My Attempt At Rogan Josh.

I love trying all different types of food. Which is why being a Socal resident is so great! Unfortunately I never really know how to recreate any ethic dishes (besides the Chinese ones, thanks to Dad).

So I was at the Persian market here in town not too long ago when I noticed that they had lamb shanks in stock. Immediately I got too excited and started freaking out, because it's not a normal product that American grocery markets stock. I bought the cardamom pods from the same Persian market and the saffron from Trader Joe's. I was way too excited. I am going to serve this with some Saffron Rice and Paleek Paneer tonight!

So I bought a couple and then realized: how do I cook this? So I went through my cookbooks and then online and found this nifty recipe --> http://www.food.com/recipe/lamb-shank-rogan-josh-193745

Lamb Shank Rogan Josh

Ingredients
2 lbs lamb shanks (2)
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large yellow onion , thinly sliced
2 celery ribs , chopped
1 cup hot lamb stock or 1 cup chicken stock
¾ cup plainGreek yogurt or ¾ cup sour cream
2 cardamom pods , cracked
1 teaspoon saffron strand
14 ½ ounces stewed tomatoes (canned are fine) or 14 ½ ounces crushed tomatoes , with juice (canned are fine)
½ cup tomato sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. With paper towels, gently pat any excess moisture from the lamb shanks. Set aside.
2. In a gallon-sized Ziplock or other bag, combine the flour, chili powder, coriander, ginger, cumin, salt and nutmeg. Add the lamb shanks and shake to dust the shanks in the mixture.
3. In a large dutch oven (I use my big, round Le Cruset pot), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the dusted lamb shanks from the bag. Reserve any remaining flour/spice mixture from the bag, setting it aside.
4.Brown the lamb on all sides for about 7 to 10 minutes, careful not to let the flour/spice mixture burn. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the thinly sliced onion and celery to the dutch oven and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is golden brown. Add the reserved flour/spice mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Stir in the stock and yogurt until well mixed.
6. Return the browned lamb to the dutch oven, turning the shanks so that they're covered in sauce. Add the cracked cardamom pods and saffron and bring to a gentle boil. Cover tightly with dutch oven lid and cook at medium low for 90 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes (and tomato sauce, if you feel the there's not enough liquid in the pot) and cook for an additional 40 to 60 minutes until the lamb is tender and falling away from the bone.
8. Separate the meat from the bone/fat/gristle and serve with the sauce (which I prefer to put through a gravy-fat separator, first).
9. Serve hot with rice and naan. Saag aloo or curried lentils also go well with this dish!
10. Note: make sure your spices aren't stale or the flavorings in this dish simply won't be nearly as delicious.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/lamb-shank-rogan-josh-193745#ixzz1ph2DFlCH

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.

So college has past me by and things have since changed dramatically. To begin, I rarely have the time to cook BUT that does not mean that I still use my weekends and spare time to try out some great recipes that I've found. It's gotten to the point where I have too many cookbooks and too little time. However, we have come full circle and the other day I cooked another lobster! It was oh-so-delicious and it has been so long that I was rather apprehensive. Not to mention, one of my roommates is a vegetarian so I was trying to hide the entire thing from her. That was rather difficult, considering how messy lobster can be. Lobster is best served with a little melted butter, lemon, and maybe garlic. Fresh lobster will change how you view the world, TRY IT!

Chicken Enchiladas.

A couple weeks ago I made this wonderful recipe. The perfect thing is that I use leftover meat from the roast chicken for the chicken enchiladas. Now, this recipe is based on a black bean vegetarian recipe so feel free to omit the chicken! The crazy thing about this recipe is that it uses the slow cooker, but since I wanted to eat like NOW and not wait a few hours, I used the good ol' oven. Oh the oven. Anyways, enjoy!

Slow Cooker Enchiladas from thekitchn.com

Serves 4-6

1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1/2 bell pepper, diced small (any color)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - we like monterey jack
2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa
12 6”-8” tortillas, flour or corn
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef

In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly.

Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and nestle it into the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the crock pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with another 1/2 cup of cheese.

Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt.

