Kitchen3N

Recipes and food fun from Apt 3N

Lentil and Bulgur Kofte

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My heart is hurting. The world is burning. There is no where I can go, or send my family members, that feels safe from natural disaster, disease or rampant violence. Perhaps this is the way it’s always been – just now we are hyper aware because we are hyper connected. The natural disaster stuff is not new. Climate change is. And as a Bangladeshi American, I worry about the effects of glacial melting for a sea-level country like Bangladesh. We already have climate refugees.

Disease is certainly not new (hello plague, small pox, measles and the like). But Planetary Health is. The deterioration of our forests and natural resources that previously acted as a barrier from infectious diseases rampant inside the wilderness.

And the violence. From mass shooters to terrorists to drone strikes. We’ve been killing one another since Cain and Abel. Yet for all our progress, our education, we can’t seem to teach one another empathy. We can be pro-life when it comes to matters of a woman’s right to make decisions, yet when it comes to the life of someone who looks a bit different from us, we only know to act in self preservation.

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What does this have to do with these vegan “meatballs”? I’m not sure, except it is a Turkish recipe. And if a certain small handed, orange hued, and even smaller brained individual had his way, contributions like this (both culinary and non-culinary), would come to a halt for a certain period of time. We cannot let fear come in the way of this country’s most powerful asset: our pluralism. We must use our propensity for innovation to tackle this challenge we’ve never faced before: an ideological war. One with no national border, rather the exploitation of the disenfranchised, the bored, the feeble minded.

A wonderful cook and long time associate, Keri Egilmez, shared this recipe with me. You may remember her from the Samboosa recipe I shared a while back. These are not meant to satisfy your cravings for dark, rich, savory meatballs. They work best as an appetizer – light and lemony and the perfect finger food. Also works well over a bed of greens as a light lunch. Afiyet olsen!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Red Lentils
  • 1/2 cup fine bulgur
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste (or tomato paste)
  • Juice of 1 lemon (or half if you like less sour)
  • 1/3 cup of parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes or pul biber (aleppo pepper) – optional

Directions

  1. Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and rinse under running water 2-3 times. Add 2.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes or until all the water is soaked up. Add the bulgur to the pot, give it a stir, and cover until mixture is cool enough to handle.
  2. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened – 4 to 5 minutes. Add cumin and red pepper or tomato paste. Stir until combined then remove from heat. Add this mixture to the lentil/bulgur mixture.
  3. Add the lemon juice, parsley, green onion and chili flakes, if using, to the mixture. Stir until everything is combined, then pinch off golf ball sized amounts and lightly press into an oblong shaped ball. Set aside. Continue until all of the mixture is made into kofte (balls).
  4. Enjoy as is or wrapped in lettuce with a squeeze of lemon. Afiyet olsun!

Aloo Chop (Fried Mashed Potato Balls)

Traditional Bengali iftars are an exercise in how many different ways can we consume fried foods. Ground up lentils and herbs? FRY IT! Fresh sliced eggplant? BATTER AND FRY IT! Whole green chilis? FRY IT! Mashed potatoes? FRY. IT.

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There’s been a backlash by my generation against the fried iftars of our parents’ generation:

  • “We’re just doing broiled salmon and sauteed green beans for iftar.”
  • “I’m doing a green smoothie for iftar.”
  • “Every year I gain weight during Ramadan. No fried foods for me this year.”

Yet when we go to the inevitable iftar dawat at our parents’ or aunts’ or grandparents’, we’re still gonna pop a couple of fritters on our plate while no one’s looking. Not the whole deep fried green chilis – dear God no. I don’t know WHO that appeals to. But we can pretty unanimously agree on the Aloo Chop. Any manifestation of a fried potato is right by my books. And when filled with tiny cubes of hard boiled egg, well it becomes a whole darn meal!

I justify it by compounding it with salad. Lots of greens and veggies. And water. I read somewhere on the internets that junk food is ok, as long as you drink lots of water afterward. =)

I went with Yukon gold potatoes, as they are more waxy than Idaho. I didn’t add any butter or milk to the potatoes themselves, as I wanted them to hold their shape as well as they could while sizzling away in the hot oil.

