Roasted Bell Pepper Salsa

The very first time I made this sauce, I was still living in Slovakia together with my sister. It was shortly after I started experimenting with spices in the kitchen and this one came a bit too hot for my sister´s European tongue to handle, so despite the fairly little amount, there were still some leftovers next day:

ROASTED BELL PEPPER SALSA:

Prep time: 25 minutes
makes: 100 ml

• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 green chilies
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• juice from ½ lime
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Put bell pepper together with pepperoni in a heated frying pan and dry fry them from all sides until black.
Set aside and put them into a plastic bag. Cover tightly and let cool down. This way, the burnt skin separates from the roasted flesh and peeling the peppers is not at all difficult and messy. De-seed all of the peppers and blend in a blender, together with the rest of ingredients.

I have made this salsa several times. I used a great amount in burritos, or added a tablespoon into wok-fried grated root vegetable and sunflower seeds and mixed it with boiled pasta. Or you can simply eat it as a dip with some grilled veggies. Oh, is this one good…

(Here is a simple stir-fry of tomatoes, zucchini and peas with a generous splash of the bell pepper salsa, served over some nice tagliatelle).

The salsa goes to A.W.E.D. - Mexican hosted by DK of Curry Bazaar, and the pasta dish goes to Presto Pasta Night run by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.

Fish-Fragrant Eggplants

Fish-fragrant flavor is one of Sichuan´s famous 23 flavors and an overall Chinese classic. As my favorite Chinese food guru Fuchsia Dunlop further elaborates in her Land Of Plenty:

... based on the seasonings used in traditional fish cookery, this flavor combines salty, sweet, sour and spicy notes, with the heady fragrance of garlic, ginger and scallions. The core seasoning is pickled red chilies, either on their own or mixed with fava beans in Sichuanese chili bean paste, which give fish-fragrant dishes their distinctive orange-red hue...

There are many dishes I remember ordering that were "fishy" yet vegetarian, such as fish-fragrant pork slivers (did I say vegetarian? :-) , fish-fragrant Tofu or my absolute favorite all-time winner:

FISH FRAGRANT EGGPLANT:
(鱼香茄子 - yu xiang qie zi)

• 450 g purple eggplants *
  
• 100 g minced meat (or reconstituted soy mince)
  
• salt
• oil (+ a splash of sesame oil for final touch)
  
• 2 tbsp Sichuanese chili bean paste (豆瓣酱 -dou ban jiang)
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  
• 3 tsp pressed garlic
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
  
• 2 tsp rice wine
• 3 scallions, green parts only

* NOTE: This dish consists of a sauce and fried cubed veggies, so feel free to experiment. Try cauliflower, zucchini or squash, cubed tofu or even hard-boiled eggs.

Cut the eggplants length-ways into 4 quarters and each part further into 4 even chunks. Sprinkle with salt and leave 30 minutes in a colander to loose some of the juices. Wash well and pat-dry with towel.
In the wok, heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Add the eggplants and fry until golden. Set aside.

Heat another tablespoon in the wok, add the mince, chili bean paste and stir-fry for couple of seconds; then add the garlic, ginger and fry until fragrant.

Add the stock together with the sugar, soy sauce and let simmer for a few minutes.
Add the eggplants and the scallions.

Dissolve the cornstarch mixture in a tablespoon of water and add this mixture to the wok. Add the vinegar and cook until thickened. Remove from fire, add the sesame oil and serve over rice.


This one goes to Chinese Take-Out Party hosted by Mochachocolate Rita. I cannot wait to see the round-up and the lucky-drawn :-)

Chinese Food Rocks! Here are some more recipes from the Land of Chopsticks - the real stuff, as taught and experienced while living in Beijing.

Arusuvai - Secret Revealed..... And Some Chai

Thank to all of you participating Arusuvai - Guess the secret ingredient game. I was having a lot of fun correcting your answers.

Number two seemed to be a no-brainer: Garam Masala - salt and pepper of Indian cuisine, that is correct.

Number three was a bit harder. Some of you guessed habanero or bori in Hindi. Well, pretty pretty close. The correct answer should have been smoked cobanero.

....the Cobanero is also known as the "hot little sister of the Habanero" and officially goes by the name of Cobanero Mayan Love Pepper for it's color and shape resemble that of a heart. Originally cultivated by the Mayan's of Guatemala, it ranks as one of the worlds hottest peppers. The Cobanero is a rare hot pepper that gains its strength from the vine... and like the Cobanero, through cultivation, we can individualize your message with economical vine-like growth.

