Kurilo Alu Bhutuwa (Nepali Asparagus Potato Bhaji)

Fresh slender and dainty asparagus standing in bunches in water always entices me. I bring it home but never know what to do with it other than stir fry it with some orange juice. It tastes great especially with tart fresh squeezed orange juice but we were getting a little tired of it. When I found this Nepali bhaji using asparagus and potato I simply had to try it. I had never used asparagus as a regular vegetable in a cooked bhaji before.

I am so glad I tried it. Everyone loved it. Next time I see those lovely asparagus stalks I will know exactly what to do with them.

Recipe adapted from The Nepal Cookbook.
You will need for 2 servings
2 small potatoes
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. coriander cumin powder
1 tsp. paprika (adjust to taste)
7-8 stalks asparagus
salt to taste

Rinse, peel and cube the potatoes. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle add the turmeric powder and cubed potatoes. Let them cook and brown stirring occasionally. When done, about 5-10 minutes, add the ginger garlic paste, coriander cumin powder and paprika.

Next add the asparagus and season with salt . Saute for a few more minutes before turning off the heat.

Serve hot with rice or poli/roti.

Enjoy!

Alu Kauli Ko Tarkari (Nepali Potato Cauliflower Bhaji)

This version of the Nepali cauliflower and potato dry tarkari is very similar to the side I make. The spices used are a little different but the main ingredients cauliflower, potato and peas are the same.

I made this as part of the Nepali meal. Nobody in the house thought it was very different from what I normally make. I usually don't make the same recipe twice, I always tweak something. So they thought this was another variation.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1 cauliflower
2 potatoes
handful peas
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 dried red chili pepper
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
3 tomatoes, chopped

Clean the cauliflower, break it up into florets and keep aside. Peel and dice the potato into cubes. If using frozen peas do not thaw them.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they crackle add the bay leaf, asafeotida and red chili pepper. Next add the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes. When tomatoes are mushy add the potatoes, cauliflower and peas. Add salt and paprika to taste.

Add a little water and cook the vegetables until completely cooked but not mushy.

Enjoy with poli or rice.

Nepali Roti

Rolled out unleavened flat bread is eaten in India and its neighboring countries. It is a staple in Nepal. What I found interesting is that we too make a roti with milk in Maharashtra. It turns out softer than the roti kneaded in water. To make this roti vegan I used warm water in place of milk. Using warm water also assists in keeping the roti soft.

There are several variations of the Nepali roti. This is one such variation.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 9-10
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil
~ 1/2 cup water

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Warm the water for 10-15 seconds in the microwave and add it a little at a time to form a soft dough. Depending upon the location, temperature and humidity you may or may not need all the water. It is okay to add a little extra if needed. The resulting dough should not be sticky. Knead well, cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap and keep aside for an hour.

After an hour heat a griddle pan. Keep a clean tea towel ready nearby. While it is heating knead the dough to form a long cylinder. Cut off portions of dough the size of a lemon.

Place one portion of dough on a working surface. Using flour to prevent sticking roll out the dough to form a roti. Place the roti top side down on the heated griddle. Let it cook for a couple minutes so the underside has brown patches on it. Flip it over and cook the second side.

You will notice it start to puff up. Assist the process using the tea towel. Ball up the towel in your hand and press down on the roti taking care to see the towel and not your hand touches the hot roti.

Flip it over again and do the same. Take it off heat. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.

Keep it in an airtight container with tea towels or paper towel underneath to absorb the moisture. Roti tastes best the day it is made.

Mexican Meal

We lived 90 miles from the Mexican border for a long time and the food around us was influenced by this proximity. Our favorite restaurant served food from Mexico city. Today I have put together a meal inspired by this restaurant - #25 Green Corn Tamale platter.

For about five years before we left Arizona, anytime we wanted to celebrate with a meal in a restaurant we went for this platter.

I recreated the platter with green corn tamales, enchiladas in verde sauce, refried black beans, Mexican rice and a simple salsa. All of these dishes go very well together and make a delicious and tasty meal. The day I cooked this meal everyone kept peeking into the kitchen asking if I was done. I made them wait until I got the pictures. Once I had pictures of the meal I started with individual pictures. I clicked the tamales last with 3-4 tamales and asked the family to start dinner. They waited impatiently asking how much longer I would take. Luckily all the pictures worked out. I had no time to check before the food was all gone.

