Oven-Baked Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew

Cooking meat dishes in the oven in the winter time has the huge benefit that it can be left to cook unattended with practically no interference. Another bonus is that winter can be shut out and left outdoors where it belongs because cooking in the oven doesn't release too many aromas. It took just 15 minutes to prepare the meat and vegetables for the oven. This was so quick and easy that I was a little unsure of how it would turn out and was pleasantly surprised.

After layering all the ingredients in the baking dish it took 3.5 hours to bake this stew in the oven. By the time we sat down to dinner the lamb was fork tender and falling off the bones. And because it baked for so long, there was no need to brown the meat which was a huge relief. The baking dish also served as a serving dish so there were no pots and pans to clean. So I will be filing this under my 'stress-free recipes' category.

Chicken and Spinach in Coconut Gravy

Chicken & Spinach in Coconut Gravy

Saag Meat is a popular Indian dish, saag being spinach cooked with any kind of meat and a lot of spices. Baby spinach goes very well with chicken and so does coconut milk. Combining these 3 flavours produced a delicious main course for dinner tonight. Keeping the dried red chilies whole provides full flavour of the chilies without adding a lot of heat. In spite of keeping the spices down to a minimum, this chicken dish tasted wholesome, peppery and creamy.

Green Lentils & Carrot Stew

Green Lentil & Carrot Stew

Green & Red Lentils

Green lentils are whole red lentils whose outer skin have been left intact. Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are a good source of potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K and are particularly rich in dietary fibre, lean protein, folate and iron.

Mung Dal-er Khichuri - Mung Beans Lentil Stew

Mung Dal-er Khichuri for Lunch

Khichuri is a lentil stew that is usually made with lentils and rice. I spied a South Indian pongal preparation on Facebook that combined lentils with oatmeal which appealed to me because I have to watch my carbohydrates. The resulting khichuri, which I made with split mung bean lentils and oatmeal, was thick and creamy and totally yummy!

Mung Dal-er Khichuri for dinner

For dinner we had the khichuri topped with Cajun-grilled fish fillet and hard boiled eggs.

Meatball Stew

Meatball Stew

It was one of those days when dinner was the last thing on my mind and the fridge was as bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard. If I'd planned for it, I may have made my own meatballs from scratch, but it's real handy to have Italian-style meatballs in the freezer. The ones I buy are cocktail sized meatballs and there are about 120 in a bag. I separate them in Ziploc bags of 20 since there are usually only the two of us to cook for.

In our home, meals are eaten on time every day. Breakfast is the one exception, but lunch is always at noon and dinner at 6 p.m. It was already 5 in the evening with no time for much so I put on a cup of mung dal to boil, fried some cauliflower along with the tempering for a Mung Dal with Cauliflower dish. Then I raided the pantry for a can of Del Monte diced new potatoes so I wouldn't have to mess with or waste time scrubbing & peeling potatoes. Hard to believe, but I had dinner on the table in under an hour. The basmati rice took 18 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Stewed Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

Stewed Chicken with Carrots & Potatoes

I made this stew once before, but I left out the yogurt this time and added carrots and potatoes.

Inspired by: Kumar Arun of Sikandalous Cuisine. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1618940291715617&set=gm.10153026054812896&type=1&theater

Stewed Chicken

Stewed Chicken

When the body craves simple yet nourishing fare, this stewed chicken comes to mind. Quick & easy to prepare with minimal fuss, it is one of the rare occasions when I leave the skin on the chicken legs to be discarded just prior to eating. It's made with very few ingredients and yet is deeply satisfying with plain, white rice.

To serve this to children simply omit the green chilies so it's not too spicy for them to enjoy. Add carrots, potatoes and green peas for a traditional stew. The chicken legs should be cooked until the meat falls off the bone.

Inspired by: Kumar Arun of Sikandalous Cuisine. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1618940291715617&set=gm.10153026054812896&type=1&theater

Dal Gosht - Red Lentils and Meat Stew

Dal Gosht

Lentils are a central part of Indian meals at our home. Every now and then in the summer time when it's too humid to cook, it makes sense to combine lentils with lamb, beef or chicken to shorten the time spent at the stove. This hearty stew combined with any vegetable dish and a fresh salad makes for a quick and easy dinner.

I've used chicken pieces which had previously been marinated in oil, ginger, garlic and paprika and frozen. It's defrosted overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature before cooking. The chicken curry is cooked separately from the lentils and then combined to make this stew.

My sister gave me a package of Moroccan Tagine spices (thank you, Rene) which I used to spice this dish. The ingredients listed on the package include coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, dehydrated garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, cumin, nutmeg and cloves. This sounds very similar to the spices found in North Indian garam masala, which is a good substitute. 

Burmese Kya Zan Chet - Bean-Thread Vermicelli Soup

Kya Zan Chet

This is a hearty soup made from chicken broth and bean thread vermicelli with tofu and eggs for protein and a variety of pickled vegetables that add a tart and tangy flavor to the soup.