The very first one was a tough one,... None guessed the right stuff, but to be honest, if I did not receive this spice blend, I would never know what the hell it was or what to do with it. So, here it is, for your curious ears:

Maure Kaoua - a Moroccan Coffee Spice Blend. My supplier Pel of Elaichi Et Cetera... explains:

For each demitasse ("half-cup", "small cup") take 1/2 C of water and 1 t sugar (less or none if you prefer) and set it to boil (there is a special pot called an ibrik, but this isn't necessary). Add 1 heaping teaspoon of finely-powdered coffee-grounds for each 1/2 C of water plus some of the masala (in Turkey, just cardamom is added). It will foam up. Lift it away from the heat to let it settle down. Do this two more times- bring it to boil and lift it away (3 is a sacred number in Islam). Spoon some of the foam into each cup, and then pour the coffee. Let it sit for a few minutes for the grounds to settle at the bottom and enjoy. If any grounds stay floating at the top, grind the coffee more finely next time.

So you wonder what´s in it? Well, I did too... I have to tell you, there is more ingredients than I imagined when I first smelled to it. Pel apparently spent some serious time in his kitchen. Here is his not-so-secret-any more formula:

MOROCCAN COFFEE SPICE BLEND:
(Maure Kaoua)
Recipe by Elaichi Et Cetera, adapted from Paula Wolfert)

• 2 whole nutmegs
• 4 blades of cinnamon (about 1 tsp ground)
• 6-8 dried rosebuds (damask or alba roses)
• 12 whole cloves
• 1/8 tsp gum arabic (aka. gum acacia)
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground galanga
• 2 allspice berries (1/8 tsp)
• 3/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 3 blades of mace (about 1/2 tsp ground)
• 15 green (or white) cardamom pods
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp anise seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp roasted besan flour
  

Pel suggest roasting fennel, anise and sesame seeds before grinding for extra aroma. However you decide, simply grind all the ingredients together to a fine powder and store in closed container away from heat and sun.

To me, Maure Kaoua smells and tastes just like Indian Chai, so I decided to use it exactly the same way. Here is my:

SPICED CHAI:

• 1 cup milk (I used soy milk)
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp black tea leaves
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 heaped teaspoon Chai Masala (I used Moroccan Maure Kaoua - recipe above)

In a sauce pan, mix together water and milk. Bring to boil. Add the leaves and masala and let boil for about 5 minutes. Turn off and strain the spices. Serve hot.

As for the next Arusuvai receiver, I chose Ronell of My French Kitchen, for I was extremely keen on spreading the friendship chain around Europe.

T&T - Tastes Like Home

Tried and Tasted (T&T) is a monthly event of appreciation of other blogs - an opportunity to thank your fellow bloggers for sharing their recipes by re-creating them.
Starting the very first edition of T&T, I have kindly asked Cynthia of Tastes Like Home to be the first “laboratory rat”.

Cynthia was the very first person to comment on my blog and is a great support throughout my blogging days. I have tried several of her recipes and have to say that not only do they look gorgeous, they taste delicious too.

Cynthia’s blog is beautifully weaved with pictures of dishes mainly from her homeland – Barbados and Guyana. It rarely features actual recipes (this is because she is writing a book), but she is more than willing to share them. All you need to do is to drop her an e-mail.

So why not come home one evening saying: “Honey, let’s have some Caribbean tonight.”

The rules are simple:

1. Cook any recipe(s) from Tastes Like Home and post about it. Stay as true to the original recipe(s) as possible. Therefore, there is no need for re-posting it, simply link to the original post :-)
   
1. There is no time-frame for the original recipe. It can be as old as my grand-mother or as fresh as a mung bean sprout.
2. Link your post to HERE (feel free to use the logo) and to the original post. Please always link to both sites, so both blogs are given credit and you are avoiding copyright fuss.
   
3. Send me an e-mail (zlamushka@hotmail.com) with your name, your post URL as well as the original URL and a picture (any size).
4. Deadline is the May 31st 2008 and the round up will be posted within a week.

Non-bloggers are more than welcome to participate (after all, our posts are mainly being written for them). Simply e-mail me (zlamushka@hotmail.com) with your experience of what you cooked and please include a picture.

The round up will be posted during the first week in June.

So from now on until the end of the month, we are enjoying TASTES LIKE HOME!

Excuse my impatience, I have already indulged myself into her Tamarind Relish:

Cynthia suggests this relish as a dipping sauce with raw or cooked veggies or instead of the regular chutney with any curry dish, particularly stirred into a seafood curry. I have stirred a generous tablespoon with boiled couscous, stir-fried mushrooms and peas, fresh veggies, nuts and raisins. Lovely sweet and sour, slightly spicy salad: