Hi everyone. My last post is a hot mess; something strange is going on with blogger. There's stuff in that post that I didn't even write! It looks like I'm the victim of the blogger poltergeist.
My apologies, I'll do my best to get the mess sorted in the morning!
Enjoy the Saffies vs Windies tonight!
Kiki
ps. Oh awesome! It looks like the entire post got deleted. Phooey!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Me, Shahid Afridi and Brother-in-Law's Bhunna Gosht
The sun is out, the birds are singing and everybody's happy. Except for poor Kenya. They certainly got a thrashing at the hands of Pakistan in yesterday's World Cup match! However, at the start it looked like my lovely lads were doomed when they began their innings with a dismal 12/2. I was on the verge of tears, I tell you! TEARS!!! But Younis Khan came to the rescue with a handy half-ton and Kamran Akmal scored a big fat number of runs, too. Right on Kamran! (Now that's something you don't hear me saying often!)
Then Misbah ul Haq scored a great 65 and Man of the Match Umar Akmal scored a massive 71 in 52 balls. How flipping awesome is that?
And then there's even more! I could only stay awake to watch Pakistan's innings last night (I need my beauty sleep or else I look like Dame Edna, see pic of a tired me out on a date with ShaneWarne recently),
but my jaw dropped this morning when I saw Shahid Afridi's bowling stats!!! 5 Kenya scalps for 16! Whoa pilgrim! I wish I'd been able to stay awake for that and I can't believe I missed it! Shahid Afridi is The Man....The Good Man! Pakistan Zindabaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
And now for the cooking part of my post. After a victory like that, Pakistan is going to need their strength and a little spice to secure a win against their next opponent, the sweet Sri Lanka team. Hence, today I'm going to show you my Brother -in-Law's Bhunna Gosht, complete with pictures and instructions from the Boss of Bhunna, the Sultan of Salans, my Brother-in-Law.
My brother-in-law is a fiercely private person, so I'm not going to name him. He was incredibly nice enough to write this bhunna gosht instruction manual for my blog today, so a big shout out goes to him. Thanks! And now, go get ready my kitchen commandoes, we've got a job to do.
BHUNNA GHOOSHT RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1) 1 pound –Beef/Lamb or Goat Meat
2)½ Onion –Thinly Sliced
3)3 to 4 Roma Tomatoes –Blended or Thinly Sliced
4)1 Tablespoon –Garlic (paste)
5)1 Tablespoon –Ginger (paste)
6)Green Chili as many as desired
7)1 Teaspoon –Red Chili Powder
8)1 Teaspoon –Salt (or suit to taste)9)½ Teaspoon –Turmeric Powder
10)Oil –Enough to cover bottom of pan
USE MEDIUM HEAT UNLESS OTHERWISE SUGGESTED
Notes: If The Onion Is On The Large Side,Use 1/3 Of The Onion Instead Of Half. Lamb Or Goat Meat With Some Bones Is Preferred. Beef Without Any Bones Will Not Taste As Good. In The Picture Above, Use The Tablespoon As A Reference Of Onion And Tomato Portions.
COOKING
1.Place the garlic and ginger paste in a glass or container.
2.Add a little water to just cover the tops of the garlic and ginger paste, see picture below.
3.Slice the onions thinly. Adding more onions may result in poor results.
4.Blend the tomatoes to a puree or thinly slice them
5.Add oil to the pan along with the onions, no need to heat the oil first. It is highly recommended that enough oil is added so that the onions can sufficiently fry. Excess oil can be drained easily once the dish is done. Adding a little oil will cause the oil to be absorbed into the curry and proper formation of the curry (known as bhunna) will not happen.
6.Fry the onions in medium heat till golden brown.
7.Once the onions are golden brown:
A.Tilt the pan to pool the oil on one side
B.Separate the fried onions from the oil.
C.Carefully squeeze or push the onions along the wall of the pan to remove any excess oil.
8.Removethe onions from the pan and place them with the tomatoes in a blender.
A.This step can be skipped of no blender is available, however for a more consistent sauce this step is crucial.
9.Place the cooking pan away from the burner or turn off the fire meanwhile.
10.Blend the tomato and fried onion mixture until smooth.
11.Place the cooking panback on the burner and let the oil reheat, 1 minute or so.
12.Add all the powdered spices (chili, salt and turmeric) into the oil and fry for 1 minute or so, or till you slightly see smoke rising.
