Noodle rice - reshte polow

If you are a big fan of noodle, you have to try this recipe to experience a new type of noodle dish. For me it is a bizarre food because it combines both rice and noodle in one single recipe. It has aromatic smells from the advieh (spices) and crunchy texture from the sauted noodle. 

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2cup of rice (soaked for at least 2 hours)

- Some Persian noodle (reshteh)

- 1 onion

- 1 tspn turmeric powder

- 1/2 tspn cinnamon powder

- saffron liquid

- Some raisins

- Bread for tahdig

- Butter/oil

- Salt

Methods:

1. Saute reshteh with some butter until golden. Keep eye on it because it can burnt easily. Put aside.

2. In another pan,saute diced onion until translucent, add turmeric and cinnamon. Add raisins and stir well. Put aside.

3. Pre-boil rice with some salt and oil . Add the reshteh. When rice turns al dente, rinse. 

4. Now,the fun part begins. In a pot, pour some oil. Place bread at the bottom for  wonderful tahdig. Put first layer of mixture reshteh and rice, follow with raisin until finish. Pour some liquid saffron on top. Cover and cook in a medium heat for an hour. 

Crispy bread tahdig!!

Serve with your favourite side dishes. This time, I had with Persian Chicken, Salad and Grilled Prawn.

Grilled Prawn (Megoo Kababi)

To Marinate:

Mix 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp crushed black pepper, 1tsp of turmeric powder, a pinch of salt with half kg of prawn

After an hour, grill the prawn. 

* This is a Malay recipe which I invented >.<

Persian Style Chicken

This is another bff's favourite food to eat with rice. And it is really easy to prepare.

You need:
- 4-6 Chicken drumsticks
- 1 large onion
- 1 large potato, cut into 4
- 2 tspn turmeric powder
- 1 tspn cinnamon powder
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1 lime
- Hot water

Method:
1. Saute onion with oil until translucent, add turmeric and cinnamon.
2 .Add in chicken, saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add in hot water covering the chicken. Add in potato. Simmer with medium heat for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the water level must have been reduced to 1/4 makes the gravy thicker.
4. Add in lime juice and simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste with salt.

Khoresht Loobia Sabz (Green Bean with Meat Stew)

Ingredients:
500g meat - cut into 2cm cubes
green beans - remove ends and cut into 3cm pieces
1 large onion - small dice
4 garlic cloves - small dice
3 ripe tomatoes - boil, remove skin, dice
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
turmeric powder
blackpepper
salt
oil

Methods:
1. Saute onion and garlic, when translucent add turmeric powder.
2. Put in meat with some pepper. When meat has brown all sides, pour water covering the meat. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, mix well, cover and simmer in medium heat for one hour.
3. In other pan, saute green beans with some oil for about 3 minutes.
4. After an hour, mix the sauted green beans into the khoresht with lemon juice and salt. Simmer another one hour or until the meat is tender.
5. Serve with saffron rice.

Loobia Citi which taste like baked beans

Ingredients:
A handful of Loobia chiti (pinto beans) soaked overnight
Tomato paste 2 tbsp
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Methods:
1. Boil beans with 3 cups of water.simmer with low hear until tender. Approximately 1 half hour.
2. When tender, add tomato paste tomato ketchup olive oil n salt
3. Simmer until all mix well
4. Serve with salads

Salad Makaroni

Talking about salad, I always think of green vegetables salad with dressings. But when I enter the Persians world, my view changed after seeing salad makaroni. I first ate it when bff's mom came here. It served as an appetizer before main course. 

Ingredients:

Makaroni spiral

Potato - boil

Khiarshu (pickle cucumber) - dice

Kalbaz (ham) or sosis (sausage) - if using sausage cook it first

Canned sweet corn

Carrot - dice

Piaz (onion) - very small dice

Mayonnaise

Salt

Pepper

Lime juice

Olive oil

Methods:

1. For dressings; mix together onion, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, lime juice and olive oil. 

2. Mix all of other ingredients with dressings

Cucumber & yogurt dip (mast-o-khiar)

Mast-o-khiar is a refreshing recipe to accompany your meal. You can also make it as a snack to dip with chips. Some people love the khiar (cucumber)'s slice bigger for a crunchier effect. But bff always loves with a small tiny slices of cucumber. Any style you like, mast o khiar is a healthy hence delicious to try.

Ingredients:
Cucumber
Yogurt
Mint
Salt
Blackpepper

Methods:
Mix everything. Better consume when chilled.

Hibernation

Quite a long time I didn't update this blog. Workloads and studies are the main reasons. Even technology has make it easier which I can update from iphone, still I think I don't have extra time to do that. Sigh..

Life has been great for me. I cook lots and sure I will share it here to keep as my reference in the future. Bff is now completing the last work for his thesis. My pray is for him to finish it on time so that he can rest and go back to his family in Iran. I can see his stress, missing hometown. Hopefully before August he can finish everything and fly back to Iran. For me it will be my chance to have new mantou, magna and other Iran's goodies. weehooo!! The sooner he settle everything, the sooner our dream come true :)

On the other hand, my studies is way too far. Semester 2 has finished and next semester I have to prepare for proposal defense. I won't reveal how much I did, what I can say is it feel like killing me now. I just hope everything will be ok.

And the latest news, I got new nephew on May 11. Aaoron Harris. Yes, maybe my brother and sis in law ia hard fan or Aaron Aziz and Ombak Rindu. 

That's all from now coz I have mehmoon (guests) to come for sham (dinner) which I cooked tahchin, salad makaroni and jemput-jemput pisang. Pictures will be update. Bye!

Stupidity

What u feel when someone good called u stupid?

Answer: sad and regret while looking fwd to future

Truth: I am not stupid coz doing things right

Dill Rice with Meat - Shivid polow ba gusht

Ingredients:
A pack of 300 g meat, cubed
2 medium onions
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tbsp blackpepper
Dried dill
Oil
Salt
Fried crispy Onions and garlic
Rice
Potato for tahdig

Methods:
Saute onions until golden. Add meat, fry until all sides brown. Add turmeric, cinnamon and blackpepper. Fry for about 5 minutes. Add water. When boil slower heat, simmer for 2 hours.

Cook rice until al dante. Set aside.

In a pot, put some oil, place sliced potatoes first and start to layer the other mixture staring with rice with sprinkle of dill and dried onion and garlic, then the meat, and continue layering until finish. Cover and cook in low heat for about 40 minutes.

Walla! Serve with your preferred vege!