Gahwa and Muhammar - Sweet Rice and Cardamom Coffee from Bahrain

Gahwa, a fragrant flavored coffee, is part of the traditional welcoming process in Bahrain. It’s delightful – an enchantingly-spiced coffee that doesn’t require a coffee maker.

I tried it with Muhammar, a Bahrainian sweet rice that was warm and wonderful with dates.

Gahwa: Bahrainain Coffee
3 cups water
1 tsp coffee
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp rosewater

Boil the water, add the coffee, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the cardamom and rosewater, and pour the mixture into a coffee pot, making sure most of the grounds stay in the pan. Allow the coffee to brew in the pot for five or ten minutes.
Muhammar – Sweet Rice Recipe
Serves: 3

3/4 cups rice, preferably basmati
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp saffron
3 cardamom pods, opened & ground up
1 Tbsp rosewater
5 dates

Boil the rice in 6 cups of water for about 10 minutes, until the rice is soft all the way through. Then drain the excess water and add the sugar, butter, saffron, cardamom, and rosewater. Cook over very low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Bahamian Baked Banana Custard

I remembered half way through making this that I hate custard. But I had already whipped the eggs, so I went ahead anyway – and I actually liked it. The bananas soften the egg taste that I usually find so overwhelming in custards. The tiny black threads that come with the bananas are a little off-putting visually, but few custards are pretty affairs anyway.

Bahamian Baked Banana Custard
Makes 1 8-inch round custard

4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp lemon juice
dash of nutmeg, optional
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Mix the mashed banana, lemon juice, nutmeg, and 2 Tbsp of the sugar. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8-inch cake pan (with very high sides). Cover with breadcrumbs.

In a saucepan, warm the milk. Mix with the beaten eggs and the rest of the sugar. Pour over the mashed bananas. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until the custard has set.

Bajan Sweet Bread – A Dense Coconut Bread from Barbados

Bajan (“bay-junn”) is the Creole dialect spoken in Barbados, a mixture of West African and English that apparently sounds like a Liverpool accent.

This recipe has been sitting in my To Bake pile for a long time, waiting for a can of evaporated milk to materialize in my cupboard. The can appeared this weekend, so I baked the little devil.

When it came out of the oven, I was disappointed. It tasted like a sponge. I thought miserably: This is what I poured 2 1/2 cups of grated coconut into?

But I can’t bring myself to throw out edible bread, so I dragged it to work the next day, and miserably sat down to eat it for lunch.

And it tasted fantastic. The day after that, it tasted even better. And by the third day, I was actually looking forward to it. After that, it started getting a bit stale – but this is certainly a bread that should be allowed to cool a few days.

Bajan Sweet Bread
Makes 2 loaves

2½ cups grated coconut
4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
11/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp almond extract

Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350 (F).

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, coconut, sugar, and raisins. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, egg, evaporated milk, and almond extract. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, divide in half (the dough will be very thick), and place in pans.

Bake until golden, about 1 hour. Let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Rice from Benin

Vodoo is the official state religion of Benin, where about 60% of the population practice it. It’s also one of the poorest countries in the world. When I read that their three major foods are corn, yams, and rice, I really wasn’t expecting much in the way of delicious recipes.

But it surprised me. This rice with peanut sauce is actually a fantastic combination.

Rice with Peanut Sauce from Benin
Serves 3

3/4 cup rice
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 beef bullion cube (I used a veggie one)
1/2 cup water (or more)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup diced onion

Cook the rice as per its packaged directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium frying pan, and add the tomato paste, salt, onion, and bullion cube. Saute for a few minutes, then mix in the peanut butter and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes (add more water if the mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan).

Pour sauce over rice and serve warm.

Azerbaijani Pilaf

I’ve heard that lamb is quite popular in Azerbaijan, but it’s certainly not the only popular meat. I also found quite a few recipes that called for sheep, mutton, sheep fat, and sheep brains.

Finding a veggisaurous-friendly recipe was tough, but I finally tracked down Geudgea: a traditional Azerbaijan pilaf usually made with chicken. I left the chicken out.

Geudgea – Azerbaijani Pilaf
Serves 4
1 cups rice
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup diced dried apricot
pinch of saffron
pinch of salt

Cook the rice as per instructions on package, adding a pinch of saffron. In a separate pan, melt the butter and cook the raisins and apricot over low heat until the raisins swell. Pour the butter and fruit mixture over the rice and serve.