Serve the enchiladas with the remaining salsa. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Additional Notes:

• You can cook the enchiladas for longer (6-8 hours on LOW), but we found that the tortillas in the middle start to get mushy while the ones touching the sides of the cooker get crispy. Still tasty, though!

• To cook these enchiladas in the oven, layer the rolled tortillas in a 9x13 baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.

• We haven’t tried it, but we so reason why this recipe couldn’t be doubled if your slow cooker is big enough. Just continue creating layers in the slow cooker and bake as usual.

Roast Chicken.

This dish is seriously a staple. First off, it is so incredibly simple to make and so delicious. One of the best parts about making a roast chicken is that the potatoes and carrots underneath it absorb all the juices, which seriously make it one of the best tasting things possible. No. Joke.

The wonderful thing about roast chicken is that you can put whatever herbs/veggies you love and adjust it to your taste. For example, my favorite things are lemon, garlic, onion, thyme, and rosemary. So that's what I use. The great thing about this is that you can make as many chickens as you need.

This recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/herb-roasted-whole-chicken/

Herb Roasted Chicken

[Sorry my pictures aren't that great, I took them on my phone!]

Ingredients
* 3-4lb Whole Chicken
* Something to stuff inside the chicken (Apple, Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Carrot, etc..)
* Canola Oil
* Salt and Pepper
* Fresh Herbs

You can stuff various items into the chicken for roasting and this will provide additional moisture and aromatics that will help to flavor the chicken from the inside. I’m using a lemon, some garlic cloves, and an onion.

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees while you pick the herbs from their stems.
2. Then you’ll need to give all those herbs a chop.
3. Toss those herbs into a bowl and add in your salt and pepper.

For EACH chicken you’ll be roasting, you’ll need:

* 1-2 Tablespoons of chopped herbs
* 1 Tablespoon of salt (kosher is best)
* 1 Teaspoon of pepper

4. Add to that 2-3 tablespoons of Canola oil and stir.
5. Before we apply our herb mixture to the outside of the chicken, we’ll need to fill the cavity of the bird with our aromatics. As I mentioned, I’m using Lemon, Garlic, and Onion. You won’t be eating these items, so you can just give them a rough chop / slice / mash.
6. Stuff those aromatics into the nether regions of your chicken…
7. It’s important that your whole chicken be patted dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. This will help to insure a nice crust on your chicken once it’s finished. Begin rubbing the chicken down with your canola-herb-salt-pepper mix. No need to get crazy with it. It’s just a chicken.
8. Slide your herb coated chicken(s) into that 450 degree oven for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until they are golden brown and have developed a delicious crust.
9. Now here is the hard part. You have to let your chicken rest for 10-15 minutes in order for it to retain its juiciness. PRACTICE YOUR SELF CONTROL!

Alright and what I like to do is add some carrots and roast potatoes. So I'll chop up a few potatoes and some carrots and boil them for a bit and put the chicken above a bed of the potatoes and carrots. Sweet potatoes work so well with this dish as well. I also put large pieces of onion in the mix and its absolutely wonderful. Make sure to salt and pepper the potatoes and carrots and voila! You've got an amazing meal, enjoy!

The Classic.

Today we are going to be discussing the classic dish, Pasta Carbonara. Did I ever mention that I'm a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan? Because I am. I know most people (and especially Americans) don't really care for his approach to cooking and fresh produce but I find it to be refreshing and quite healthy. I've never actually made this dish before but I found the whole separating yolk from white thing to be kinda fun. Messy, but fun. All in the name of cooking right?

ALRIGHT FOLKS. So this recipe was taken from one of my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. Unfortunately I made this awhile ago and don't have the book currently with me as I am at school at the moment. So I've looked around the internet and found what I BELIEVE is closest to the actual recipe. Here goes!

Jamie Oliver's Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

* 1 tsp Sea Salt
* 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
* 300 g Courgette
* 500 g Penne Pasta
* 4 egg yolk
* 100 mL Double Cream
* 2 cups Parmesan
* 1 tbsp Olive Oil
* 6 oz Pancetta
* 2 tsp Thyme, Fresh


Directions

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and put to one side.