13.Next add the garlic and ginger paste from step 1 into the cookingpan.
14.Fry the garlic and ginger paste till all the moisture is gone. You can tell this when you no longer see steam rising from the mixture. At this point you will clearly see the oil separating from the garlic, ginger and spice mix, which is a good sign.
15.When all the moisture has gone from step 12, add the blended tomato and fried onions into the cooking pan.
16.As with previous step, cook the mix till most of the water in the cooking pan has disappeared. Approximate time for this is around 10 minutes or so.
17.As the watercontent in the cooking pan reduces, the separation of oil from the sauce will once again become apparent (assuming sufficient oil is used).See pictures below.
18. Add the meat into the cooking pan and cook for 5 minutes or so.
19.After frying, the separation of oil will be apparent.
20.Add 1 ½ cups of water to the mixture.
21.Add the wholegreen chilies.
REGULAR COOKING PAN –SEE FOLLOWING STEPS
22.After adding 1 ½ cups of water, cover and bring the mixture to a full boil.
23.Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook till the meat is tender. Depending on the type of meat it may take from 1 to 1.5 hours to be fully tender.
24.DONE
PRESSURE COOKER –SEE FOLLOWING STEPS
22.After adding 1 ½ cups of water, cover and bring the mixture to pressure
23.Once brought to pressure, reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately 30 minutes.
24.DONE
NOTE:
Consistency of the sauce can be adjusted by adding more water if too thick or cooking uncovered till enough moisture has evaporated.
So there you have it, a lovely Bhunna Gosht to help our lovely lads beat the cr*pnitz out of the Sri Lankans! Have a good one, and good luck, let me know how it goes! Thanks again to my bro-in-law!
Happy Cricket, and Happy Cooking!
Then Misbah ul Haq scored a great 65 and Man of the Match Umar Akmal scored a massive 71 in 52 balls. How flipping awesome is that?
And then there's even more! I could only stay awake to watch Pakistan's innings last night (I need my beauty sleep or else I look like Dame Edna, see pic of a tired me out on a date with ShaneWarne recently),
 |
| Warnie doesn't mind so much when I look tired, but I'd rather look "fresh" with a good night's sleep. |
but my jaw dropped this morning when I saw Shahid Afridi's bowling stats!!! 5 Kenya scalps for 16! Whoa pilgrim! I wish I'd been able to stay awake for that and I can't believe I missed it! Shahid Afridi is The Man....The Good Man! Pakistan Zindabaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
And now for the cooking part of my post. After a victory like that, Pakistan is going to need their strength and a little spice to secure a win against their next opponent, the sweet Sri Lanka team. Hence, today I'm going to show you my Brother -in-Law's Bhunna Gosht, complete with pictures and instructions from the Boss of Bhunna, the Sultan of Salans, my Brother-in-Law.
 |
| Bhunna |
My brother-in-law is a fiercely private person, so I'm not going to name him. He was incredibly nice enough to write this bhunna gosht instruction manual for my blog today, so a big shout out goes to him. Thanks! And now, go get ready my kitchen commandoes, we've got a job to do.
BHUNNA GHOOSHT RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1) 1 pound –Beef/Lamb or Goat Meat
2)½ Onion –Thinly Sliced
3)3 to 4 Roma Tomatoes –Blended or Thinly Sliced
4)1 Tablespoon –Garlic (paste)
5)1 Tablespoon –Ginger (paste)
6)Green Chili as many as desired
7)1 Teaspoon –Red Chili Powder
8)1 Teaspoon –Salt (or suit to taste)9)½ Teaspoon –Turmeric Powder
10)Oil –Enough to cover bottom of pan
USE MEDIUM HEAT UNLESS OTHERWISE SUGGESTED
Notes: If The Onion Is On The Large Side,Use 1/3 Of The Onion Instead Of Half. Lamb Or Goat Meat With Some Bones Is Preferred. Beef Without Any Bones Will Not Taste As Good. In The Picture Above, Use The Tablespoon As A Reference Of Onion And Tomato Portions.
COOKING
1.Place the garlic and ginger paste in a glass or container.
2.Add a little water to just cover the tops of the garlic and ginger paste, see picture below.
3.Slice the onions thinly. Adding more onions may result in poor results.
