Around the World: Cantonese Style Shrimp with Napa Cabbage

This recipe is our last dish on our Around the World tour of China.  Prior to making this dish and doing a little research I didn't really know the differences among the Chinese styles of cooking....minus Szechuan, which I know is spicy hot!  I discovered that Cantonese "style" is the Chinese food that Americans are accustomed to and includes stir-frying, steaming, and roasting and the well-known dim sum.  According to Wikipedia, especially when cooking seafood, Cantonese cuisine uses light seasoning just to bring out the sweetness of the seafood.  Unfortunately, I think in this dish, the seasoning was just too light.  To me it tasted kind of bland and didn't have the normal flavors that I associate with Chinese food.  This of course may not be due to the recipe but more to my experience with Chinese food.  Prior to making this, I hadn't cooked with shrimp in a long time.  The kids like shrimp and ate all of theirs up.  However, the cabbage was another story.  I was lucky to get them to try a bite.  I served this with white rice and some frozen egg rolls (this was a weeknight meal!  I definitely didn't have time to make home made egg rolls!).  So, we bid farewell to China, though this definitely won't be the last Chinese dish that I make.  Stay tuned as we travel around the world to our "D" country soon!

Cantonese Style Shrimp with Napa Cabbage
recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light, November 2011

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
4 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1/3 cup diagonally cut green onions

Preparation:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

2. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add oils to pan; swirl to coat. Add shrimp; stir-fry 1 minute. Add garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cabbage; cook 1 minute. Top with onions.

Family Rating: So-so.

Around the World: Chinese-Barbecued Pork Tenderloin (The Weekend Chef)

Again, I'm not sure if this pork recipe is authentic Chinese, but I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and saw this recipe in Cooking Light.  Based on the ingredient list it definitely had Asian flavors so we went with it.  The Weekend Chef (my husband) prepared this dish to go along with the Vegetable Lo Mein that I posted yesterday.  This was quick and easy to prepare and was surprisingly flavorful!  The kids enjoyed this too and ate all of their pork.

Chinese-Barbecued Pork Tenderloin
from Cooking Light, July 2000

Ingredients:
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Trim fat from pork. Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients (sugar through pepper). Rub pork with spice mixture.

Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; insert a meat thermometer into thickest portion of tenderloin. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Combine hoisin, orange juice, and oil in a small bowl; brush over tenderloin. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around the World: Vegetable Lo Mein (The Weekend Chef)

I have to admit this is a recipe that I've made before.  Many years ago, but nonetheless, I have made this.  My husband, "The Weekend Chef" wanted to make a noodle dish to go with the pork tenderloin he was making (see tomorrow's post).  I remember making this dish and it having a sweet and tasty sauce.  I didn't remember the recipe having a little heat, which my daughter didn't like! We adapted the recipe to use a can of baby corn and straw mushrooms that we found in our cabinets! Although probably not authentic Chinese, we enjoyed this tasty noodle dish.

Vegetable Lo Mein
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com by ANGCHICK

Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can straw mushrooms
1 can baby corn
1 cup shredded carrots
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.Heat oil in a large wok or saute pan. Stir fry mushrooms, carrots, corn, onion and garlic until tender. Stir in green onions; cook one minute. Mix cornstarch and chicken broth in a small bowl and add to stir fry. Stir in hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

3.Add cooked spaghetti, and toss. Serve immediately.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around the World: Chinese Broccoli Beef

About once a month or so we usually order Chinese take-out.  Although we like to try different things we have our favorites that we like to order.  Growing up my family always ordered Chicken with Broccoli.  We rarely order it now and I don't think we've ever ordered Beef with Broccoli.  Broccoli is one of the kids' favorite vegetables so I thought this would be a good dish to make.  I found some beef already prepped for stir-fry at the grocery store.  Although it may look like a lot of steps/ingredients, this was really quick and easy to put together.  Beef doesn't have to be cooked very long and the broccoli is steamed so it still has crunch to it.  The sauce was really tasty.  My daughter, who loves steak loved this dish.  My son, who dislikes most meat tried a bite and found it too chewy, only ate his broccoli.  We served this with rice for a complete meal.

