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!

Roasted Potatoes

Simple is the best. What can be simpler than grilling potatoes in the oven? 
This is my entry for BM#14, Group 2, Day2.

These are by no means unique they do put up an appearance in the blog world regularly but the girls love them.


This I made because every time we go the local supermarket Kiddo 2 always wants to buy the potato wedges, smiles or some other stuff just like that. rather than pay a bomb I opted to make them.

 They get done as I am cooking in the morning and are ready to eat in the evening when they come back. They prefer to eat it with tomato sauce or sweet chili.

Mushroom Kababs

F or the Blog Hop we meet sensational cooks and inspiring ideas.

So when I hopped over to Pratima of Prats Corner I made lovely tofu and paneer burgers. Here is the recipe for the burgers in case you have missed it.

So after I made this burger  I found that I had some leftover marinade ( Let’s face it I prefer to make a biiit more than necessary to take care of unforeseen  emergencies) . So I had some extra marinade and some mushrooms, capsicum and small onions all cheerily waving out to me as the former two sat in the fridge and the onions are a bunch that we buy regularly before the rains in the local fair called “purmet”.

Paneer and Tofu Tikka Burger~Bloghop Wednesday #4

For the Blog Hop this time I am paired with Prathima of Prats’ Corner.   

 

Now came the biggest challenge what to make. For each recipe that I read I wanted to make! Finally I choose this Paneer Tikka Sandwich recipe for it falls in is an entry for my current event (Please send me your entries for I have hardly any) and most importantly I was sure my kids would love it.

The Let’s Get stuffed Event ~~Pasta Stuffed in Capsicum

   

I write this post with mixed feelings.

Elated as I have achieved the 100 followers mark. Starting from an anonymous blogger achieving this peak would not be possible had it not been for you my friends. A Big thanks to all of you!!

The fact that I have hardly received any entries for my event the Lets Get Stuffed Event is a big disappointment. Well that’s life!

Here is one of my experiments that was not much of a success. What I did was made pasta in tomato sauce stuffed it in the capsicum.

My husband poor lamb ate it but my kids told me that I better stick to pasta in white sauce only. So that’s that. Personally I love all my creations so this was good but not good enough.  I am open to suggestions on this.

 Ingredients:

 ¼ cup oil

½ tsp hing/asafoetida

1 cup chopped basil

2 tsp dried oregano

6 cups tomato puree  

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp sugar

2 tblspn tomato ketchup

250 grms of any pasta you like I used fettuccine

250 grms paneer or tofu, cubed

8 capsicums

Olive oil+ 1 tsp

Method:

1.     To make the tomato puree, wash and cut a small cross at the stalk of the tomato.

2.     Drop the tomato in hot water for about 10-15 minutes. Then peel and discard the skin grind the rest of the tomato. Set aside.

3.     Heat the oil add hing/asafoetida add the basil leaves and oregano fry for about ½ a minute.

4.     Add the tomato puree, stir and bring to a boil.

5.     Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce heat.

6.     Simmer till the mixture thickens.

7.     Next boil the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. 

8.     Cool under running water and then toss in olive oil.  Keep aside.

9.     Cut the capsicum and clean the insides.

10.  In 1 tsp of olive oil add salt and the oregano. Apply to the capsicum inside. Let this rest till your sauce is ready.

11.  Once the sauce is ready reserve 1 cup full add the paneer to the rest of the sauce  & pasta and mix well.

12.     Stuff the pasta in the capsicum and grill on in the griller with both the grills on for 15-20 minutes till the paneer is grilled. I need 18 minutes.

1      13.   Before serving top the capsicum with the reserved sauce.

Sending this to my event the The Lets Get Stuffed Event started by Vatsala of Show and Tell!!

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.