recipes - The Hungry Nomad

Chicken Adabo from the Philippines

December 16, 2011 No Comments

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger root
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 onion (optional)
Directions

The classic recipe is to use a whole chicken cut into parts, with the breasts split three or for ways for even cooking. However, you can use a bag of drumettes, a bunch of chicken legs, I personally use boneless/skinless thighs however, skin and bones do give it a better flavour.

Put your chicken parts in one layer in an oversized sauce pan. The big 16 inch cast-iron skillet will do nicely, or a wok for those of you who have a full kitchen.

Splash in some salty soy sauce, enough to dress the chicken pieces.

Pour in the vinegar.

Drop in two bay leaves, and a tablespoon of tomato paste (optional).

Put some whole peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, and crack each one.

Break your garlic bulb into cloves; Slice off the end where it is attached to the base and then lightly crush each clove under the side of your knife. Remove the papery peel, but leave the whole garlic cloves in tact. Toss them into your pan.

Add three inches of fresh ginger to the mix. (I have made this dish both with and without ginger and personally prefer less ginger so the garlicy taste comes through). Grate more than three inches if you want, the more the better.

Let it simmer on medium for 40 minutes.

I also use a lot of onions in this dish. If you like onions you can add it in the beginning process. Fry until a golden hew then add the chicken mix.

If you want to make fancy adobo, simmer the chicken in the sauce until it’s fully cooked. Then take the chicken out of the pan, turn up the flame and reduce the liquids ALL THE WAY DOWN. If you used the skin, there should be plenty of chicken fat… the vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic will have reduced to a thick paste. When you’re down to mostly oil, return the chicken to the pan to toast it. Make sure the chicken browns on all sides and gets coated with the paste.

Serve with rice.

Iranian, recipes

Recipe: Khoresh Kangar and Karafs (Artichoke and Celery Stew)

October 26, 2011 No Comments

I discovered this wonderful creative dish through one of my favourite bloggers: My Persian Kitchen– and so I immediately set out on a quest to make it. This is a combination of one of my favorite Persian stews (Celery Stew) with the addition of artichokes. Now artichokes is not a vegetable (or is it a fruit?) that is found in Iran or anywhere in the middle east so you will not see it used in middle eastern dishes. But given our globalized world its so easy to take original recipes and make them better. That is exactly what My Persian Kitchen has done with this dish.

It is a pretty easy and simple khoresht to make unless you choose to use fresh artichokes and remove the outer leaves yourself. I chose to use canned artichokes (which are also delicious but obviously not a fresh choice).

Ingredients

1 lb stewing meat

2 12oz bags of frozen artichoke hearts, fresh artichokes or canned artichokes

1 large onion

1 tsp turmeric

4 cups parsley, packed

2 cups mint, packed

2-3 tbsp brewed saffron

3 tbsp lemon juice

oil

salt & pepper

Mint, Parsley, Canned Artichokes, Celery, Onions, Beef Stew Meat, Turmeric powder

Saute the celery with some olive oil. Separately chop the herbs and saute slightly then add to the celery. [if you are using fresh artichokes, cook separately and add to celery]

In a separate pan, saute onions until golden, add meat and saute until no longer pink, add turmeric and water and cook for 30-45 minutes on medium heat

Once meat is cooked add the celery and herbs and the canned artichokes with a teaspoon of diluted saffron and let simmer for another 30 minutes. If you like a bit of citrusy flavor add a spoon of lime juice or several Persian dried lime (limoo amanee) [although limoo amanee must be added earlier in the process to allow the flavors to mix

Enjoy with a side of Basmati.

Greece, Greek food, recipes

Sunday Cooking (Athens, Greece)

September 25, 2011 No Comments

Baked Eggplants from Vefa’s Kitchen

I’ve had Vefa’s Kitchen Greek cookbook in my book case for over a year and have hardly touched it. Perhaps I listened too intently to my Greek friends who laughed at me for having bought it, telling me Vefa has turned into quite the cult figure over here in Greece. Shame on me.

