Scallop biryani

It’s the second biryani for the Daring Cook Challenge.

The key ingredient : baby scallop. I got them already steamed.

The gravy with sweet spices (wuxi, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, paprika…), shimeji mushrooms and goji berries.

Thai jasmine rice soaked in a mix of thick coconut milk and water, then cooked.

At the layering stage, I’ve added a few edamame beans. More shimeji mushrooms ans saffron threads on top.

It’s ready. Toppings : dry coconut, gojis and minced coriander leaves. Goya (bitter squash) to decorate the plate.

Fingerlicking yummy… Biryani is eaten with the hand. Well, I do that after taking the photos.

The extras standing behind the star, on the first photo. They are greenhouse mikan that just arrive on the markets now.

source daring cook
Fish Biryani:

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green chillies
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
3 tablespoon (60 ml) (2 oz) (60 gm) ghee
2 cups (500 ml) (370 gm) (13 oz) basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
3 cups (750 ml) coconut milk
1 lb (½ kg) white fish fillets, cut into 1 inch (2½ cm) pieces
Salt
Directions:

1. Blend the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, chillies, garlic, and half of the onion to a smooth paste.
2. Thinly slice the remaining onion and fry it in the ghee over medium high heat until lightly browned. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and enough water to bring the liquid about 1 inch (2½ cm) above the rice. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until the rice is half cooked.
3. Add the paste, fish, and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until the rice is dry.

Pesto presto and miso

A quickie.
Sesame pesto : blend lots of basil, a little garlic, toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, olive oil.

Serve the pesto on chilled silky tofu, with goya bitter squash.

Side : boil shimeji mushrooms, add red sweet pepper, then mix in miso.

Yakitori tsukune

Tonight yakitori !
But the photos are… night photos. Sorry.

You’ll see nicer in this post with 2 more versions of this basic skewer. And a mini-compil :

other yakitori

Soft tsukune recipe :
-For about 150g of meat (not too lean ground chicken), I’ve added a 1 tbs of ginger (minced), 1 tbs of leek (minced), 1 ts of soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, 2 tbs of sake, 1 tbs of sesame oil, plus a little more salt. After adding the previous ingredients and kneading, I’ve mixed in 2 big tbs of potato starch and about 1/2 cup of water. I let it rest 2 hours so flavors can mix.
-Then the balls are formed and boiled. Bring a pot of water to ebullition, pass on medium heat and throw in freshly made balls. When they are done, they are white all around and they come afloat. Take them away. They can be cooled and stored for a later meal, or used immediately.
-Put balls on skewers, oil, salt and grill. It’s the simple “salt grilled style”.

Yuzu citrus and togarashi hot chili pepper tsukune. I also made nira tsukune by adding minced nira (garlic chive) to the mix.

With the broth I made a soup, adding slices of ginger, shimeji mushrooms and negi leeks.

Chicken drumstick takikomi gohan

Another meal prepared in 5 minutes. I used the rice-cooker as a slave and frozen veggies for the side dish.
Usually “takikomi gohan” (rice cooked with stuff) is made with dices of ingredients and served as a side. With whole drumsticks and I got a main dish.

classic takikomi recipe

Chicken, rice, onion, ginseng, red chili, mushrooms. Plus diced broccoli stalks. Seasoning : soy sauce, salt and mirin.

Before and then… With the takikomi program of the rice-cooker.

I had kept aside the broccoli florets and a few decorative shimeji mushrooms. I added them on top and put the cooker on “keep hot mode” a few minutes, just the time to steam them :

Ready !

Triple grain mix : green peas, sweet corn and chick peas. With a goma-dare dressing made of pounded sesame, black rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and a little sugar.

Okoge. The best part is in the bottom. It’s caramelised.

Patates rôties

Les patates. That’s the real specialty of Lorraine.

There was always a cocotte full of this on the wood stove at my grand-parents. Potatoes were the staple food, and whenever la Mémé (Granny) asked how we wanted them : “rôties”.
We were not eaten them everyday. We had some at every single meal.

It’s simple, but not many people know how to make the patates rôties. The principle ingredient is time. A long time on the stove.
Just potatoes and some fat are necessary. Cook longly in a cast iron pot. Add salt and pepper.
I added a little onion in melted lard, you can use oil and start by frying a little bit of bacon in it.