Asian Beef Salad

   

Asian Beef Salad

I have always enjoyed a tender slice of roast beef. In salads, sandwiches or simply served with roasted potatoes and gravy. This is my version of an Asian roast beef salad with healthy greens. The meat should be slightly warmed or at room temperature. The greens can be chilled or at room temperature as you may prefer. It has so many bold flavours and textures and tends to be a great crowd pleaser and can be prepared in advance.

Serves  4 to 6 persons

Ingredients

4 cups slaw; cabbage and carrots

1 cup broccoli florets

½ cup sliced radish

½ cup oil

1 tsp garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped or crushed

Zest of 1 orange

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp orange mustard

1 lemon or lime freshly squeezed

A finely chopped red chillie

A pinch of salt

Optionally ½ tsp freshly grated ginger

1 kg/2.2lb Beef tenderloin

¼ cup light Soya sauce

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 long fresh red chillie finely chopped

1 tsp brown sugar

 ½ cup Mirin

For later; 1 tsp peanut butter

Step 1…Marinade a steak overnight in Soya sauce, ginger, red chilies, brown sugar, and mirin. Grill or braise it in a hot pan for 3-5 minutes on each side. Let it rest and then thinly slice it. Keep aside.

Step 2…. Dressing prepared sliced beef.

Boil down the juices from the marinade adding a tsp peanut butter to thicken. Cool it and mix it with the sliced beef.

Step 3….. Vinaigrette dressing

In a jar mix the oil, lemon juice, zest of an orange, brown sugar, orange mustard, crushed garlic, finely chopped red pepper a pinch of salt.

Mix well.

To serve, lay out the sliced roast beef in the centre of the platter and spoon the vegetables all around. Drizzle the dressing all over the vegetables only. Leave the remaining vinaigrette to add as necessary.

Tips

If there is no orange mustard available, add 2 tbsp fresh orange juice and use plain mustard to the dressing.

Instead of a fresh red chillie use dry chillie flakes

To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.  

For more amazing recipes click 

Niloufer`s Kitchen: French Bistro

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2KMB4C

Granola and Beet Salad

Granola and Beet Salad

Eating healthy? Our vitamin and mineral balance is the root to good health. Hair, nails, skin and eyes all have a story to tell! They are shiny and thick when we are well and give away the tell tale signs when there is an off balance in our body.

Introducing a section of healthy foods to the blog. Initiated with the idea of being able to put together something tasty with a ingredients in minutes. You can snack on it  or eat it as a meal. Watch for the H 

For 2 persons

1/2 cup granola
1/2 cup mixed lettuce leaves
6 slices of beetroot
1 tbsp  balsamic vinaigrette
2  discs goat cheese
salt pepper sumac

Sprinkle the granola at the base of the plate. Place the lettuce leaves, topped with the golden beets  and the goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with freshly cracked mixed pepper corns and a pinch of sumac. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

Tips
For an additional touch you can caramelise the top of your goat cheese with a blow torch.
Add some dry fruit of choice to your granola like cranberry, fig or barberry( Zereshk).
You can choose to use a fruity balsamic vinaigrette  like a fig or raspberry flavour. 

To read about an ancient cuisine you can purchase my cookbooks called The World of Parsi Cooking; Food Across Borders and The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine.  
For good ideas and more recipes click and download
Niloufer's Kitchen: French Bistro
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2KMB4C

The Reunion Chicken

The Reunion Chicken

Walking into a charming Bistro in London's Covent Garden, I happened to order a delightful chicken on their plat du jour. On my return home I decided to recreate the dish in my own Kitchen. One thing led to another and it landed up being picked to be served and shared  with 350 guests at my own School Reunion. The Grand Banquet Hall here in Mississauga did a good job of replicating it!!

This chicken recipe relates rather well to my recent  article in Huffington Post  The French In My Food. 

Moist, tender chicken breast with fresh bold flavours 

You will need 3 bowls and 3 spoons to prepare this.
The Marinade
Bowl # 1

Mix together
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 lemon juiced

Bowl # 2
In a bowl mix, keep aside
in another bowl mix and keep aside
1 3/4 cup chickpeas; Canned, rinse in cold water
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes; slit in half
1 cup fresh chopped corriander salt
1 tbsp of the marinade ( bowl # 1)

Bowl # 3
In a bowl mix, keep aside
1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey
salt
1 tbsp of the prepared marinade ( bowl#1)

Method
Prepare 4 chicken breast halves with or without bones sliced horizontally in thin slices or whole.
Salt the chicken breasts and then apply the marinade generously all over.
Place  the chicken in a tray. and keep ready to bake.
When ready to cook, pour the chickpea mixture all around it but NOT on top.

