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!

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!

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.

Bajiyos /Djiboutian Fried Vegetables/ Aloo Pakora

 Bajiyos /Djiboutian Fried Vegetables/ Aloo Pakora

 Hi! Joining me again today in my foodie trip around the world in 30 days? 

Today let’s visit Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, it’s a country located in the Horn of Africa bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the Southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east.

Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 810,000 inhabitants. The Somali and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups. Both speak Afro-Asiatic languages, which serve as recognized national languages. Arabic and French constitute the country's two official languages. Islam is a predominant religion in the region.

According to Wikipedia, “Djiboutian cuisine consists of a mixture of Somali, Afar,  Ethiopian,  Yemeni and French cuisine, with some additional Asian influences. Local dishes are commonly prepared using a lot of Middle Eastern spices, ranging from saffron to cinnamon.

Spicy dishes come in many variations, from the traditional Fah-fah or "Soupe Djiboutienne" (spicy boiled beef) to the yetakelt wet (spicy mixed vegetable stew). Xalwo (halva) is a popular confection eaten during festive occasions, such as Eid celebrations or wedding receptions. After meals, homes are traditionally perfumed using incense (cuunsi) or  frankincense (lubaan), which is prepared inside an incense burner referred to as a dabqaad.”What caught my eye here was,

” Sambuusa, the Somali version of the triangular samosa snack, is commonly eaten throughout Djibouti during the afur (iftar). The local variant is spiced with hot green pepper, and the main ingredient is often ground goat meat or fish. Xalwo(pronounced "halwo") or halva is a popular confection served during special occasions, such as Eid celebrations or wedding receptions.

Garoobey is one of the staple dishes of Djibouti. Oats porridge, it is prepared by soaking oats in milk, and is flavoured with cumin or cumin powder. Bajiyos are a regular fixture at the table and in street shops, particularly when it is time to break the fast during Ramadan. They are part of the four essential elements of the Djiboutian afternoon tea. Fruits such as mango, guava (seytuun), banana (moos) are also eaten throughout the day as snacks.”

Sounds familiar does it not?

The variety of ingredients used to make the bajiyos or bhajiyas or pakoras is amazing. I was surprised to hear about making them with cucumber, and butternut squash. That is totally new to me.

I stuck to just potato, I know it’s totally out of character especially with a name like the Mad Scientist but there is limit to my families patience with my experiments!!!  I have been feeding them totally international and….

 Okay this was deep frying I would rather not do it. I kept postponing it till the last possible moment.

Bajiyos/ Djiboutian Fried Vegetables

Cuisine: Djiboutian

Recipe Source: partly from here 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size potato
• 1 cup besan /gram flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• ½ tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• A pinch of hing/asafoetida
• ⅔ to ¾ cup water
• A pinch of baking soda (optional)
• Salt as needed

Method:

• Slice the potatoes thinly in rounds. Keep them in water till needed.
• Mix well the besan, rice flour, ajwain, red chilli powder, hing and soda  with water. Remember to use little water as more can be added if needed. The batter has to be thick.
• Check the seasoning and add more if required.
• Heat oil for frying in a kadhai/wok .
• Now transfer the potato slices, few at a time to a clean kitchen napkin so that the slices are not damp.
• Dip each potato slice in the batter and place it gently in hot oil.
• Add  5-6 potato slices each time.
• Fry  till golden and crisp.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Repeat with the rest of the slices.
• Serve with chutney or tomato sauce.

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!

Poutine/ Fries and Gravy from Canada

Poutine

Welcome to day 3 on The Blogging Marathon “Around the World in 30 Days”!

Let’s stop at alphabet C today…

Actually I had planned a different Country beginning with C, cooked it too but then Canada kept popping in my head continuously!

My fascination was because I heard my teacher talk about the country from inside the class when we were doing world geography. Either she forgot to throw me out or gave up on me realizing that I will never be able to draw maps to her satisfaction! Then there were Mills n Boon and instead of reading the antics of the fair damsel and the dark hero and the villain thrown in I used to love to read about the countryside….!!

