begin to split open.

While the rice is cooking, make the chicken balls. Mix together all the ingredients listed for the chicken balls. Using slightly moistened hands, roll into 3/4” to 1” balls. Heat the oil in a wide sauté pan with a lid. Cook the balls until browned, being careful not to break them apart as you turn them. 

Then add the onion and garlic and sauté until slightly softened. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the pecans, apple and cherries and cover. Let cook for 5-6 minutes, until chicken balls are cooked through.

Mix together the orange juice and cornstarch. Add to the pan and cook until thickened.

Drain rice, carefully fold together and serve.

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Thai Fresh Crab & Corn Risotto

If you never change your mind, why have one? – Edward de Bono

As we say in Nova Scotia, "some good"!

Sometimes it’s good to surprise yourself. Especially when good means “tasty.” Restaurant tasty. That’s how I would describe this.

Not all surprises work out this well. And it was completely without any real forethought at the grocery store. The recipe came about because I changed my mind.

Crab “clusters” (legs and body) are on sale this week for 1/3 their normal price at the Superstore. Local corn is also making an appearance (3/$1). With such finds I usually am inspired to make Chinese crab and corn soup. So I bought some with that in mind.

But, as I said, by the time dinner rolled around I changed my mind. What I wanted to make had lost all its appeal for some reason. Now there’s nothing wrong with crab and corn chowder, but it’s my stomach and I (too often) listen to what it tells me.

Regardless of my stomach's inner voice, I was still stuck with 2 ingredients, crab and corn. Thank goodness for Google’s search function. A quick look gave me many hits – mostly for crab and corn soup! An alternate that stood out was for Italian corn risotto. It sounded pretty interesting. There was no reason I couldn’t add in crab. 

But Italian and crab really don’t spring to mind as a common combo. Perhaps time for an exercise in fusion cuisine?

Just add enough liquid every time so
the contents is covered slightly.

So I trekked across the Middle East, over India and into southeast Asia for my flavours: coconut, chilli and ginger. To really get coconut in this I double-dosed it. It’s in both the oil and the braising liquid for the rice. Don't be fooled – coconut oil imparts a coconut taste. Sometimes this is advantageous, sometimes not. This time it helped make everything quite nicely coco-nutty.

If you want to make something unexpected for company I say look no further. This is a drop-dead delicious meal and pretty on the plate to boot. Perhaps a little green salad on the side to round things out...

Thai Fresh Crab & Corn Risotto*

Prep: 20 min  |  Cook: 20 min  |  Serves 4

250 g fresh King crab meat, shelled

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp crated fresh ginger

1 hot red chilli, finely diced (or 2 tsp dried chilli flakes)

1 cup Calrose rice

1 can coconut milk, plus enough chicken stock to make 1L

2 ears corn, kernels removed

salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Clean the pre-cooked crab, if purchasing in clusters, and discard the shells. You should have at least 250 g meat.

Combine the coconut milk and stock in a pot and bring to a simmer. Keep warm.

Heat the coconut oil in a wide sauté pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Sauté until the  onion begins to look transparent. Then add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes. Finally add the corn kernels. Reduce heat to medium high.

Begin to add the hot liquid to the rice/corn mixture, using just enough to cover. Stir while it cooks. Do NOT go answer the phone or the rice may stick and burn.

Add more milk and stock as the liquid is absorbed, stirring. Continue to cook until the rice is “al dente” (still has a slight resistance when bitten). This may take a little less than the 1L or a little more. If you need more liquid, use hot water. 

This is the amount of liquid that should be left. Some, but not much. You should
be able to drag the spatula across the bottom of the pan and it remains dry.

The risotto is dry enough when almost all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. You need to leave some “creaminess” with the rice so it isn’t completely dry.

Taste for salt and pepper and adjust. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the crab and cilantro. Serve immediately.

* You can use canned crab and frozen or canned for kernels, but why would you if fresh is available and affordable?

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Japanese Beef Bowl

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci

Looks tasty, yes?

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. We have quite a few in North America, most often filed mentally under the term “mom’s kitchen.” You know, family food.

Sometimes, though, you just crave something a little exotic. Now to those of Asian descent this won’t seem very unusual, but to those of us who subsist on boiled potatoes and the like mirin is quite an exciting introduction.

