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

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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

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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!

Falafel Wraps for Lebnon

Falafel Wraps for Lebnon

According to Wikipedia which I am quoting verbatim,

”Lebanese cuisine or "Levantine kitchen" includes an abundance of starches, whole grain, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat. When red meat is eaten it is usually lamb on the coast, and goat meat in the mountain regions. It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, often seasoned by lemon juice. olive oil, herbs, garlic and lemon are typical flavours found in the Lebanese diet.

Most often foods are either grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled as well as cooked. Herbs and spices are used and the freshness of ingredients is important. Like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.

In Lebanon, very rarely are drinks served without being accompanied by food.  Mezze is an array of small dishes placed before the guests creating an array of colours, flavours, textures and aromas. Mezze may be as simple as pickled vegetables or raw vegetables, hummus, baba ghanouj and bread, or it may become an entire meal consisting of grilled marinated seafood, skewered meats, a variety of cooked and raw salads and an arrangement of desserts.

Although simple fresh fruits are often served towards the end of a Lebanese meal, there is also dessert, such as baklava and coffee. Although baklava is the most internationally known dessert, there is a great variety of Lebanese desserts.”

In spite of all kinds of delicacies jumping at me when I was researching for L one thing that kept on attracting me was this video. Finally I decided to make Falafel wraps! So today for the “Around the World in 30 days” let us eat Falafel wraps. A versatile dish where you can eat just the falafels or wrapped them up!! The wraps   can be tortillas or even our plain old chapatti or like me fulkas.

Falafels are Lebanese deep fried balls or patties made from Kabuli Chana/white chick peas and/or fava beans.

Falafel Wraps for Lebnon

Falafel Wraps

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Recipe Source: Veg. Recipes of India ,Taste.com, Utube  

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Kabuli Chana/white chick peas, soaked overnight
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped or minced
• 2-3 garlic crushed
• 1 tsp dhania/ coriander powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder/jeera powder
• ½ tsp kali mirchi/ pepper corns crushed
• 2 tbsp atta /whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley
•  1 tsp coriander leaves
• Salt as required
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Cook the soaked Kabuli Chana in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water for 2 whistles. Cool.
• In a mixer/ blender add the drained Chana and mash/ coarse grind.
• Add all the other ingredients except the oil and grind to get a paste.
• Transfer from the mixer to a bowl and mix everything well.
• With your hands form small or medium sized balls or patties.
• Deep fry in hot oil like you would do for pakoras/fritters.
• Flip over to the other side whilst frying to ensure that the falafels are evenly fried.
• Drain falafel on kitchen tissues to remove excess oil.
•  You can serve falafel hot with pita bread or serve as snack/starter with some sauce.
• But I served it like this fulkas, hummus, cheese slice, falafel and pickled cucumber and onion and dhania/ coriander leaves as garnish.
• Very very yum!!!

Falafel Wraps for Lebnon

 

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

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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!

Lengmans Noodles from Kazakhstan

Lengmans Noodles from Kazakhstan

For K today in the Blogging Marathon Around the world in 30 days I have chosen Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan is located in southern Asia between Russia and Uzbekistan. Approximately 80 percent of the land consists of lowlands, plains, and plateaus. Strong winds often sweep through these flat lands. The climate in Kazakhstan is varied, and different plants and animals are found according to region. Parts of Kazakhstan become extremely cold in the winter and very hot during the summer. The Kara Kum Desert, the world's fourth largest desert, occupies most of central Kazakhstan.

For hundreds of years, Kazakhs were nomadic herders who raised qazaqi qoy (fat-tailed sheep), cattle, ayïr tüye(Bactrian camels), and at (horses). Kazakh nomads heavily relied on their animals for transportation, clothing, and food. They usually ate mutton (sheep), milk, cheese, and flat bread baked on a griddle. They also produced goods that they traded for grain, vegetables, and fruits at markets in the more settled cities of south Kazakhstan. Cone-shaped tents called yurts were their homes, which were easy to set up, dismantle, and carry.

