Category: Big bites

Steamed Salmon on Chicory

Grilling fish indoors is a tricky affair- the smell can be hard to get rid of. But steaming is a very clean, unobtrusive option with no compromise on the taste. And, steaming is very forgiving- you can never go wrong. Enjoy!

Special tools:

Steamer.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb salmon cut into four equal sized pieces
  • salt to taste
  • Spice rub: 2 tbsp Ottoman spices + 1 tsp ajika spice (or any spice mix of your choice) blended with 2 tbsp EVOO
  • Bed of greens: 1/2 bunch chicory

Method

Wipe the salmon dry. Sprinkle salt and let it rest for about 10 mins, then wipe it dry again. Roll the pieces in the spice mix till evenly coated on all sides.

Line the steamer with the greens and sprinkle salt to taste. Place the fish pieces on the bed of greens. Steam for 15 minutes on medium-high until the fish is done.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. When I travel I usually bring home spices from these lands. Here I have an Ottoman spice mix from Istanbul and Ajika spice from Tbilisi. And, if one falls in love with the spices, one can always replenish online. Feel free to use any spice mix of your choice.
  2. use any greens for the bed. Also you can add any vegetables that canbe pre-cooked or cut into sizes that will cook cook along with the fish.

Here is another version using purple cabbage leaves as the base.

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Insane Noodle Soup

This dish is insanely delicious. It seems like a big affair with three pots going for the layers of the soup but the result is tremendous. Enjoy!

Special tools:

None.

Ingredients

  • Soup base:
    • 1/2 cup tahini + 1/4 cup soy sauce +
    • 2 tbsp each of rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil
    • 1 tsp sugar (to balance the flavor)
  • Broth (fortified):
    • 4 cups dashi + 6 inches kombu
    • 2 cups oat milk
    • 1 lb frozen corn
  • Saute in oil:
    • 12 oz tofu bock drained and broken into chunks
    • 12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 12 oz noodles
  • Garnish:
    • 4 scallions diced
    • sesame seeds2 cups mixed grains

Method

Prepare the soup base by thoroughly mixing all the ingredients and set aside.

You could do the following three in parallel with two pots and a saute pan:
(1) Heat plenty of water, with salt, for the noodles. When ready soften noodles till ready and then remove with tongs and add to the soup directly.
(2) Mix dashi and piece of kombu on slow simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove the kombu and slice thin to add to the broth along with frozen corn. (3) Saute the tofu chunks till lightly browned. Sprinkle salt to taste. Remove and set aside. In the same pan saute the diced shiitake till soft. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

To bowl up a serving: Put a tbsp (or to taste) soup base. Then ladle the broth and mix till the base is homogenized with the broth. Add the sauted ingredients and noodles fresh from the pot (no need to cook in advance). Garnish.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. The recipe was inspired from Vegan Tantanmen With Pan-Fried Tofu Recipe.
  2. The oat milk could be replaced by regular milk or any other nut or grain milk.

Building the bowl:

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Japanese Mixed Grain Socarrat

How to kick up grains a notch? Socarrat (Spanish) or tahdig (Persian) is crisping of the bottom layer of usually white rice. Here this technique is adapted to store-bought Asian mixed grains with a Japanese touch (via Zen Kokoro).

Special tools:

Wok (non-stick).

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mixed grains
  • 4 cups cooking liquid: 4 cups dashi + 2 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp mirin (or white Balsamic vinegar)
  • Julienned veggies: 3-4 woodear mushrooms rehydrated + 1/2 large carrot + 1/4 purple cabbage + 2 poblano peppers deseeded
  • 4-5 sendai-fu pieces

Method

Dry cook the veggies in the work till lightly charred (or browned). Mix in the grains. Add the liquid and cook covered on low heat for about 1 hour.

Check that the grains are cooked. Reduce heat and cook undisturbed for 10-15 mins till a crust forms at the bottom. Shape the cooked grains so that it can be inverted into a deep pan. Serve warm.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. The vegan dashi is from Kokoro package.
  2. Any other vegetables of your choice can be added. Even Persian barberries.
  3. The disks in the picture is wheat gluten from the Kokoro package.
  4. I inverted the cooked grains with the browned bottom into a deep springform pan. Keep warm in the oven.

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Moi Moi Inspired Bean Dumpling

Whether Native Indian corn tamales or African lentil moi moi, steamed dumplings are especially inviting with their DIm Sum like appeal. I give here a version of moi moi that will give an air consistency without the laborious bean peeling process and also keep La Nutritionista happy (eat your peels! ). Simply delicious. Enjoy!

Special tools:

Steamer.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of prepared (white) beans of your choice
  • 2-3 tbsp besan
  • Salt + chili pepper to taste.
  • Topping: Steamed Romanesco broccoli bits + Black (aged) garlic + Chili EVOO

Method

Fold in besan into the cooked beans. Season with salt and chili pepper. let rest for 30 mins.

Generously brush chili EVOO to two serving size jars. Pour the batter into each. Add the toppings except the chili oil. (Or, some of the topping can be mixed into the batter). Steam covered for 40 mins.

Drizzle chili EVOO on top. Either unmold or serve directly in the jar.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. When West African Chef of Michelin star Chishuru explained the thinking behind the name of her restaurant as ‘the silence that falls over diners while eating delicious food’, I was intrigued. She also fed the interviewing journalist moi moi. I was delighted to see a rather interesting treatment of beans. Ever since La Nutritionista has been strongly recommending beans, I am constantly on the look-out for different bean versions to fight ennui.
  2. Rancho Gordo yellow eye bean. Soak overnight and cook in slow cooker or pressure cooker. Run blender through coarsely, so that it is still chunky. Or, halve and run only half through the blender. Add some tahini (sesame paste) for flavor (about 2 tbsps/ 1 lb beans) and season with garlic oil.
  3. The black garlic is aged at home. But it can also be purchased online.

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Summer Grilled Lamb & Vegetables

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and outdoor grilling. A nice alternative to skewering, whenever possible, the tumbling rotisserie basket frees you first from tedious impaling and then the constant turning over heat.

Using the recipe from https://purba.blog/2019/10/20/silk-road-open-fire-grilled-lamb-potatoes/ throw the marinaded lamb, prepared potatoes (microwaved to steam and then cut into chunks) and zucchini cut into chunks into the tumbler. Let it tumble for about 45 minutes at your usual grilling heat. Enjoy!

Grilling in tumbler

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Sea-Beans Cucumber Salad with Bamboo Shoot

The Farmer’s market is a great place to meet old friends and new ingredients (such as sea beans and bamboo shoots –not in a can!). With all the impulsive buying at the market, the challenge is to use up all the ingredients before the workweek begins.

The bamboo shoot is easily cleaned by removing the outer scaly layers and microwaved for a minute or so. The crunchy, briny sea beans are used in two ways: summer salad and a topping for multigrain (scroll to bottom at the multigrain link, for millet-bulgur maitake greens). Both are marvelous. Enjoy!

Special tools:

None

Ingredients

  • Base
    • 1 large cucumber, partially peeled, halved with seeds scooped and sliced into half-moons
    • 1/4 cup sea beans (presoaked in cold water for 2 hrs)
    • 1 bamboo shoot, hard skin removed and cooked (wrap in paper towel and microwave for 1-2 mins) and then sliced
  • Dressing: 1 tbsp each of rice wine vinegar + sesame oil and dash of Japanese yuzu koshu (citrus and chili)
  • Topping: toasted sesame seeds

Method

Prepare the dressing and mix with all the base ingredients. Add the topping and serve chilled.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. You can use any other dressing of your choice.
  2. A great crunchy, summery salad!

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