Kibbeh Casserole

A meat-n-wheat sumptuous casserole for Superbowl. A little unusual but mighty addictive. Also, with guilt-free mustard greens. Enjoy!!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

A food processor; oven; 5 qt casserole.

INGREDIENTS

Makes enough to feed a small party (8-10) of Superbowl revelers.

  • Stuffing:
    • 1 lb ground meat
    • 1/2 cup onion diced
    • Spices: 1 tsp ground allspice + 1 tsp cinnamon powder + 1 tsp cayenne pepper
    • Salt to taste
    • 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • Bottom and Top Layers:
    • 3 cups bulgur wheat grains (cooked in 5 cups water for 10 mins till soft and fluffy — or follow package instruction)
    • 2 bunches (8 oz each) greens (mustard or spinach or any other green)
    • 1 lb ground meat
    • 1 cup diced onions
    • Flavoring: 1 tbsp dried marjoram + 1 tbsp dried mint + 1 tbsp dried basil + 1 tbsp allspice powder + 1 tbsp cinnamon powder + salt to taste

METHOD

Stuffing: In a saute pan brown the ground meat. Mix in the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Set aside.

Lightly oil the bottom of a large casserole dish.

Use the food processor to make the bottom and top layers. Given the volume, you may want to process the bottom and top layer separately. Halve the recipe for each layer. I use kitchen scissors to coarsely chop the greens right into the processor. Run the processor for a minute or so till the greens are coarsely and evenly chopped. Then add the rest of the ingredients and and process till homogenous. Dump this into the casserole dish and press for an even bottom layer.

Layer the stuffing on the bottom layer. Process the top layer as per the bottom layer. Carefully spread the processed mix, in about 1/2 cup chunks over the stuffing. Then gently press the top into an even layer.

Score with a wet, sharp steak knife as in picture. Brush with water. Tightly cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 475 F for 40 to 50 mins [test doneness by piercing with knife]. Remove foil, broil for 10 mins.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. This meat in a meat-n-wheat casing (kibbeh) is adapted from The Lebanese Kitchen by Monique Bassila Zaarour.
  2. The ground meat can be lamb OR bison OR bison/beef mix. I have not tried with poultry or tofu- but that could be a good experiment.
  3. I added the greens to round out the nutrition profile.

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Fermented Teff Crepe

An amazing minimalist one-ingredient crepe! If you don’t count water and the horde of wild yeast (from the natural environment). This is not quite the (white) injera I have had at many Ethiopian restaurants, but a fairly toothsome dark contender. After many laborious experimentation, here is my streamlined version –utilizing a Proofer– for a seven-day version. I.e., one Sunday to the next. Enjoy!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

A Proofer.

METHOD

  1. Sunday 1: Mix 2 cups dark teff flour in about 3 cups warm water in a glass bowl. Mix well with wire whisk and cover. Ferment at 86 F, in Proofer, for 5 days.
  2. Friday 1: – Pour out the entire top liquid (that may even look alarmingly funky).
    – Bring 1 cup water to boil in a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup of the fermented residue (which has the consistency of clay) and thicken while constantly stirring with wire whisk. In a few minutes, it thickens. Add this to the remainder of the fermented residue in the glass bowl. Mix with wire whisk till homogenous.
    – Add 2/3 to 1 cup water and mix well.
    – Cover and continue to ferment at 86 F, in Proofer, for 2 days.
  3. Sunday 2: Pour out some on the top liquid layer.
    – Heat a non-stick crepe pan. You may have to very lightly oil the pan before the very first one.
    – Pour 1/3 cup batter onto the crepe pan and swirl it around.
    – Cover and let cook undisturbed for 5 mins on medium heat.
    – Carefully peel off the pan with the help of a spatula.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. This has been inspired from from many sources: https://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-injera-ethiopian-flatbread/ ; https://www.preservedgoods.com/post/ethiopian-injera .
  2. I have had tried various fermentation catalysts like yogurt, fenugreek seeds etc, but in this version I don’t use any.
  3. The fermented teff flour has a sweet nutty flavor, almost that of molasses. I was also reminded of a sweet aroma from my grandmother’s village kitchen, but couldn’t place my finger on quite what.
  4. Serve (at room temperature) with Ethiopian or Indian curries.

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Sprouts & Microgreens

Let bio be your sous-chef!

For decades my parents had this daily pre-breakfast ritual of a few activated nuts and a handful of sprouts. Now, I relearn these practices from books on clean, wholesome foods. So, when my mother is visiting me now, I took the opportunity to upgrade my basic tea towel sprouting. I ordered a kit, fancy mixes and converted a small real estate next to the kitchen sink into a sprouting station. You will be astonished how humble seeds, legumes, grains turn impossibly flavorful. And, no cooking required!! Even the pickiest of eaters were impressed.

Persistence is the key. Drain and rinse religiously at intervals of 12 hours. On an average beans and grains take about 2 days, while moong bean takes 3 days and seeds take 5-6 days to be harvest ready. But you can also harvest as you go (after the first soak) which makes it very convenient to sustain. Here is the simple protocol (using 3 days as an example).

Day 0 PM: Soak in plenty of water.
Days 1-3: AM & PM: Rinse and drain.
Day 4 AM : Rinse and drain. Ready to harvest. Refrigerate.

Although I am not fully convinced that you really need different geometries of sprouters, nevertheless the following may be helpful:

  • Flat surface sprouter (1/2 – 1 cup moong) helps maintain the lentils in a single layer (you could even place a weight on top to aid in this) [1/2 – 1 cup]
  • Mason jar with perforated lid (1 cup rye berries, wheat berries) [1/2 -1 cup]
  • Bottom perforated Sprouter kit (Sproutpeople.org.). (1-2 tbsps of seeds –broccoli, mustard– , or, 1 cup peas, or, 1 cup grains)

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. The 1-qt sprouter is perfect — you couldn’t possibly improve it anymore. See the description– quite sophisticated for a set that at first glance looks like takeout plastic containers.
  2. For the rye berries, I was not patient enough to actually see the roots. But the rye berry sprouts are sweet and delicious (you even get asked “wow, is this cooked?”) !! Use in grain salad. The wheat berries, on the other hand, were not shy and merrily displayed their roots.
    See picture.
  3. My mother was particularly impressed with the sprouting wheat berries and methi (fenugreek seeds).

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Sweet Yogurt

What’s the big deal with sweet yogurt, you ask. Well, the illusive sweetness and the silky custard consistency comes from reduced milk alone. This one ingredient dessert (other than the essential little yogurt starter) is bound to steal your heart. Enjoy!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

A proofer or yogurt maker (or simply the good fortune of living in the tropics/subtropics).

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups skimplus milk, reduced to 1 cup (see below on how to reduce milk)
  • 1 tsp active yogurt (starter)
  • (optional) Flavoring agents: a few saffron threads dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water.

METHOD

Mix in the flavoring agents, if using any, to the reduced milk. Pour into two containers and add 1/2 tsp yogurt to each, loosely cover and let set overnight. If using a proofer, set at 100 F. Next morning transfer the containers to the refrigerator.

Serve chilled.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. I adamantly reinvented the sweet yogurt (mitha dahi) 😉 with the aid of a Brod and Taylor Proofer. The Proofer helps in making the yogurt in separate little containers (while simultaneously fermenting pancake batter at the same temperature!).
    I remain minimalist– in this version (pictured) I add no sugar and no additional flavoring agent. A good way to appreciate the natural sweetness and aroma of “caramelized” milk, which is accentuated by the milk reduction process (see below).
  2. Reduced milk. Use a very thick bottomed pan (such as a Le Cruset pan) or a milk cooker.
    1. Heat milk on very low heat. It takes about 2 hrs 40 mins. Every 20 mins— stir well making sure the bottom does not stick or smoke. Simply set your timer on intervals of 20 mins, while you go about your life. After half hour or so the sweet aroma of mawa/khoya takes over but continue to cook the milk till it is reduced to the extent of your choice– I reduced to one-third.
    2. Strain the milk.
  3. I use skimplus milk– note that it is not skim milk.
  4. You can also use canned reduced milk instead of making your own. Also, you can add sweeteners like honey or sugar, if you so choose.

