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Tag: Cooking — Side Dishes

Pati Jinich’s Arroz Rojo – an Oven-Free Method to Perfect Mexican Red Rice

My go-to Mexican rice recipe of late has been Cook's Illustrated Mexican Rice. The recipe produces unfailing delicious Mexican red rice – flavorful and great texture. However, it creates a preparation challenge for me in that it requires cooking the rice in the oven after toasting the rice and adding the seasonings on the stovetop.

That oven step adds more complexity in that you need to not only pre-heat an oven and cook it longer than it would take on the stovetop, but also it takes up your oven when you may need to preparing other items like vegetables or enchiladas. So I'd love to find a stovetop-only good Mexican Rice recipe, but unfortunately my prior experiences trying to find such a recipe have failed.

Enter Pati Jinich, my new favorite Mexican cuisine TV chef (sorry Rick Bayless!). Pati has such amazing energy and pride for her food in her show, and I've made some of her great recipes in the past. On a whim, I tried her Arroz Rojo recipe from her Pati's Mexican Table book to complement some drunken beans and homemade tortillas one weeknight.

The rice was fantastic – incredibly flavorful from the pureed onion, garlic, chile, and parsley (I may have subbed cilantro though), and nice texture from the added corn, carrot, and peas. And the stove-top only prep made it a perfect side dish that didn't take up too much time (or oven space or time) from other dishes.

To start, saute the rinsed and drained rice with oil until slightly translucent.

Then add the pureed tomatoes, onion, garlic and salt mixture.

Cook down for a few minutes, and then add the broth and vegetables. Cover when it reaches a boil, and simmer until cooked to your taste.

Then let the rice sit covered for five minutes off heat, then fluff and serve. Yum!

December 13, 2017
Simple Quinoa Pilaf – or Why Not?

We eat a fair amount of quinoa, but to say it's something that brings me great joy would be a clear overstatement. Quinoa is healthy and it can absorb flavor from other ingredients, but it's overwhelming feature is blandness. It's functionally an inoffensive way to sop up other stuff, or feel less guilt than from eating rice.

Enter Cook's Illustrated Quinoa Pilaf with Herbs and Lemon – or a "why not" experiment given this post's introduction. The end result was pretty good – a deep onion flavor from the onion itself and some chives I added, and a lightness and tartness from the lemon juice. I'm not sure if it really changes my view of quinoa – a flexible backdrop to other stuff. But this recipe may be a repeat insofar as it can complement perhaps some stews, soups, and other small party plates (grilled cheeses and the like).

You start by washing and drying out the quinoa on paper towels, which was a bit of a pain, but not an awful first step.

You then toast the quinoa until fragrant and nutty.

Then you set aside the toasted quinoa to cook down the onion in some butter before adding back the quinoa and water to complete the cooking.

After the quinoa is cooked fully, you then let it sit (covered) for ten minutes before fluffing the cooked quinoa with a fork, adding the lemon juice and other herbs as you go.

December 10, 2017
Vegetarian Drunken Beans – New Sunday Bean Pot Staple

As followers of my Instagram account (@madhuknitsandcooks) know, Sundays are often bean night in Casa Madhu Knits and Cooks. I like to soak dried beans on Saturday night, and then on a lazy Sunday afternoon, boil beans for an hour or two until they are perfect for dinner. The added benefit of cooking a big pot of beans on Sunday is that I have a protein base for meals for the first half of the work week as well.

I mostly cook chickpeas, red kidney beans, and black beans, and for some reason, pinto beans have never really been on my Sunday bean pot rotation. In fact, I am not sure if I have ever really cooked pinto beans from dried as opposed to using canned whole or refried pinto beans from the store.

Well, that gap in my bean repertoire changed when I got an America's Test Kitchen email about Tex Mex / Mexican favorites, including Drunken Beans. While their recipe calls for cooking the beans and vegetable / herb seasonings in bacon fat, I decided to try the recipe with olive oil. To my pleasant surprise, the recipe turned out so amazingly well such that my husband and I made this recipe our Sunday bean pot recipe for three consecutive weeks!

The beans this recipe produces are simply fantastic – perfectly creamy yet whole, tart from tomato paste, spicy from peppers, and nicely acidic and slightly sweet from the cooked down beer and tequila. I have halved this recipe to date, but moving forward, I will be going to the full 1 pound bean recipe.

To get started, you soak the beans overnight in salt water. You'll definitely notice that they get rehydrated and nicely plump by the time you wake up.

To make this modified vegetarian version, you then cook down the onion, poblanos, and garlic in olive oil.