I love the book’s minimal and clear design, plus its beautiful photographs. And isn’t that reason enough to buy it in the first place? I also found it very handy that all measurements are given in metric and imperial, as well as temperatures in Fahrenheit and Celsius.

And so this Sunday afternoon I finally decided to try out one of her recipes: baked aubergines (or Καπακωτή in Greek). The dish was, although a bit time-consuming, very easy to make. I did add some more chile pepper as most Greek dishes are a bit bland to my taste. The result: a tasty and healthy early fall vegetable dish!

Do you love eggplants as much as we do? Check here for another delicious eggplant recipe by our very own hungry nomad.

recipes

Ground Turkey & Chives Dumplings

June 28, 2011 No Comments

This recipe came from the very own master chef in my family- my uncle. If you don’t like pork but love dumplings like me then you will love this recipe.

Ingredients:

1- wonton wrappers
2- 1 cup ground turkey
3- sliced prawns (optional)
4- 1/2 green onion finely chopped
5- 2 slices fresh ginger
6- 1 garlic glove
7- 1 tbs Chinese rice wine
8– 1 tbs sesame oil
9- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Set the wonton wrappers on a large plate.
Mix the meat with all the other ingredients.
Place a small portion (about 1 tablespoon) of the filling into the middle of each wrapper.
Wet the edges of the dumplings with water. Fold the dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the dumplings.
To cook, bring a large pot of water (or chicken broth) to a boil. Add half the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they don’t stick together. Bring the water to a boil and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and repeat. When the dumplings come to a boil for a third time they are ready. Drain and remove. If desired, they can be pan-fried at this point.

Greece, recipes

Loukoumades (Honey Puffs)

June 10, 2011 2 Comments

Loukoumades, one of my favourite Greek pastries, are sweet fritters (similar to doughnuts) that are deep fried till golden brown and served warm with a honey syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon and nuts. Just be prepared to get deliciously messy when eating these purely yummy puffs.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo flour

2 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

oil for frying

SYRUP:

2 teacups honey

1 teacup sugar

stick of cinnamon

2 teacups water

METHOD:

1. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water.

2. Put the flour and the salt in a bowl and gradually add the dissolved yeast mixing by hand.

3. Gradually add some lukewarm water until you have a paste that is neither too fluid nor too thick.

4. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it stand in warm water for about an hour.

5. When the batter doubles in size and forms “bubbles”, heat plenty of oil in a pot, until it is scalding hot.

6. Drop teaspoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and allow the loukoumades to turn golden brown.

7. Remove the loukoumades (honey puffs) from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate.

8. In the meantime prepare the syrup : in a pot boil the honey, the sugar , the water and the cinnamon stick for about 10 minutes.

9. Pour the syrup over the loukoumades and sprinkle with cinnamon.

10. Serve hot

Iranian, recipes

Khoreshteh Bademjan (Iranian Eggplant Stew)

April 26, 2011 8 Comments

This is my personal favorite. And I assure you it will quickly become yours. In my opinion there is nothing more delicious than eggplant dishes.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of lamb or lamb shanks with bones (alternatives are chicken or beef or vegetarian)

– it is however most delicious with lamb shanks

1-2 large eggplants

1-2 tomatoes

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 large onion

2 tablespoons salt

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup water

4 tablespoons powdered Persian dry lime (limoo amanee) or 4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Peel the eggplants, cut into 2 by 4 inches. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for about an hour or longer to let the eggplants ‘perspire’. This takes the water out of the eggplant and in return the eggplant will have less of a sponge effect when frying.

2. Cut your meat into small pieces. If you use lamb shanks leave whole.

3. Chop onions into small pieces and fry with olive oil until golden yellow.

4. Add meat to the onions and fry just until the meat and brown. Once the meat is brown on the outside add 1/4 of water and tomato paste (diluted in hot water), Persian dried key lime, salt and pepper to taste.