No new ingredients in this meal but I hit a snag when I tried to make Mexican fudge for dessert. I cooked the dessert while I made the other dishes. The rest of the meal turned out great but the texture of the fudge was way off. It tasted alright but I knew I had to make it again. I took pictures of the meal with the bad batch with the promise to myself to make it again so I could post the recipe. I tried it again and this time the texture was fine but it was runny. It did not set. My family was willing to eat it as is but I could not take pictures of runny fudge. And so I tried to fix it by reheating it, adding a little sugar and chocolate chips. And finally I got it right.

I learnt my lesson and for all meals after this one I made the dessert before I did anything else.

As they say in Mexico, Buen Provecho!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Green Corn Tamales 
• Enchiladas in Verde Sauce 
• Refried Black Beans 
• Mexican Tomato Rice 
• Salsa 
• Verde Sauce 

An for dessert

• Mexican Fudge

Green Corn Tamales

Green Corn Tamales is one of our favorite dishes. We all enjoy a good tamale in my family. This is our go to dish at Mexican restaurants and if they cannot make a good tamale we never go to that restaurant again.

In Arizona we had a local festival where representatives from a lot of countries of the world put up booths in a downtown park to showcase their cuisine. The goal was to make available low priced food in small quantities allowing people to taste food from as many cuisines as possible. As soon as we finished our volunteer shift at the Indian booth we would made our way to the tamale stall. The family making the tamales specially made vegetarian tamales using only vegetarian ingredients. After the tamales we headed to other booths.

Corn is in season right now. Tamale is supposed to be made with a starchy corn and not the sweet variety found in the US. But since we do not have any other option I use the sweet corn and we all love that too.

You will need
3 ears of corn with husk
1 cup corn Masa (this is coarse corn flour specially made for tamales and tortilla)
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste

Pull the husk off the corn in multiple layers to keep it from tearing.

Save the husks wrapped in wet paper towel until needed. Using a sharp knife cut out the corn kernels and discard the center.

Chop the onion, mince the jalapeno and garlic. Run the corn kernels through the food processor until you have a coarse mixture.

Add masa, onion, jalapeno, garlic and baking powder and salt to taste. Combine to form a thick batter. Soak the saved corn husks in water so they are pliable.

Spread the husks flat on a work surface and fill with a small handful of the corn batter. If the husk is not broad enough use two or three husks side by side overlapping a little.

Fold the sides and the top. Ensure you leave a opening on one side. Repeat the process to prepare all the tamales. Steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a steamer. Check to see if done. If not give it another 15 minutes.

Serve hot with verde sauce.

Enjoy!

Salsa Verde

The first time I had this sauce was as a dip in a Mexican restaurant almost two decades ago. When we sat at the table they brought the usual bowl of chips with pico de gallo and a couple of bowls of salsa. The red one I recognized but the green one was a mystery. It tasted great and I was hooked. Since then I never have enchiladas or tamales without it. It is made with tomatillos and poblano pepper.

I have heard that a salsa by this name is available in little packets at one fast food chain. That is a prepackaged unrelated cousin. This is the real deal and it is really easy to make. Once you make it you will want to do it again.

You will need
1 poblano pepper
6-7 tomatillos
1 clove garlic
1 serrano pepper

In a pan roast the poblano pepper until the skin is charred. You could also do it directly on the gas stove or you could you your grill. The desired result is a charred skin. When done wrap the pepper in aluminium foil and let it sit for a few minutes.

Cook the tomatillos, clove of garlic and the serrano pepper in 2 cups of water. If you like a little heat in the sauce use two serrano peppers.

When the tomatillos are completely cooked turn off the heat.

Take the poblano pepper out of the foil and scrape the charred skin off. Cut it open and remove all the seeds.

Chop it up and put it in a blender along with the cooked tomatillos, garlic and serrano pepper. You may want to remove the seeds of the serrano pepper to cut down the heat. Blend with a little of the water that was used to cook the tomatillos. Season with salt and paprika as needed.

Salsa verde is ready. Eat it with chips or pour it over your enchiladas and tamales.

Tomato Salsa

This is a very quick and easy spicy tomato salsa that can be used as a dip or as part of a meal to add zing to a bite if needed.

Boil 2 tomato and a Serrano pepper together. Mash or puree with a one clove garlic and 2 tbsp. onion. Add salt to taste.

Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)

Refried beans are a simple side dish that complete a meal. They are made with either pinto beans or black beans. We don't like pinto beans so I never buy them. On the other hand black beans are so flavorful.