The best part is, they freeze beautifully. Just pop them in the a ziploc before the egg wash/breading stage, and fry them up whenever you want them. These take a little bit of time to prepare, but these are the things childhood memories are made of.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs yukon gold potato, quartered
  • 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1 tsp chaat masala*
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup minced cilantro
  • 1 green chili, minced (optional)
  • 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped small
  • a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
  • a dash of salt
  • a dash of cayenne pepper
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil for frying

Directions

  1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to boil. Carefully lower potatoes and cook until tender: 10-12 minutes. I don’t bother peeling them. I boil them skin on, then when cool to the touch, peel back the skins like my mom used to do.
  2. Season the potatoes with salt, chaat masala and cumin. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Mash with a potato masher. Add scallions, cilantro (all but 1 tbsp of it) and green chili is using**. Then get in there with your hand and incorporate very well. Set aside.
  3. Season the diced hard boiled eggs with the remaining 1 tbsp cilantro, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Toss lightly.
  4. Make balls with the mashed potato mixture by grabbing a handful, rolling into a ball, pressing in to make an indent (see picture above), and fill with a tiny bit of the egg mixture. Enclose the egg mixture fully with the edges of the potato ball. Set aside on a plate or baking sheet and continue making the rest of the balls. At this point you can freeze the balls and fry them off at a later time as needed.
  5. Heat up oil (enough to come up 2 inches) in a small wok or saucepan to 325 to 350 degrees F. In a shallow bowl, crack eggs and beat lightly. In another shallow bowl, pour out the breadcrumbs. roll each ball in the egg, then in the bread mixture, then lower carefully into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry for 2 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oil and onto a paper towel lined plate. Serve with Sriracha or Ketchup.

*Chaat masala is a tangy/salty/spicy spice mix that can bring any dish to life. Easily available at any Indian grocery.
**I wouldn’t recommend adding the green chili unless you are a LOVER of spicy foods. I just have it listed as it is a traditional ingredient.

Samboosa

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Samboosa, samosa. Tomato, tomahto. Either way – savory pastry stuffed with meaty goodness. A fellow homeschooling mom made this for a multicultural fair we had a few months back and it was so good I just had to recreate it. It is a traditional Omani recipe: ground beef infused with deep tomato flavor, spices, herbs and vegetables, enrobed in crispy fried pastry dough. Better than any of the samosas you’d find in Jackson Heights or any other South Asian enclave.

IMG_3524 IMG_3526 IMG_3529 A long time ago, I was downright terrible at frying things. I would add things to the oil before it heated up properly. Or I wouldn’t regulate the heat carefully so after the first batch or two things would just go BAM – overly browned and out of commission. But then – then I got a candy thermometer. A wonderful little kitchen tool that helps with my caramels as much as my samosas (truth be told – this is the first time I’ve made them!).

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I kind of winged it with the wrapping. I recalled some filo wrapping directions for Spanakopita ages ago and tried to apply it here. I tried cutting a single sheet in half and folding – the results were way too big. I tried thirds – still too big. Folding a sheet in half, and cutting it down the middle made the perfect size and thickness.

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You will have some leftover filo left after making these. Not to fret. I am already dreaming up things to do with them. Baklava tassies? Or perhaps fill them with coconut (or nutella?!) and deep fry? I’ll keep you posted 😉

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (not a heaping tbsp, not even a full tbsp, rather a scant tbsp)
  • 1/2 tsp each turmeric, cumin, black pepper and cayenne/chili pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste (I needed 1 1/4tsp, just taste it to make sure it tastes really good)
  • 2 cups water
  • 3/4 cup grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas
  • filo sheets for wrapping
  • oil for frying
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic. Cook until meat browns, 7-8 minutes, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon. Keep scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add carrots, parsley/cilantro, tomato paste, spices and salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Add water and cover with a lid. Cook until liquid evaporates and carrots are tender.
  2. In a large pot, heat oil to 350 to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Take one sheet of filo, fold it in half lengthwise and cut down the middle, so you end up with two strips, two layers each. Place one tablespoon of filling on one end. Fold up into a triangle as shown above. In a bowl, mix flour and water. Brush on the final edge of the pastry to seal shut. Fry 3-4 minutes until golden.