Note: you can also add whole tomatoes at this point in addition to the tomato paste.

5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 1.5 hours or less depending on meat used.

Meanwhile the eggplants will be wet. I usually wash them to get rid of the salt and dry with paper towels.

1. Saute the eggplants in olive oil (or oil of choice) OR for a healthier version bake.

Note: The traditional version of this dish requires you to fry the eggplants. Eggplants soak in a lot of oil and therefore can require a lot of oil to cook. As a healthier alternative I like to rub eggplant pieces with olive oil and bake them in the oven. However, I have to admit that the original version made my my mom and grandma with heavily soaked eggplants is WAY more delicious. So I recommend you try the original version before the healthy version to soak in the true taste of this dish.

2. Once the eggplants are ready (golden brown on both sides) drain on paper towels. Arrange carefully on top of the stewed lamb and simmer for 15 minutes. Be careful not to break the slices. Do not attempt to mix the stew at this point as the eggplant will be delicate and will rupture.

recipes

Black Rice Pudding

April 14, 2011 2 Comments

Commonly served for breakfast in parts of Southeast Asia, this dish also makes a great dessert. Chinese black glutinous rice, sometimes called forbidden rice, works well, but if you live near a Southeast Asian market you can use this same method with the more traditional Thai black sticky rice.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Black glutinous rice

1/2 cup brown sugar (adjust to taste)

1 can unsweetened coconut milk (shake well)

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Method:

1. Add water to rice and let it soak for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and add water and black rice in a medium pot. Simmer uncovered under low to medium heat for 70 minutes or longer depending if you want it to be mushy in which case leave for longer.
2. Stir in sugar and vanilla extract in the last 15 minutes of the cooking time. The rice mixture will be mushy and thickened around this time, so stir gently to make sure it doesn’t stick at the bottom. You can add coconut milk at this time to add flavor or drizzle afterwards on top.
3. Drizzle coconut milk just before serving. My personal preference is to serve while it’s piping hot but it is equally good at room temperature or cold.

recipes

Almond Crusted Chicken (baked)- Low carb meal

March 24, 2011 No Comments

Dear Readers,

As you may know by now there is nothing I love more than food. However, in order to start the new year fresh and rejuvenated I decided to try the Wild rose cleanse. Many friends have recommended the cleanse and have had great results and for some wild reason I thought this would be a good idea. So here I am on day 3 of the 12 day cleanse and I am barely surviving. However, one good thing that has come out of this cleanse is that I have had to get creative with what I eat (which unfortunately does not include any sugary products or flour based food…which cuts out 80% of my meals!!!)

Almonds are one of the most recommended on the food chart and for today’s meals I decided to try making almond crusted chicken for the first time. It turned out to be sooooooooooooo delicious and it only took less than 30 minutes to make. I can’t wait to make it again.

Ingredients

1-cup raw almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons spices i.e. pepper/paprika/garlic/salt/turmeric

2 teaspoons of parm cheese and flour (or shake and bake)- optional

2 large eggs whites

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)

Spray olive oil

Serve with Salad /tomatoes/steamed broccoli

Instructions

Finely chop the almonds in a mini-chopper or food processor. Transfer the nuts to a shallow dish and stir in the spices, parm. and flour. Lightly whisk the egg whites in another shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry. Cut into smaller pieces or keep whole. Transfer each piece to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture. Place the coated chicken on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side. At this point you can either fry with olive oil in a pan or bake until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center.

Gourmand, recipes

Spaghetti Al Limone (Amalfi Coast, Italy)

March 5, 2011 No Comments

On a distant trip to Naples and the surrounding Amalfi coastline of Sorrento and Positano, I once had a very simple dish which was so delicious that I can still taste it: Spaghetti Al Limone. For those of you who have Italy on your list of destinations. I highly recommend visiting the Amalfi coast. It is really breathtaking and hopelessly romantic. The Amalfi coast line is famous for its lemon and so it comes as no surprise that many dishes, drinks and deserts use lemon as one of their key ingredients. I have been searching for a good Spaghetti Al Limone recipe for quite some time. Most recently I discovered one on my top ten list of blogs. This recipe is taken directly from Smitten Kitchen’s wonderful blog. Let me know how it turns out.