4.Blend the tomatoes to a puree or thinly slice them
5.Add oil to the pan along with the onions, no need to heat the oil first. It is highly recommended that enough oil is added so that the onions can sufficiently fry. Excess oil can be drained easily once the dish is done. Adding a little oil will cause the oil to be absorbed into the curry and proper formation of the curry (known as bhunna) will not happen.
6.Fry the onions in medium heat till golden brown.
7.Once the onions are golden brown:
A.Tilt the pan to pool the oil on one side
B.Separate the fried onions from the oil.
C.Carefully squeeze or push the onions along the wall of the pan to remove any excess oil.
8.Removethe onions from the pan and place them with the tomatoes in a blender.
A.This step can be skipped of no blender is available, however for a more consistent sauce this step is crucial.
9.Place the cooking pan away from the burner or turn off the fire meanwhile.
10.Blend the tomato and fried onion mixture until smooth.
11.Place the cooking panback on the burner and let the oil reheat, 1 minute or so.
12.Add all the powdered spices (chili, salt and turmeric) into the oil and fry for 1 minute or so, or till you slightly see smoke rising.
13.Next add the garlic and ginger paste from step 1 into the cookingpan.
14.Fry the garlic and ginger paste till all the moisture is gone. You can tell this when you no longer see steam rising from the mixture. At this point you will clearly see the oil separating from the garlic, ginger and spice mix, which is a good sign.
15.When all the moisture has gone from step 12, add the blended tomato and fried onions into the cooking pan.
16.As with previous step, cook the mix till most of the water in the cooking pan has disappeared. Approximate time for this is around 10 minutes or so.
17.As the watercontent in the cooking pan reduces, the separation of oil from the sauce will once again become apparent (assuming sufficient oil is used).See pictures below.
18. Add the meat into the cooking pan and cook for 5 minutes or so.
19.After frying, the separation of oil will be apparent.
20.Add 1 ½ cups of water to the mixture.
21.Add the wholegreen chilies.
REGULAR COOKING PAN –SEE FOLLOWING STEPS
22.After adding 1 ½ cups of water, cover and bring the mixture to a full boil.
23.Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook till the meat is tender. Depending on the type of meat it may take from 1 to 1.5 hours to be fully tender.
24.DONE
PRESSURE COOKER –SEE FOLLOWING STEPS
22.After adding 1 ½ cups of water, cover and bring the mixture to pressure
23.Once brought to pressure, reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately 30 minutes.
24.DONE
|
| A Beautiful Bhunna is Now Yours! |
NOTE:
Consistency of the sauce can be adjusted by adding more water if too thick or cooking uncovered till enough moisture has evaporated.
So there you have it, a lovely Bhunna Gosht to help our lovely lads beat the cr*pnitz out of the Sri Lankans! Have a good one, and good luck, let me know how it goes! Thanks again to my bro-in-law!
Happy Cricket, and Happy Cooking!
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Throw! The Dutch! Kroketten!
Zimbabwe lost their match against Australia yesterday, but who cares? My jaw is still on the floor after Chris Mpofu's 50 m throw hit the bails and resulted in Ricky Ponting being run out. Talk about a classic cricket moment! And I must say that Ray Prices crazy "hesitation spin" bowling made me cheer with delight. What an enjoyable match! I am now a confirmed Zimbabwe fan and I cannot wait to watch all of their crazy spin and pace bowlers again! Totally worth staying up for!
Since the minnows have had such a hard go of it in this World Cup, all eyes are going to be on the Netherlands when they play England this afternoon. Should be interesting. However, if the Dutch are as good at cricket as they are at making Kroketten, they should give England a good run for their money!
With these delicious croquettes and a side of that famous strong dutch mustard, everyone's a winner. Go Holland! Go Kroketten!
Dutch Kroketten for Krikett
I got this recipe from http://food.com/. The recipe looks reasonable, and it looks like the method is the same one my dutch friends use: a double coating of bread crumbs. Right, let's get started!
Since the minnows have had such a hard go of it in this World Cup, all eyes are going to be on the Netherlands when they play England this afternoon. Should be interesting. However, if the Dutch are as good at cricket as they are at making Kroketten, they should give England a good run for their money!
 |
| KROKETTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!! |
Dutch Kroketten for Krikett
I got this recipe from http://food.com/. The recipe looks reasonable, and it looks like the method is the same one my dutch friends use: a double coating of bread crumbs. Right, let's get started!
