Lemon Cashew Rice

Doc and I are about as different as two people could be.  It's something we're constantly made aware of, both in terms of culture/upbringing as well as personality.  He likes sports.  I like Doctor Who.  I read about one book a week.  He reads about one a year.  He's competitive at most things but easygoing about chores.  I'm cooperative in most situations but exacting when it comes to cleanliness.  His intelligence is based on rote memorization, mine on problem-solving.  He likes chips, I like crudités.

And, to get to the point at last, he prefers bread whereas I could eat rice forever.  I can, and have, eaten it for every meal for years at a time.

We try to share with each other what we can and politely (sometimes tersely) overlook the rest.  We could teach the world a lot about peace.


If you're wondering why I haven't delivered on my promise of scones and white chocolate popcorn, over the weekend I had grand plans to make them but in the end just didn't feel like having more junk food in the house.  Perhaps next weekend.  I hadn't posted in a while and I wanted to give you something new before then, so I started brainstorming.  We've been eating a lot of freezer meals lately (lentils, for example) and I haven't had anything new to post.  Then I figured, why not post one of the side dishes I make to go with the freezer meals?  So here's some rice for you.

In the interest of fairness I'll post a flatbread recipe one of these days, too.  Just not today.

[Concise recipe at the bottom, as always.]

Lemon Cashew Rice

Total Real Time:  30-60 min for rice presoak, 20 minutes for mix-ins (while rice soaks), 60 minutes in the rice cooker.
Weirdest spice: curry leaves.

A few days ago Doc and I tried a new Indian place.  The food tasted excellent but ended up making me rather sick before we'd even left the place.  (Tip: always read the online reviews first, question your choice of establishment if half of them mention food poisoning.  Lesson learned.)

Anyway, one of the things they had on their menu was lemon rice.  That caught my interest.  Lemon?  In the rice?  Since you now know my love for all things rice, you can guess why I had to give it a go within the week.  I'm pleased with how this came out.

Step one was to put the rice in to soak in warm water for at least half an hour.  We've already talked about why that's a good idea, right?  Right.

While the rice soaked I started with the skillet on medium-high heat.  When the pan was hot I added a splash of oil (about 1-2 tsp).  When the oil started to shimmer I added 1 tsp of mustard seeds.

Remember our discussion about how mustard seeds and mustard powder are different?  If you don't have mustard seeds, just leave them out.  Don't substitute mustard powder or you're going to get some weird rice.

Like cumin seeds, mustard seeds only take about 30-60 seconds or so until they start to make a sizzling, crackling noise.  When that happens add in 1 to 1.5 cups of diced onions.  I used frozen but you can use fresh if you've got them.

Stir it up with the oil and mustard seeds, add a tiny dash of salt (helps them to cook faster -- don't use your total final amount of salt just yet), and stir occasionally over the next 10ish minutes.  Frozen takes a little longer, as you might imagine.  I probably sauteed mine for about 15 minutes or so.

Next up is flavorings.  I added a handful of cashews:

Followed by the zest of half a lemon (dried lemon zest would also work -- try starting maybe around 1/4 tsp, taste it, and add a little more if that's not lemony enough for you):

Followed by 1.5 tsp chili powder (optional, adjust to taste), 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, and 2 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic.  

I wanted a very light amount of spices compared to the lemon flavor.  If you want things with more spice heft you could as much as double the turmeric and coriander.