This may be Japanese “family food.” I’m not sure. The signature characteristic of family food is that it is filling, and easy to prepare. That’s the case with this dish. Super simple, super delicious, and super fast.

I have a real reluctance to turn on the stove during the heat of summer. So anything I can do to reduce the amount of heat it throws into my home is appreciated. 

We still have to eat, and we should still eat well. But at this date (nearly the end of July) we’re probably getting a little tired of abandoning the kitchen for the barbecue. Or at least we are looking for a little diversity between chops, burgers and hot dogs.

If you time everything right you can have this dinner on the table in the length of time it takes to cook rice.

Japanese Beef Bowl

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 15 min  |  Serves 2

1-1/4 cup beef broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 lb lean beef, sliced thin

sliced green onions

cooked white rice

To slice the beef more easily, partially pre-freeze until fairly firm. Then slice with a sharp knife. Set aside.

*** To ensure tender beef slice against the grain.

Bring broth, soy sauce, mirin, onion, sugar, ginger and garlic (and chilli if using) to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium let cook until the volume is reduced to almost half. It should start to look a little syrupy.

Mix the cornstarch with a teaspoon of water and stir into the broth. Then add the onions and cook until they are tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the beef slices and cook until just barely done, about 1-2 minutes. 

Serve over white rice with the green onion sprinkled on top.

If beef isn’t your thing, you can substitute thin slices of chicken breast.

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Mexican Pork, Rice & Beans

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust 

Sometimes “value” shopping can get you into trouble, especially if it’s food and you don’t have a “normal” family of four. I usually buy several meat items when they're on sale and then promptly freeze them. My freezer is starting to look like my mother's. A place where things go to be forgotten (but with far more recent dates than in hers).

I found myself in that position the other day. I forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner the other night. So down to the freezer I went. and at 5pm I was standing in front of the nuclear oven defrosting 2 lbs of pork loin chops. Finally, a use for that thing other than reheating leftovers.

The whole package was only $5. But I hated the thought of only using some of it and perhaps wasting the rest. I was to be away for a few days and it probably wouldn’t get around to using it.

Just before the rice went in.

So I had to cook all of it. But what to make that would last in the fridge and still be something I would want to eat? My pantry been getting pretty bare recently. This month has been one filled with design work as opposed to delicious meals. I have to work on that and re-stock...

Scrounging around the pantry I found a few ingredients that I could throw together with pork. Black beans, corn, rice, some tomato sauce I “put up” in July and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Things were shaping up, and sounding pretty Mexican.

I am always amazed at how even a partially empty pantry can lead you on a road to discovery if you only can see the possibilities. That’s the trick.

So that’s what happened. What also happened was dinner for four to six, with very little effort. Kind of like a Latin risotto, with “stuff” in it. Delicious stuff. Great food for the soul sucking greyness we call winter weather in Nova Scotia.

Use that nuclear oven to reheat any leftovers to steamy hot when you enjoy it again.

After adding the brand and corn heat through.

Mexican Pork, Rice & Beans

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 25 min  |  Serves 4-6

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lg onion, halved and sliced

2 lg garlic cloves

2 lbs pork loin, cubed

2 cups plain tomato sauce

2 cup chicken stock*

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced

1 cup long grain white rice

2 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 can corn kernels

1 can black beans, rinsed

hot sauce, optional

Sauté the onions and garlic on medium high in the oil until softened and slightly browned. Add the cubed pork, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until browned as well.

Add the tomato sauce, stock, chopped chipotle peppers, cumin, thyme and oregano. You can add more chipotles if you wish. Bring to a boil over medium low heat.

Add the rice, stir well and cover. Let cook for 15 minutes, until the rice is nearly done. Stir the pot occasionally to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add more stock if required, but you probably won’t need it because you want the end result to be fairly dry.

Add the drained black beans and corn. Bring to a simmer and heat through. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with hot sauce at the table.

* If you wish, for a more complex flavour use half white wine and half chicken stock.

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Thai Bang Bang Chicken Bowl

Industry is fortune's right hand, and frugality its left. – John Ray 

I’m reminded of the Aesop’s fable of the Ant and Grasshopper. The ant labours all summer long gathering food for winter while the grasshopper plays and sings in the sun. When winter comes and the grasshopper realizes his folly he comes to a sobering conclusion:

“It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.” And then he dies. Nice fable for kids, eh?

We kind of did that with our garden this year – planned for the winter ahead. And I’m going to try to do my best to use the actual fruits of our labour. Some will be in beet form, some in carrots and some in squash.

We also have cucumbers, herbs and tomatoes (now in sauce). They will all be very helpful when the weather turns nasty. Waste not, want not.

It was with that in mind that I decided to use some of our bounty to make this meal. Thank goodness for the internet. It’s so easy to type in what you have and generate a list of recipes that answer your search.

My query was carrots, cucumbers and some chicken I had in the fridge. I was not disappointed. Too many to list popped up.

The thing about much Asian influenced cuisine is that it uses cilantro. I didn't have any fresh. I do want to grow it next year. It was an oversight this gardening season...

This recipe is sort of like a teriyaki salmon bowl, except there’s no teriyaki. It’s in a spicy peanut sauce. The similarity is that several of the ingredients are served raw, so it’s got to be a little healthier for you.

I know it tasted very good. The hot rice, chicken and sauce were just enough to elevate it from a “cold” salad. It’s also a dish where everyone assembles their own, so you can bring the ingredients to the table and let the family have at it.

It’s a great, fresh tasting way to enjoy some of the bounty you toiled so laboriously for during the summer months. Or scavenged from your local grocery... Hope you enjoy.

Bang Bang Chicken Bowl

Prep: 30 min  |  Serves 4

1 lb chicken pieces (legs, thighs or breasts)

1 cup long grain rice

1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced

1 lg carrot (or similar small ones), julienned

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (or green onion)

chopped fresh cilantro, or dried

Sauce:

3 tbsp soy sauce (this is your saltiness)

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

Boil the chicken pieces in salted water for 15 minutes, until cooked through. Drain and let cool. Then remove and discard the skin and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Make the rice while the chicken is cooking. It usually is 1 rice to 2 water, simmer covered 15 minutes, let sit covered for 5. At the same time, prepare the carrots, cucumber and onion.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 2.5 minutes. Stir well and set aside.

To assemble, divide the hot rice between 4 bowls. Top with some chicken, then carrot, onion and cucumber. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with cilantro.

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Pulling a leg – Blanquette du Poulet

I'm a practitioner of elegant frugality. I don't feel comfortable telling other people what to do, so I just try and lead by example. – Amory Lovins 

Feed three with one chicken leg with attached thigh, elegantly.

My late Great Aunt Hilda used to tell a story. One time she and my other great aunt, Nettie, were visiting friends in Shelburne and they stayed into dinnertime. The host said she could certainly feed them all. It was a roast chicken. 

When Aunt Hilda was served, what was on her plate? A chicken wing. I can remember her telling that story many times. She was a bit hungry afterwards, apparently. No McDonalds in rural Nova Scotia at that time (the 1960s-70s) to stop into on the way home either.

I'm hoping she would be proud of me with this frugal dish. I’ve turned a leftover leg of roast chicken into a meal for 2, or even 3 in a pinch. Staying for dinner, Aunt Hilda? Wish she could.. she has been gone for nearly 20 years...

It’s quite easy to stretch a meal. All you need are the proper fixin’s to bulk whatever you're preparing up. It's not so much about small portions, but knowing what to add. Mushrooms, chard, onion, rice in this case... All in a velvety sauce.

When I first started to cook (about the time Hannibal was attempting to cross the Alps) I used to make a dish called Blanquette du Veau (Blanket of veal). This is a take on that dish, with a lot of departures.

If you have a little leftover chicken, as one often does after roasting, tuck some aside to try this recipe. It’s a great way to stretch a little bit to go a long way.

Blanquette du Poulet*

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook : 15 min  | Serves 2-3

1 lg chicken leg and thigh, pre-cooked

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

6 white mushrooms

1 cup long grain white rice (or basmati)

2-1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tsp fresh lemon thyme (3/4 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp cracked black pepper

2 cups chopped Swiss Chard

1 egg, mixed with 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Slice the mushrooms and dice the onion. Heat the oil in a stock pot. Sauté the mushrooms and onion until slightly browned.

Remove the meat from the chicken leg and dice. Add to the pot.

Stir in the rice, stock, lemon thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer, and let cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the chopped chard and stir in. Then remove the pot from the heat.

