The Rumbling Kitchen: Chicken, Lemon and Olive Tagine

The Rumbling Kitchen: Chicken, Lemon and Olive Tagine: This dish was inspired by my recent trip to Morocco. I had this dish on my first night there and I enjoyed it very much. The moist and tende...

Chicken, Lemon and Olive Tagine

This dish was inspired by my recent trip to Morocco. I had this dish on my first night there and I enjoyed it very much. The moist and tender chicken infused with fragrant spices and the freshness of the lemon is a perfect combination. You can either serve it with couscous or flat bread, both are equally great accompaniments to soak up all those exotic flavours.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 medium size chicken legs, skinned
1/2 aubergine, cut into cubes
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
100g tinned chickpeas
10 green olives, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 tbs raisins
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 or 1 red chilli, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander for garnish

Boil the sliced lemon for 10 minutes or until translucent then drain and set aside. Meanwhile in a pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and sauté until fragrant. After that add the chicken, chickpeas, olives and lemon into the pan, top up with a cup of water and bring to the boil. Add all the ground spices, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir for a few minutes. Throw in the aubergine, raisins and tomatoes and let it simmer on a low heat for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick. While the tagine is cooking you can start preparing the couscous according to the package instructions. Serve the chicken tagine over couscous garnished with chopped fresh coriander.

For the nutritional facts click http://recipes.sparkpeople.com

The Rumbling Kitchen: Tofu and Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry

The Rumbling Kitchen: Tofu and Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry: This stir-fry recipe is really easy and quick to prepare and also very good to use up any bits of leftover fresh vegetables from your fridge...

Tofu and Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry

This stir-fry recipe is really easy and quick to prepare and also very good to use up any bits of leftover fresh vegetables from your fridge. I used firm tofu in this recipe so it wouldn't break up easily when stirring it during the cooking process. This recipe is also quite healthy since it contains a substantial amount of vegetables and when served with a bowl of steamed white rice, it contains less than 400 calories per serving  (see full nutrient profile at http://recipes.sparkpeople.com).

Serves 2

Ingredients :

1 block firm tofu

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp chopped ginger

1/2 red chilli, chopped

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

150g mixed sliced vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beansprout, kale, pepper, spinach, etc.)

1 tbs vegetable oil

Cut the tofu into medium size cubes and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the tofu until golden on each side. Throw the onion into the pan, stir for 2 minutes, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until fragrant. Add the mixed sliced vegetables into the pan, toss for 2 minutes then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil (no need to add salt as the soy sauce and oyster sauce are salty enough). Cook the dish for a further 3 minutes and serve with steamed white rice.

The Rumbling Kitchen: Sesame Crusted Tuna with Spicy Miso Potatoes

The Rumbling Kitchen: Sesame Crusted Tuna with Spicy Miso Potatoes: The rich and meaty flavour of fresh tuna is best served either raw or just cooked. This Japanese inspired recipe uses a great combination of...

Sesame Crusted Tuna with Spicy Miso Potatoes

The rich and meaty flavour of fresh tuna is best served either raw or just cooked. This Japanese inspired recipe uses a great combination of umami flavours such as soy sauce and miso paste. The contrasting textures of the sesame crust and tender fresh tuna work really well together. Miso is a fermented soy bean and seaweed sauce and it's normally used to flavour soup in Japanese cooking.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

For the tuna

2 tuna steaks, weighing 150g each

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp miso paste

1 tbs soy sauce, preferably Kikkoman 

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbs plain flour

4 tbs white and black sesame seeds 

Vegetable oil for deep frying

For the marinade, in a bowl combine the garlic, miso paste, soy sauce, lime juice and ground black pepper. Coat each tuna steak with plain flour then toss them in the bowl with the marinade until well coated. Put the sesame seeds in a bowl, roll the tuna steaks to coat and keep in the fridge for 15 minutes.

