Cambodia: Wait, what spices can we use?

We started making coconut rice and red bean soup. Upon realizing the recipe called for no spices, Kevin dispatched me to find what spices are commonly used in Cambodia (tamarind, tumeric, ginger, lemongrass, and lime, apparently).

These, it turns out, were a poor addition to the coconut rice and red bean soup, so I am reproducing the original recipe here and strongly recommending the reader not add tumeric, ginger, lemongrass, and lime.

Cambodian Coconut Rice and Red Bean Soup

Simmer:

• 1 can coconut milk


• 1/2 Tbsp sugar


• 1 Tbs cornstarch


• 1/4 tsp salt

In separate saucepan, cook:

• 1/2 cup rice


• 5 cups water


• 1 can red beans

Until rice is tender

Poor coconut sauce over rice, eat.

Laos: Khao Sangkhaya (Coconut Rice)

This is delicious – one of the best rice puddings I’ve had.

Recipe: Khao Sangkhaya
Serves 2

1 cups rice
1/3 cup coconut milk
30 g sugar
1 tsp salt
30 g coconut cream milk

For Sangkhaya:
1 eggs
30 g sugar
30 g coconut cream milk
1/3 tsp cornflour
1 Tbsp water of bay teui leaves

Soak rice 2 hours, drain, steam for 20 minutes over high heat. Mix coconut milk and sugar, add to rice and steam for 25 minutes.

Make the Sangkhaya: Beat eggs with sugar and coconut, then add salt and cornflour. Mix with the rice, stir, and steam for 5-10 minutes over high heat.

Bhutan - The Only Mild Dish in the Country

After much searching, I found a Bhutanese dish that did not include yak by-products or chili peppers hot enough to melt lead: Veggies Over Rice.

I think it's a winner. Kevin poured hot chili sauce on it first.

Bhutanese Veggies Over Rice

The Rices

Cook together

• 1 cup rice

  
  
  

  1 tsp oil

  
  
  

  cardamom

In a separate pot, cook together:

• 1/2 cup rice



• 4 whole cloves



• 1/4 tsp tumeric

When they're done, mix them together.

The Veggies

Saute in a little oil: green peas

Saute in a little oil:

• 1 onion, sliced
  


• 5 cloves, whole
  


• 1/4 bunch coriander greens
  


• 1/4 ginger, ground up with a mortar
  


• 1/2 garlic, ground up with mortar
  


• cardamom



• Eggplant, sliced into bitsized chunks



• Broccoli, bitesized chunks

Remove eggplant and broccoli when they look done. Add potatoes (sliced,
boiled, peeled). Fry until they look brown.

Add into the potato pot:

• The fried eggplant



• The fried broccoli



• The fried peas

Serve veggies over the rice mix.

Comoronian Rice Pudding with Pineapple

Comoros is a group of four islands off the east coast of Africa, north of Madagascar. They have bizarre animals. The coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct for millions of years, but still living in Comoros. The four-foot-long “flying fox” fruit bat. The islands were once a major supply stop for ships traveling around the tip of Africa, and their mixed African-Asian-European-Malagasy population reflects that. Most of the population farm bananas, rice, coconuts, ylang-ylang, and pineapples.

This recipe is from a UN book on rice recipes from around the world.

Comoronian Rice Pudding with Pineapple
Serves 6

4 1/4 cups milk
1 can pineapple slices (including juice)
3/4 cup rice
Pad of butter
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup cream
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the milk, add the rice and cook on very low heat for 1 hour. (Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan). Then stir in the cream, pineapple juice, and sugar. Pour into a baking dish, cover with pineapple slices, sprinkle with brown sugar, and add butter.

Bake for 30 minutes & serve warm.

Jagacida: Rice & Beans Cape Verde Style

My 100th post! Time for a fried egg . . .

Toni Gifford submitted this recipe to the RecipeZaar 2005 World Tour, and it is tremendously delicious: warm flavors, satisfying textures, filling and tasty.