I stirred all this up and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Don't worry about getting thing too browned up since we're about to toss it in to cook alongside the rice.  Speaking of which, now's a good time to rinse it and toss it into your pot.  I prefer my rice cooker to using the stovetop.  You may need to make some adjustments for amount of liquid and cooking time depending on your equipment.  When it comes to deciding the rice:liquid ration, always default to the cooking instructions on:  (a) your own rice cooker; or, if using the stovetop, (b) the container the rice came in.  For example, my bag of rice says 1.75 cups of liquid for 1 cup of basmati rice, but my rice cooker says 2 cups of liquid for 1.25 cups of white rice.  I default to the cooker's instructions.  If I were cooking the rice in a pan on the stove, I'd use the rice bag's instructions.  Either way, here's what you do:

1. Squeeze out one lemon into a measuring cup; then,
2. Add the remainder of the liquid on top of that.

For example, I needed 2 total cups of liquid for my 1.25 cups of basmati rice.  First I squeezed out the lemon into my measuring cup:

And since it was an enormous lemon I got about 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  I then measured out the rest of the cup by topping it off with water:

See what I mean?  In other words, I counted the lemon juice as part of the total liquid I was adding to the rice, rather than measuring out two cups of water and then adding the lemon juice on top.  A quarter cup was just about perfect for a mild lemony flavor.  As for the rest of the liquid you could use water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock.  If using canned broth or stock, just keep in mind that they're usually pretty salty and you'll want to taste everything at the end before adding extra salt.

Okay, so into the cooker went the rice, the liquid (water + lemon juice, in my case), followed by the onion & cashew mix, a cup of green peas just for color, and 2 teaspoons of curry leaves (you can omit these if you don't have them, or substitute a bay leaf).

I closed it up, switched it to the setting for "mixed rice" (I have a fancy cooker and have found this is the best way to handle any rice-with-bits-of-stuff that I make), and let it do its thing.  If you're using a stovetop method, again, just add in the onion mix, peas, and curry leaves and then follow the directions that came with the rice.

Sixty minutes later the timer went off.  I prefer to let it sit for another 5-10 minutes after it goes off.  For some reason that seems to keep the rice from getting gummy, but that might just be a quirk of my cooker.  After the waiting period I fluffed the rice with a fork and dished it out.  Keep in mind that turmeric can and will stain absolutely any wood, fabric, people, or plastic it touches so I'd recommend serving this with a metal spoon rather than a rice paddle.

As I mentioned above, this has got a really mild lemon flavor and goes light on the spices.  That makes it an unobtrusive side to something with more kick or personality.  If you wanted to give it more of a center stage you might swap out the peas for edamame (yay, extra protein!), add some green chillies, and crank up the lemon and spices.  Or not.  Whatever makes ya happy!

Lemon Cashew Rice

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups of basmati rice + 2 cups of liquid (includes juice of one lemon)
• NOTE: Follow the directions on your rice cooker or rice bag to get appropriate rice : liquid ratio.  1.25 : 2 is specific to my cooker and may not produce ideal results for yours.
• Be sure to count lemon juice (roughly 1/4 cup) as part of the cooking liquid.  Water or stock/broth can be used for the remaining liquid.
• splash of oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 - 1.5 cups diced onion
• handful of cashews
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
• 1.5 tsp chili powder (optional, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup green peas (optional, can sub edamame)
• 2 tsp curry leaves (optional, can sub 1 bay leaf)
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cover rice with warm water and set aside to soak.
2. Heat skillet on medium-high.  Add oil, and then add mustard seeds when oil is hot enough to start shimmering.  Cook mustard seeds 30-60 seconds or until sizzling.
3. Add onions and a dash of salt.  Saute, stirring occasionally, for roughly 10 minutes or until onions are softened and translucent.
4. Add cashews, lemon zest, garlic, chili powder, and turmeric.  (If using green chillies, add them at this time.)  Saute for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Drain rice and rinse until water runs clear.  Add to rice cooker with liquid.
6. Place onion mix, peas, and curry leaves on top.  Do not stir.
7. Set rice to cook for one cycle.  (NOTE: if using stovetop to cook the rice, mix in onions, peas, and curry leaves, then follow directions on the rice package.)
8. Once cooker cycle is done, allow to sit 10 minutes without opening the lid.  
9. Fluff with fork and serve.