 Gastronomically I got interested since Manali went to Canada for a year long course.  Vivek, her husband and she told me about warm people who live there and the different foods, authentic food available not like our Indo- Chinese, they have described the Japanese etc. food available too.

So C-Canada naturally won out!

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.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

By now you know that September and May are busy months for us at Blogging Marathon.

This month round we are blogging International dishes to make things a little difficult we are doing it in an alphabetical order.

 So I am making my dishes for the marathon, for one such dish I made mashed potatoes as a side. I did not expect the girls to go crazy over the mashed potatoes so I made very little… okay, that is an excuse, I ran out of potatoes , the girls went crazy over the mashed potatoes of course they loved the main dish, that was expected !

Since then I make the mashed potatoes regularly!  Here is what I do.

Dhania Puri and Spicy Potato Vegetable ~ Baby Shower for Sapana

Life is meant to be cherished, embraced and enjoyed!  

Who demonstrates the philosophy better than a baby?

Who can resist the wobbly bundle of joy that makes all the household dance?

In fact you are happy that you are dancing to the small bundles tunes. Who cries and cries but coos and smiles the moment his needs are satisfied?

Wondering whets wrong with me?  My friend Sapana is having a baby and this is a virtual baby shower that we at Blogging Marathon group have organised for her.

Enjoy the party and feast on the delicious Dhania Puri and Spicy Potato Bhaji that I have made for the party from Sapana's space!! They were a part of my daughters tiffin .

Have a great time Sapana and share lots and lots of pics of the baby!

Dhania Puri

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup wheat flour
• 1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala (I did not use)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tblspn oil
• Water as needed
•  Oil for frying

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, as it started popping add grated ginger and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add chopped chillies and onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Now add all spices and salt, mix well.
• Add chopped coriander leaves, cook or 5 minutes and set aside.
• Take wheat flour in a bowl, add coriander masala and knead to a smooth dough by adding   water as needed.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Make 8 small round balls from the dough.
• Apply some oil on chakla belan and roll one ball into the size of Puri.
• Heat oil in a kadhai/wok, slide one Puri at a time carefully and fry from both sides you should get slight brown specks on the puri and you are done.
•  Repeat with remaining balls.
• Serve hot with Spicy potato vegetable.

Ever on look out to reduce time spent in the kitchen? Or you have guests and you need a dish urgently? Then this one is for you!

A simple and delicious potatoes vegetable to enjoy with your lunch or dinner! Potatoes…so it has to taste awesome and it can be put together effortless!!

Sapna has used baby potatoes I used regular ones.

Spicy Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• 1 tsp kasuri methi(dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp amchur(dry mango powder )
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tblspn oil

Method:

• Pressure cook the potatoes till cooked well.
• Peel and prick and cut in pieces.
• Heat oil in a kadhai/wok add cumin seeds and kasuri methi.
• As cumin seed crackle, add potatoes and let the cook on both side till a little golden in colour. Flip the potatoes gently to avoid breaking.
• Now add all spices powder and salt, mix gently to evenly coat the spices.
• You can add oil If potatoes start sticking to the pan. (I did not).
• Cook for 4-5 minutes, remove from heat and serve hot with Paratha or chapatti.
• I served it with Dhania/ coriander Puri.

This is a part of the Baby Shower that we at Blogging Marathon are having for Sapana !

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!

Toi~ Dal The Goan Way

Like I have said somewhere here in this blog not many people are aware that Goan have a number of delicious vegetarian dishes!

 Today on the last day of BM I will like to share one delicious Goan Dal.

 The vegetarian dishes are made " satvik" no onion, no garlic. Difficult to believe but Goans are a deeply religious lot and there days in a week when the average Goan goes "Shivrak" that is vegetarian... . Reluctantly, of course but they do adhere to the age old custom!

So on days the Goan is "shivrak" he/she has "chanyacho ras", some vegetable, rice, batat kapa (which are shallow fried potatoes) and rice, toi .

Chanyaco ras is made using peas, vegetable is many times radish or ridge gourd but toi is dal.

Fragrant and delicious!!