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Fermented Savory Pancakes

The main ingredient in this pancake is besan which is the Indian version of garbanzo flour, though not exactly the same. This uses no explicit leavener like most pancakes do, but exploits the fermented batter for the same purpose. Fortified with finely diced veggeis, it makes a wholesome breakfast. Enjoy!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

A proofer (or simply the good fortune of living in the tropics/subtropics), a griddle.

INGREDIENTS

  • Makes 5 pancakes (1/2 cup each)
  • Batter: 5 oz besan + 2.5 tbsp rice flour + 200 ml lukewarm (105 F) water
  • Filling:
    • Veggies: 1/2 cup finely diced oyster mushrooms + 1/2 cup chiffonaded greens (radish greens) + 2 sliced red shishito peppers
    • 2 tbsp EVOO + salt to taste

METHOD

Batter: Boil the water and then cool to lukewarm. Mix in the flours and let ferment for a few hours (or overnight) in a proofer at 100 F.

Filling: In a non-stick pan dry-roast the veggies. When browned and softened, mix in the EVOO and salt to taste. Let cool and mix in with the fermented batter.

I used the griddle half of a panini maker. No need to grease the griddle. Heat the griddle to 350 F. Pour 1/2 cup of batter (for each pancake) on the griddle. Let cook for 5 mins on one side — you will see the bubbles rise to the top surface. Flip using two spatulas and let cook on the other side for 2 mins.

Serve warm with yogurt.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. The water is boiled first to get rid of any additives in tap water that may get in the way of fermentation. Or, you can use bottled water.
  2. Feel free to use any other mixture of vegetables of your liking.
  3. To make a dosa/crepe: you need to dilute the fermented batter with water to get a thinner consistency.
  4. A bit of knife skill really makes a difference: finely dice the vegetables. It magically makes everything taste good! 🙂

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Kelp Larb

Spiced, minced meat salad, larb, is quintessentially Thai. Years ago, while I was gradually encountering world cuisines in graduate school (ahh, no pun intended), I was struck by larb. Not the red curry, …, nor the masaman, the mainstays of many a Thai menu in the USA. Some food historians/chefs say that the Portuguese brought curry from India to Thailand. But I think the India southeast Asia trades go way back– to the first millennium. In any case, back to larb. It has no signs of any overt Indian influence, but it impressed this Indian enough to make it one of my mainstays of minced meat (in the ranks of keema, seekh/shami kebabs, burger).

Kelp is a seaweed, but not a plant. Considered a superfood, this algae is being sustainably and regeneratively ocean-farmed. Kelp tops the guilt-free list! An intrinsic part of Japanese cooking, kelp is not a complete stranger to the food world.

I bring these two wonders together. I resort to Akua‘s kelp burger “meat” for this equally appealing, delicious larb. Enjoy!

SPECIAL TOOLS:

A chop-stir spatula (optional), thick-bottomed pan.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb kelp-burger “meat”
  • 1 tbsp chili infused EVOO
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • Larb sauce: 1/4 cup lime juice + 1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam) + 1 tbsp honey/brown sugar
  • Garnish:
    • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves + 2 tbsp fresh mint (if not using dried mint)
    • 2 scallions fine chopped + 2 shallots thinly sliced
    • 1 tbsp rice powder (toast rice grains and grind, don’t substitute with rice flour)

METHOD

Heat the EVOO on medium in a thick-bottomed pan. Add the kelp burger meat and the dried mint, and chop-stir for five minutes or so until the “meat” is browned and has a coarse breadcrumb texture. Turn off the heat. Immediately, add the larb sauce and mix well. Then add all the garnish ingredients.

NOTES, HINTS, TIPS:

  1. The larb recipe is inspired by the chefs of omsom.com.
  2. The larb recipe works well with real meat as well- minced turkey, chicken or lamb.
  3. I use the the chop-stir, bought from a specialty store– but you could use just a wooden spatula. Usually, I am not a fan of hyper-specialized tools, but with this one I must make an exception.
  4. Serve with lettuce or radicchio leaves.

Mala Turkey: Similar recipe as above.
1. In a large wok, dry roast veggies – julienned turnip, daikon, and, sliced Napa cabbage and hydrated and sliced dried mushrooms.
2. Prepare the ground turkey using the chop-stir in a saute pan.
3. Mix the veggies, turkey and 2-3 tbsp Mala sauce.

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