Vermicelli Rice

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This is a popular side rice dish served often in the Mediterranean regions, from Cyprus going across to the Middle East. It is a tasty simple recipe that compliments any main course.

Ingredients.

(This recipe is for one cup of rice only so adjust to however many cups you usually make)

1 cups basmati rice

2 tablespoons of Vermicelli (I use the fatter ones)

2 cups of water

2 tbsp salt or to taste

2-3 tbsn of ghee or if you prefer sunflower oil

Method

1. Wash rice till water runs clear and then leave to soak for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Melt ghee in pan and add the vermicelli and brown. Be careful not to burn, stay close and keep stirring. 

 

3. Now add the rice and stir well till rice is coated and mixed well with noodles.

4. Add the water and salt to taste, mix and leave to cook until water is soaked up. 

5. When water has be mostly soaked up either put into oven at 5 degrees Celsius or soak a clean dish cloth in water, ring out and place on top of pot as not to touch the rice. Put lids on and fold the parts of cloth hanging over on top of lid, turn heat low and allow rice to cook. If you have a diffuser or a tava place this at bottom of pot.

6. After 5 mins turn off heat and allow to sit for another five mins. Then remove lid and carefully with a fork fluff up rice. 

7. Serve as side dish with meal.

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a! :)

Keema Kitchri

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This recipe was given to me by my wonderful Sister in Law. I love this dish, it's so much fun to make and you can experiment with so many different ingredients, every time I have made it I have used different spices. It is a versatile dish, you can serve on its own accompanied with cooling Cucumber Raita, or have as a side dish. Personally I prefer it as a meal on its own, as it is full of so many flavours and includes meat. But as with any rice dish choice is always yours!

Give it a try and see for yourself! :)

Keema Kitchri with Cucumber Raita

Ingredients

2 lbs mince meat (500g)

4 cups of rice (soaked for at least half hour)

1 cup of Toor daal (soaked for at least an hour)

Half cup of Ghee ( can be found at Asian grocery stores)

10 cups of water

2 medium onions

3 Black cardamoms

1 cinnamon stick

6 cloves

6 black  peppercorns

5 garlic cloves

2 Inch piece of ginger

Salt (to taste) but maybe around 2
1 tbsn cumin seeds

1 tbsn ground cumin

1 tbsn ground coriander seeds

1 tbsn fennel seeds

1 tbsn Ras el hanout ( Moroccan spice mix, you can omit if you do not have)

1 tsn Five spice

3 Tbsn salt or to taste

5 spring onions

2-3 limes

Method

1. Wash and soak rice in bowl for at least half hour, do the same with the daal, set aside. Next cook onions in ghee on high heat till nicely browned. Add cumin seeds. Keep stirring to avoid burning.

2. Have the lid of pan ready for this part as onions will splatter! Add half cup of water to pan and immediately cover, it will steam a lot and sizzle, this is normal, give pan a little swirl. It should look like the picture below.

3. Now add the garlic and ginger and all the spices except for the Ras el hanout. Cook for a few minutes until the spices release their aroma, if spices begin to stick to pan add about 2 tbsn of water. Cook till mixture begins to dry.

4.  Once mixture has dried add the daal and cook well for about 10 mins.

5.When daal is tender add mince meat and the ras el hanout, cook well till browned through.

7. Now drain the rice carefully and add to the meat mixture, mix gently to ensure the rice is evenly coated.

8. Now pour in the water and gently mix through

9. bring to boil and then turn down low and cover, after about 5 mins or so check and gently stir.

Rice will begin absorbing the water.

10. Cover and leave until water has almost all absorbed, then take a dish cloth and wet it, cover the top of rice and place lid on top, underneath place a heat diffuser, or alternativley you can put into oven. This is called the 'dum' process whereby the rice cooks and fluffs up.

Heat diffuser, can be bought from Lakelands

Covered with wet clean cloth

11. Leave for another 5 minutes, them turn off heat and remove the cloth and diffuser. Leave for another 5 mins before opening lid.

12. After lid has been removed take a fork and gently fluff rice. Do not be too hard as rice will break.
13. Serve Keema Kitchari with Garlic, mint and cucumber Raita, and some lemon or lime wedges, and sprinkle with spring onions.

For Raita recipe, click link below.

http://roosfoodfusion.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/garlic-mint-and-cucumber-raita.html

 

 

Enjoy!