Chinese Broccoli Beef
recipe from New Asian Cuisine

Ingredients:
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade:
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce:
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar (can substitute dark balsamic vinegar)

For the Broccoli:
1½ lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:
Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around the World: Chinese Boiled Pork Dumplings

Last month during our Around the World trip to Brazil I decided that most, if not all of our country cooking would be done on the weekends, preferably cooked as a family.  Of course when choosing China we had to make dumplings.  Especially since my daughter loves them so much!  This was a great dish that we were able to make as a family.  My husband and I got the filling together and then we all sat at the table and filled the dumplings.  This made so many, we were eating dumplings for days!  I wish I had thought of freezing some before cooking.  This was a great weekend project for us to do together as a family but I do not recommend trying to make these on a weeknight unless you have a lot of time!  I could not find round dumpling wrappers so we had to make do with square wonton wrappers.  These were definitely not as good as the ones you get from the Chinese restaurant.  If we fried them, they would remind me a lot of Korean Mandoo (dumplings).  However, they were tasty enough and we all ate them (minus my son!). 

Chinese Boiled Pork Dumpings
recipe from Steamy Kitchen

Yield: approximately 50 dumplings

Ingredients:
12 ounces napa cabbage leaves, roughly chopped (or regular cabbage)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (use microplane grater)
1/4 cup minced green onions (white and green parts)
2/3 pound ground pork
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 package frozen round dumpling wrappers (gyoza/potsticker wrappers), defrosted at room temperature for 30 minutes

for the slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. To make the filling, put the cabbage in a food processor and process until cabbage is finely minced. Remove the cabbage to a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let cabbage sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, return the food processor bowl to the stand and add the ginger,onions, pork, pepper, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil. Pulse 4 times to mix the ingredients well. Set aside.

2. Use your hands to grab a handful of the cabbage and squeeze and discard the excess moisture out into the sink. You can also spoon all of the cabbage onto a cheesecloth and then squeeze all the water out. Place the dry cabbage back into the large bowl and add the pork mixture. Fold the cabbage into the pork mixture.

3. Mix together the slurry. Take one dumpling wrapper, spoon scant 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture onto the middle of the wrapper. Dip one finger into the slurry and “paint” the edges of the dumpling wrapper. Bring up the bottom side of the wrapper, fold up and press to shape into a half-moon shape, encasing all of the filling. Place on baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and repeat with rest of dumplings. Make sure that the dumplings do not touch each other on the sheet.

4 When all dumplings assembled, you can cook immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours. To cook, half-fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. When boiling, and gently slide in 1/3 of the dumplings. When water returns to a boil, turn heat to a simmer and gently cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with hot chili sauce.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around The World: China

Even though we are only up to our third country in our Around The World series with our children it has already been a fun experience.  Even more so recently with the recent summer Olympics. Although we did see Afghanistan in the Parade of Nations, we haven't seen much of them since.  However, we've been watching a lot of the swimming races and it's so cute (and makes us proud!) when my just turned 4 year old son says, "We know that flag!" when we see the Brazilian flag. 

Our next stop in our trip around the world is letter "C" for China. We've seen a lot of the flag of China during the Olympics!  Choosing this country was really easy.  As soon as we said we were up to a "C" country our daughter said China since "it's my favorite food."  However, choosing what to make wasn't so easy.  I know American Chinese food and China Chinese food can be very different.   Then we had to choose dishes that we knew (or hoped!) the kids would enjoy.  I hope you enjoy these next few days of "China" recipes as much as we did, whether they are authentic Chinese or not! 

Brazilian Potato Salad

This is my last "Brazilian" post for our trip Around the World this month.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to make any desserts, which my daughter was really excited about!  It's gotten very busy though with summer vacation arriving.  Hopefully next month we'll have some tasty desserts to share!  This potato salad was different than any we'd had before.  It called for sweet potatoes and black beans.....yes, more black beans!  But it was so tasty!  This was my husband's favorite dish.  He thought it could even be a main dish by adding some cooked salmon.  The kids weren't big fans.  My daughter isn't a big fan of sweet potatoes to begin with and my son is an extremely picky eater.  However, I will definitely be making this potato salad again!

Brazilian Potato Salad
from food.com by cookiedog

Ingredients:
1 1/3 lbs sweet potatoes
2/3 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup drained and rinsed black beans
1/3 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

FOR THE DRESSING
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Scrub the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and cover. Bring to a gentle boil and boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and let stand until the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle.

2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into cubes in a bowl. Add the black beans, onion and cilantro and toss to mix.

3. Whisk the mayonnaise, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour over the warm sweet potato mixture and toss to coat.

4. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Mommy & Daddy Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Brazilian Collards

Although we don't eat them or cook them very much my husband and I like collard greens.  He's made them before with some of his yummy fried chicken.  I thought that I'd try them out in this recipe.  I ended up halving the recipe, which originally called for 6 servings.  I knew the kids wouldn't be big fans and I didn't want a lot of leftovers.  Leftover collards definitely don't taste as good the next day!  I didn't halve the amount of bacon though because we all LOVE bacon!  You can never have too much of the stuff, right?!  And of course this is the recipe out of the three on my crazy night of cooking that I saved to make last.  I didn't really pre-read the recipe (again!) and of course the original recipe called for cooking an hour and 15 minutes!  Everything else was pretty much done at this point....I was not cooking these for an hour!  It ended up being about thirty minutes give or take.  Regardless, I thought that these came out really good!  Even my daughter asked for seconds (although I think she really just wanted more bacon!).  I don't know how Brazilian this recipe is.....I did omit the cayenne pepper the original recipe called for to make this child-friendly.  I would definitely make this dish again though. 

Brazilian Collards
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com - by Javagoddess
original recipe click here

Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound peppered bacon, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pounds collard greens - rinsed, stemmed and torn into 3x6 inch pieces
1/2  cup chicken stock
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:
1.Place bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and most of the grease has been released. Stir in onion and cook until tender and glistening, about 4 minutes.

2.Place collards into the pot and stir to coat with the bacon drippings. Pour in the chicken stock. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

3.Stir red wine vinegar into the pot. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced by about 1/2.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around The World: Pork and Black Bean Stew

This recipe was made on a night when I was making two other dishes -Brazilian Collards and Brazilian Potato Salad (see upcoming posts!).  It was a little crazy in the kitchen that night.  I spent about an hour and a half cooking only to have my kids....okay, mostly my son, not eat anything.  I was also going to the gym that night after my husband got home from work so I only took a taste of each dish when plating for the kids, since I didn't want to work out on a full stomach!  So I ended up eating dinner at around 9 PM.  This dish turned out more like a soup than a stew.  The flavors were good, even with the black beans, which I'm not a huge fan of.  I liked the addition of chorizo, since I don't often cook or eat it.  I could see this being a good meal on a chilly fall or winter day. Over the summer in 90+ degree heat.....not so much!

Pork and Black Bean Stew
recipe from allrecipes.com by MICHELLE0011

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 (12 ounce) pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 chorizo sausages, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in garlic and onion, and cook a few minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent. Remove the onion, and place into a saucepan. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into the skillet, and place over medium-high heat. Add cubed pork, and cook until well browned.

2.Meanwhile, pour 3/4 of the black beans along with 1/4 cup water into the bowl of a blender, and pulse until finely chopped, but not quite smooth. Pour whole beans and bean puree into saucepan along with pork cubes, chicken stock, chorizo, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Around The World: Picadinho'A Brasilie

Happy 4th of July!  I have scheduled recipe posts only for the next couple of days while I'm on vacation with the kids at my parents beach house in Rhode Island.  Unfortunately, my husband recently started a new job and has no vacation time.  Since this is a yearly vacation tradition, I had to take the kids!  Plus, my sister and her husband and daughter, and my brother will all be up during the week, so it should be a good time!

As we continue our tour of Brazil I made this recipe.  I ended up halving the recipe, which I posted here, since the original recipe served 8.  The day I made this my son was sick with a 102+ temperature and not into eating.  Not that I think he'd eat this even if he was feeling well! This is not a quick recipe to make.  The onions were first caramelized, which takes 15-20 minutes.  Honestly, you couldn't tell in the dish that the onions were caramelized.  I think they could just be sauteed for a few minutes and it would taste very similar.  But, there's a lot of simmering.....like altogether over an hour.  I don't really know of any substitutions for red wine, so I ended up opening up a bottle.  The red wine added flavor to the dish but the rest of the mostly full bottle went to waste, since neither my husband or I are big wine drinkers.   I served this over white rice.  My daughter was picking out the onions and tomatoes....so it took her awhile to eat.  Overall, we weren't big fans of this dish.

Picadinho'A Brasilie
recipe from allrecipes.com by Woman Whisking

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onions, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 pound ground beef
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 eggs
1/2 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup red wine

Directions:
1.Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions have caramelized to a deep, golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently as the onions cook. Meanwhile, place the ground beef, bell pepper, eggs, tomatoes, and parsley into a mixing bowl; mix until evenly combined.


2.Add the meat mixture into the caramelized onions, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the red wine. Continue simmering, covered, until the liquid evaporates, about 1 hour.

Family Rating: So-so.

Around the World: Oven Baked Sweet Plantains

Our family has had plantains, prepared as both sweet plantains and tostones from a local Puerto Rican eatery.  I have only made them a couple of times though.  Yes, the ingredient list for this recipe couldn't get any simpler.  Plantains and cooking spray, that's it.  While I was slicing the plantains up, my kids wanted to know what I was cutting.  They thought they were bananas.  I told them that they were plantains and that they were similar to bananas.  It wasn't until now that when I checked Wikipedia that I discovered there is no formal botanical  distinction between bananas and plantains.  The difference is how they are consumed, where bananas are usually eaten uncooked and plantains are usually cooked.  Regardless, my kids were eating the raw plantain slices up like there was no tomorrow.  I had to tell them to stop so that I would have enough for dinner!  Unfortunately, these plantains were ready before the chicken and rice were.  I snuck a taste right after they came out of the oven and they were crunchy and delicious!  By the time I got around to actually eating some with dinner they had gotten cold and chewy.  While my son still loved them my daughter wasn't a fan of the plantains once they were cooked.  I would definitely think about making these again but would make sure that I eat them right after they came out of the oven!

Oven Baked Sweet Plantains
recipe from food.com

Ingredients:
4 very ripe plantains (yellow skin with spots of black)
cooking spray

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 450°F.

2 Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray.

3 Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel.

4 Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.

5 Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray.

6 Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Around the World: Arroz Branco

I often make rice.....in a rice cooker.  Put the rice in add the water and in about twenty minutes the rice is cooked!  I don't know if I would have ever bought myself a rice cooker, but a friend gave it to me as a present when I was in college.  According to sonia-portugese.com, most Brazilians eat rice with beans for lunch and dinner every day.  I'm not a big bean eater, but regardless, I don't think I could eat the same thing every day!  I have to say that this dish is super simple with few ingredients.  The sauteed onion and garlic added nice flavor to otherwise plain rice.  We all enjoyed this as an accompaniment to a not so flavorful chicken dish.

Arroz Branco
recipe from sonia-portuguese.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of oil
1 (small) chopped onion
1 (small) clove of crushed garlic
1 cup of rice
1 1/2 cup of boiling water
1 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:
1. Sauté the onion and the garlic in hot oil.