Mix the egg and milk together very well. Pour the mixture into the rice, stirring constantly. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

*To "gild the lily", stir in 1 tbsp of brandy or cognac with the egg and milk.

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Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.

Pork, Corn, Rice & Chillie

Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise. – Anonymous

Risky refrigerator raiding? No. Quick and healthy? Yes.

This is my 1,000th post. Wow. I seem to have a lot to say, eh?  :-)  – Docaitta

Sometimes you just don’t have time to fuss over dinner, right? So wouldn’t it be nice to have a recipe that you can just stick on the stove and let go – all within less than 1/2 hour?

This one’s it. Stir, cover and go do something else important. Not that dinner isn’t important. You still have to put something nutritious on the table. But what if your dinner problem is compounded by having leftovers to deal with? No problem there either.

We barbecued some boneless pork chops a few days ago and made too many. It’s difficult to buy chops on sale for two. Luckily there are many uses for pre-cooked pork. And barbecued adds a nice, smokey flavour.

I have to admit, I took a risk and made this recipe up on the spot. I had the chops, an opened jar of tomato sauce, and some local corn I had purchased a few days previously. Things had to be dealt with.

This one’s a good recipe. It has all the flavours of Tex-Mex food, with the addition of rice right in it to extend it to a one-pot meal.

If you know what you’re doing you can steer almost any dish towards a certain region’s cuisine. I’ve mentioned this before – what makes something Italian, Greek, French, etc. All it takes is sone chutzpa.

The lesson I learned from all this? Don’t let “leftover” bits in your fridge deter you from culinary bravery, or a good dinner your family will enjoy.

This could just as easily have used beef or chicken. So if you have barbecued leftovers, perhaps think about bringing them in and putting them in a pot with some rice and corn. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how good, and filling, "leftovers" can be!

I love one pot meals. I'm dishwashing averse.

Pork, Corn, Rice & Chillie

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook 20-25 min  |  Serves 4

300 g pre-cooked cubed pork (2-3 chops)

3 ears corn kernels

1 cup long grain rice

1 cup tomato sauce (or thin salsa)

3 cups water

1 med onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 or 2 jalapeños, diced

1 tsp cumin seed

1/2 tsp thyme, ground

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

sour cream and hot sauce, optional at table

Combine all ingredients (except for the sour cream) in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Let cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes more.

Serve with sour cream and hot sauce at the table.

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Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.

One-pot Lamb, Eggplant and Feta Bake

I have never felt any ethnic connection between the Greeks and me other than how hairy I am. – George Michael 

Quite nice. Quite nice indeed. And simple.

Does anyone remember the “find” I made at the grocery store a few days ago? The lamb rack?

Well, I had a little left over. Actually about a pound (454 g) left over. What to do, what to do...

It's easy to turn meat into ground with a
food processor. Pulse and you're done.

I used to be the king of one-pot. It has many advantages, besides the obvious one of fewer dishes. One-pot usually means whatever you make is, in my mind, more of an infusion of flavours, as opposed to different items arranged on your plate.

I like one-pot meals – stews, braises, you name it... They’re my friend.

I make a Palestinian dish with chicken that is amazing called Maqloobeh. It’s really easy and quite impressive. The recipe is here.

Why couldn’t more dishes be done with this technique of baking/steaming with the rice cooked right in? There’s no real reason...

Since I had the lamb I thought I would give it a try. In a Greek way this time.

Whenever you’re faking/making dishes reminiscent of different cultures you have to be aware of some of the “staples” that are signature flavours. It’s simple enough if you spend any time either in the kitchen or in ethnic restaurants.

For Greek food some of the familiar culprits are lamb, eggplant, tomatoes, feta, oregano and nutmeg. Of course there are many more, but those are the ones I chose.

This was really tasty, and I would make it again in a heartbeat. My husband said it tasted like something you would get in a Greek country kitchen. Success!!

The recipe may sound like you’re salting too much, but if you don’t you’ll find yourself reaching for the salt shaker at the table. Eggplant needs salt, so does the rice. Tomatoes too...

It may also seem like there’s a lot of oregano and nutmeg, but it all balances out. Trust me.

While I’m on the subject of nutmeg, buy whole nutmegs and grate your own. You can get them at the bulk food store and they keep forever. 