Never-Fried "Refried" Beans

Food is such a social thing, isn't it?  We love to share it.  We love to build memories around it.  Want to see a cook light up?  Ask them for an old family recipe, or a favorite meal they shared with a friend.  We've all got those stories.  These are Grandma's lemon bars, this is my old roommate's famous kielbasa pizza, that is the little cafe we all went to after the night shift ended.

Sometimes it's just a flicker.  For example, every time I see refried beans I remember standing on tiptoe  to peek over the kitchen counter one day as Gram told me how "refried" was a mistranslation.  For the rest of my childhood I wondered just how many times they were really fried since they're supposed to be so bad for you.

And then one day I decided to look it up, and wow was I surprised.  Technically refried beans never have to be fried at all, although they might as well be.  I must've looked at about two dozen different recipes, and the majority used either lard or bacon fat in terrifying quantities.  The prize-winner had 1/2 cup of lard for 2 cups of beans, meaning that 20% of the total recipe was lard.  Now, clearly I'm not a girl who shies away from experimenting with new and interesting fats, but YIKES.  Double yikes.  Doesn't that make you a bit nervous for your arteries?  Surely, I thought, I could improve upon that a little.

That, plus the unsettling way that canned refried beans slorp out in a single can-shaped mass into the frying pan, convinced me that I'd be making them from scratch from now on.  And as it turns out, it couldn't be easier.

If you want the quick, picture/commentary-free version of the recipe, scroll to the bottom.

Never-Fried Frijoles Refritos

When you get right down to the nitty-gritty, making refried beans is pretty much the same process as making hummus:  cook beans until they're soft, add some flavorings, blend until smooth.  Easy-peasy, right?

I started with 2 cups of pinto beans.  Pinto beans are the standard for making refried beans (let's just call them that for argument's sake), though if you have other beans on hand then I say go for it.  This was never going to be a purist's recipe anyhow.

I've also been known to add pumpkin or beets to my hummus, so clearly I have no regard for the rules.

I boiled up my own dried beans.  If you're using canned or frozen (watch out for added flavors/MSG/salt), then you can skip down to the blending bit.

I covered the beans with warm water -- about 3-4 inches over the top of the beans to give them room to grow -- and let them sit overnight.  As we mentioned with the Hoppin' John recipe, you can quick soak them in about an hour instead if you're in more of a hurry.

Twelve-ish hours later I rinsed and drained them, then put them in a pan.  These were covered with fresh water, again about 4ish inches over the top of the beans.  (Don't you just love how precise this all is?)

 When making refried beans the regular way, the beans are boiled up by themselves and then the flavorings are fried and added along with the lard after the beans are cooked.  Since I wanted to remove oil from the recipe altogether, I put my garlic, onion, and sweet red pepper in to boil.  I figured that'd get them all mushy enough to puree up.  If you wanted a little more fresh veg crunch in your refried beans then you could just add them raw, assuming whatever you're using to blend this all up can handle raw onion.  It's up to you.  More on this in a second.

I used about 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 of the onion, and one red pepper.  The pepper I used was not spicy at all, but if you wanted to use a jalepeno or something with some kick, just please remember to use gloves when dicing/de-seeding.  I've given the agony spiel before, right?  Agony.

You don't have to be all that neat when chopping these up since they're going to be pureed later anyway.  Toss 'em in with the beans and put 'em on to boil.

Once the water's boiling, turn it down to a simmer and cover it.  How long it takes the beans to get mushy enough depends entirely on things you can't control, like how old and how dry the beans were when you started.  Check 'em at about an hour, and maybe every 15 thereafter.  They're done when you can smoosh them easily with the back of a spoon.

Mmmmm, squishy.

When you drain them, be mindful to save some of the liquid that you cooked the beans in.  This is going to be used in just a second.  You don't have to save it all.  In the ballpark of 1/2 cup of liquid per cup of beans should be way more than plenty.  So for this recipe that's about a cup of liquid.  Although we definitely won't use all that, better safe than sorry.