 2. Add the rice and stir-fry well.

 3. Add the water and the salt.

4. Let the water boil for some minutes.

5. When the water level drops, cover the pan and lower the heat.

6. When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and let the rice rest for about 10 minutes.

7. Put the rice in a bowl and serve.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Around the World: Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk

When going through recipes in preparation for Brazil, my daughter requested a chicken dish.  I found most of the recipes online, mostly from allrecipes.com.  They either had "Brazilian" in the title, like this recipe, or had reviews by people of Brazilian heritage.  Therefore, I cannot validate the authenticity of these recipes as being truly Brazilian.

Most of the Brazilian recipes that I found and made called for cayenne pepper and/or jalapeno peppers.  To make the dishes child-friendly I omitted those ingredients.  Unfortunately, by omitting those ingredients I think I took away a lot of the flavor, which I think was sadly the problem in this recipe.  I have to say this dish was quick and easy to make.  I served it with Arroz Branco (see tomorrow's recipe) and Oven Baked Sweet Plantains (see Tuesday's recipe).  I think with the cayenne pepper and jalapenos that the original recipe called for this dish might be tasty.

Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk
recipe slightly adapted from allrecipes.com - by MLYIN

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Place the chicken in the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and rub on all sides with the spice mixture.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet. Cook 10 to 15 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Cook and stir the onion and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Mix in the tomatoes and continue cooking 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk. Serve over the chicken.

Family Rating: So-so.

Around The World: Brazil

I know it's been awhile since I featured an Around the World post.  We decided as a family to go alphabetically and learn about different countries.  We plan on reading books, coloring flags, finding the country on a map, and of course cooking food from the featured country.  Last month my daughter picked Afghanstian for the letter A.  This month she had first picked Bolivia, but I had a really difficult time finding recipes.  So, she willingly switched to Brazil.  We are coloring the Brazilian flag to add to our collection and will be learning more about the country.  In the upcoming days I will feature the recipes that we have cooked.  After slaving away at the stove on a couple of occasions to cook a meal that the kids weren't very appreciative of I have decided that for our next country we will be cooking as a family together, on the weekends only.  I think that this will be a good family bonding activity and the kids will hopefully be more appreciative of the hardwork that it takes to make some of these dishes!  Stay tuned as tomorrow I feature our first Brazilian recipe!

Around the World: Tender Afghan Cauliflower (Gulpea)

This is the final recipe of our virtual trip to Afghanistan.  Unlike the kebabs, this recipe wasn't altered too much!  I like cauliflower.  However, the kids really don't like it so I don't cook it very much.  This dish requires a bit of cooking time, so it's not good for a week night vegetable dish.  This was pretty tasty though and it complimented the rest of our meal very nicely! Stay tuned as we travel to our "B" country soon.....

Tender Afghan Cauliflower (Gulpea)
from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium onions, pureed in a food processor or finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, pureed in a food processor or finely chopped
1 tsp. ground curry
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 head cauliflower, washed, stem removed, cut into large pieces

Preparation:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottom pot. Add the onions and brown for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cauliflower. Stir well and simmer for about 8 minutes until the liquid reduces and you have a thick, oniony sauce.

Add the cauliflower and stir until the sauce covers all the pieces of the cauliflower. If you feel you don't have enough sauce to coat the cauliflower, add another 1/4 cup of broth.

Put the lid on the pot, cook on low for 20 to 30 minutes until the gulpea can be easily pierced by a fork, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce. The cooking time will vary but you want the result to be fork-tender, but not mushy.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Around the World: Tender Beef Kebabs

This dish was part of our final meal on our tour of Afghanistan.  The original dish called was Tender Lamb Kebabs.  However, when I went to the grocery store I couldn't find lamb cubes.  I didn't even think to buy a piece of lamb and cut it into chunks myself.....but I don't think was thinking very much at all.  I didn't read through the recipe before making so when I got to step 1 where it says refrigerate at least one hour, preferably overnight at 5 PM.....well, that wasn't happening!  And then I forgot to add the cinnamon at the end.....So, this recipe is really adapted and it's probably not even really Afghani anymore....but hey, I tried! I served this with Cauliflower Gulpea (see tomorrow's post), rice, and naan.  The kids, especially my daughter really enjoyed this and asked for "rice and meat" for lunch the next day.

Tender Beef Kebabs
recipe adapted from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
½ cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried ground coriander
½ tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large onion, peeled, sliced thin

Preparation:In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, oil, garlic, coriander, pepper and salt and stir well. Add the beef and onions and coat evenly with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pull the beef out a half hour before you a ready to cook. Put the beef into large pot or Dutch oven and cover with a lid. Put it into the oven and cook until it is very tender (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours). Remove the lid, give it a stir, and continue to cook another 20 to 30 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced and you have a thick, oniony sauce.

Sprinkle the meat lightly with cinnamon and serve with warm naan bread and plain yogurt. You can season the yogurt with a little salt and stir in some rated cucumbers or chopped mint if you like.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Around the World: Afghan Dumplings (Aushak)

This dish, which I ended up serving as a side, due to timing, was the star of the night!  I had bought the ground lamb for this dish a couple of days earlier when I was doing the weekly grocery shopping.  My husband had taken the kids to the park and then to the grocery store to get stuff for the Mother's Day dinner he was cooking for me.  When I was getting this dish ready and pulled the lamb out of the fridge it had this grayish brown color and smelled rancid.  My huband pulled into the driveway when I had to send him back out to the store to exchange the lamb.  Finally the dish was finished! This was different than most dumplings in that it was only filled with sauteed scallions.  It was then topped with a yogurt sauce and ground lamb. Can I tell you how much we all enjoyed this?!  I started the kids with one each.  They both asked for seconds.  Then my daughter asked for thirds.  I think I cut her off when she asked for fourths!  I didn't realize how much my daughter liked dumplings!  I have wontons leftover and definitely plan on making other types of dumplings in the near future!

Afghan Dumplings (Aushak) from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground lamb
1 cup tomato sauce
1 ½ tsp. paprika
1 ½ tsp. ground coriander
3 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. green onions, washed, stems removed
1 package won ton wrappers
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup plain yogurt
½ teaspoon ground dried garlic

Preparation:
Saute the onion over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Add the lamb and sauté until cooked through, breaking it up. Add the tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the paprika, coriander and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring regularly for 20 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, finely chop the green onions. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the green onions and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Turn heat to low and sauté until tender, 10 minutes.

To assemble the dumplings, fill a small bowl with water and put it at your work station. Set a won ton wrapper on your work surface and dip the tip of your finger in the water. Moisten the edges along two connecting sides of the wrapper. The water will serve as glue for the dumpling. Put about a teaspoon of green onions in the center of the wrapper. Fold the dough in half over the green onion in the shape of a triangle. Use the tip of your finger to firmly press the edges of the dough together to form a tight seal. Next, lift the two longest points of the triangle and press them together, creating a little circle over the dumpling. It will look like a fancy napkin fold.

While you are assembling the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the vinegar. Once all of the dumplings are done, immerse them in the water and boil according to directions on the won ton package (about 4 minutes). While the dumplings are boiling, quickly stir together the yogurt with the garlic and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
Gingerly scoop the cooked dumplings out of the water with a slotted spoon, a few at a time, and arrange on a large platter. Spoon the yogurt over the dumplings and the ground meat on top of that.

Family Rating:  2 thumbs up!

Around the World: Afghan Braised Spinach (Qorma e Sabzi)

This was the side dish that I made with yesterday's Turmeric Chicken.  I ended up halving the original recipe since I didn't want a ton of leftovers and I wasn't sure if the kids were going to like this.  It also called for the optional addition of fenugreek which I could not find for the life of me! It turned out surprisingly tasty and my daughter ate all of her spinach!  Yeah! This did require a lot of cooking time (thus the braised part) though, which was okay since I made it on a Saturday night.  But this is not a week night side dish!