Preheat oven to Hot; 400-450°F/ 200-225C. Cook this for 15 minutes if the chicken breast is sliced and  thin or 22 minutes if the breasts are left whole and thick.  Check to make sure it is cooked through. Serve with yogurt sauce(bowl #3). Do not over cook the chicken or it will be dry.

Plated, elegant and simple a meal in itself.

To Assemble
Place the cooked Chicken on a platter,spoon the yougrut mixture from bowl # 3 and top with the chickpea and tomato juices from the cooking tray.  Optionally, sprinkle with olive oil and paprika for presentation.

Tips

While preparing the 3 bowls  be careful not to mix anything with the spoon used in the bowl with raw chicken. 
If you prefer to use boneless thigh chicken cook for 30 minutes;It will taste just as great.
When checking the chicken for being perfectly cooked, always pierce the thickest part of the breast to release the juices. If the colour of the juice is pink it is still slightly raw. 
This recipe does not reheat well. Cook just before you are going to eat it.
 Ancho chilli  is a good substitute to Paprika or chilli flakes.
Parsley can be replaced for Corriander leaves if preferred. A few finely chopped mint leaves can be added optionally.
Use "fresh" yogurt and not an old one gone  sour as it will ruin the taste of the topping.



For more amazing Moroccan recipes click
Niloufer's Kitchen: Moroccan Cuisine 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GP0CSBI


Reader Comments

Dosi A	11/15/12
to me

Hello - made the dish yesterday to try it for a party on Saturday - turned out REALLY well.

Thx again.

D

Eggplant/Aubergine salad

Eggplant and Aubergine Salad 

Creating new salads, one discovers the joys of combining so many of one's favourite foods. I like to taste with my mind's taste buds while adding and tossing things from my pantry and fridge. 
It is fun, the only downside being I perhaps can never recreate it to the tee. I can live with that!! 
So here is something that was much appreciated by my guests for an impromptu lunch that I will share with you.

Eggplant, herbs, tomatoes, salad and more 

4 small Japanese eggplants 
250 g/ 8 oz or 1 cup of mixed small tomatoes
1 small pita bread,  rubbed with toasted with a rub of garlic, soft butter and chopped fine herbs like parsley or mint on it.
a handful of mixed herbs like fresh mint and parsley 
The zest and the fresh juice from one lime or limbu
salt
sumac
sunflower or pumpkin seeds
dried cranberries
125g/ 4 oz or 1/2 cup of feta cheese, curmbled
olive oil
garlic clove
drizzle of honey
4 cups of mixed greens, spinach, kale, lettuce, cabbage

Slice the eggplant into 1-inch rounds. Toss this with salt and olive oil. 
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and toss the eggplant in until it starts to colour. Try to flip it with the handle of the pan and don't use the spoon. Add a few drops of water from time to time as it helps caramelise faster. 
Remove the eggplants, set them aside, and repeat with the remaining eggplants. Sprinkle them with a tsp of sumac, lime juice, and a drizzle of honey. 
In a hot oven at 170 C | 350 F place the pita with rubbed garlic, smeared in butter and topped with herbs. This will take about 7 minutes to crisp. Cut it into pieces and leave it aside. 

To assemble, toss the greens, herbs, and the zest of the lime together and place them on a platter. 
Toss the tomatoes in a tsp of olive oil after cutting them in half or leaving them whole if you prefer. 
Sprinkle lightly with salt. Place all the eggplants all over. 
Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds over. 
Now sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over. Next, the crisp toasted pita chips. and cranberries.

The vinaigrette

If you like to serve this with a vinaigrette, make a light one with 4 tbsp of olive oil. One pressed garlic clove; a pinch of brown sugar and salt to taste; and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Shake well and drizzle all over. 

Tips
Do not assemble in advance, only prior to serving. 
Add dried cherries, figs, or apricots instead of cranberries. It is still as sweet! 
It will work well if you add walnuts or pecans instead of seeds.

