Showing posts with label cumin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cumin. Show all posts

Friday, March 9, 2012

Red Curry Peanut Sauce w/ Tofu and Broccoli


This dish is a-mazing!!! The peanut butter/red curry combo was something I've never had before and the flavor was so new that I savoured this dish long after I ate it.  I have been taking lots of books from the library with a ton of great recipes. I take photos of the recipes and then when I have time I try it out. I don't know which book this one came out of but I think it was about grains. This will knock your socks off if you love peanut butter and curry.

My newest projects involve experimenting with a bread maker I borrowed from a friend, and learning about the ins and outs of pressure cooking.  I'm trying to get away from eating beans from a can.  I just read somewhere that Campbells soup will be starting to use BPA free lining in all their soups. 






You will need:

4 T oil ( separated)
1/2 c peanut butter
2 T red curry paste
1 c coconut milk
2 T fish sauce (go easy on adding this -some fish sauces are VERY salty)
2 T water
2 t curry powder
1 t cumin
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 large head of broccoli, blanched
large handful of bean sprouts

1 500g pack of extra firm tofu
1/2 c of potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, or flour

2 c brown rice (to be cooked according to instructions)
**DO NOT put salt in until the end and taste it first. Depending on which fish sauce you use you may not need it. I made it again putting less salt than the original recipe required and it was still salty. Also you can add in 1 tsp at a time of fish sauce to make sure it doesn't get too salty.

Method:

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 T or less (not 4 T) of the oil over medium heat. Add the curry first and blend it into the oil, then add PB and cook, stirring frequently, until the PB is melted and the ingredients are well combined, 3-4 mins.
Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a slow boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 mins.  Add the water, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 3-4 mins.

Dice the tofu and put in a plastic bag with the starch or flour to coat the cubes of tofu. Add the rest of the oil, 2 T, to pan and saute for a few minutes to brown the tofu, 5-6 mins.  If it starts to burn or looks like it needs oil add more.

Set up plate with rice on the bottom, add fresh bean sprouts, tofu and then broccoli. Pour the peanut sauce over and enjoy.  You can also mix the sauce with the tofu and broccoli and then serve on rice.  It was just as good the next day. 

You can substitute the vegetables with red peppers, snow peas, snap peas, kale, spinach, etc. 




Sunday, February 12, 2012

Grilled Eggplant with Cumin Vinaigrette and Feta

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html


Adapted from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html

I had a crazy salad cook off on Friday night and this is one of the three salads I made. 


It was soooooo good. I love eggplant and having it grilled with that cumin garlic vinaigrette and cilantro just made me gush. I dreamed of eating it again as soon as possible and thought it would be good stuffed in a sandwich .  I ended up grilling a few red peppers too with the eggplant. I peeled off the burnt parts and sliced it adding it this symphony of goodness.


You will need:

1 large eggplant, cut in uniform slices 3/4 inch thick
olive oil, for brushing on eggplant
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (or mint or both)
1/4 cup crumbled feta

For vinaigrette:
1/2 tsp. garlic puree or finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T shallots or red onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk in olive oil.

Brush eggplant with olive oil on both sides. For criss-cross grill marks, grill 4-5 minutes on first side, then rotate and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn and cook about 7-8 minutes more on second side. I cooked my eggplant pieces just under 15 minutes total cooking time. Actual cooking time will depend on how hot your grill is and the temperature and thickness of the eggplant. Watch it carefully the last five minutes of cooking time and rotate pieces so they are evenly browned.

To serve, arrange grilled eggplant slices on serving platter, drizzle vinaigrette over, then top with crumbled feta and herbs.