I usually just set a bowl under the strainer.

How you blend up your beans depends on what you have to work with.  I used my food processor.  You might use an immersion blender or even a potato masher if that's what you've got.   Whatever you use, just be sure to move the beans to a regular bowl first -- don't puree them in the sieve.  Sounds obvious, but I've done some pretty ditzy things in my life.

If you didn't already add the garlic, pepper, and onion, go ahead and do that now.  Or you could even use garlic paste, if you want.  If you're blending with a potato masher or immersion blender you'll definitely want to boil the veggies first or they'll never blend in with the beans.  The other thing you could do is to stir-fry them on the stovetop until soft.  I'd recommend olive oil if going that route.  With a food processor it doesn't matter so much whether you toss raw veggies in, which is probably what I'll do next time.

To help things along, add a teaspoon or two of the reserved cooking liquid (bean juice?).  A little goes a long way.  The less you use, the thicker your refried beans will be.  If you like a thick paste, then err on the side of very little water.  You can even start with none and see if that works for you.

A little splash'll do ya.  You can always add more later.  I probably added too much, to be honest.

Puree that bad boy up.  Next we add spices.  Since I used a sweet pepper I loaded up on the chili powder.  I went with 1 tsp chili powder (optional, adjust to taste), 1/2 tsp cumin powder, and 1 tsp coriander powder.  If I'd though of it sooner I might've tried throwing in fresh cilantro rather than the coriander.  Whatever, it all came together just fine.

Give it another pulse to work in the spices and you're good to go!

I got to use my cute little salsa bowl set.  Yay!

What I loved about this is that it tasted so... not full of lard.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love bacon as much as the next gal and there's a time and a place for using fats of all kinds in cooking.  I won't claim that this tastes truly authentic.  Doc noticed right away that this was missing a kind of savory, fatty something that he was used to.  That said, he also ate just about the whole bowl himself, particularly after I explained why it was different from what we'd get at a restaurant.  I've wondered if maybe next time adding corn might not give it the extra something.  If any brave souls out there try it, be sure to let me know if it worked.

I loved that this dish is so much more than a side. So far I've used it on nachos (blended with some jalepenos and tomatoes), as a hummus-style dip for raw veggies, and tomorrow I'll use up the rest in beef & bean enchiladas.  It's super filling, too (protein + fiber = happy tummy).  As long as you've blended out all the lumps it'd even been an option for people who eat purees.

I hope this will hold you for healthy recipes for a week or so, 'cause this weekend I'm going to be making scones and white chocolate popcorn.  But then we'll get back to the good stuff, I promise.

Never-Fried Frijoles Refritos

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
• Can sub: 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed & soaked.  If using canned, skip the steps for boiling the beans.
• 4-5 whole cloves of garlic (optional, to taste)
• 1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
• Can sub: 1-2 jalepeno peppers, to taste
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Can sub: 1 small handful chopped fresh cilantro
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak dry beans overnight in water that covers beans by 3-4 inches.
2. Drain & rinse beans well.
3. Place beans in stock pot with enough fresh water to cover the beans by 3-4 inches.  Add onion, garlic, and pepper and bring to a boil.
4. When water reaches a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover, and let cook until beans can be easily mashed with the back of a spoon.
5. Drain beans, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
6. Place beans in a separate bowl (if using immersion blender or potato masher) or in a food processor.  Mash until smooth, adding small amounts (max around 1 tbsp) of the cooking liquid if needed.
7. Add spices and stir until blended.  
8. Salt to taste.

Cucumber Parfait: What is "Raita" and Why Do I Care?

It took a long time for me to learn to read south Asian recipes.  Sometimes the author would use words I wasn't used to and I'd be second-guessing myself, like "curd" instead of "yogurt."  Other times they'd use words interchangeably, leaving me flounderingly unaware that cilantro and coriander are the same thing (they totally are, trust me).  Now and then I'd even avoid a recipe altogether because of the ironic and ubiquitous "chilly powder" error that plagues countless recipes and products.

(Cue Inigo Montoya here.)

Raita is a cucumber side dish.  Remember the tzatziki craze a few years back, when everything under the sun was covered in yogurt & dill and stuffed into a pita?  Raita is in more or less the same family.  At its heart raita is diced cucumbers in cilantro- and mint-flavored yogurt.  The rest is up to you.

If I can globe hop for just a minute, something I have learned is that in Japanese cooking there is a lot of emphasis on variety: a mixture of different colors, textures, and flavors should be present at every meal in order to help both tongue and eyeballs feel satiated (seriously).  One of the ways they accomplish this is through having pickled side dishes - just a few bites is enough sour or bitterness to round out the meal, plus it often adds a bit of crunch.  Sounds crazy, but it works.  In my mind raita is in the same vein.  It's a slightly sour, slightly crunchy side dish to help satisfy your taste buds and your brain.

Here's the neat bonus feature of raita: it helps to cool your mouth down after spicy foods in two different ways.  Ever heard the old wives' tale that you should drink milk after eating spicy food?  One theory goes (and forgive me, I can't verify if this is true or not so I fully invite a more informed opinion to chime in here) that the nervous system's reaction to capsaicin - the chemical in the chili pepper that makes your insides scream in burny agony - is partly blocked by the proteins in dairy.  So that's one way.  The other way is that yogurt, mint, and cucumber have a psychological cooling effect on the tongue, helping you to feel cooler even if you aren't actually cooler.

We've all tried too hard now and then.

I'm going to share with you my own makeshift recipe for raita.  I'll offer some suggestions for ways to change or improve upon it, but in the end it comes down to what makes you happy.  Think of it like a cucumber parfait: the yogurt and cucumber are the key players, the rest is up to your imagination and your tastes.

Raita for Beginners

I started out with around 1.25 cups of plain yogurt.  I happen to have Greek yogurt in the house at the moment, but regular yogurt obviously would work well so long as it's the plain, unflavored kind.  Don't use vanilla, it will be gross.  As you can see, yogurt straight out of the container's a little lumpy.

Thirty seconds with a whisk fixes that and makes the next few bits a lot easier.

Smoov.

To the yogurt I added ~2 tsps of honey.  You can skip the honey altogether if you'd like, or add more according to your tastes.

Sweet.

Next I grabbed a small amount of fresh cilantro and fresh mint, about 2:1 in terms of volume.

If you have coriander-mint chutney (remember: cilantro and coriander are the same thing), you can use that in place of the fresh herbs.  You could probably also use dried herbs here, but I haven't experimented with that so I can't tell you how much to use.  Dried herbs are usually much more potent than fresh, so start small.

If using fresh cilantro and mint, chop them up very, very finely:

Lookin' fine.

Then add them to the yogurt.  If you want, you can also add any of the following: garlic powder, salt, onion powder, cumin powder, or other veggies like diced bell peppers or shredded carrots.  I don't use any of these, but it's nice to know your options, isn't it?  Feel free to play around and report back.

I've run out of descriptors.  

Next I diced up half a cucumber, a tomato, and 1/4 of a red onion.  The onion I chopped more finely than the cuke and tomato because I personally don't like a big bite of onion in one go.  Unlike Doc, who can eat raw onions like an apple.  (I think his taste buds are broken.)

Yum!  Dig those colors!

And that's the basic recipe!  I've also seen people put chilies, jalapeño peppers, or red chili powder in raita as well, but I skip that bit because that ruins the whole "cooling off" thing for me.  Maybe that's why so many people struggle with the chilly/chili difference...?

Brrrrrr.

So there you have it!  The ratio of yogurt to veggies isn't crucial.  None of it really is.  I wanted to get off to an easy, stress-free start.  Next up is a turkey curry, so stay tuned!

Plays well with others.