Recipe: Cape Verdean Jagacida
Serves 2

1/2 onion, sliced
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup cooked or canned kidney beans
Generous salt
1 fried egg

Warm the oil in a very large skillet, and sauté the onions in it until they are a light brown. Stir in the paprika and bay leaf. Add water, bring to a boil, and add rice. Lower the heat, add the beans, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. You will probably need to add a bit more water if the rice starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serve warm, topped with salt and fried egg.

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.

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.

Patlicanli Pilav: Turkish Eggplant Pilaf

This is a bit of an odd-ball rice dish. Tremendously tasty. The diced-up eggplant gives it a curious texture that you don't often run into. It's quite a popular side dish in Turkey, so I'm told.

Patlicanli Pilav
Makes enough for 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main dish

1 small eggplant
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup rice (preferably long-grain), rinsed
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 large bunch dill, chopped
Salt to taste

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. (I left the seeds in, since I think they're pretty, but feel free to take them out.) Rinse the cubes and press them with a towel to get all the extra moisture out.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and quickly brown the eggplant cubes. Remove the eggplant cubes and set aside to let them drain.

Add the rice and tomatoes to the oil, and cook over medium heat, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat the low and cook until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender (if the rice is not tender yet, add a bit more water).

Stir in the eggplant and the dill. Cover, set the heat to the very lowest setting, and let cook for about 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom (if it is, add a little bit of water to loosen it up). Serve hot.

A Week Without Wheat #3: Indian Cashew Rice with Lemon

Oof! This is killer: soft with rice, crunchy with cashews, sour with lemon, sweet with onions, and just really, really, really tasty. It's also allergy-free - something my mother can actually eat.

Don't leave out the asafetida – it's the secret ingredient.


Indian Cashew Rice with Lemon
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish

1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup roasted, chopped cashews
3 whole red chilies, dried
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp asafetida (no more – really.)
1 large onion, sliced
1 tsp salt
3 cups of cooked rice
Juice of 1 lemon

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and cashews, and cook (covered!) over medium heat until the seeds start to crackle and pop. Add the chilies, cumin, turmeric, curry, and asafetida. Cook, stirring, until the cashews are a light golden color.

Add the onions and salt, and cook until the onions are soft. Add the rice and stir until it turns yellow. Cook over low heat until the rice is warm. Add the lemon and serve hot.

Okra Fried Rice from Trinidad and Tobago

The first time I ate okra, I had unwisely cooked it with polenta. No bean can be at its best when cooked with polenta. I forgave it.

I still had half a bag of frozen okra getting freezer burn, so last night I dove into okra yet again with okra fried rice from Trinidad and Tobago.

This is an interesting take on fried rice, with some wonderful flavors from the fennel, cloves, and garlic, but overall it was missing something. It feels very close to being delicious, but instead falls on the side of just "good."

Still, I think I will forgive okra again. I will give it another chance soon. It's such a cheerful-looking bean. It was brought down by its associates. And besides, I still have a third of a bag of the stuff getting freezer burn.


Okra Fried Rice from Trinidad and Tobago
Makes enough for 2

1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 oz frozen okra, sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 cup cooked rice

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, then add the garlic and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until the onions are transparent. Add the okra and cook for another 5 minutes. Add everything else and cook until the rice is warmed through.

El Salvador: Cinnamon-Ginger Rice-Shake

In Monterey once, my mother and I were thrift-storing. In one particularly moldy, ill-ventilated hole-in-the-wall, we came upon a battered tube of metal. My mother practically turned cartwheels with glee at the sight.

"It's just a blender, Mom."

"No no no! It's a Vit-a-Mixer!"

"It's ugly."

"Is not."

She bought it for $10 and "to Vit-a-Mix" became a verb in our household. We Vit-a-Mixed up some soup for a quick snack. Strawberries were Vit-a-Mixed for sauces. Rice was Vit-a-Mixed into rice flour. When I started graduate school, my mom bought me a new Vit-a-Mixer, no longer the ugly tube of metal but a lovely, enormous blending demon.