 Traditional Kazakh foods reflect the nomadic peoples and also Middle Eastern influences. Middle Eastern methods of preparing and seasoning rice, vegetables, kebabs (skewered meat), and yogurt have been added. Favorite drinks such as black tea and vodka are part of Kazakh and Russian custom. Russian food is found in abundance in northern Kazakhstan and larger cities.

So for my choice it was difficult in fact I was about to just give up when I chanced on this site. It opened a whole new world of Kazakh foods.  

Okay girls please do not be put off with my long long procedure. Try it its well worth the effort.

Lengmans Noodles

Cuisine : Kazakhstan

Recipe Source:Here and Here

Serves : 6

Ingredients:

For the Stew:

• 1 tblspn of diced onion
• 200 gram mushrooms, cubed
• 1 medium size potato, thinly sliced
• 3 leaves of cabbage, sliced lengthwise or into cubes
• ¼ cup of bean sprouts
•  1 capsicum, cubed
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ cup of diced coriander, chopped 
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 2 tblspn of olive oil

 For the Dough: 

• 2 cups of maida
• A little less than 2/3 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• olive oil as needed

For boiling noodles: 

• 4 cups of water
• 3/4 to 1 tsp salt 

Method: 

Let’s mix the dough:

• Add the salt with flour in a bowl and mix well.
• Add water a little at a time mix as you go.
• Mix with a little force in the beginning and towards the end use less and less water each time.  You may not need all the water recommended.
• After mixing the dough smooth the dough by kneading with fists and folding for about 5 min.
•  In case you need water to because the dough feels tough dip your hand in the water container .Make sure your dough is completely smooth.
• Spread some oil on the top of dough, cover the dough with plastic wrap first, and then towel on top, let sit for 30 min at room temperature.

As the dough is resting let’s make the stew:

•  Heat the kadhai/wok add oil and heat at high heat.
•  Add onion to the cooking pan, stir.
• Add the potato and stir fry often until all sides of potato turns brown.
•  Add cumin and mushrooms stir fry for 2 or 3 min.
•  Add tomatoes, stir fry for 5 min or until the juice of tomato comes out nicely.
•  Add cabbage, stir fry for 2 min.
•  Add red pepper, and bean sprouts stir fry for 2 min.
•  Add coriander stir.
• Add about ½ cup of water to cover all goodies, add garlic, and allow it to boil for 5-10 min or so. Add salt to taste.

Let’s now make the noodles:

• Cut the dough into few pieces, roll each piece into long thin band, On top of each layer, brush with plenty of vegetable oil to keep them from sticking to each other.
• Roll each band into long round thinner band and roll onto a plate as below. Start with inner-most layer first then next outer layer. 

• Brush the top of circled dough with plenty of oil, cover with plastic wrap, and keep at room temperature for 30 min. If you feel your dough is still a bit hard after 30 min, keep it a bit longer, so it is easier to stretch.
• Meanwhile boil water in a deep pot with salt. Keep the water simmering as you get on with the next steps.

• Pull out the rolling band from one end, stretch it to even thinner (this is to be done in a wooden board but since I don’t have one I did it on the kitchen platform.)

• Actually there are more steps here which I could not manage but in case you are interested you could roll the noodle on hands, press hard on the wooden board, press it few times, and press it till you see some noodle is almost broken. Check here.
• Then toss the stretched noodle in the boiling water.
• It’s very important here is make sure you stir the noodle thoroughly by chopstick or folk. This way your noodle will not stick to each other. Cover the pot, allow it to boil. Open the lid let it continue boiling for 3 more minutes
• Take out the noodle from the pot.
• Toss the noodle into another container with cold water to cool down the noodle a little. Depending on the person you are serving the noodles can be custom served.
• Place one portion as needed on a plate; break the noodle by hand if needed.
•  Add about 1/2 cup stew on top and serve.
• Laghman needs to be served to each individual one by one, it tastes great when it is fresh.