Bean thread noodles are a staple at Asian markets. It comes in bundles of dry, almost plastic like threads, eight bundles to a package. When they are submerged and softened in boiling water, the threads plump up and turn transparent, which is why these noodles are often referred to as glass or cellophane noodles. Used extensively in South East Asia, these noodles are gluten-free and made from mung bean starch. They are used in soups, stir-fries, salads and spring rolls. In Burma, the name is kya zan. Chet simply means 'cooked'.

Chinese Preserved Vegetables

The other prominent ingredient in my soup was one-quarter of a package of salty, sour and spicy Chinese vegetables. preserved in red chili paste and oil. One package goes a long way so after opening the package, I generally divide the contents into four tightly covered containers and refrigerate them. From what I could make out, the vegetables include cabbage, turnip, stems of mustard greens,  and wood-ear mushrooms.

Tofu & Garnishes

A slab of cubed tofu was added for protein and deep-fried onions and garlic garnished each bowl of soup.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

6 cups chicken broth

1 bundle mung bean thread vermicelli

1/2 block extra-firm tofu, cubed

1/4 pkg. Chinese preserved vegetables

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. chicken powder

salt & pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten with salt

deep-fried onions

deep-fried garlic

Directions:

1. Rinse preserved vegetables to get rid of excess salt, drain, chop & set aside.
2. Bring chicken broth to a boil and add vermicelli.
3. Transfer vermicelli to a plate after it softens and cut into smaller lengths.
4. Return vermicelli to soup pot and add the next 4 ingredients.
5. Simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until vegetables soften.
6. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and remove soup from heat.
7. Beat eggs with salt and pour in a thin stream while stirring the soup in one direction.
8. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with deep-fried onions & garlic.

Serve immediately.

Vegetable Khichuri - Vegetables, Rice & Lentil Stew

Vegetable Khichuri
Garnished with Deep-Fried Onions

Vegetable Khichuri 
Garnished with Eggs

Khichuri made with eggplant and green beans. First rice and lentils were cooked with ginger and garlic pastes, salt and touch of turmeric. Diced green beans and diced tomatoes were added when rice and lentils were cooked. In a separate pan, cubed eggplants were fried with more ginger and garlic, onions and tomatoes and a pinch of hing. This was poured over the khichuri and served with eggs and deep-fried onions.

Rice & Lentil Stew with Flaked Fish

This is the beginning of March with no end of winter in sight! It’s the perfect weather for this rice & lentil stew.

Khichuri, a Bengali one-pot-meal once considered comfort food for the poor, is now a delicacy served during the monsoon or rainy season when the weather turns considerably cooler. Core ingredients are rice and lentils but vegetables, eggs, poultry or meat are added according to taste. I decided to experiment by adding fish to the mix. It tastes wonderful!

Tilapia is commonly available in supermarkets around here and even though I prefer them cut into steaks, filleted tilapia generally makes it to the table because hubby prefers to eat fish without having to be bothered with the bones. Fillets are fine, except that the stomach half of a fillet is a useless waste of space in a gravy or curry. That end of the fish generally disintegrates completely because it's not firm enough to withstand simmering or stewing. So this part of the fish fillet can be blanched, flaked and used the same way packaged tuna is used. In this case, I have added it to this rice and lentil stew, which is just perfect for a winter's day.

Burmese Baked Fish Stew

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Most of my Burmese dishes are inspired by what Mum cooked for us when we were growing up and more recently by friends on Facebook.  This dish comes together without too much fuss and is delicious due to its sour, spicy and salty overtones. When served over hot, steamed, white rice it is heart-warming and satisfying.

Burmese Sour & Spicy Shrimp & Potato Stew

Burmese Sour & Spicy Shrimp & Potato Stew

This stew is ideal for those days when there is not much time to put dinner on the table. The shrimp takes some time to peel, de-vein and stir-fry, but after that's done, it's a matter of putting all the other ingredients into a skillet at the same time and simmering until the gravy is reduced and oil resurfaces. The shrimp is added at the end and it's done! For variety, substitute shrimp with fish fillets, hard boiled eggs sliced in half or chicken thighs. Add chicken thighs along with potatoes at the start of the cooking process. Eggs and fish may be pan-fried like the shrimp and added back into the stew at the end. I've made this with baked fish, ground chicken and meatballs.

Ground Chicken Stew with Chayote Squash

A one-pot meal/stew of
ground chicken & chayote squash

This one-pot meal is quite typical of the way the Burmese people make stew. All the ingredients are dumped into a skillet and simmered until the oil resurfaces and chicken & vegetables are cooked.

Vegetable Medley in Spiced Coconut Sauce

Clockwise from left to right:
Oriental Eggplant
Cauliflower
Peas
Mushrooms
Sweet Potatoes

This vegetable dish is really easy to make because everything is simply stewed in the peppery coconut sauce. Any combination of vegetables can be used. This is a gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian dish.