Mughlai Paratha

IMG_2977Mughlai paratha is a traditional flatbread they serve in Bangladesh. It’s a rich dough, stuffed with eggs, cilantro, onions, chili peppers and sometimes ground chicken. It’s pretty hard to track down a recipe. This post is a culmination of verbal consultation with my mother, taste testing at Bengali fast food joints, and YouTube research. It’s a little bit ridiculous, I know, because it’s not exactly a 30 minute meal. There are several steps, practice and patience required. But I figured with the upcoming holiday weekend, we all might have some extra time to get in the kitchen (it’s cold outside!), roll up our sleeves, and maybe even involve the kiddies (my little ones LOVE getting their hands on the rolling pin and dough whenever they can). Also, there will no doubt be lots of leftovers that would work perfectly as a filling for these guys. IMG_2957This baby has been in the pipeline for a looooooong time. I’ve been meaning to make it for ages. I’ve been experimenting recently, since I’ve been getting to know my rolling pin a bit better (hello, pie season). I’ve tried making it with pizza dough (which was delicious but resembled more of a calzone than a traditional mughlai paratha) and all kinds of ghee to flour ratios and cooking techniques (shallow fry, deep fry). And this is the glorious, delicious result! IMG_2958 Yes, that is my Fresh Tinted Lip Balm on my kitchen counter. Where else would it be? IMG_2968 I would love to add more filling. It would make the paratha even more delicious. But I err on the side of less filling just to avoid leakage and it running all over the pan. You, though, are at liberty to experiment with as much filling as you’d like!IMG_2969For those of you who aren’t familiar with ghee, it’s delicious. It’s butter that’s been melted, milk solids removed. You do that by melting a stick (or two) of butter in a small saucepan, allowing the solids to drop to the bottom, then utilizing the melted fat on top. It’s slightly nutty and has a higher burning temperature than regular butter, which is what makes it so great for this recipe (among others: pancakes, mashed potatoes, and so on). So I hope you guys give this recipe a try! And don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out super thin the first time. Practice makes perfect!

P.S. I utilized the leftovers from my last Roast Chicken.

P.P.S. How great is this manicure? It’s not gel and it still looks great 1 week later! Check out Primp and Polish at their pop up shop on Crosby street, right next to Bloomingdales.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsps ghee (that’s clarified butter – preferable) or oil plus more for the pan
  • 2 tsps salt
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 1 green chili or jalapeno, minced (or more if you can handle the heat)
  • a handful of cilantro or parsley, minced (cilantro is preferable)
  • 3/4 cup chicken or 1 chicken breast, diced
  • a pinch of salt

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine both flours, ghee or oil, salt and water. Combine with hands or with paddle attachment at low speed until combined. If it looks wet, don’t worry. You’ll be adding more flour when rolling it out. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you prepare the other ingredients (20 minutes to 2 hours).
  2. Whisk eggs, onion, green chili or jalapeno, cilantro and chicken together in a separate bowl.
  3. Sprinkle a handful of flour onto a clean surface for rolling out the dough. Grab a handful (baseball size) and roll it around in the flour. Pat with your hand to flatten to a disk. Grab  your rolling pin and aggressively roll back and forth a couple of times. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Do this about two more times. Then, get it really, really thin by rolling outwards on all sides. You’re supposed to get it to look like a rectangle but I am hopeless. Thin and oblong is good enough for me!
  4. Warm a tsp of ghee or oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of the chicken/egg mixture on top of the paratha. Pull the far side towards you, covering the filling halfway. Pull the bottom side up to meet and slightly overlap the first side, like an envelope. Fold over the right and left sides. Ensure the paratha is sealed. Place in hot skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, adjusting the heat as necessary. Increase cooking time if your paratha is not as thin as it should be.
  5. Serve with a salad, pico de gallo or Sriracha.

 

Fruit Chaat

IMG_2249 I remember having fruit chaat for the first time at my cousin Lima Apa’s house. I was flabbergasted at how bright and flavorful a simple yogurt dressing made otherwise pretty boring fruit (green apples, red grapes). Since then, I use the dressing as a way to eat more fruits during the winter months. When the mangos are tart and the berries are lackluster. A quick toss, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly the fruit disappears!

The key ingredient in this South Asian fruit salad is Chaat Masala. A tangy/savory/spicy combination of spices that includes salt, chili powder, black pepper, citric acid and green mango. On it’s own, it’s a bit too spicy for me. So a little bit of it, along with a little bit of salt and the yogurt is uh-mazing. It’s available in any South Asian grocery.

IMG_2255I’ve left this deconstructed since it’s not so pretty mixed up. This makes for a great appetizer if you’re hosting a party, or even as a hostess gift. Just leave some toothpicks on the side for people to pierce the fruit with.

It’s so versatile, you can alter it any which way to accommodate most dietary restrictions. Dairy allergy? Use soy yogurt. Counting calories? Substitute lowfat yogurt in the dressing (though I am a big proponent of eating full fat foods in moderation). Allergic to a specific fruit? Just leave everything in their own compartments. Cover well with plastic wrap if transporting or consuming later in the day.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup full fat yogurt
  • 3/4 tsp chaat masala (or you could use a mix of equal parts chili powder, black pepper, coriander, and cumin)
  • 3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. You only need a small amount for each cup of fruit – approximately 1 tbsp per cup.

