Empanadas de Pino al Horno

Recipe from Hector, chef at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, via Janice Lee

Ingredients:

Pino (filling)

Beef, soft and non-fat cuts, cut into 1/4" cubes [less traditional: use ground beef] - 1 lb

Onions, finely chopped - 3 big

Lard or shortening - 3 tbsp

Paprika - 2 tbsp

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Black olives (kalamata is fine) - 4 oz

Eggs, hard boiled - 3

Oil

Salt

Pepper

Dough

Flour - 2 lb

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Lard or shortening - 7 oz

Salt - 1 tbsp

Warm milk - 1 cup

Egg yolk (mixed with milk) - 1

Method:

Pino:

Melt the lard in a pot and fry the beef. Add the minced onions, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook until onions are translucent. Let cool. Optionally, add 2 tbsp sugar if you desire a sweet filling.

Dough:

Mix the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugar. Melt the lard and add this to the dough with warm milk. Mix to form a soft and smooth dough. Let rest half an hour.

Making the empanadas:

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and cover with a cloth to keep it warm. Stretch out each piece of dough with a rolling pin into disks of about 3 mm thickness. Place a tablespoon of filling onto the disk, and add a quarter of a boiled egg and a black olive. Wet the edges of the disk and fold in the middle. Fold the edge to seal. Brush the top of the empanada with the yolk-milk mixture. Make a little hole with a toothpick on top to let it breathe and to avoid inflated dough during baking.

Preheat the oven to 200 C and bake for about 40 min. Serve hot.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Tangy spinach stir fry

Perfect as a side dish to rice or chapatis.

Ingredients:

Spinach, frozen - 1 lb bag

Dried red chili - 2

Udad dal - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp [optional]

Asafoetida - 1 pinch [optional]

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Tomatoes, quartered - 2 small

Oil - 1-2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the rest of the seasoning ingredients (udad dal, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida). Stir well. After a minute or two, add the tomatoes and cook covered on a medium flame until they soften (about 10 min). Add salt, mix well, and add the frozen spinach. Cook covered on a medium flame for 10 min. Stir occasionally and check the moisture content. The frozen spinach should have enough water, but if the mixture seems too dry (i.e., if the spinach starts sticking to the pan), add a tablespoon of water. This dish is neither supposed to be too dry nor too water. The final product should be crunchy due to the udad dal, and juicy and tangy due to the tomatoes, without being watery.

Serve hot as a side dish with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Instant Pot French Dip

Ingredients:

Beef tenderloin - 1 kg

Onions, sliced - 3

Garlic, minced - 6 cloves

Hot water - 1 cup

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Dried rosemary - 1 pinch

Thyme - 1 pinch

Bay leaves - 2

Method:

Heat a cast iron pan. Coat with olive oil. Season one side of the tenderloin with salt and pepper and place on the pan. Cook for 10 min. Season other side and flip and cook for 10 min. Set aside. Add onions in the pan and cook until soft. Reserve 1/3 of the onion for later. Add garlic, rosemary, and thyme to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Deglaze pan with hot water, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon.

Add the liquid to the Instant Pot and stuff the beef pieces in, submerging as much of the beef as possible. Pressure cook for 45 min and then allow natural pressure release for 25 min. Remove the beef pieces and shred. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the liquid. Add the reserved onion and cook for up to 10 min or until the liquid thickens. Separate the fat if required.

Note: if you use steak bones or beef ribs, set aside the bones after searing the meat. These bones can then be cooked along with veggies (carrots, celery, etc) and with some apple cider vinegar and (6 cups of) boiling water in the Instant Pot for ~45 min to make a stew/stock.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: This recipe.

Vaangi (eggplant) bhaat (rice)

Ingredients:

For the powder:

Dried red chilies - 12

Chana dal - 2 tbsp

Udad dal - 2 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1.5 tsp

Poppy seeds - 4.5 tsp

Cinnamon - 3 x 2" pieces

Cardamom pods - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 3/4 tsp

Coconut, dried and grated (I used unsweetened dessicated coconut chips) - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Rice:

Wash and soak 2 cups of rice for 20 min, then cook. After 15 min, fluff with a fork.

For the paste:

Oil (I used sesame) - 3 tbsp

Eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces, soaked in salt water for 20 min - 1/2 to 1 medium

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Udad dal - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Red chilies - 4

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Turmeric - a pinch

Vaangi bhaat powder - 5 tsp

Jaggery or sugar - 1 tsp

Tamarind pulp - 4 tbsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:

Preparing the powder: heat 1/4 tbsp oil and fry the red chilies for up to two minutes or until they start turning black. Remove onto a plate. Add the remaining oil and fry the following in order: chana dal, udad dal, coconut, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cinnamin, cardamom, cloves, and finally the poppy seeds. The poppy seeds be the fastest to roast so they shouldn't spend a lot of time in the pan. Set aside to cool. Grind all the ingredients into a powder. To prepare vangi bhaat, use 2.5 tbsp of this powder per cup of uncooked rice. The powder can be stored in an airtight container.

