Vegetarian Anticucheras or Anticuchos from Peru

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

 According to Wikipedia,” Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients—including influences from the indigenous population including the Inca and cuisines brought in with immigrants from Europe (Spanish cuisine, Italian cuisine, German cuisine), Asia (Chinese cuisine and Japanese cuisine) and West Africa. Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.

The four traditional staples of Peruvian cuisine are corn, potatoes and other  tubers, Amaranthaceaes  (Quinoa, Kañiwa and kiwicha) and legumes (beans and lupins). Staples brought by the Spanish include rice, wheat and meats (beef, pork and chicken).

The US food critic Eric Asimov has described it as one of the world's most important cuisines and as an exemplar of fusion cuisine, due to its long multicultural history. “

But I was interested in Street Food…. My chosen theme for the Mega Marathon that we have going for this month at Blogging Marathon which is named “Around the World In 30 Days” where we are blogging international cuisine alphabetically.  So toady for P I have chosen Peru.

In Peru, anticuchos, a type of kebab, are often sold by street vendors called anticucheras. Also, cuy, a species of Guinea Pig is served as a delicacy on religious holidays.

So I made anticucheras, okay you are right I did not use any meat I used potatoes….

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

Vegetarian Anticucheras or Anticuchos

Recipe Source: Food.com.com

Ingredients:

• 1 kg /4-5 big potatoes cut into wedges of about 2 inches long
• 8-10 small onions
• 2 cucumbers cut in thick roundels
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tblspn jeera/cumin powder
• 1 tsp kali mirchi/ pepper corns  ground
• salt  to taste
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tblspn fresh parsley, finely minced
• 2 tblspn dhania/ coriander leaves, finely minced
• 4 dried chillies
• ¼   cup oil plus 1 or 2 tblspn as needed
• 4-5 ears corn on the cob, cooked (save some of the husk)

Method:

• Par -boil the potatoes with a little salt.
• Soak the red chillies in hot water until they are soft. You could remove the seeds if you feel like. That will make the chillies less spicy. 
• Blend the vinegar, garlic, dried chilli, cumin powder, pepper powder, parsley and coriander leaves with ¼ cup of the oil until you have a soft paste. 
• Pour it on the pieces of potato and onions distribute evenly so all pieces are well covered and can absorb the marinade. Adjust the seasonings.
• Cover and let sit in the refrigerator. I marinated the pieces in the morning and cooked them in the afternoon.   
• I added the cucumber just before the grilling but that was a bad idea. They should have gone in before at least 1 hour before the actual grilling.
• In the meantime, place thick bamboo skewers to soak in water so they don't burn when they go on the grill if you are using bamboo skewers. I used the stainless steel ones. 
• In case you plan to use a charcoal grill and make sure the coals are very hot before you start.  I grilled them on the gas.
• Arrange the potatoes, cucumber and onions on the skewer.
• Save the rest of the marinade in a cup or small bowl and add the1 tblspn of the oil to it, mix well. This will be used for basting the potatoes on the grill.
• Tie some pieces of fresh corn husk with a string made out of some more husk and shred them half the way to make a kind of brush and use it for basting. 

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

•  If like me you are grilling over the gas stove then place the potatoes on the stove and baste them generously with the leftover marinade and oil mix. But be careful as this will drip and  cause the coals/gas to flame.  Make sure it flames over because this is what gives the anticuchos their distinctive flavour.

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

• Cook them well basting and flaming until they are done.
• In case you are cooking on coal fire then at the same time, place the pieces of corn and potatoes on a corner of the grill, baste them with the same marinade and allow them to be flamed too.
• Serve the skewers in each plate.
• Serve hot, right out of the grill, don't let it get cold! ENJOY! 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Savoury Corn Fitters from New Zealand

Savoury Corn Fitters

Now that school has reopened I have a problem what do I give in the kiddos tiffin box?

To add to my woes she does not have a breakfast, barely gulps down a small cup of milk. 

 She comes home for lunch but she wants something delicious in her tiffin box. Her idea of delicious and mine are mine are poles apart.

 The day I give something she does not want we end up having the tiffin uneaten but loaded with excuses like I had to go to the staff room as I am the CR etc.

About this time I was researching recipes for this trip around the world. I fell for the simplicity of these delicious corn fritters. It also what doctor ordered an egg…

Sorry those who do not eat eggs replace it with 1 tblspn of egg replacer or 1/3 cup of cream.

The original recipe has cheese and ham included but I did not add as I did not have time to grate the cheese and ham I do not do. Please feel free to use them if you like it.

Also the original recipe used flour or maida, APF I replaced it with oats. Another thing she refuses to eat.

The whole thing went down well with tomato sauce. Infact she ate one of the fitters before she left for school… Ahhhhhhh relief!!

Savoury Corn Fitters

Savoury Corn Fitters

Cuisine: Kiwi Cuisine

Recipe Source:Kiwi Faves 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup red capsicum/pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup yellow capsicum, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 ½ cup oats
• ¼ cup spring onion chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 eggs
• 1 can cream style sweet corn,1 tin
• ½ tsp baking powder
• rice bran oil for frying

Method:

• In a large bowl mix together the capsicum, spring onion, onion, salt and pepper mix well.
• Add the sweet corn, mix well.
• Add the oats and give it a nice good stir. Check the seasoning.
• Add the egg/ egg replacer, baking powder. Mix well.
• If you feel the batter is dry add a tblspn or two of water. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
• The original instructions said “Heat 2 tblspn of oil in a non- stick pan add a tableful of batter in the hot oil.”  I did that but then  preferred the method of adding the ladleful of batter  on the hot pan and then adding oil to the sides of the batter, much like how we add oil to a dosa but of course I need a little more oil than the dosa needs. And I did that from the second batch that I made on the same pan. Suit yourself.
• Fry till golden on both sides.
• Serve them with tomato sauce.

Notes: 

• I used the circular cookied dough cutter that i kept on the tava/ skillet and added the batter in it to get the perfect sized round shaped.

Savoury Corn Fitters

An InLinkz Link-up

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice

I hope you have enjoyed your trip around the world with us! Wondering what I am talking about? Okay we at blogging marathon are off” Around the World in 30 Days”! Foodies’ hai bhai kya? Food par he bolenge! 

So let’s stop today at M Mexico! Why it’s like Indian food! My daughters refuse to believe that I have cooked international food today! The younger one checked it out to see if there is something called Mexican Rice!

Shhh!

 I do not know what to say? Okay I do cook up names, fancy names but them not believing me when I am so earnestly telling them…! Pah! I do not know what these youngsters are these days... No respect only!!! (Ha all that ranting feels good!)

Anyway please believe me when I say that most Mexican food is like Indian food so that is the reason it’s popular in India.  I have a big list and recipes shared with me by my friend Vidya that I want to try in near future… so look out for some more delicious food here.

Right now  before you enjoy the Mexican rice I have dished out here some cuisine history, sorry you can skip it if you want and go directly to the recipe and I am quoting what I read in Wikipedia so,  

“Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, elements added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. The basic staples remain native foods such as corn, beans and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of which were meat from domesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese) and various herbs and lots of spices.

While, the Spanish initially tried to impose their own diet on the country, this was not possible and eventually the foods and cooking techniques began to be mixed, especially in colonial era convents. Over the centuries, this resulted in various regional cuisines, based on local conditions such as those in Oaxaca, Veracruz and the Yucatán Peninsula. Mexican cuisine is closely tied to the culture, social structure and popular traditions of the country. The most important example of this connection is the use of mole for special occasions and holidays, particularly in the South and Center regions of the country.”