600 g fresh veal or 600 g beef or 1 pound of cooked chicken
salt and pepper
75 g butter (2 1/2 oz)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine ( the alcohol evaporates from the wine while cooking; but if you're concerned about the alcohol, simply omit the white wine)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon mace
2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons lemon zest (or a squeeze of lemon juice)
2 cups water (or chicken stock if you're using chicken instead of veal or beef)
40 g all-purpose flour (1.5 oz)
cornstarch
3 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
4 cups fine breadcrumbs or 4 cups crushed dutch rusks
vegetable oil, to deep-fry
If using left-over chicken or turkey, chop it finely and set aside. Continue with the recipe from Step 3, using stock to make the sauce rather than water, and add the chicken or turkey to the sauce at Step 6. If using veal or beef, season with salt and pepper to taste.
1. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
2. Add the veal or beef, wine, onion, clove, bay leaves, nutmeg or mace, parsley, thyme, lemon zest or juice and water. (Use chicken stock if you have chosen to use chicken or turkey.)
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. By this time the meat should be tender (or if using poultry, the stock will be bursting with flavor).
4 Strain the stock and reserve, along with the meat. Finely chop or cut the meat into into small pieces.
5 Melt the remaining butter in the pan, stir in the flour and keep stirring for a few minutes on low heat. Don't let it brown. Slowly and gradually add the stock and cook over moderate heat, stirring until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add more flour, or corn starch to thicken the sauce if necessary. Cool slightly and add the 3 egg yolks and mix well (reserve the whites for later).
6 Add the veal, beef, chicken or turkey, mix well and season to taste. The mixture should be thick and stiff by this time.
7 Set the mixture aside to cool thoroughly. When ready, cut or separate the stiff, thick mixture into rolls about 1.5" thick and about 3" long.
8 Spread the crumbs on a clean, dry chopping board. Slightly beat the eggwhites in a deep plate until just incorporated. Roll the croquettes through the breadcrumbs, then through the egg whites and again through the crumbs. (Make sure that the second coating of crumbs is even and thick and no meat mix sticks out, otherwise the croquettes may burst when being deep fried).
9 Deep fry the croquettes in batches of four or five for about 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
And that is that! So even if the Netherlands cricket team loses today, keep in mind that with food as flavourful, crunchy and delicious as these croquettes, the Dutch are always winners, no matter what! Good luck today Holland!
Happy Cricket, Happy Holland!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Minnows, Competing with Dignity, and Hot Chocolate for Grumpiness
And it's cold in Melbourne today and it's cold in my heart. 'Twas indeed a bad day for the minnow or minor teams.Sri Lanka showed the Canadians who's boss on the cricket pitch yesterday and New Zealand just pounded the Kenyans into submission.
So, yes, Canada lost, but what a good show they put on in the first 25 overs, containing the Sri Lanka run rate. However, Sri Lanka is a phenomenally good team; Jayawardene's ton brought the SL total up to 332. Good on Sri Lanka! Even though I was cheering for Canada, I really like the Sri Lankan chaps.
New Zealand blew the minnow Kenya right out of the water. Kenya batted first and scored a skimpy 69 runs all out in less than 25 overs; NZ chased those runs and won the match in what seemed like 15 minutes. It was the shortest ODI I've ever seen.
Which brings me to my next point. I have some concerns about the smaller teams, the minnows. Are these teams properly funded? Kenya doesn't have standardized helmets with national logos, and some of those helmets are definetly second-hand. For crying out loud, I know these associate teams may not be that good, but for the love of all that's good, let them compete with dignity! Give them standardized helmets! Is the ICC trying to humiliate the minnows as much as possible? Who is responsible for team kits? If national governments can't afford equipment, does the ICC step in? I'll investigate this because no team should have to use old equipment for a World Cup. Kenya, good on ya for getting to the World Cup. Even though you lost, we're all still proud of you for making it this far. GOOD ON YA!
I want all of the World Cup teams to be competitive, because the more good teams there are, the happier we, the viewers and fans are. The ICC wants to cut the number of teams participating in the world cup to 10 from the current 16. That will probably mean even less funding for these smaller teams as governments will think "why bother funding cricket? It's not like they'll ever have a chance at the World Cup"! C'mon. Fund the minnows properly so more of their players can be full-time cricketers, and let's see cricket grow in other parts of the world. Go Cricket!
