Coconut Beef Stew (Massaman Beef)

Not the best picture - but believe me, it's goooood food.

At my favorite Thai restaurant in Alexandria, VA, I always order the beef massaman curry.  It is a stew of tender beef, with hints of coconut and spice, slowly simmered with cubes of potatoes. I had absolutely no idea how to make it, so I turned to my trusty pressure cooker and went to my spice cabinet.  This stew was amazing, and the beef was perfectly tender.  We enjoyed this served over a bed of basmati rice. 

Coconut Beef Stew (Massaman Beef)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook TIme: 30 minutes

1 lb stew beef
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp harissa (or other hot sauce, like Siracha)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 potato, diced
14 oz can of coconut milk
2 cups beef broth
olive oil

(1) In a large bowl, marinate the beef with the coriander, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and harissa (or your favorite hot sauce). Set aside. You can prepare this the night before for the flavors to intensify.
(2) In a pressure cooker, on high heat, lightly saute the red onion in 1 -2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the beef and lightly brown.
(3) Add the potato, coconut milk, and beef broth. Mix well.
(4) Cover the pressure cooker, and let the pressure build for approximately 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and let cook for another 30 minutes.
(5) Release the pressure according to the instructions on your pressure cooker. Remove the cover. The stew should have a thick consistency. If it does not, then mix 1 tbsp of corn starch with cold water. Add to the stew, and it should thicken within 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Harissa Spiced Beef Brisket Sandwiches

One of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, has had several beef brisket recipes lately and it has inspired me to try my own Middle East version!  Brisket is a relatively cheap, rough cut of meat. A cheap cut of beef also means that it needs to cook low and slow in order for the collagen to break down. The best method is to use a slow cooker, and to set it on low for 8 to 10 hours. However, in my busy life, I never have time to make dinner, let alone plan the night before. Enter – the pressure cooker! This miracle pot has turned all sorts of cheap cuts of meat into fork-tender deliciousness. I thought I would give it a try with the brisket, and it was great! Next time, I may leave it another 10 more minutes on the pressure cooker, as there was a part of the brisket that wasnt as tender as the rest of it. I also used a traditional Moroccan spice, harissa, to add a distinct middle eastern flavor to the beef. However, if you do not have any, Siracha or any other hot sauce will work.

Harissa Spiced Beef  Brisket Sandwiches

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (pressure cooker) 10 minutes (oven)

2 lb beef brisket
1/2 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp mexican oregano (regular is fine too)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 c ketchup
2 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (equiv of 1/4 cup regular brown sugar)
3 cups beef broth
1 tsp harissa
1/4 cup flour (I use a Wondra)
Olive Oil
Salt

Your favorite bread buns

(1) In a large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onions and saute until translucent. Add the minced garlic, cumin, mexican oregano, cayenne pepper, thyme and coriander. Mix well.
(2) Add the tomato sauce, and bring to a rapid simmer. The sauce should be quite thick. Add the ketchup, harissa, and brown sugar. Mix well.
(3) Add the beef broth and return the sauce to a rapid simmer. Depending on whether the broth is low sodium or not, add at least 1/2 tsp of salt, or more, to taste. Remove from heat.
(4) In a large pressure cooker, add the raw beef brisket. Pour the sauce over the top of the brisket. The meat should be completely covered by the sauce.
(5) Bring the mixture to a rapid simmer. Cover and let the pressure build for about 10 minutes on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let cook for at least 50 more minutes. You can cook for longer for more tender beef. Also, preheat the oven to 350.
(6) Once the time has passed, carefully release the pressure from your pressure cooker, following the instructions provided for your particular pressure cooker (they are not all the same). Open the cooker, and transfer the meat to a baking dish. Cover the meat with approximately half of the sauce, and place in the oven for 10 minutes. This is really only to add color to the meat, and to allow for some texture to the outermost layer of the meat.
(7) REmove the meat from the oven. Using a fork and knife, shred the brisket. If it is cool to the touch, I found it easiest to shred using my hands.
(8) Put all of the sauce from the baking dish back into the pressure cooker. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer. Add the flour (or Wondra) to help thicken the sauce. Mix well with a whisk so there are no clumps. You can add more salt or harissa, to taste. 
(9) Add the shredded brisket to the sauce and mix well. Serve hot and on your favorite bread bun. Enjoy!!

