Hyderabadi Buddy Dal

Somebody's buddy from Hyderabad taught me to make this spicy and hearty dal. I now refer to this dish as Hyderabadi Buddy Dal. 

You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup of mung dal (green)

3/4 cup masoor dal (red)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp lal mirch (red chili powder)

1 black cardamom pod

1/2 tsp haldi (tumeric)

1 tsp jeera (cumin seed)

1 tsp black gram

5 curry leaves

1 large whole onion sliced julienne style

1 whole dried red chili quartered

In a saucepan, wash the dried pulses until water runs clear. Add 3-4 inches of water, 1/2 tsp of salt, ginger garlic paste, haldi, black cardamom, lal mirch and pulses to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a hot pan fry mustard seed in oil until seeds begin to pop, then add dried chilies and black gram. Add onion, red chili, curry leaf and and fry on medium heat until onions are golden brown golden brown.

When pulses are 80% cooked, add onion and masala fry to the pot. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot with Spelt Rotis or chapati.

Hummous with a Twist

This post is dedicated to my friend Bar, who taught me the secret to good hummous, and to Amy who kindly requested me to post it.

I first became acquainted with middle eastern dishes when I met my Israeli friend Bar, who among a rich plethora of vocational and travel pursuits, also trained at Cordon Bleu in London. When I asked what the secret to a good hummous was, he whispered, "Arab piss".  While I am sure he was joking, (at least I hope he was), what I have learned most from Bar over the years is how cooking can be a metaphor for life; and that you should do it with great passion and intuition.

Soak overnight one cup of dried chickpeas or employ the faster method which is to bring the chickpeas to a boil, then let soak for an hour.

In a pressure cooker, bring the chickpeas and 1/2 tsp of oil to a boil. Cook at high pressure for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool and rinse.

In deep vessel add the following:

cooked chickpeas

juice of 1 whole lemon

1 small garlic clove minced

3 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Using a Braun hand mixing wand, puree the ingredients until it's semi-smooth. If the mixture is too stiff add small amounts of water. You may also use a standard blender, but I have found the hand tool much easier for cleanup.

Set in a serving bowl and for a spicy twist, add a tablespoon of Patak's Madras Masala Paste. Pour virgin olive oil over the top and serve with pita chips or cut vegetables.

Moose Kebab

What do you get when you fuse wild, chemical-free, marsh grass-fed and lean Canadian moose with a traditional, Middle Eastern inspired dish?  You get yet another delicious "east meets west" food offering. 

As the old saying goes, "you are what you eat", and I am happy to state that I would rather be a wild beast than a tethered cow. We have been lucky enough over the years to largely bypass consumption of industry meat, which in my opinion is the product of unethical practices both in their treatment of animals, and by nature of the chemicals injected in their feed. 

My family lives in northern British Columbia and have made hunting and fishing a part of their lifestyle. When my brother brings down a lovely beast, I know that he gives thanks for its sacrifice to feed his family; and that his practices are both clean and humane. I have been the fortunate recipient of his skill and hard work.

If you aren't lucky enough to receive wild ground moose, there are many sellers of organic Bison in Western Canada. 

To prepare this delicious dish you will need the following ingredients:

1 lb of lean ground moose (or bison)

2 tbsp of ghee (oil if you prefer)

1 large onion finely chopped

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste (I make my own)

1 cup of whole oats (not quick)

2 green chilies chopped

1 bunch of fresh mint finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 free range egg

*(you can substitute masalas for 2 tbsp of Shan Seekh Kabab masala mix; available in import food stores)

Add enough boiling water to oatmeal to soak and set aside. In a pan saute onions in ghee on low heat until lightly browned, (about 10 minutes). Add ginger garlic paste and chopped green chilies and saute for another three minutes. To this add remaining masalas and about 4 tbsp of water to form a paste. Once the paste reduces, add the oatmeal and continue to saute until reduced to a thick brown paste. 

In a mixing bowl add the meat, chopped fresh mint, salt, egg and onion masala paste. Combine ingredients until well blended and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Form the meat mixture onto bamboo skewers, approximately 1 inch thick. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, checking to ensure the center is cooked but do not let them dry out.

Remove from heat, dress with yogurt sauce* and serve hot with tabouleh or roasted potatoes.

Yogurt sauce combine:

1 cup of plain yogurt or dahi

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp of zaatar mixed spice (available in import stores)

1/4 tsp salt

Tabouleh

One of my favourite salads is a traditional Middle Eastern dish called Tabouleh. This dish made primarily with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, fresh parsley and mint, is rich in vitamins and fibre. In fact, did you know that parsley has three times as much vitamin C as oranges? What's more exciting is that it's mid-November and I am still picking fresh parsley from the garden. This year my parsley has endured the dead heat of summer and the winter snow. I have even transplanted some to pots and kept in an area sheltered from the wind; expecting that it will last until the first deep freeze. 

To make your own homemade tabouleh first take one cup of course-ground bulgur wheat and add two cups of boiling water and a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir well and let stand covered until the bulgur soaks up all the water. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Combine the following ingredients:

Soaked bulgur wheat

1 large bunch of fresh washed parsley chopped

4-5 sprigs of fresh mint chopped

3 tomatoes cubed

1 cup of cucumber cubed (optional)

1/2 small red onion chopped fine (optional)

1 clove of garlic minced

the juice of 1 large lemon

3/4 tablespoons of olive oil

salt to taste

Stir well until all the flavours are blended. Eat alone or with kebabs.

As an excellent and savory addition, add 1 tablespoon of zaatar. This mixed spice can be found at some delis or import shops. The first time I tasted it was when my friend Bar brought me a jar of it from Israel. He called it "holy spice",  and I only recently found it in my local import food store.

 The last of this year's fresh tomatoes

 Still picking parsley in November! 

Parsley will keep in pots until the deep freeze