” Mexican cuisine is as complex as any of the great cuisines in the world, such as those of  India,  China,  France,  Italy and Turkey It is created mostly with ingredients native to Mexico  as well as those brought over by the Spanish conquistadors, with some new influences since then In addition to staples such as corn and chilli peppers, native ingredients include  tomatoes,  squashes,  avocados,  cocoa and vanilla as well as ingredients not generally used in other cuisines such as edible flowers, vegetables such as  huauzontle  and papaloquelite or small criollo avocados, whose skin is edible. European contributions include pork, chicken, beef, cheese, herbs and spices and some fruits. Tropical fruits such as guava, prickly pear, sapote, mangoes, bananas, pineapple and cherimoya (custard apple) are popular, especially in the centre and south of the country. It has been debated how much Mexican food is still indigenous and how much is European. However, the basis of the diet is still corn and beans with chilli pepper as a seasoning as they are complementary foods.

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice 

Recipe Source: Vidya 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups water+8 cups
• 6 tblspn oil
• 1 tblspn red sauce( recipe coming soon)
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp ginger paste
• ¼ cup rajma, soaked and boiled
• 1/3 cup corn, boiled
• 2 tsp chopped green chillies
• ¼ tsp dhania/ coriander seed powder
• ½ cup capsicum, sliced
• 1/3 cup onions sliced and separated
• ½ cup cabbage, sliced fine
• ½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp pepper powder, freshly ground
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp jalapeño water (I substituted with vinegar)
• 1 tsp dhania/ coriander leaves

Mexican Rice

Method:

• Wash and soak the rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
• Strain and discard the water.
• Boil the 8 cups add 2 tblspn oil add the rice. Cook uncovered till the rice is done.
• Once the rice is cooked strain the rice in a colander.
• Cool the rice for 1 hour. Then to cooked rice apply oil, salt and 1 tblspn red sauce.
• In a kadhai/wok heat 2 tblspn oil add the garlic, ginger pastes. Stir.
• Add boiled rajma, boiled corn, green chillies, and coriander seed powder. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the capsicum, onions, cabbage and stir.  The ingredients should not cook fully.
• To this add the prepared rice, oregano, pepper powder, butter. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the jalapeño water, if using else add the vinegar and coriander.
•  Serve hot.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Corn in Creamy Milk

I picked up this beautiful book in the Central Library,Panaji, Goa.

The author is Karen Anand. In fact I had typed out a great number of recipes from her book and the laptop crashed!!

Central Library, Panaji, Goa is an amazing place!  I have been told that the library is built and maintained on international standards. It is a pleasure to go there for not only the staff is so good but also the books are so beautifully arranged even an idiot will find the book he/she needs. The reading room is so very beautiful. Many a times I sit in the library and access my pending posts.

As you enter the library you are greeted by a huge mascot of a person resting his/ her face on the palm. The best thing is it is made of tyres.  Different treads are used cleverly to draw your eye to different features.

This is not all there are metal sculptures made out of waste material on display. O by the way the Art and Culture is also in the same building but I have not as yet visited that area. The library has so much of a pull over me.

If you are in Goa please make it a point to visit the library.

No I am not doing a review on the Central Library like I said most of my lunch hours are spent there.

  

Eggless Quiche

 In continuation with Gayatri’s challenge for the Eggless baking group I am posting my Quiche recipe.

I have already written about the making of the base here now here is the filling and the finished quiche.

Let me warn you that even though I have never eaten Quiche before and I loved it.

  But then I am not a difficult person to please especially when it comes to food. :)

My younger daughter had promised me she will not, sorry “N-O-T” bold and underlined at that” eating quiche with all that palak/spinach and tofu yuck, “is now pestering me for the last slice that has escaped her mouth.

My husband and most importantly my FIL, yes My Father-in-Law loved it and ate it happily every time it was offered.

Baby Corn Stir Fry

My kids like corn but somehow they do not enjoy baby corn.