Today I Vit-a-Mixed up some El Salvadorian cinnamon-ginger rice drink. I tell the Vit-a-Mix story because it's really the only one for this recipe, which is nice but not particularly worth repeating.

El Salvador: Cinnamon-Ginger Rice-Shake
Serves 2

3 cups water
2 Tbsp rice
1 large pepper (I'm a wimp – I left this out)
1 Tbsp sugar
Small piece of ginger
Dash o' Cinnamon

Heat the water, rice, cinnamon, pepper, and ginger. Cook for 1 hour on low heat, allow to cool, add some of the water, the rice, and the sugar to a blender. Blend. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm and frothy.

Belarus: A New Spin on Rice Pudding

I'm cooking my way around the world. Today, I stopped in Belarus for carrot rice pudding.

Almost every country has its own variation of rice pudding. The Canadians make it with maple syrup, of course; the Australians like nutmeg and cream; the Bangladeshi use cardamom; the Brazilians add egg yolks at the last minute.

The Belarusians use carrots. The carrots add so much sweetness of their own that the pudding needs less added sugar, which I'm all in favor of - for while I love sweets, I would prefer to greet 40 without diabetes. This is my new favorite rice pudding.

Serves 3-4

6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp rice
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp sugar
Parsley, for garnish

Combine all ingredients (except parsley) in saucepan over low heat, covered, for about 35 minutes. Check every so often. When the milk is all absorbed, it's done. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

Belize: Belinean Rice and Beans

Rice and beans, rice and beans, the rest of the world eats quite a lot of rice and beans. Abkhazian lobio, Aland pancakes, Bangladeshi rice and lentils, Greek rice and tomatoes, nasi goreng, Nepali fried rice, Uzbek fennel rice. Truth to tell, my patience was wearing thin with rice and beans.

So when I realized that the only recipe I had ingredients for last night was Belinean Rice and Beans, I felt – for the first time in my Cook-The-World Campaign – bored. The only interesting ingredient was the coconut milk, so I made it. I half expected another spunky Caribbean dish: coconut, onion, garlic.

But no. The combination of thyme and coconut was immensely soothing. Maybe it's just because it was another cold and rainy May day in Boston, but I place this dish squarely in the warm and wonderful realm of comfort food.

I'll try to remember the strange soothingness of this Belinean dish when I tire in the future – as surely I will – of the relentless progression of rice and beans.


Belinean Rice and Beans
Makes enough for 8

1/2 pound red kidney beans (~2 cups, uncooked)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 cups rice
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Soak the beans overnight in water.

Combine beans, onion, and garlic in a pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender – about 20 minutes. Add the rice, coconut milk, salt, and thyme. Cook, covered, over low heat until the rice is done and all the liquid is absorbed, adding a little water if the liquid is absorbed before the rice is done.

Eat warm, preferably on a cold and rainy day.

Greece: Bouraui (Rice and Tomatoes and Garlic Oh Yes!)

There is no way I'm going to be able to cook my way around the world alphabetically. Next in line would be Akrotiri and though I have a great recipe for the tiny Cyprian country, I need an eggplant. My supermarket eggplants are straight from a Shakespearean tragedy. I can't bear to pay so much for such agony.

So for lack of an eggplant, I'll go where I please. Greece would ordinarily be #83 on my list, but today it's #3. I made bouraui for the first time: unbearable in its downright deliciousness. Oof!

I love a recipe that tastes like it looks. This one does: bright, flashy, flavorful. My initial reaction was "Ug! Look at all that oil!" But it was worth it. Don't skimp on the oil – it forms the base for all the wonderful, wonderful flavor.

The recipe said to serve it cold, but I ate it hot and loved it. Knowing how fantastic it tastes, I doubt I will ever be able to wait until it cools to eat it in the future.


Bouraui
Serves 4

1/2 cup rice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt (I used 2)
1 Lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, sliced
3/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Parsley, chopped
2 cups water

Put everything but the rice and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, then add the water and rice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook 15 minutes, until the rice is done and water is all absorbed.