Now because I'm so grumpy today, I'm going to have a hot chocolate. Not one of those silly powdered packet hot chocolates, no no. I'm having a proper one, made of old-fashioned mexican spiced chocolate and hot milk. Yes, the thing to get me back to my regular, happy-go-lucky self. You should try it too. Stick it to grumpiness!
Hot chocolate
1 litre whole milk
1 round of mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita, available at Superstore in Canada or at Fruiticana stores)
In a large pot, melt the round of chocolate in the milk over medium-low heat and stir constantly. If you want a richer hot chocolate, add another 1/2 round.
With a hand blender, whip the hot chocolate until frothy. You can use a regular blender, but be careful as hot liquids tend to "explode" when in a regular blender.
Serve hot in a nice big mug and accompany with cake, scones, or cookies.
Hope this puts the kibosh on grumpiness!
Happy Cricket, Happy Hot Chocolate!
So, yes, Canada lost, but what a good show they put on in the first 25 overs, containing the Sri Lanka run rate. However, Sri Lanka is a phenomenally good team; Jayawardene's ton brought the SL total up to 332. Good on Sri Lanka! Even though I was cheering for Canada, I really like the Sri Lankan chaps.
New Zealand blew the minnow Kenya right out of the water. Kenya batted first and scored a skimpy 69 runs all out in less than 25 overs; NZ chased those runs and won the match in what seemed like 15 minutes. It was the shortest ODI I've ever seen.
Which brings me to my next point. I have some concerns about the smaller teams, the minnows. Are these teams properly funded? Kenya doesn't have standardized helmets with national logos, and some of those helmets are definetly second-hand. For crying out loud, I know these associate teams may not be that good, but for the love of all that's good, let them compete with dignity! Give them standardized helmets! Is the ICC trying to humiliate the minnows as much as possible? Who is responsible for team kits? If national governments can't afford equipment, does the ICC step in? I'll investigate this because no team should have to use old equipment for a World Cup. Kenya, good on ya for getting to the World Cup. Even though you lost, we're all still proud of you for making it this far. GOOD ON YA!
I want all of the World Cup teams to be competitive, because the more good teams there are, the happier we, the viewers and fans are. The ICC wants to cut the number of teams participating in the world cup to 10 from the current 16. That will probably mean even less funding for these smaller teams as governments will think "why bother funding cricket? It's not like they'll ever have a chance at the World Cup"! C'mon. Fund the minnows properly so more of their players can be full-time cricketers, and let's see cricket grow in other parts of the world. Go Cricket!
Now because I'm so grumpy today, I'm going to have a hot chocolate. Not one of those silly powdered packet hot chocolates, no no. I'm having a proper one, made of old-fashioned mexican spiced chocolate and hot milk. Yes, the thing to get me back to my regular, happy-go-lucky self. You should try it too. Stick it to grumpiness!
Hot chocolate
1 litre whole milk
1 round of mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita, available at Superstore in Canada or at Fruiticana stores)
In a large pot, melt the round of chocolate in the milk over medium-low heat and stir constantly. If you want a richer hot chocolate, add another 1/2 round.
With a hand blender, whip the hot chocolate until frothy. You can use a regular blender, but be careful as hot liquids tend to "explode" when in a regular blender.
Serve hot in a nice big mug and accompany with cake, scones, or cookies.
Hope this puts the kibosh on grumpiness!
Happy Cricket, Happy Hot Chocolate!
Friday, February 18, 2011
The 2011 World Cup!!! Vegetarian Food!!!
And it is certainly going to be a great day because it's sunny for the moment and in a few short hours time the first match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup will start! It's going to be one heckuva match. Bangladesh's bangla-bashing Tigers take on Incredible India and what a show it's going to be! Bangladesh has been terrific on the International Scene lately, and even though I kinda like India, I'm really looking forward to watching the Tigers in action. Go Bangladesh!
Tomorrow's all chock-full of the good stuff. New Zealand plays Kenya, and sweeeeeeeeet Sri Lanka plays my lovely Canadian lads. This SL / Canada match should be particularily juicy; I have a sports crush on the SL team, but I'm going to throw my support behind the Canuck chaps. Furthermore, it's going to be good because SL middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera stated to the media that Canada is a threat in this World Cup! Right on my Cricketing Canucks! You rock and let's hope you stay souped-up for the entire tournament!