For the spicy miso potatoes

200g new potatoes, boiled and halved

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 red chilli, chopped

1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp miso paste

1 tbs soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 spring onions, sliced

Saute the garlic, chilli and ginger in a little bit of vegetable oil until fragrant and then add the soy sauce, miso paste, sesame oil and a splash of water.Throw in the potatoes and stir for a few minutes then remove from the heat. Sprinkle the spring onions into the potatoes and keep warm. Meanwhile heat enough oil in a pan for deep-frying. When it's hot deep fry the tuna steaks for 1 minute. Drain on kitchen paper, cut the tuna steaks in half and serve with the spicy miso potatoes and buttered green beans.

The Rumbling Kitchen: Pepes Ikan

The Rumbling Kitchen: Pepes Ikan: Pepes Ikan is a very popular fish dish in Bali and you can get it in almost every food stall (warung) there. The fish is marinated in a mixt...

Spicy Tofu Fritters

This simple recipe is really good for a mid-afternoon snack or if you combine it with a vegetable stir-fry and steamed rice would be a full meal itself. Tofu is widely available at major supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. This recipe works better using the firm tofu types, so avoid using the silken ones.

For the paste

1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1/2 red chilli or less
a handful coriander
1 tsp chopped lemongrass
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp lime juice

Process all ingredients above in a blender or pestle and mortar until fairly smooth and set aside.

200 g firm tofu
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs plain flour
Breadcrumbs

Mash the tofu using your hands or potato masher, add the flour, soy sauce and the paste. Mix the tofu mixture thoroughly, season with salt and pepper, shape into medium size patties and roll in breadcrumbs until well covered. Keep the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight to firm up and shallow fry in hot oil when needed. Serve the fritters with some chilli jam ( the recipe is available from my previous post ).

Pepes Ikan

Pepes Ikan is a very popular fish dish in Bali and you can get it in almost every food stall (warung) there. The fish is marinated in a mixture of spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over hot charcoal. The marinade - an aromatic blend of garlic, shallots, chillies, lemongrass, aromatics and herbs- gives the fish a fresh and fragrant taste and the banana leaf will lock all the moisture and flavour during the cooking process. This dish will be great at a barbeque party served with hot steamed rice. However, if you can't find any banana leaf use foil instead.

Ingredients:

2 medium size whole mackerels, filleted
1 medium size tomato, thinly sliced

For the marinade:

2 tbs chopped fresh galangal or 1 tbs ground galangal
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1 tbs chopped fresh turmeric or 1 tsp ground turmeric
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 kaffir lime leaf (fresh or dried), sliced
a pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tbs vegetable oil

Process all the ingredients for the marinade in a blender or pestle and mortar until fairly smooth and set aside. Cut the fillet of fish into bite size chunks and tip into a bowl, mix with 2 tbs of the paste, sliced tomato, season with salt and pepper and mix properly until each chunk is well coated with the marinade. If using banana leaf soak it first in hot water for 2-3 minutes to make it easier to handle. Spoon the marinated fish into the centre square of banana leaf or foil and spread evenly. Roll into a log shape and secure each end of the parcel (use tooth picks if using banana leaf). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 15-20 minutes and serve with hot   steamed rice.

Ayam Betutu

It's been while since my last post so now I'd like to share a recipe of a very popular festive dish in Bali called "Ayam Betutu". It's a slow-cooked chicken stuffed with a mixture of spices called "base genep", wrapped with a combination of banana leaf and palm tree fibre, and buried underground with hot coal to cook for 4-6 hours. Yes, it sounds very labour intense, but the result is a very moist and soft chicken with the complex flavour of the spices penetrating every part. My version of this dish is a lot easier but with a similar result.


Ayam Betutu

1 whole chicken (weight 1.5 to 2 kg)


For "Betutu" spice:


2 tbs chopped fresh galangal
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 stems lemongrass, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2 clove, ground
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 candlenut or macademia nut
a pinch of shrimp paste
1 tbs palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbs vegetable oil


Grind all the ingredients above in a blender until they turn into a paste. Fry the paste for a few minutes until fragrant then marinate the chicken with it. Put the remaining paste inside the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting tin and cover with some foil. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 160 C for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat falls off the bones. Serve with steamed rice and steamed kale or spinach.