I’ve had a bag that I’ve been slowly going through for years. Just grab a nut and grate. It tastes so much better than buying previously ground. 

That holds true for any spice. As soon as it’s ground it starts to lose flavour and strength. Buy yourself a small grater and a coffee grinder for exclusive spice use. They’re kitchen essentials.

Lamb, Eggplant and Feta Bake

Prep: 5 min  |  Cook: 1 hour  |  Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium eggplant

1 lb lamb, ground or cubed

1-1/2 tsp dried oregano

34 tsp grated nutmeg

1 cup long grain rice

2 cups water

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

200 g feta, crumbled

salt & pepper, to taste

Cut the eggplant in half, rub the surface with half of the oilive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil on a baking sheet until the top is well browned. Set aside.

Turn the oven heat from broil to 350°F.

Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven or other large oven-proof pot with a lid. Sauté the lamb until no longer pink. Season with the oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper, remove to a bowl.

Cut the eggplant into chunks and arrange on the bottom of the pot. Then add the rice and water. Layer with the lamb and then the tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with a little salt. 

Then top with the crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with more pepper and oregano if desired.

Cover and bake for 40-50 minute, until the rice absorbs the water.

Remove the cover, turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 5 minutes. This will brown the top of the cheese.

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Homemade Butter Chicken

"Classic." A book which people praise and don't read. – Mark Twain

Butter chicken was not a traditional homemade meal, but the invention of a restauranteur.

This is an Indian restaurant classic. I paused when I typed in the title "homemade," because it was never a homemade dish. Pair that with a recipe that has no butter in it and you have double confusion. 

This is also a repeat posting (I have a craving...). But what a repeat. This is one of the best Indian-style dished in my repertoire. Seriously.

Moti Mahal is now a chain of restaurants. This is one.
Photo: toyohara, Flickr ccl

Butter chicken, or Murgh Makhani, is an Indian dish that is now popular all over the world. The recipe, created in the late first half of the 1900s, can be traced back to a restaurant in the Indian capital of Delhi. 

According to a documentary on the Discovery Channel, butter chicken originated in a famous restaurant named Moti Mahal Delux in central Delhi, India.

The owner, Kundan Lal Gujral, is famous for inventing another "classic", tandoori chicken, as well as several other Indian dishes, including butter chicken and dal makhani. "Makhani" is a Hindustani word meaning "with butter." 

His restaurant recycled the leftover juices from making tandoori chicken as a base for a marinade, and added butter and tomato to the mix. A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven originally used in Northern India and Pakistan for both cooking and baking.

It's interesting that two of the most world famous Indian dishes didn't have their start in country kitchens, but in the kitchen of a restaurant.

Butter chicken uses either cubed or bone-in chicken and can have a wide variety of spices often including cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and fenugreek. It nearly always has yoghurt, cream and tomato paste. 

There are as many versions of butter chicken as there are cooks. I hope you like mine. It is very tasty and as far as making Indian food "from scratch" is a breeze! This one is "Cyn-endorsed" – a friend of mine from where I used to work.

Murgh Makhani

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 40 min  |  Serves 4

This is the sauce just after all is combined in the pot.

8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

1 medium onion

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp cayenne

2 tsp cumin seed

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/2 cup coffee cream

1 cup whole fat plain yoghurt

1/2 cup tomato purée (1 small can)

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

salt

Place the chicken thighs in a large low saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and fry both sides until golden but not completely cooked, about 10-15. This will depend on the size of your chicken thighs.

Simmer the chicken while you make the rice. The colour changes
as the dish simmers. Compare this with the top photo.

Remove the thighs to a plate and drain off all but 1 tbsp of the collected chicken fat.

Peel and halve the onions. Then take each half and cut from top to bottom to make long slices. Add the onions and chopped ginger to the pan and cook until just beginning to soften.

Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add the cayenne, cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamon and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in the coffee cream and then the yogurt. Mix well. Then add in the tomato purée and lemon juice. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken pieces into the sauce, cover and let cook while you make the basmati rice. The rice will take about 25 minutes.

Bring the salt and water to a boil. Add the basmati, stir and cover. Reduce heat to simmer and let cook for 15 minutes (17 minutes for brown basmati). After the water has been absorbed, remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken and sauce beside the rice.

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You know, I really like comments... I really do.

Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.