Okay! So it is my goal during this World Cup to present a healthy, tasty dish from each participating cricketing nation. I've already written a nice article about Bangladesh and a Bangladish in SportPulse, and here's the link if you'd like to have a peek:
http://sportpulse.net/content/bangladesh-bangla-dish-world-cup-bangla-bash-454
And today's special is going to be a nice vegetarian dish from India. I love meat; however, vegetarian dishes from the Subcontinent are so good that this confirmed carnivore always screams for a second helping. True story!
Now, vegetarianism has existed in the Subcontinent for sever milennia. Unlike some versions of Western vegetarianism which may have alarming nutritional deficiencies, Subcontinental vegetarianism is completely balanced in vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. It is also delicious. This style of vegetarianism is absolutely appropriate for people who want to give up meat and have a healthy, active lifestyle. So here's a nice simple recipe to get you started; a nutritional powerhouse of a vegetarian dish...here is...
Mixed Daal
There are 4 different kinds of daal in this recipe which will give you a true nutritional punch. Some vegetarians in India don't use garlic and onions because these are considered "hot" foods and are not entirely appropriate for the brutally hot weather present in the Subcontinent. Instead, they use asafoetida, a pungent dried and powdered resin to give that flavourful kick to their food. Right-o. It's time to cook.
Ingredients:
Mix the lentils together, rinse, and soak for about a half hour.
Boil the lentils in about 5 cups of water with salt, turmeric and optional garam masala, until the lentils are cooked to a mush.
Turn heat to very low.
Make the tarka (topping) as follows:
Heat the ghee in a separate pan.
Add the cuminseeds and asafoetida powder, fry until the cuminseeds crackle.
Add the lal mirch and coriander powder, fry a few seconds.
Add the ghee and spice mix to the lentils.
Add the chopped coriander and squeezed lemon juice as a garnish.
Serve with plain basmati rice or freshly made roti. If you've forgotten how to make roti, here's the link:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/zulqarnain-empire-of-akmal-and-roti.html
So there you go, a delicious, nutritious powerhouse of a meal, totally appropriate for an athlete and totally appropriate for anyone who enjoys good flavourful food, including confirmed carnivores like myself. Make this and you'll be wanting MORE!
Enjoy the cricket today...Good Luck Bangladesh, and Good Luck India!
Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking, and Happy Vegetarianism!
Tomorrow's all chock-full of the good stuff. New Zealand plays Kenya, and sweeeeeeeeet Sri Lanka plays my lovely Canadian lads. This SL / Canada match should be particularily juicy; I have a sports crush on the SL team, but I'm going to throw my support behind the Canuck chaps. Furthermore, it's going to be good because SL middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera stated to the media that Canada is a threat in this World Cup! Right on my Cricketing Canucks! You rock and let's hope you stay souped-up for the entire tournament!
Okay! So it is my goal during this World Cup to present a healthy, tasty dish from each participating cricketing nation. I've already written a nice article about Bangladesh and a Bangladish in SportPulse, and here's the link if you'd like to have a peek:
http://sportpulse.net/content/bangladesh-bangla-dish-world-cup-bangla-bash-454
And today's special is going to be a nice vegetarian dish from India. I love meat; however, vegetarian dishes from the Subcontinent are so good that this confirmed carnivore always screams for a second helping. True story!
 |
| Godzilla and Carnivorous friends, fighting over the last of the Mixed Daal |
Now, vegetarianism has existed in the Subcontinent for sever milennia. Unlike some versions of Western vegetarianism which may have alarming nutritional deficiencies, Subcontinental vegetarianism is completely balanced in vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. It is also delicious. This style of vegetarianism is absolutely appropriate for people who want to give up meat and have a healthy, active lifestyle. So here's a nice simple recipe to get you started; a nutritional powerhouse of a vegetarian dish...here is...
Mixed Daal
There are 4 different kinds of daal in this recipe which will give you a true nutritional punch. Some vegetarians in India don't use garlic and onions because these are considered "hot" foods and are not entirely appropriate for the brutally hot weather present in the Subcontinent. Instead, they use asafoetida, a pungent dried and powdered resin to give that flavourful kick to their food. Right-o. It's time to cook.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup split moong daal
1/2 cup urad daal (the black daal)
1/2 cup toor daal (split yellow peas)
1/2 cup chana daal (chickpeas)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch asafoetida (also called hing)
salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional - commercial garam masala tastes bitter to me )
1 tsp corianderseed powder (coriander seeds ground to a powder)
1 tsp corianderseed powder (coriander seeds ground to a powder)
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
chopped coriander
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Mix the lentils together, rinse, and soak for about a half hour.