Afghan Braised Spinach (Qorma e Sabzi)
from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces green onions, white and green parts, chopped (1-2 bunches)
1 box frozen, chopped spinach, not defrosted
1 tablespoon dried dill
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation:
In a large deep pan, heat the oil over medium-high and saute the onions until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the frozen spinach and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, until it defrosts and the liquid comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. If the defrosted spinach doesn't produce any liquid, add a few tablespoons of water to pan. Once the liquid boils, add the remaining ingredients, stir thoroughly, and drop the heat a bit so the liquid bubbles gently.

Cook for another 10 to 15 more minutes until the liquid is largely absorbed and the spinach very tender. Keep an eye on the spinach as it cooks, stirring occasionally. If the pan dries up, add little more water and continue cooking.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Around the World: Turmeric Braised Chicken (Lawang)

As we continue our adventure in Afghanistan cooking these next three days of recipes actually made up one meal.  As my husband commented, this was like a supper club dinner, but you did all the cooking.  Yes, the day before Mother's Day I spent cooking this dinner. 

The main dish was this Turmeric Braised Chicken.  A plus to this recipe was that is was made in the slow cooker again.  A negative, on my part, was that I didn't have turmeric.  I tried substituting with some dried mustard and saffron, but I didn't get that deep golden yellow color that turmeric adds.  So, although the chicken came out tender, it lacked in flavor.  Luckily, mixed with rice and the other dishes that we served with this the dinner was tasty.  I wouldn't make this recipe again though, unless I had the turmeric! 

Turmeric Braised Chicken (Lawang)
from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped or pureed in food processor
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pureed with the onions
3 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken legs and thighs, separated
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 ½ cups Greek-style yogurt, room temperature
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Preparation:
 Put the chicken in the crock pot.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Cook the onions and garlic over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until deeply browned. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander and water to the onions and stir well. Spoon the onion mixture over the chicken, stirring it to evenly cover the chicken pieces. Put on the lid and set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours.

When the chicken is cooked, stir the yogurt and add it along with the cilantro to the crock pot. Give everything a good stir to make sure the yogurt dissolves in the sauce.

Family Rating: So-so.

Slow Cooker Afghan Risotto

This was the first Afghan recipe that I made.  Shohla, also known as Afghan Risotto, can either be sweet or savory.  This one is savory, made with meat and split peas.  I thought I'd start out easy, with this one, since it uses the slow cooker.  I have a finnicky slow cooker that usually cooks dishes much faster than recommended cook times.  Unfortunately, I ended up cooking this a little later than I had planned.  To get dinner eaten in time I served it, though the rice still had a little "bite" to it.  I modified the original recipe by omitting the jalapeno, so it wouldn't be too spicy for the kids (though I think it would have added more flavor to the dish).  The recipe also called for dried mung beans, which I could not find.   I served this with store-bought whole wheat naan.  As our first recipe I thought this was okay. My daughter ate hers but my son only ate a bite but devoured his naan. 

Afghan Risotto
recipe adapted from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
2 large yellow onions, peeled and quartered
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. beef stewing meat, cut into medium chunks
1 tbsp. tomato sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup yellow split peas
2 cups short-grain white rice, rinsed and drained in a colander
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 ½ tsp. dried dill
6 cups water
Plain yogurt


Preparation:
Puree the onions and garlic in a food processor. Put the onion/garlic puree, meat, tomato sauce, olive oil and beef broth into the slow cooker. Mix well and cook on low for 4 hours until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. The sauce be aromatic and it will have a rich brown color.

Add all the rest of the ingredients except the yogurt to the slow cooker. Stir thoroughly; continue to cook on low for 2 more hours. Cook until the meat is tender enough to easily cut with a fork and all the water is absorbed. If all the water is absorbed but the rice is still crunchy, add another cup of water, stir well, and cooks for another 15 minutes. Serve hot with a spoonful of plain yogurt.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.