Notes:

• If you feel your noodle turned out a bit bland, add some extra salt to the boiling water. So your next batch noodle will turn out better.
• And this water after boiling noodle can also be served as soup.   

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!

Tabbouleh

In our trip around the world let’s visit Jordon today. Wondering what I am talking about? Then we at Blogging Marathon are dishing up the world in the next thirty days, aptly named “Around the world in 30 days!’ Join us and enjoy this trip…. Today in Jordan!

I am tired of all the street food (that is my daughter’s chosen theme for me) my family has been gorging on I will like a nice salad.  So this Tobbouleh fits in my scheme of food.

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour and egg, often flavoured with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savoury (such as sour cream or cottage cheese) to the sweet (such as apple sauce or sugar), or they may be served  without any garnish. Potato pancakes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes.

Maybe I am doing a disservice by posting potato pancakes under Germany, in my trip “Around the World in 30 Days”, for they are associated with cuisines of many European and Middle East.

Potato pancakes are an old traditions in  Austrian ,  Belarusian ,  Czech,  German ,  Hungarian ,  Iranian,  Jewish , Yiddish,  Hebrew,  Latvian ,  Lithuanian , Luxembourg ,  Polish,  Russian,   Slovak ,  Ukrainian  and any other cuisines.  It is the national dish of Belarus.

In Swiss cuisine, the Rösti differs as it never contains egg or flour. It is a traditional favourite in southern Indiana during holiday festivities.

In the North-East of England (particularly County Durham), there is a popular dish known as tattie fish, because the pancake resembles a deep fried piece of fish. The pancake consists of flour, eggs, shredded potatoes and onions. You may add tomato or cheese to the mix. A form of potato pancake known as boxty is a popular traditional dish in most of Ireland. It is made in a similar way but using more starch. The British also brought the potato pancake to Zimbabwe, Africa when Zimbabwe was a colony of Britain. They are still eaten today too.

The Swedish version of unbound potato pancakes is called rårakor  When prepared with a batter of wheat flour, milk, egg, and shredded potatoes and fried like thin pancakes, they are called  raggmunk,  the word "ragg" means crispy and "munk" derives from the Swedish "munkpanna", which is literally translated as donutpan. Both kinds are enjoyed with fried pork and  lingonberry  jam.

 In Germany, potato pancakes are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce, blueberries, sugar and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons.

Chotpoti/A tangy Chaat from Bangladesh

Chotpoti

Hi! So you are joining me again today again for “Around the World in 30 Days’? Welcome! I will love the company… so today let explore B the second alphabet…

Actually the options for B are so many Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium to name a few  but since I was keen on choosing my neighbours I have chosen Bangladesh as my entry here.

It’s obvious the food in Bangladesh is similar to West Bengal. The street food here constitutes of delicious pitha, Chotpoti, puchka, jhalmuri, badam, and fried items.

Puchka is Gol Gappe or Pani puri, pitha, jhaal muri I have made so I decided to make Chotpoti which I suppose will mean” chat pati” alias tangy.

Did it live up to its name?

Of course!!

It took me to the time when I as a child had travelled to Bhuneshwar and we had chaat one night on the streets of Bhuneshwar.

So come and join me for Chotpoti.

Vendakai Melugu Peretti or Spicy Fried Okra

Vendakai Melugu Peretti or Spicy Fried Okra

In my search for the Blogging Marathon recipes I think all my bookmarks had reached an all time low and I was very happy.

Finally had some clearance.

One discovery during this search was Vendakai Melugu Peretti or Spicy Fried Okra from the book “The Taj Magzine.” Needless to say this yummy dish will feature on my menu regularly! 

How about you?

Update on my bookmark list after the marathon its longer than before!