Add pomegranate seeds for colour and texture. 

Add a tsp of brown sugar instead of honey, but while it is cooking rather than after, so it helps caramelise the eggplant. 
The melange of salad leaves gives a blend of texture and visually looks amazing. 
Sumac is found in Middle Eastern stores universally and is a tangy berry powder. Anar dana is the closest to it as a substitute. 
If Japanese eggplants are not available, use the ordinary ones cubed and diced equally. Discard the seed pouches within larger eggplants.

Photo courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is an award-winning book. It was self-published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking: Reviving an Ancient Cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through Amazon Book Depot, Book Depository, and from the publishers.

Quinoa & Prawn Salad

Raw Quinoa Grains

In a saucepan, bring all of the ingredients to a boil. 
2 cups of quinoa. 
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, adding salt to taste. 
Bring this to a rapid boil, allowing the liquid to evaporate until the grain is visible. 
Cover, reduce to a simmer, and leave for 30 minutes to steam. Quinoa is a grain and may need 5 minutes extra, but not less. 

Fluff it up with a fork while warm and place it in a large bowl. 

Toss in a mixture; 
1 diced cucumber
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 red pepper, diced
sprinkled with salt and a squeeze of lemon.

2 cups of sautéed Moroccan prawns. 
Click on http://amzn.to/NKMoroccan for the recipe and more. 
This link is also available on my e-cookbook page on this blog. 

Sprinkle this with sumac powder or lemon zest and finely chopped coriander or parsley and serve warm. 

Tips
Soaking them overnight before cooking takes away the tad of bitterness the outer shell of this ancient grain can sometimes have. If you do not have the time, soak them for a few hours and drain. 

Chopped black or green olives can be added. 

A handful of cherry tomatoes, finely chopped parsley or coriander leaves, crunchy celery, or even finely chopped kale leaves can be substituted.


My published cookbooks are now available on Amazon 

The Art of Parsi cuisine; reviving an ancient cuisine

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders.

Quinoa: A resurrection or an epiphany?

The Grain of the Gods 

It has become a common household word. Its reemergence has made it so popular that the esteemed United Nations decided to award it its own "Year". Quinoa was designated as the crop of the year in 2013. 

The positive from that publicity is awareness of this ancient grain, which is available across the globe for all of us to enjoy. Its taste, variety, nutritional value, and health benefits make it a tad interesting. It is gluten-free and is a good substitute for the gluten-heavy rice. 

The word Quinoa, originating from the Spanish language, is pronounced as KI-Nwa or kee-nu-wah by the rest of the world. It is grown on tall stalks across the continent of South America. Colorful little beads with a slight pop that bursts in one's mouth when eaten. The choice is wide; white/ivory/pearl or red/purple/pink/orange and black/grey. 
Quinoa grows in abundance in South America and originated in the rugged mountains of the Andes 4000 years ago. I cannot help but wonder what political motive left us starved of this amazing grain for the past decades. Time to catch up then.

Unlike rice, quinoa is rich in nutrients, but it is cooked similarly to rice. Flavoured with salt and spices, it can be cooked in water or vegetable stock/chicken broth. A good substitute for wheat and rice, it has more health benefits than both. It also contains the same Omega fats as fish oil, which help our brain cells grow. These fats do not seem to lessen once cooked. 
Important minerals like manganese, phosphorous, copper, magnesium, fiber, folate, and zinc also make up its DNA. These anti-inflammatory agents make it sound like a multi-vitamin! 
With some personal experience, I can reassure you that these above mentioned minerals help your aging, creaking bones from stiffness and achiness. 
Interestingly, it is the saponins in the outer casing that are the best source of anti-inflammation. But being bitter in taste, this is removed when processed, much like the husk of the grain of rice. 

Making this magical gem of a grain an integral part of your daily diet may help you reduce your risk of diabetes, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and colon cancer. 

Soaking them overnight before cooking takes away the tad of bitterness the outside of this ancient grain can sometimes have. If you do not have the time, soak them for a few hours and drain them. 

Recipes to follow soon for all of you to try and test out. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts about this beautiful tiny drop of a gem.

You can read my two published cookbooks on Parsi Cooking.

The Art of Parsi Cooking reviving an ancient cuisine and The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders. 