Then to the pot goes the tequila until it largely evaporates.

Then add the beans and remaining seasonings to the pot, bring to a boil, and then put the pot in a pre-heated oven. Our friends at Cook's Illustrated reports that cooking beans in the oven allows for more even cooking and less blowouts, and in practice, that certainly seemed to be the case.

After the beans come out of the oven, you add the final ingredients – beer and tomato paste – and periodically stir for 30 minutes or until the flavors meld. Given the time in the oven and 30 minutes of stovetop cooking after, this is sadly not a weeknight recipe, but a much richer and satisfying ~2 hour cooking effort.

(beans out of the oven)

(beans cooking down with beer and tomato paste)

Serve the beans immediately with cilantro, and if desired, Cotija cheese. We've also put the cooked beans in corn tortillas for bean tacos, which is also a satisfying meal for days.

December 5, 2017
Mint Raita – Simple Accompaniment to Many a Meal (or a Snack on Its Own)
I've been making different types of raita, a refreshing Indian yogurt accompaniment, for years, but only recently did I realize that I have never blogged about this simple, protein-rich side dish.

What finally inspired this long overdue post was that I used a new ingredient for my latest raita – fresh mint from my mother's garden. I usually use cilantro as my standard herb, but the mint added a nice freshness, and made this type of raita a great stand-alone breakfast or side to spicy Indian curries. Look forward to continuing to experiment with more ingredients and will report back with any new findings!

Mint Raita

Ingredients:
- Approx. 1.5 cups of 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
- 1 seedless cucumber, diced into 1/4 inch square pieces
- 2 tbsp. scallions, divided
- 2 tsp. minced mint, divided
- 1 tsp. minced jalapeno, divided
- Pinch of cumin, or to taste
- Pinch of coriander, or to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Lemon juice, to taste
Directions:
- Divide the ingredients in half, and place each Fage serving in a separate bowl.
- Add equal amounts of vegetables and seasonings to each bowl, and mix together.
- Let ingredients sit for 15 – 20 minutes, and then serve. Store any leftovers in the fridge – will keep for ~3 days.
November 5, 2017
Baked Zucchini Sticks – Great Late Summer Party Snack

With zucchini and yellow squash overwhelming the farmers markets by late summer, I decided to get creative with my summertime cooking. I attempted a fun snack – baked zucchini sticks – that also had the benefit of using up some leftover panko in my cupboard.

The recipe was fairly easy to construct, though more time-consuming than I expected. Dredging the zucchini sticks one by one and then rolling in the parmesan/panko mixture was quite laborious, but thankfully the results were very good.

When hot, the sticks were crisp and tasty. When cool, the sticks developed more of an eggy flavor, which wasn't as pleasing for my tastebuds.

These snacks would be a great summer appetizer with a marinara sauce or the KAF recommended sweet onion dip (linked in the recipe above). Given how much time it took to make them, I think they would be particularly good for a tapas-style party.

You start this recipe was cutting the zucchini pieces into equally sized sticks.

You then put the sticks in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and then let the water from the zucchini drain out for approx. for an hour or two.

As the zucchini exudes its water, you can prepare the seasoned parmesan / panko mixture. I didn't use the full amount of parmesan, salt, and seasonings called for in the recipe, and it showed up in the blander results so make sure to use the recipe amounts (if not a bit more). This may also help reduce the eggy flavor that results when the sticks are cooled.

After the zucchini is done draining, rinse the sticks and pat them dry. Then dredge the sticks in the egg mixture, roll in the prepared panko mixture, and place on a lined baking tray.

Pop the full tray into the preheated oven, turn once or twice to get even browning and serve! Yum!

October 21, 2017
Weeknight Black Beans – Simple Protein-Packed Side Dish
To complement some weeknight cheese enchiladas recently, I wanted to make a simple protein-heavy side dish. Looking in my cabinets, the most obvious candidate became an aging can of black beans.

I didn't want to default to my favorite refried black bean side as I wanted the texture of whole, creamy beans. So I decided to quickly improvise a recipe, using a few online sources including All Recipes, Spicy Spoonful, and the New York Times.

The recipe I put together turned out pretty well, and it was definitely an easy side that can be replicated during any quick weeknight meal. I think the critical step was something that I've used in the refried black beans recipe – a splash of citrus juice, whether lemon or lime at the end. The citrus definitely brightens up the beans, and makes them almost good enough to eat on their own.

Full recipe details below!

Weeknight Black Beans

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 small onion, diced (I originally used 1 small onion, but will likely use 1/2 in the future)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. oregano, adjusted to your personal preferences
- 1/2 tsp. cumin, adjusted to your personal preferences
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth (I use water plus a bit of bouillon)
- 3/4 tsp. hot sauce such as Tapatio
- 1 tsp. lemon or lime juice
- salt to taste
Directions:
- In a medium pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat.
- When hot, add onion and saute for 3 – 4 minutes or until translucent.
- Then add garlic, oregano, and cumin. Cook for approx. 1 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in black beans, water or broth, and hot sauce.
- Cook down on medium-high heat for approx. 15 minutes or until the beans are cooked to your preference and the water has mostly evaporated.
- Add citrus juice and salt to taste, and serve immediately.
October 1, 2017
Pan-Fried Vegetarian Dumplings Two Ways – Lot of Prep Time, But Worth the Effort!
Eating delicious homemade dumplings at a friend's house last month inspired me to finally make dumplings at home.

I didn't make my dumplings completely from scratch as I used prepared egg roll wrappers as the dumpling skins. While that step made the process easier, it was still a bit time consuming to fill and roll the ~4 main course servings of dumplings on a weeknight (would be great weekend activity).

To achieve the perfectly steamed and pan-fried textures, I used Serious Eats great technique for browning the bottoms of the skins in a non-stick pan before adding some water to steam the interior and exterior of the dumplings. It worked out really well, though I would probably start with an eighth cup of water rather than a quarter per pan so it doesn't take too long to steam the dumplings (and concurrently overcook them).

I also improvised the filling, using a mix of just boiled fresh summer corn and 4 oz. of a baked tofu cutlet for two different interiors. The result for both was a bit bland (though the corn filling was marginally better), but nothing some soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce couldn't cure. That being said, I think I'll play with these fillings further to get them to pop a bit more.

To the recipe!

Pan-Fried Vegetarian Dumplings Two Ways

Ingredients
- kernels from 1 ear fresh corn on the cob, just boiled and striped
- 4. oz of tofu cutlet diced
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1/4 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 baby bok choy, cleaned and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, finely diced
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- A dash of white pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp. white sugar
- Salt to taste
- Optional: bit of cornstarch to bring the ingredients together while cooking
- Nasoya egg roll wrappers, cut into four equal pieces, or use dumpling-size prepared wrappers
- Small bowl of water
Directions
- Split the carrot, bok choy, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar into two different bowls in equal portions. To one bowl, add the tofu and five spice. To the other, add the corn.
- Toss ingredients in each bowl to combine and season with salt to taste.
- Place initial wrappers for filling on a flat working space. Take approx. 1.5 tsp. of filling and place in the middle of the wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your finger, dab water along the edges of the wrapper. Following the "square flower" technique I used for the cheese wontons, fold the skins into place.
- Depending on the amount of time it takes you to fill the dumplings, you may want to cover the folded dumplings with a damp paper towel to make sure the skins don't dry out. Continue filling the dumplings until you exhaust the mixture.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a non-stick saute pan, depending on the number of dumplings you will be cooking in each round. When hot, add the dumplings and swirl the oil under the dumplings until the bottoms are evenly coated. Cook for a few minutes until the bottoms are browned.
- Now add approx. 1/8 cup of water to the pan, and cover immediately. Steam for a few minutes until the dumplings are cooked. Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice.
September 1, 2017
Fried Cheese Wontons – Gluttonous Delight at Home!
That's right friends, I've figured out how to make one of my restaurant favorites at home. Deep-fried cheese wontons – a gluttonous delight if there has ever been one.

When I first made these treats, I sprayed them with olive oil and baked them at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, while they were good, they were slightly underwhelming. So my second attempt involved deep frying these bite-size morsels, which resulted in a much tastier albeit unhealthier version.

I still need to do more to punch up the flavor, and I fear that may require adding a ton of salt a la restaurants. I'll report back as a I continue to perfect this recipe, but below is how I currently have made these deep fried delights (basically a mash-up of the Pioneer Woman and All Recipes approaches).

Ingredients (4 – 6 appetizer portions)
- 4 oz. of light cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tsp. Sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Splash of soy sauce
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- Egg roll wrappers (Nasoya brand), cut into 4 rectangular pieces or round / square dumpling wrappers
- Small bowl of water
Directions
- Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a small pot or dutch oven, on low-medium heat, aiming for approx. 340 – 350 degrees
- As the oil heats, mix together all of the ingredients (sans dumpling wrappers). Taste to adjust seasonings as needed.
- After the filled is mixed, prepare the dumpling skins for wrapping. Either cut larger egg roll wrappers (the only thing I could find at the grocery store) into four smaller pieces or use dumpling-sized wrappers.
- Then take a 1 – 1.5 tsp. spoonful of filling and put in the middle of the wrapper. I settled on the "square flower" dumpling wrapping approach after these somewhat failed attempts with the other shapes below:
- Ok, back to the approach I found fastest and simplest. Place the mixture in the middle (or maybe slightly off-center like below, ha!). Then using a pastry brush or your finger, liberally brunch water along the edges of the dumpling wrapper.
- Bring two opposite corners toward each other and press the sides together. It's important to have enough water and moisture along the edges of the wrappers so they can easily press together.
- Then bring one of the other corners to the middle and seal to the middle top folds. Repeat with the remaining side, and then seal up the open sides until you reach the outer ends of the wonton. Repeat process with additional wrappers until you have used up all of the mixture.
- Before frying, check your oil temperature to make sure it's in that 340 – 350 degree range, or check temp. by frying a piece of the wonton wrappers.
- Add the filled wontons to the oil – I found it's ok to crowd them in if you are using a heavy-bottomed pot – and fry until browned or about 1 minute. If you don't have enough oil in the pot to fry the tops of the wontons, just flip them over to fry for approx. 20 seconds until the tops get browned (thank you YouTube for this tip!).
- Cool on some paper towel-lined plates for approx. 5 – 10 minutes, and then serve immediately!
August 31, 2017
Hot Bread Kitchen’s Nan-e Barbari – a Simple Iranian Bread

I've had my eye on the Hot Bread Kitchen Nan-e Barbari recipe for some time, but interestingly not because of my frequent visits to the Hot Bread Kitchen stand at one of our local farmers markets. Instead, it was a delightfully pictured Nan-e Barbari email that King Arthur Flour sent out that initially attracted me to this bread.

While my pictures won't do justice to the KAF images, it was a solid bread to construct on a recent weekend day. The bread requires only two relatively short rises, and is out of the oven in 15 minutes. It also is a good way to use up the jar of nigella seeds in my cupboard that I otherwise don't really know what to do with.

The flavor and texture are also great out of the oven, with the crusty exterior and baked seasonings making up for the lack of flavor in the bread itself. As the bread aged over the week, it got harder and harder to eat – just mushy, dense, and bland.

I'd recommend this bread as a subtle complement to a spicy soup or Middle Eastern meal – but just out of the oven, consumed day of, or the pizza form that KAF recommends. Otherwise, I think a longer rise bread with more yeast flavor would be a better accompaniment to main courses.

To the recipe itself – combine the ingredients and knead into a smooth ball.

Cover and let rise for an hour or until almost doubled in size.

If you followed the recipe proportions, you divide this ball into two and shape the balls into logs. I halved the recipe, so just had to shape one log to then rest and rise for approx. 30 minutes.

As the log(s) is rising, you prepared a simple sugar glaze to brush on the final dough.

Then shape the logs, spread on the glaze, and add the sesame and nigella seeds. Bake for approx. 15 minutes (my pizza stone wasn't clean, so I used a baking sheet), and serve as soon as the bread slightly cools!

August 11, 2017
The Best Homemade Biscuit Recipe I’ve Encountered – CI’s Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

After many a biscuit attempt (dropped and cut), I think I've found the winner of recipes. Enter Cook's Illustrated, with not their Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits recipe, but instead their Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits recipe. True to the title, it produced an "ultimate" biscuit – super buttery, great texture, and beautiful coloring. I brought these to a summer barbecue (not exactly barbecue fare), but they flew like hotcakes even while room temperature.

These biscuits need no accompaniment – their flavor is perfect as is. I may hold many brunches these fall just to have the excuse to make them weekly 🙂

I followed the CI recipe exactly. First, I faux-sifted the dry ingredients with a fork (ok, so maybe I didn't follow the recipe exactly). And then I added grated, frozen butter – a technique CI calls for in scones, which leads to fantastic results as well.

After adding the buttermilk to the dough, I then started the five rolling and folding processes to get those flaky layers. True to the CI recipe description, with each roll and fold, the dough got smoother and smoother.

I then let the dough rest for 30 minutes in the fridge before cutting. CI described that approach as helping the biscuits stay upright, and not falling over, in the oven.

And then cutting and to the oven the biscuits went – check out those nascent raw layers!

Out of the oven, sheer perfection. Great layers, great color, and unparalleled flavor. I may need to get up at 5am tomorrow to make them before work tomorrow – that's how wonderful my memory of these biscuits is!

August 10, 2017

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