Tag: rice
Tuna Kimbap
Tuna Kimbap
Koreans love tuna salad, and frequently use it in kimbap. Tuna kimbap has a few different ingredients from the traditional recipe. Obviously there’s the tuna salad in there, but it also has crab stick, cucumber, pickled radish, and perilla leaves on a bed of green lettuce. I specifically used a higher quality brand of canned tuna (Dolores yellowfin) because your basic everyday canned tuna is crap. Not in my kimbap. Tuna kimbap is best when served immediately. Over time, the tuna salad will make the vegetables soggy; and you want them to be crunchy.
Equipment
- sushi rolling mat
- serrated knife
Ingredients
- 1 can yellowfin tuna drained
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp celery finely diced
- tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 leaves romaine lettuce
- 4 perilla leaves
- 3 crab stick
- 1/4 cup cucumber seeded and julienned
- 2 strips pickled radish
- 1 1/2 cups steamed short grain rice
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 sheets nori
Instructions
- Mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, dijon, lemon juice, celery, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Mix together the sesame oil, rice, and salt while the rice is still warm.
- Lay a piece of nori shiny side down on a bamboo sushi rolling mat. Spread 3/4 cup of rice in an even single layer across the nori.
- Place a large leaf of romaine lettuce on the bottom of the rice, creating a bed. Place 2 perilla leaves across the center of the lettuce. Then starting from the bottom up, arrange the ingredients in the following order: crab stick, tuna salad, pickled radish, and cucumber.
- Carefully roll the kimbap tightly with the rolling mat.
- Unroll it. Bring the roll towards the bottom of the mat and roll tightly again.
- Using a serrated knife, slice 1” pieces off the tuna kimbap roll.
Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves
Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves
I’ve been obsessed with stuffed grape leaves for a while. Many countries have their own version them: Greece with dolmades, Turkey with dolmas, and Lebanon with warak enab. They all are fairly similar with slight variations in fillings and preparation. These particular stuffed grape leaves are of the Lebanese kind. The stuffing is simply ground beef seasoned with 7 spice, cinnamon, salt, fresh parsley, plus a short grain rice. You can also use ground lamb instead of beef. The leaves are then stuffed and rolled up. You should yield about 50 stuffed grape leaves from this recipe. To cook the stuffed grape leaves, layer the bottom of a wide pot with slices of potato and tomatoes. This will keep the grape leaves from sticking to the bottom while adding flavor. Layer the grape leaves on top of the tomatoes. Then layer the second layer facing the opposite direction. Place a heaving plate on top of the leaves. This will hold them in place while cooking. Pour enough boiling water in the pot to almost completely cover the plate. Place a cover on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat. Take off the plate. Squeeze over lemon juice. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit for 30 more minutes.You can serve these stuffed grape leaves as an appetizer. But after trying one, you will change your mind and eat these as your main course. While I’ve always have eaten these cold, these are eaten warm. Both ways are right.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
- 2 tsp 7 spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups short grain rice
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 jar grape leaves
- 2 medium potatoes peeled; thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato thinly sliced
- boiling water
- 2 lemons juiced
Garnish
- lemon slices
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a sauté pan.
- Season with 7 spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the ground beef with the rice, parsley, and olive oil.
Stuffing the Grape Leaves
- Rinse all of the grape leaves under water. Cut the stems from each of the grape leaves.
- Place a heaping tsp of the filling in the center of the leaf, with the pointy side facing up.
- Fold up each of the sides.
- Fold in the corners.
- Roll it up. You don’t want them to be too tight, since the rice will expand during cooking.
- Roll up until all of the stuffing is used. You should yield 40-50 stuffed grape leaves.
- Slice the potatoes and tomato on a mandolin. Layer the bottom of a wide pot with them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
- Place a single layer of the grape leaves on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the next layer faving the opposite direction on top of the first layer. Drizzle with more olive oil.
- Place a wide plate on top of the grape leaves. Fill the pot with boiling water; enough to almost cover the plate.
- Place a cover on the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the grape leaves. Place the cover back on. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit for another 30 minutes.
Chana Pulao (Instant Pot)
Chana Pulao (Instant Pot)
Chana pulao is a great South Asian side dish of basmati rice, chickpeas, and aromatics. I prepared this dish in my Instant Pot since it cuts the cooking time in half while getting the same results if you were to prepare on the stove top. I personally like to eat the leftovers the next morning topped with a couple of fried eggs.
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice rinsed
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 black cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot function to sauté over medium heat. Sauté the onions and cumin seeds for 10 minutes.
- Add in the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in the rice. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Pour in the water. Season with salt. Turn the Instant Pot function to pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Place the cover on and push start.