Heat a very large frying pan (a 35cm one is a good start – every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely bacon-flavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straight away. While you’re tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. If you’ve managed to get any courgette flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

P.S: I really would rather not think about how many calories this is, but such is life!

(breakfast) Post of Shame.

So....It just occurred to me today I haven't posted up anything in QUITE awhile. This is my post of shame. I am so sorry but I'm not sure if anyone reads this anyways. Regardless, I want to bring it back! I warn you all (to the one friend reader) that I am quite busy now and will do my best.

Let's start the year off with..............

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE!

I went through a breakfast casserole phase. I'm actually still kinda going through it. But don't tell anyone.

Basic Oven Omelette (from thekitchn.com)
Serves 6

Ingredients

10 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Stir in the cheese, diced ham, and parsley. Season with the salt and pepper and pour into the prepared pan. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

• Reprinted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand. (Harvard Common Press, January 2011)

I substituted some turkey bacon because that's what I had in my fridge and added lots of veggies like green bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Yum! It's a great way to get your servings of vegetables!

Oh and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

"Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me." -Sarah Bernhardt

My take on Korean Food.

Even though I'm abroad I've got so much stuff from earlier this year that I never got around to posting. Whoops. So instead of studying or reading my articles I chose to update my food blog. From hundreds of miles way. That's how dedicated I am. Or not....

Anyways. So I made Korean kimchi fried rice with Korean fried spicy chicken. My family doesn't really do "spicy food" so after the meal, I realized the mistake I made: Never pair a spicy dish with another spicy dish when your family can't handle the heat. Also, my family are not big Korean food whores like me, so I don't think they understood the whole matter....


Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Dak) Adapted from ''Quick and Easy Korean Cooking'' by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (Chronicle Books, 2009)

Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour's marinating

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating
8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered, or 24 wings
3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang)
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch.
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.
5. For wings only, when all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

For Korean Kimchi Fried Rice, there are many different recipes online but I THINK I used this one:

Korean Kimchi Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cooked rice (preferably day old, Korean or Japanese rice. If there is not time to make rice, and there is not any left over rice, microwaveable instant rice only takes from 1-2 minutes, and tastes almost identical to rice made from a rice cooker.) CJ brand instant rice is good, for first time buyers.
• 1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi in its juices (cut into half inch strips)
• 1 tablespoon of gochujang (red pepper paste). Haioreum brand is good, for first time buyers.
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (preferably Korean or Japanese soy sauce)
• 1/2 an onion (brown or white)
• 1 tablespoon of seasame seed oil
• some samgupsal (Korean bacon), regular American bacon, or other form of meat (optional)
• egg (optional)
• gochugaloo (red pepper powder)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the wok or frying pan. Pour in the sesame seed oil, and coat the bottom of the pan with it.
2. For non-vegetarian kimchi bokumbap, cut the bacon into small one inch strips, and cook it in the pan until it turns white. If the Korean bacon is being substituted with American bacon, leave the strips clumped in pairs, and make sure it doesn't over cook. (Don't let it get dry and crispy.) The bacon can be substituted for other types of meat-- beef, ground meat, tuna, or seafood work well.
3. Place the rice into the pan and let it cook until the bottom burns slightly. Stir and let the other side burn slightly, as well. This makes the fried rice taste crispier.
4. Put in the kimchi and kimchi juice, red pepper paste, garlic, soy sauce, and onion into the pan. Stir so that the rice is evenly coated with the red pepper paste. ( Cook about 5 minutes)
5. Optional: move the contents of the pan to one side, and break an egg (or as many eggs as desired) onto the clean side. Fry the egg so that the yolk is still runny.
6. Season the dish with red pepper powder, salt and pepper to taste. When serving, place the egg on top of the rice.

I added an egg to my fried rice because I like to eat it that way and they put eggs in their meals at times as well. I should probably mention that I sort of made my mother take me to the Korean market for gochujang, which is a very spicy red pepper paste. THAT IS ALSO DELICIOUS. Saranghae and Camsahmidah!