   It is a perpetual quest to make baby corn in the form they will enjoy. One of my recent endeavors has been Baby Corn Stir Fry.

This was for the first time that I had tried making snacks for evening but I was saving it up for the last day of BM.

The girls were not aware of the presence of this new member in the fridge so they had had their snack. But I still heated the container in the microwave and as the younger one was stepping out to play came back in reverse gear to check what was cooking.

Corn Bruchetta

I do not enjoy corn, the only way I really enjoy it is roasted, in fact I have just started eating it boiled or steamed so I thought of the girls and hubby dear when I saw Bruchetta was something that I first saw on Manjula’s Kitchen here. Here is more on this delicious Italian snack or appetizer.

I had bookmarked it then. In between the computer was reformatted many a times and I lost the bookmark.

Healthy Instant Corn Dhokla

We all love dhokla.

Would you like some now?

 For this instant no need to wait for the batter to ferment? Do you want it to be healthy, with veggies and no complaints from the kids?

If your answer is yes then this recipe is for you! 

I came across in Tarla Dalal’s Cooking & More that I had borrowed from our library. I don’t have the copy of the recipe but I noted down the recipe. 

The only change I have made is added 1 tsp of garlic paste and steamed it in a vessel.

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet corn

½ cup curds

1 cup rava

½ tsp ginger green chilli paste

Salt

1 tsp fruit salt

¼ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp oil

1 tsp garlic paste(my addition)

Method:

1. Blend sweet corn and curd in mixer till smooth.
2.  Add rava, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, salt & half cup water mix well.
3.  Just before steaming sprinkle fruit salt and lemon juice. Mix gently
4.  Spoon in greased muffin/ vati moulds and steam for 15-20 minutes. Cool and serve.

Sending this to Anyone Can Cook  Series

 and to my event Fast Food Not Fat Food started by Priya

And to Kirthi's Serve it series :Serve It Steamed started by Danny

 

I am sure you all make healthy recipes that fall in this category do link up here and send me the FAT volume of entries!!

Archana

Celebrating My 250 th Post with Corn & Sprouts Salad!!

This is my 250^th post!

 I never thought I will make it to this milestone! Thanks all of you, as without your encouragement this was never possible!  

Ganesh or Chathurti is celebrated in a big way in Goa. People come from far and near to their ancestral homes and celebrate the festival. Schools & collages are closed down for one week (how I wish I was in school)!!  Since we do not have these festivities we have been visiting friends and having a gala time feasting on Nevro, Chaklis, Shev, Churma, Khatkhate and the ultimate Mangane. 

Nevro are karanji or karchikai or ghujia, Churma is a sweet and pungent dish made out of Maida very tasty, Khatkhate is a medley of vegetables in a coconut gravy and Mangane is a sweet kheer (vegan) made out of chana daal. Slurp!!   

Now that I have you all drooling about the dishes I have been hogging on let me tell you about a simple healthy & fast salad I made today!! ;)

You will need  

1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels

2 tblspn sprouted moong

1 tomato

½ capsicum

1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

½ tsp pepper, freshly ground

Salt

Method:

1.     Boil the corn in the cooker 2 whistles. If you are using corn directly then remove them with a sharp knife and then boil the corn. Cool.

2.     Mix all the ingredients and serve chilled.

Sending this to event Fast Food Not Fat Food started by Priya of Now Serving & I have the privilege of hosting! 

And event Life is Green

& Monsoon Medley 

Archana

Chilli Corn Wedges~~Blog Hop 3

 For this week’s Blog Hop initiated by Radhika  of Tickling Palates I was to visit Monika of Sin-A-Mon.

 The place is wonderful to say the least. Lovely recipes and pictures! As I was going through her blog I came across this recipe Chilli Corn Muffins!!

Honestly they are Chilli Corn Muffins to a person who associated muffins with sweets this was a full stop, my choice for today’s BlogHop,all the other delicious recipes that I have bookmarked will be tried later.

Here is the recipe that I have used.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup corn flour

½ cup Maida

3 eggs

¼ cup corn kernels

1 onion, chopped

2 green chillies (could have used more)

4 flakes garlic

1 tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp oregano

3 leaves of basil

3 mint leaves

½ cup cheese

½ cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

 Salt to taste

Method:

1.     First I washed the corn kernels added enough water to cover the corn and salt and pressured cooked them for 2 whistles.

2.   Since I have one kid who does not like biting in chillies I decided to grind the chillies, garlic but since the quantity was too little for the mixer I added ¼ cup of onions, the oregano, mint and basil to make a fine paste.

3.     Preheat the oven to 180°C.

4.     Next mix both the flours and the baking powder and salt.

5.     Since I cannot fin the muffin papers here in Goa I decided to use the regular round mould (by hindsight I should have used a smaller one or the ice cream tray) greased   well.

6.     Beat the eggs and milk and mix in the flours till well incorporated.

7.     Fold the chilli paste, corn, cheese.

8.     Transfer to the mould and bake for 30 minutes.

9.     Once done let it sit in the tray for 10 minutes before turning it on the wire rack.

10.   If you are lucky family will wait for it to cool down, you can cut them and dish them beautifully else you get pictures like mine here.

Off these go to 

Archana

Reposting For Events-- Healthy Snacks Grilled Paneer Grilled Elephant's Foot Grilled Baby Corn

Every thing that is tasty does not have to be unhealthy.

Try my Grilled Paneer Grilled Elephant's Foot Grilled Baby Corn!
I was surprised when the girls liked Elephant foot grilled and even Baby the Corn hater ate the Grilled Baby Corn!!


Reposting for Grilled Paneer Grilled Elephant's Foot Grilled Baby Corn for DD's event here

And to  Vardhini's kitchen who is hosting Fast food is not Fat food  started by Priya of Now Serving.

Grilled Paneer, Grilled Elephant's Foot, Grilled Baby Corn

This time 27^th June, our anniversary was on a Monday and the girls being girls, who want to eat out at the drop of the hat, were taken out on Sunday, for lunch and ice cream in the local restaurant.  

The next day they wanted me to make something different for dinner.

 Now since both of them are not there for food during the day and   I, good mamma that I am  want them to eat something healthy without complaints I made  what the girls call tikkas.

Reposting For Events--Corn Toast

Corn the goodness of which is oft repeated. Brown bread? "No Mamma" is the often received complaint but grilled sandwich is a favourite whether with plain white bread or brown bread!
How best to get it in your kids without complaints other than corn toast.  I am reposting corn toast for Priya's event here at Now Serving

Corn Toast.

I love to cook but since I hate doing the same repetitive jobs I like to keep it short and sweet. Corn toast was one such effort. I had made it long time ago, once my SIL told me that they taste good.

Sweet Corn Cream Style Vegetable

I have run out of vegetables and when I went to the market today I did not like what I saw. So I am back to square one no vegetables.

Now I started wondering what I should make or order from the take away when my eyes spied 1 lonely tin of sweet corn cream style soup tin.

 Long time ago I had reading in Snajeev Kapoor’s book about making some kind of spread so I decide to make vegetable. I just hope the family like it. The test comes dinner time.

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic

I tblspn homemade butter (you can use any oil/butter)

1 onion chopped fine

1 tin sweet corn cram style soup (460grms)

1 tsp of ranjka (it is a spicy, fiery ground chilli with garlic and salt)

2 chillies

Salt

½ a carrot grated

Coriander

Method:

1.       Heat kadhai heat butter. Crush the garlic and add.

2.       When you get an aroma of garlic add the onions and fry till soft and translucent.

3.       Add the soup can, ranjaka, chillies, salt.

4.       Stir fry till the mixture is well mixed.

5.       Add the carrot coriander and remove from flame.