This dish can be made very rich with a lot of fat or oil. I like to keep it dry with only a little oil. You can choose to double the oil if you like.

You will need
1 cup dry black beans or 1 can of black beans
3 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt to taste

Soak the black beans overnight in water and pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When the cooker depressurizes remove the beans and let them cool. Skip this step if using canned beans. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute until they are tender and turn color. Add the black beans with the cooking liquid and let it cook for a few minutes.

Mash it down to a near pulp. Cook until thick enough to flip.

Turn off heat.

Serve with a side of Mexican rice.

Mexican Fudge

Fudge is usually a favorite of chocolate lovers. That is true in my house too. What I really like about fudge is that one piece is usually enough to satisfy that chocolate craving. So a small batch lasts for days of gooey goodness.

Mexican fudge has a little secret ingredient - red chili pepper. The pepper gives the fudge a little kick and really brings out the flavor of chocolate. I wanted to make the fudge using the 70% cacao bar we get at Whole Foods but in the end I used Nestle Toll House semi sweet mini chocolate chips.

My Dad was visiting when I made this fudge and as someone who has always enjoyed good chocolate he enjoyed it a lot too.

You will need
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used Eagle brand)
3 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle Tool house semi sweet mini chips)
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Mexican red chili pepper powder

Prepare a pan by covering it with parchment paper. I used a loaf pan as I wanted square thick pieces.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips on medium heat. Add the condensed milk, cinnamon powder and red chili pepper and mix well. If you like a bigger kick add more pepper. Continue to stir for about a minute and you will feel the mixture thickening.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Ensure the fudge is spread out evenly and smooth out the top. Let it cool down. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Take out the fudge from the pan using the parchment paper as a handle.

Cut it into 1 inch squares. Let them dry out on the parchment paper.

The fudge is done.

Enjoy!

What do you do if it does not set? Don't panic. Put the mixture back on the double boiler and melt it. Add a handful of chocolate chips and another tablespoon of sugar. Mix it well and transfer to the prepared pan to set.

Mexican Tomato Rice

Mexican tomato rice is fluffy long grain rice flavored with spices and tomato. This is a simple version where tomatoes are pureed and added to the rice water along with garlic and some spices. The resultant rice is colorful and full of flavor. Usually rice and beans are part of a Mexican meal.

You will need
1 cup long grain rice (I used brown basmati rice)
1 medium tomato
2 tbsp. onion
1 jalapeno
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
a few springs cilantro
salt to taste

Wash and rinse the rice and keep aside. Since I used brown rice I first soaked the rice for half an hour. Puree the tomato and onion. Mince the jalapeno and garlic. Heat oil in a pan. Add the jalapeno and garlic. When fragrant add the rice. Roast the rice until it turns color.

Add the tomato puree and stock. Add salt to taste.

Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook covered until done. Turn off the heat. Let it sit in its steam for a couple of minutes.

The rice is done.

Lebanese Meal

Today I am presenting a very simple Lebanese Meal. I debated on the country to pick for this letter. Initially I had picked Liberia over Libya and Lebanon because the food was so out of my comfort zone. Unfortunately so was the taste. When I floated the idea of a do-over with a different country my daughter was all for it. So I went with Lebanon.

The snake like baked dessert Mouwarka was the first recipe I finalized for this meal. It has such an interesting preparation. The endless ring is formed by rolling the dough from the center out to the edges. This is one of those recipes that allow you to play in the kitchen.

As a side I added the potato salad and cucumber tomato salad to the menu and used mint from the garden to flavor it. I really wanted to try out one of the thin Lebanese breads that are cooked on a convex griddle pan. I inverted an old cast aluminum 1/2 inch thick griddle to cook the Khobz marquq. I needed a stew to go with the bread. I used paneer to convert a stew recipe to make the paneer potato stew.

No new ingredients for this menu. But the spice mixture used for the stew is really one of a kind. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, coriander and ginger all together! Smelt wonderful, and a little went a long way. My daughter told me this stew was one of the best she has ever had.

As they say in Lebanese, Sab’aa sahaat!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Khobz Marquq (Lebanese flat bread)
• Lebanese Paneer and Potato Stew 
• Potato Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad (No recipe - cucumber, tomato, mint, salt and pepper)

And for dessert

• Mouwarka (Walnut Almond Serpent Dessert)