Grilled Shrimp Kabobs

It’s no secret that I cannot eat any type of seafood. However, I do try every now and again to cook it. I have watched enough cooking shows and read enough seafood recipes that I get really excited about writing my own recipes. You may be asking, how can you cook seafood if you don’t eat it?! Luckily, I have a husband who is always begging me to make fish at home because he loves it so much. With him as my official taste tester, this recipe got a thumbs up. It was incredibly easy to make, and even easier to cook.  The smoked paprika is the perfect complement to the tang of pomegranate molasses.  I served it with a side of grilled vegetables tossed in sea salt and my favorite  basil olive oil.  Enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp Kabobs
Prep Time: 40 minutes (includes marinating time)
Cook Time: 5 minutes

1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1 lime
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 large red pepper, cut into large pieces
1 red onion, cut into large pieces

(1) Rinse the shrimp with cold water. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Soak some skewers in water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
(2) In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, coriander, cilantro, smoked paprika, garlic and pomegranate molasses. Also, add the juice of half the lime (should be approx. 2 tbsp of juice). Save the other half for later.
(3) If you have time, let the mixture marinate for approximately 20-30 minutes. I let it sit while I chopped the red pepper and onion for the skewers.
(4) On the skewers, alternate one shrimp, with the red onion and red pepper. Repeat until you have finished all of the shrimp and vegetables.
(5) On a hot grill, cook each skewer for approximately 2 minutes on each side. If you have any skewers that are just shrimp and no vegetables, they cook faster because the shrimp touches the heat source directly.
(6) When you remove the shrimp skewers from the heat, squeeze the remainder of the lime juice over the kabobs. Serve warm and enjoy!

Spiced Fava Bean Falafel (Ta’ameeya)

Most Westerners are used to eating falafel the Lebanese way, which is made from chickpeas. However, in Egypt, our falafel, or ta’ameeya, is made from split fava beans, also known as broad bean. Also, in Egypt, the falafel is light, airy and crispy. I have always had a hard time eating any other kind of falafel because I am not a fan of the huge balls that are raw on the inside. Don’t get me wrong, chickpea falafal is good; it’s just not what I’m used to! I did add a poblano pepper, which had a very, very mild flavor. Next time around, I will definitely add pinch of cayenne pepper for added kick. My mom usually adds an egg to the mixture, which helps to hold the patties together when they are frying – definitely try this if you like more dense falafels. I also assume you can try baking these, by brushing both sides with oil and placing in a hot oven. But this is one recipe where I think fried is the way to go….

Spiced Fava Bean Falafel (Ta’ameeya)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes approx. 40 falafels

2 cups dried split fava beans (broad beans)
1/2 bunch dill
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 poblano pepper
1 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Olive or vegetable oil

(1) In a large bowl, add the dried beans and cover with water. Set aside overnight. The beans will absorb the water.
(2) In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, poblano pepper, cumin, coriander and salt. Puree until you have a smooth paste. Place into a large mixing bowl.
(3) Add the dill, parsley and cilantro to the food processor (remove stems). Puree until the greens are thoroughly chopped. Add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Use a spoon and combine the two together well.
(4) Add 1 cup of the beans and 3 tbsp of the onion/greens mixture to the food processor. Mix well. Remove the mixture and place it into another large bowl.
(5) Repeat this step until you are all out of beans and mixture. I did this 3 times and had exactly the right amount, but I can see how the last round of beans may have too much or too little of the green mixture. It doesn’t really matter though.
(6) Add the sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and mix well with a spoon.
(7) At this point, you can decide whether you want to freeze some of the mixture for later use. Add the baking soda now if you are going to cook immediately. If you are going to freeze it, then do not add it until you are ready to cook it, otherwise the mixture will turn strange colors if you add the powder and then freeze (so says my mom…).
(8) In a large saucepan, heat a few tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil. Use a spoon and make a small patty on the spoon. Drop it into the hot oil and press down on the patty a little with the spoon. Let it cook for a few minutes on each side, until browned on both sides.
(9) Sprinkle some additional salt to taste, and enjoy!!

Curried Chicken Shawarma

Chicken shawarma is one of those restaurant items that can be hit or miss.  Some restaurants make it very well, and others not so well.  Sometimes you end up with dry bits of chicken, often shoved into a sandwich with too much garlic sauce to make up for the dryness.  Bleck. This was my first attempt at making chicken shawarma, and it turned out very juicy and tender.  I did a lot of research and found that you basically need a lot of acid in the marinade to make it tender – hence, I used greek yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice.  Next time, I will experiment with less greek yogurt because there was almost too much juicy-ness while it was cooking.  I also didn’t use traditional spices, as I threw in some curry and cayenne pepper.  I put it on top of a modified fattoush recipe (I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand), and the dressing complimented the spice of the shawarma. Nice low-fat, healthy recipe – Yum!

Curried Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite size slices
6 oz of greek yogurt (little less than 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp seven spice
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil (for pan frying)

(1) In a large Ziploc bag, combine all of the ingredients above (except olive oil).  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Let the chicken come close to room temperature before cooking though.

(2) In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Try to drain the residual liquid marinade from the Ziploc bag.  Saute the chicken.  I found I still had a lot of juice in the saucepan, so I drained again while I was cooking the chicken.  Let the chicken cook until it is lightly browned.

(3) Serve on top of your favorite salad, or in a sandwich.  Enjoy!