Mashed Eggplant (Begun Bhorta)

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I feel like most people, when asked what their favorite vegetable is, would say corn or butternut squash or potatoes (though I bet they actually like the salt and fat that comes with the potatoes). Or perhaps mushrooms. But not me. I. Love. Eggplant. Stewed with tomatoes (imam biyaldi). Simply fried with salt and turmeric (chaak bhaji). In a curry with the insanely boney hilsa fish. In the Sicilian sweet/savory relish known as caponata. In every way except babaghanoush (sorry, haters gon hate). Or this way: charred over an open flame, peeled then mashed with simmering onions, tomatoes, garlic and spices.

IMG_0816Now, I know traditionally a bhorta consists of some boiled or steamed vegetable (or dried fish) mashed or really well mixed with raw onion, Thai chilli, mustard oil, salt and cilantro. But one fine day my mom made this and said hey, this is begun bhorta. And even though the cooking process more closely resembles a mishti kumro ghonto (think: spiced, simmered pumpkin mush), it stuck.

IMG_0809 Charring it is a bit of a pain. The juices get all over the burner. Peeling the charred pieces of skin is a pain. But the payoff is well worth it. You could perhaps do it under the broiler. I haven’t given it a go. Right now I am sticking to tried and true methods of prep. So, here it is:

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, poked all around with a knife or fork
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced (yellow or red)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1tsp garlic paste)
1 tomato, diced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander
A pinch of chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
A handful of fresh cilantro

Directions:

Over a medium flame, start charring the eggplant by placing directly onto heat and rotating using a pair of tongs every two minutes or so (or with your fingers if you’re hardcore like my mom). It should be cooked all the way through in about 10 to 12 minutes. Prep the rest of the ingredients in the meantime.

When the eggplant is done, remove from heat and allow to cool. Then peel off the skin using your fingers or tongs, doing the best you can to get as much of it off as you can. Cut off the top and set aside.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a wok or fry pan. Add onions and tomatoes. Allow to soften a few minutes, then add garlic and the rest of the spices/seasonings (if you only have garlic/ginger paste on hand, use that). Add the eggplant and break up any chunks using a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium/medium low. Mix it all together and let the flavors combine while prepping the cilantro.

Off the heat, add the cilantro and check for seasoning. Serve with basmati rice or roti.

Note: as with most bengali cooking, you do not need to follow a recipe to a T to get fantastic results. Feel free to use chopped Thai chili in lieu of the chili powder. Or a dash of mustard oil for more of a kick. For example, I had some extra red pepper on hand so I added it. Made it look a ton prettier. Just don’t skimp on the charring because it really makes this dish.

Guacamole

For a long time, I hesitated on posting my take on the classic appetizer, guacamole. Mainly because it’s so far removed from a traditional guacamole, I hesitate to even call it that (avocado salsa is more like it).  In fact, a Mexican former colleague of mine completely dismissed the notion that I could even make guac for lack of a Molcajete – a Mexican mortar and pestle made from a highly porous volcanic rock. Apparently, true guac can only be achieved in a Molcajete that has been pre-seasoned with a thin layer of ground poppy seed.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Americanized, sour cream filled Applebees version. Not that I don’t enjoy guac in just about all its forms, but given my husband’s affinity for it, I wanted a version that would be a healthy accompaniment to weeknight meals (why adulterate a perfectly good fat with the saturated fat in sour cream? save that room for dessert!). And thanks to Trader Joe’s ridiculously affordable avocados, this has become a staple in our house.

Some final thoughts on my guac/avocado salsa:

  1. Once again, a highly South Asian tinged recipe, as is evident by the green chilis (you can sub jalapenos or serrano peppers – whatever you have on hand).
  2. With the price of avocados at most places, tomatoes are a great way to stretch a buck if you’re making it for a party (just add more salt and lemon/lime juice accordingly). The creaminess of the avocados will still shine through!
  3. I leave mine cubed to minimize browning but feel free to mash it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Haas avocado
  • 1 Roma tomato (or half a large tomato)
  • 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green chili, finely choppedd
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (about half of the fruit)
  • 3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Directions

Score the avocado and dump the pieces into a bowl (here’s a tutorial if you’re not sure how: http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm). Cube the tomato and add it to the avocado. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Serve with tortilla chips, toasted baguette slices or on top of your favorite tacos.