Bil hana wa as-shifa!! :)

Pilaf with Orzo

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This Pilaf is a favourite in my home. We first experienced this delightful rice dish during our fist visit to Lefke in Cyprus. My youngest son in particular loves it and is always asking me "Mum make that rice we had in Cyprus, the one that has those brown bits in it" :)

Pilaf mould.

So here it is, Pilaf with orzo, perfect accompaniment to stews.

Ingredients

4 cups Basmati rice
1 cup Orzo
4 tbsn Ghee
8 cups of water
salt to taste

Method

1. Wash rice till water runs clear and leave soaking for 15mins.
2. In the meantime fry Orzo in dry pan on medium to low heat until it turn golden brown.

3. Add ghee and drained rice and toss together till all rice and orzo is coated in ghee, cook for about 3 minutes.

4. Pour in the warm water and turn up heat until it comes to a boil, turn down and leave to simmer.

5. When water has all soaked, take a clean damp dish cloth and place over top of pan, as not to touch the rice. Place lid on top and turn heat down low. If you have a diffuser then place this on over hob and pan op top of it. This process is called 'Dum' and will make rice lovely and fluffy. Turn heat off after 5 mins and leave for another 5 minutes to rest. Then serve.

Serving suggestion

Bil-hana wa as-shifa'a!
(May you have your meal with gladness and health)

Bulgar Pilaf

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Ingredients

5 cups of coarse Bulgar wheat

8 tbsn of butter

1 medium onion finely chopped

6 medium tomatoes finely chopped 

2 long Turkish peppers

5 tspn Turkish red pepper paste

5 cups of water

Salt and Black pepper to taste

4 tbsns of chopped fresh parsley.

Method

1. In pan melt butter and add onions, cook for a few minutes until soft.

2. Stir in green peppers, Bulgar wheat, tomatoes, Turkish red pepper, salt, pepper and water.

3. Bring to the boil. Then lower heat and cover, cook for about 15 minutes until Bulgar has absorbed all the liquid.

4. Let Bulgar pilaf stand for about 5 minutes covered to really take in any moisture, then stir in parsley and serve.

Peas Pilau

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Ingedients

4 large black Cardamoms
15 cloves
1/2 tspn black peppercorns
2 tbsn cumin seeds
1/2 tbsn ground fennel seeds
1 tbsn ground coriander seeds
1 tbsn garam masala
1/5 inch piece of ginger
3 tbsn salt or to taste
5 garlic cloves
2 medium onions
5 cups of basmati rice
3 cups of frozen or fresh peas.
15 tbsn of oil or as desired.
10 cups of warm water

For Raita:

One pot of greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
tspn ground cumin
1tbsn of dried mint
Salt to taste

Method

Wash rice in like warm water until water runs clear, leave to soak for about half an hour.

In large pan heat up oil and add the Whole spices. Fry until these aromas of the spices are released, then add sliced onions and brown, stirring continually to avoid burning.


NOTE: the browner you cook the onions the darker the colour of pilau will be, so if you don't want a dark coloured pilau cook onions on medium to low heat until soften and lightly golden.

When onions have reached desired colouring turn heat low add half a cup of water and cover quickly. Be careful as it will splutter. Stir on low heat. Adding water is to release the colour the onions and spices have given. At this stage add your grated ginger and garlic along with the ground spices. Cook well on low heat for a few minutes, if it is drying out add a little bit more water to prevent ground spices from burning. Now add the peas and cook on high heat stirring constantly until peas look slightly wilted.

Drain rice and add, stir well until rice grains are all coated.

Keep heat low, then add 10 cups of warm water. Turn heat high and stir. Cover until boiling then turn down to low and let it simmer. Keep checking from time to time, now is also a good time to check salt.
When water is nearly all gone. Turn heat down lowest. Wet a dish cloth and place above the rim of pot and place the lid on top. This process generates steam which helps final cooking time and fluff up the rice. If you wish you may place in oven, if not use a diffuser on cooker and place pot on top. Cook on lowest heat for about 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and leave to rest for a few minutes. Then fluff up with fork.

For the Raita:

Place yoghurt, ground cumin, crushed garlic, dried mint and salt into a bowl and mix well. Cut cucumber and remove seeds as this wil make raita too watery, the grate and mix into raita.

Peas Pilau served with a Garlic, mint and cucumber raita. :)

Enjoy :)