Boil the lentils in about 5 cups of water with salt, turmeric and optional garam masala, until the lentils are cooked to a mush.
Turn heat to very low.
Make the tarka (topping) as follows:
Heat the ghee in a separate pan.
Add the cuminseeds and asafoetida powder, fry until the cuminseeds crackle.
Add the lal mirch and coriander powder, fry a few seconds.
Add the ghee and spice mix to the lentils.
Add the chopped coriander and squeezed lemon juice as a garnish.
Serve with plain basmati rice or freshly made roti. If you've forgotten how to make roti, here's the link:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/zulqarnain-empire-of-akmal-and-roti.html
So there you go, a delicious, nutritious powerhouse of a meal, totally appropriate for an athlete and totally appropriate for anyone who enjoys good flavourful food, including confirmed carnivores like myself. Make this and you'll be wanting MORE!
Enjoy the cricket today...Good Luck Bangladesh, and Good Luck India!
Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking, and Happy Vegetarianism!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Awesome Soup for Scaring English Cricketers
 |
| Look out England....Ragin' Rizwan Cheema of Canada is comin' to getcha. |
Let's have a quick look at the match: here are the bowling stats:
 |
| Davison! Davison! Davison! |
"Handsome Devil" Davison: 1 for 32
Osinde: 2 scalps for 42
Chohan: 3 scalps for 34
Baidwan : 3 for 50
Rao: 1 for 38
And not only that...Strauss only scored 1 run before being caught, Pieterson got clean-bowled, and Wright was out for a duck! In the end, the English scored only 243 runs! Well done, Canadian Chaps!
When it was the Canadians turn to bat, things looked ominous indeed, until Ragin' Rizwan Cheema beat the beejeebus out of the English bowlers with his enormous, fat 93 runs, and Khurram Chohan scored a very pretty 44, which must have given the big bad English a heart attack! Canada came so close to giving England the beating of its life, losing only by a mere 16 runs! Beauty!
Now we Canadians do have a reputation for being polite, considerate, and somewhat meek. However, we have a secret weapon when we need to be aggressive and put a little fear into our opponents. That's right...we have SOUP!
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| Ragin' Rizwan after eating soup. If I were English, I would be very afraid. |
Soup
Make broth first. Get two soup chickens (ie chicken soup bones) , a bay leaf, a carrot, 2 celery stalks, an onion, 5 black peppercorns and two cloves. Put them all in a big pot with lots of water, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for at least an hour. Skim any foam that comes off the top. Cool the broth, then strain it.
Soup Proper
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
about 2 cups of raw chopped chicken
1 bay leaf
chopped green chilies to taste
chopped green and red bell pepper (capsicum)
chopped green or red cabbage
chopped zucchini or courgette
chopped spinach
chopped coriander
juice of 2 or 3 limes
salt
black pepper
home-made chicken broth
oil for cooking
In a big pot, heat some oil and fry the chopped onion, carrot and celery until it's a little bit brown.
Add the chicken, and brown it. Don't worry if it sticks to the bottom; the broth you add later will remove it.
Add the broth and the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour on low heat.
If you want a heartier soup, add some uncooked rice and a handful of brown lentils, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the rice and lentils are cooked through. It's up to you. Also add any other vegetables that you might like. Cauliflower will give it a very rich, deep flavour.
Serve with a nice thick slice of bread and a side of attitude.
There you go. Soup for turning mild-mannered Canadians into raging machines of cricket destruction, striking fear into the oppositions batsmen and bowlers alike. Now let's see our lovely Canadian lads eat more soup and make all the other teams in the World Cup wish they'd never been born! Go Canada!
Happy Cricket! Happy Soup and Happy Fear-making! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
EFFFFF!!
hi everyone, there was a malfunction with blogger today and I have lost my entire post.
in summary,
Canada's awesome and scared the beejeebs out of England in cricket yesterday. England won by only 16 runs.
I had an entire page dedicated to soup today, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. PHOOEY! I hate malfunctions!
have a good one, cuz i sure ain't today!
in summary,
Canada's awesome and scared the beejeebs out of England in cricket yesterday. England won by only 16 runs.
I had an entire page dedicated to soup today, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. PHOOEY! I hate malfunctions!
have a good one, cuz i sure ain't today!
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