Tag: main course
Joojeh Kabobs
Joojeh Kabob
Joojeh kabobs are one of the most popular kabobs in Persian cuisine. Cubed chicken breast is marinated in lemon juice, onion, olive oil, and saffron. The chicken is then skewered up and either grilled or broiled. It is as simple as that. The kabobs are served with basmati rice or lavash bread, which is similar to pita. Grilled tomatoes, onions, and peppers are great accompaniments.What I like about the Persian’s take on kabobs is that the meat and vegetables are always grilled separate. Meat and vegetables grill at different rates, which has always drove me insane when I see them on the same skewer in other cuisine. No more undercooked vegetables with overcooked meat.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast 1 1/2” cubes
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp saffron powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Purée all of the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Skewer up the chicken. Place the kabobs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 7-8 minutes a side.
Roast Pork and Pineapple
Roast Pork and Pineapple
Pork is the most popular meat in all Latin countries. This recipe consists of dry rubbing the pork and roasting with fresh pineapple and sweet onions. The pork generates a lot of pan juices that gets turned into a pork/pineapple gravy. The gravy is then ladled back over the pork. What sounds better than this? The recipe calls for 4-5lbs of a pork loin roast. I always recommend using bone in, but boneless will work too. I happened to have 4lbs of bone in country style ribs, so I used that instead of a roast. Country style ribs aren’t actually ribs, but the rib end of a pork loin, cut in half to slightly resemble a rib. Both will cook the same way.
Ingredients
Spice Rub
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Roast Pork and Pineapple
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 lbs pork loin roast or bone in country style ribs
- 1 small pineapple cored and sliced into 1/2” thick rings
- 1 sweet onion sliced
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 3 tbsp butter
Gravy
- 2 cups pan juices from roasting strained
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Mix together all of the dry spices.
- Rub the pork down with olive oil and the spice dry rub.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pork down the center of a roasting pan. Arrange the onions around the perimeter of the pork, with the pineapple layer across the top. Pour in the 2 cups of pineapple juice. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes.
- Take the pork out of the oven. Cover with foil. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Roast for 1 hour. Baste with the juices half way into the hour.
- Take out of the oven and uncover. Place the butter across the top of the pork and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Strain 2 cups of the pan juices into a small pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix together the heavy cream and cornstarch. Whisk into the pan juices to make a gravy.
- Serve with mashed potatoes. Ladle the gravy over the pork and potatoes. Garnish with cilantro.
Cambodian Roast Chicken
Cambodian Roast Chicken
While this recipe looks very basic and plain, the flavor definitely isn’t. The marinade for this chicken adds a sweet and saltiness to the chicken. The glaze adds a garlicy, almost paprika like flavor plus a nice red color from the ground annatto seeds.There are two routes you can go with the chicken you use. You can roast a whole chicken or use chicken pieces. If using a whole chicken, I recommend butterflying. This will allow the chicken to absorb the marinade and cook more evenly. You will also be able to brush the entire chicken with the glaze instead of missing the bottom side if left whole. If using chicken pieces, I recommend using all of the same piece. Chicken breasts, wings, thighs, and drumsticks all take different times to cook. This will help having all of the pieces cook at the same rate. I used all drumsticks for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs whole chicken or chicken pieces
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Chicken Glaze
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp annatto seeds ground
Instructions
- Mix together the garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, and sugar.
- Marinate the chicken in a gallon sized ziplock bag for 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. If using a whole chicken, roast for 60 minutes. If using chicken parts such as drumsticks, roast for 20 minutes a side.
- While the chicken is roasting, you can start making the glaze. Heat up cooking oil in a small pan over medium high heat. Sauté the garlic cloves for 2 minutes until browned. Remove from the oil.
- Add in the ground annatto seeds. Cook for 1 minute.
- Set the glaze aside.
- If using a whole chicken, brush with the glaze. Cook for 15 minutes. Brush with one more layer of the glaze and roast for another 15 minutes.If using chicken pieces like I did, turn on your oven’s broiler, keeping the oven rack on the second lowest level. Brush the top side with the glaze. Broil for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken. Brush with a layer of the glaze. Broil for another 5 minutes. Do these steps 1 more time.
- You should have 2 layers of glaze on the chicken by the time it’s finished cooking. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