For cooking this grain in home made stock download
Niloufer's Kitchen: Soups
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GEH9PDQ

For recipes with Quinoa from the blog click
http://www.nilouferskitchen.com/2014/02/quinoa-kichri.html
and 
http://www.nilouferskitchen.com/2014/02/quinoa-prawn-salad.html



Images from Google.

Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

 

As a teenager, I went on a family holiday across Europe, where I visited the beautiful Austrian city of Salzburg. On a tight budget, we followed the Frommers guide. We were told to visit a restaurant in the crypt of one of the main churches in a town square. Here, the menu was changed on a daily basis, and fresh local produce was cooked and served. We were offered a roasted cauliflower soup and a roasted garlic soup. I tried both out of curiosity and thoroughly enjoyed this new flavour. Years later, I prepared this soup in combination and am sharing it with you. Isn't food the greatest mnemonic? And decades later, this week, I had the same, just as delightful, with the added beauty of basil oil and a few slices of pickled jalapeno.

Serves 10

3 tbsp olive Oil

4 oz butter

One head of cauliflower

One pod of garlic; unpeeled

1 tsp salt

Salt and mixed pepper for seasoning

1 cup whole milk

8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

One onion

1 tsp brown sugar

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 170 C or 350 F. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Toss two tablespoons of oil all over, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Also, rub the pod of unpeeled garlic with oil and roast it on the same tray for 45 minutes.

Once the garlic has cooled, remove the skin.

 

Step 2 

In your soup pot, melt 125 g/4 oz of butter and sauté the chopped onion till soft. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, the roasted cauliflower, and garlic. Add the 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, bring it to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 1 hour. Add a cup of milk and 1/2 cup of Gruyere cheese.

 

Step 3

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Mix well, taste for seasoning, and serve warm with a drizzle of basil oil, a few slices of pickled jalapeno, and garlic croutons.

Tips

The soup will be thick and creamy. You may add more milk to thin it down if needed.

Alternate basil and jalapeno and add 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg.

Some cheese melted on croutons will taste wonderful, especially a nice sharp cheddar or fresh Parmesan.

Trivia 
A teaspoon of balsamic vinegar will bring any soup to life if you feel it is bland.

Mixed peppercorns are a bag of red, rose-pink, white, black, and grey peppercorns. The French love this variety. White peppers are the spiciest and are generally added to most soups.

It is now the right time to help bring this inexpensive and highly nutritious vegetable back to its former glory in our home kitchens. Let us start by putting its reputation for being bland and tasteless behind us and reforming our ways to make this humble, frowned-upon floret into everything delicious.

Mnemonic: Imagery and Visualization: Our brains remember images much more easily than words or sounds, so translating things you want to remember into mental images can be a great mnemonic device. Food memories can be referred to as mnemonic devices when one can taste the food in one's memory bank.

For more soups click Niloufer's Kitchen: Soups

For Parsi recipes click The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine. and The World of Parsi Cooking Food Across Borders.

Glazed Chicken

Chicken 1...2,...3  This chicken is all about building flavour, substitutes are easy to switch around. Cooking it in larger quantities is easy too. A dish the whole family can enjoy.  really simple.

Serves 6  Wash 1 kg / 2.2 lb of skinless chicken with bone in  The Marinade; Mix together 4 oz red wine 1 tbsp. mustard 1 inch freshly grated ginger 1 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar Put all the chicken in the marinade for a minimum of 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 170°C |  350°F. Roast uncovered for 60 minutes until cooked through. Turn once to avoid drying.  Rest for 10 minutes.  Marinate for up to 24 hours; covered and chilled. The chicken is best cooked at room temperature.  You can use half a cup of orange juice instead of red wine. If you have neither, use some chicken stock with 1 tbsp. Port Wine. Replace the rice wine vinegar with any other vinegar you have on hand. Instead of sugar, you may use honey, agave, or maple syrup.  If your chicken has a skin on, allow it to roast for 10 more minutes.  Use a dish where the chicken fits tightly. This keeps the pieces submerged in the marinade and steams them well. Place a parchment paper first in your glass dish to avoid scrubbing it later The chicken glaze served on a bed of egg noodles. For wonderful recipes on Parsi food and cooking click to buy the cookbook The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders  The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine. For more delicious recipes click Niloufer's Kitchen: Moroccan http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GP0CSBI Photo credit Sheriar Hirjikaka