Smitten Kitchen’s Recipe:

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil [Spaghetti al Limone]

This is one of those recipes that are almost better off without one — every ingredient can be adjusted to taste and the technique is just tossing everything about.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti or linguine
Salt
3 lemons
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for serving
Ground black pepper
Small handful fresh basil or arugula (what I used, deliciously, in a pinch) leaves, shredded

Directions:

Cook linguine or spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot. (You’ll have fewer dishes to wash if you use this pot to assemble the dish as well.)

While pasta is cooking, zest lemons until you have a little shy of a tablespoon of zest. Juice lemons — you’ll have anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. Dry out your pot, then boil the olive oil, cream, zest and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water together for two minutes over high heat. Return pasta to pot and stir until coated. Add the cheese and 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss, toss, toss everything together. Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if you’d like your dish a little looser. Quickly taste a strand of pasta and see if you want to add the remaining lemon juice (we did). Stir in basil or arugula and season generously with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, drizzling individual portions with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkling with extra Parmesan cheese

Gourmand, recipes

Ghalieh Mahi (Southern-Iranian Fish Stew)

February 11, 2011 3 Comments

This delicious and pungent dish comes from the south of Iran and is less known than the other more popular Iranian stews. Ghalieh Mahi has very rich flavors including a melange of garlic, tamarind paste, cilantro and fenugreek. It is best served with Basmati Rice.

Ingredients:

King Fish steaks or any fish that can be cut into small cubes and does not fall apart easily OR Prawns (I personally put a mix of Tilapia and Prawns for a wonderful combination- you can substitute for any type of fish you prefer)
2 Bunches of Cilantro
2 Tablespoon dry Fenugreek available at most Middle Eastern/Indian stores
1 Cup chopped fresh Garlic
1/2 Cup tamarind (or more depending on how sour and tangy you want your Ghalieh Mahi to be)Pls note: There are two types of tamarind sauce: the one in a jar that is in liquid form- I personally do not like this as it is too sour and tangy and tastes like chemicals. Try to buy tamarind in bulk form. The bulk form comes in a square shape with seeds in it and has a sour flavour. Remove the seeds and soak in 2-3 cups of warm water.
2 whole red chili peppers (optional, although highly recommended to add a spicy flavour to the dish)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
2/3 Cups of warm water

Preparation:

Pour the dry fenugreek into warm water and let it soak for 30 minutes
Chop the cilantro well and sauté with two table spoons of olive oil or any oil you prefer on low heat.
Drench the fenugreek and add to the sauteed herbs; Continue to sauté until the herbs permeate a melange of smells
At the same time, soak the tamarind paste in 2-3 cups of warm/hot water. Once it has fully soaked, drain the water, allowing the juice to sip through, leaving out the seeds and skin.
Next, add the tamarind paste, salt and pepper to the herbs and then turn the knob on low heat.
Optional step: add chili peppers to the paste
Add 2/3 cup of warm water and put the lid on until you are finished with the next step.

In another pan:

Chop garlic
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté the chopped garlic until slightly golden
After a few minutes remove the garlic and place it in a small dish aside
Saute the fish/prawns for a few minutes until slightly cooked. Remove and set aside
Add the sautéed garlic to the cooking ghalieh (herbs and tamarind paste) and if you like here you can add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
Set your timer for 30 minute and let the ghalieh cook on low heat
After 30 minutes add the fish and let it cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.

This dish can be varied depending on personal taste. For more of a garlic flavour, add more garlic. For a more sour and tangy flavor, add more tamarind paste. For a more spicy flavour add a few more dried red chili peppers.

Serve with a side of basmati rice and radish