Preparing the paste:

Heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and udad dal. Roast the peanuts and add the red chilies and asafoetida and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the eggplants that have been sitting in salted water, salt, and turmeric. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 min or until eggplant pieces start to soften. Add tamarind water mixed with sugar/jaggery and the vaangi bhaat powder. Mix well and cook until the sauce thickens.

Mix with cooked rice and serve with chips and raita.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: This recipe and this recipe.

Chow chow (chayote) mor kuzhambu (spicy buttermilk soup), Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Chayote, cut into large pieces - 4 large

Buttermilk or diluted whisked yogurt - 2 L

Paste

Rice - 1/4 cup

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Coconut, shredded or in strips - 1 cup

Green chilies - 3-4

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Ginger, chopped coarsely - 2" piece

Turmeric powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

Salt - 2 tsp or to taste

Seasoning/garnish

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Udad dal - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Coriander leaves, chopped fine - 1/4 cup

Method:

Cook the chayote in the Instant Pot on the pressure cooker setting for 6 min. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

In the meantime, wash and soak the rice and toor dal for 30 min, then blend into a thick paste along with the coconut, cumin seeds, green chilies, and ginger. Add buttermilk to this paste, mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps. Season with salt and add turmeric powder. Heat on low in a large pot until it starts to boil, stirring occasionally to check for deposits on the bottom of the pot. As the liquid heats, it will gradually change colour due to the turmeric. Turn off the stove.

In a small pot or pan, heat the oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds, udad dal, and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, turn off the stove and mix this seasoning into the mor kuzhambu. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with rice and papad.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: This recipe.

Grilled spicy zucchini

Ingredients:

Zucchini, cut into long strips - 4-6

Olive oil - 3 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Black salt - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Thyme - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Preheat oven to 200-210 C.

Cut the zucchini into long strips and throw into a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt, and spices. Bake for 45 min to 1 hr or until the zucchini starts to turn brown.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Malabar (Nadan) beef curry, Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Purée the following without any additional water:

Onions, cut into large pieces - 1 to 1.5 large

Green chili - 2

{Sesame, poppy, and flax seeds} OR {cashew nuts} - 1/3 cup total (optional)

[Optionally, you can omit the seeds, slice the onions thinly, chop the chili finely, and fry them with the rest of the ingredients. You can also fry the cashews with them.]

Ghee or oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Bay leaves - 2

Ginger, chopped fine - 2 tbsp

Garlic, chopped fine - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 4-6

Beef shank, cubed - 1 kg

Potatoes, diced - 1/2 kg

Carrots, cut into 1" pieces - 1/2 to 1 cup

Peas (optional) - 1 cup

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Tomatoes, quartered - 1.5 to 2 large (I used 3 medium canned tomatoes)

Water - approx. 1 L

Coconut milk - 1 can

Salt - 1-2 tsp or to taste

Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 cup

Method:

Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté mode and add ghee. When hot, add the following in order: bay leaves, cloves, fennel seeds, ginger and garlic, and beef. Coat the beef well and fry until all sides are sealed. Add the onions and green chilies (or the onion purée). Mix well and cook until it loses most of its water. Add the dry powders, mix well, and add tomatoes. Finally, add the potatoes, carrots, and peas. Stir well. Add just enough water to cover the mixture. Pressure cook for 8 min and wait for natural pressure release.

Add coconut milk and simmer for 5-10 min, checking for salt. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice OR baguette.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Chow chow (chayote) poriyal, Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Chow chow, washed and cut into medium-sized pieces

Coconut, coarsely ground - 1/3 cup

Green chilies, coarsely ground - 1-2

Cumin seeds, coarsely ground - 1-2 tsp

Turmeric powder

Salt

Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp

Udad dal - 1-2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

Fill the Instant Pot with just enough water to submerge the chow chow pieces. Mix in salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cook on the pressure cooker setting for 7 min. Manually release the pressure after 30-40 min. The pieces show be soft and cooked all the way through without falling apart. Drain.

Mix in the coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds, and salt.

Heat oil in a small container and fry the udad dal and mustard seeds till they start spluttering. Add to the veggies. Mix well. Optionally, mix in cooked toor dal.

Serve with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan