Komaj- Persian Date & Cumin Bread | We Knead to Bake #18

I am not a great fan of dates. In shakes as syrups, I am ok but won't miss it if not there. Else ofcourse my mother turns it into a sweet snack, which I have no qualms eating but don't ask me to make it. 

Note to  Self: I am making it one day.... umm it will come soon....)

So when Aparna gave a cumin and date bread from Iran I was happy to go with it. After all its tough seeing the date packet peeping out whenever I open the fridge. I know.. 

Anyways the only catch here was will my daughter give a thumbs up? The bread also had spice ingredients like turmeric and cumin seeds along with dates and will the combo be a hit?

I actually couldn't wait to taste the bread and was biting my nails when finally I got a thumbs up sign from her. Whew.. 

Not much can't be found about this bread on googling and this recipe from Aparna for We Knead to Bake #18 is from the Greg & Lucy Malouf's book - Saraban-The Chefs' Journey through Persia.As usual I halved the recipe and replaced egg or rather half of it with cornstarch.Also I replaced almost half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

Ingredients:

Instant Yeast: 1/2 tsp
Warm Water: 1 tbsp + few more tbsp

All Purpose Flour: 1cup
Whole Wheat Flour : 14 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1.25 -1.5 tsp toasted & coarsely crushed
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp+ optional  1/8 tsp

Egg: 1/2 or optional (replaced with 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1.5 tsp water mixed as a paste)

Warm milk: 1/3 cup + 2-3 tbsp
Olive Oil: 2.1/4 tsp olive oil

Filling:

Dried dates: 8-10 pitted and chopped

Unsalted butter: soft 2 tsp

Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp

Milk: Brushing on top

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in water and keep aside for 10 minutes and let it bubble up a bit.

Add in the flours, crushed cumin (1.25 tsp) , sugar, turmeric and salt to a  bowl and mix well. Add the yeast mix and optional egg and mix till it is incorporated. I used 1tbsp cornstarch mixed into a paste with 1.5 tsp of water to replace half an egg.

Add milk and oil and knead to have a smooth pliable dough thats not sticky. I needed more liquid to get a pliable dough. So I added around 2-3 tbsp of milk and water each and kneaded till I got a dough. It was pliable and yellow in colour and moist, but not sticky. It didn't look smooth was  okay. 

Shape into a ball and place in a greased  bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled for an hour atleast. I went for almost 2 hours.

When risen deflate it , shape into a round and put back for a second rise for an hour or so.

Prepare the filling by mixing the filling ingredients together in a bowl.

Divide the dough into 2 portions and each portion into 2 giving 4 portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll out the portion into a 1/4" -1/8" thick rectangle.

Choose a cookie cutter that is 8cm widest, press it down lightly on one half of the rectangle. You can see the outline/marks on the dough. 

Place 1 tsp of filling at the approximate centre of this mark/outline, fold over the other half of the rectangle over the filling and now it looks like a covered square or circle based on the cookie cutter you have chosen.

With the same cookie cutter, cut the portion with the filling in the centre and in such a way that the sides are neat and well sealed.

Repeat with the remaining portions and reroll the scraps and repeat the process to get 2-3 pieces based on size. I got a total of 6 pieces and 1 smaller piece.

Place the komaj on a lightly greased or lined  baking sheet leaving some space between them as they puff up on baking. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes.

Brush them with milk and sprinkle remaining cumin seeds on top pressing lightly.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 8-10 minutes . Take out and serve warm optionally dusting with powdered sugar.

Yum one as I had mentioned earlier. The dates make it sweet and the cumin adds a bite. umm.
 Let me munch on.. while you take a look at komaj baked by others at Aparna's. 

Psst.. She also had a packet of dates peeping out of fridge.. anyway we can say thanks to komaj, dates ke acche din aaye hain!

Yatimcheh

There was a time when I hated baingans. I was not in love with the purple big eggplants/brinjal/baingans as I could not roast properly. I know its sounding ridiculous, but its true.I knew how to chop up and cook,but roasting over gas was something I started enjoying after marriage. I love the warmth provided by smoking and enjoy bhaingan and the bharta . Now I am trying out different eggplant dishes in other cuisines and find that there is surely some sort of connection between each cuisines. There are several ingredients common to each cuisine and each region/cuisine used it along with the region specific spices to evolve a dish. Look at the case of Yatimcheh which I found in the blog FigandQuince. Yatim is Urdu for orphans. How and why the dish got the name I have no idea. But its a simple  side of sauteed eggplant with a vinaigrette.And it was similar to Italian caponata. See I talked about connection, right?!. But enough talk. lets see the tasty dish.

Ingredients:
Chinese eggplants : 5-6(long,thinnish,purple skin eggplant)

Onion: 1 medium finely chopped + 1 small for the dressing
Garlic: 1 small clove
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1 tsp (optional)

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp

Red wine Vinegar: 1/2 cup +/-
Dried Mint: as per taste

Salt&Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:
Skin the eggplants, prick it with fork and then sprinkle with salt and let it sit for an hour or so to remove the bitterness.Then rinse it, dry in paper towels and then cube them.

Heat oil in a deep pan and saute onion for a few minutes till transparent, then added minced/grated garlic,ginger, turmeric powder and salt and continue sauteing for a few more minutes.

Add in the cubed eggplant, mix well and let it cook on low heat for another 15-20 minutes or more covered until the cubes are cooked and tender.Add and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with a mix of 2-3 tbsp of vinegar,minced/chopped onion and dried mint.

A simple ,refreshing and tangy side salad for your breads/rotis. Please adjust the quantity of vinegar as per your taste.Its a dry side salad unless you use a lot of vinegar which some might not like. Red wine vinegar and eggplant are a sure shot combination and this dish proves that fact as well.

The dish is also called Yatimcheh-e-Bademjan and is authentically/traditionally meatless.

Qalye Kadu - Chunky Zucchini Dip from Iran

If you can't pronounce that name of the dip don't look at me coz I can't say it too.This is again a dip/puree/spread adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian and the recipe source is Niloofar Haeri.This is  a nice way of using up zucchini or courgette and is mildly spiced side or even works out as a sandwich spread.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Onion: 1 medium size (4 tbsp) finely chopped
Garlic: 1 -2 small cloves minced
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp +/-

Zucchini: about 2 + cups peeled and  diced into small piecs
Salt: as per taste

Tomato Puree: 1 -2 tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp +/ -
Cayenne Pepper: 1 pinch or as per taste
Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high. Add in finely chopped onion and garlic and stir fry till the onions are soft and transparent. Reduce to a simmer while cooking so that they do not brown. Add in the turmeric powder and stir so that the onions turn yellowy. Remove one third of the onions and keep aside to be mixed later.

To the remaining onions, add diced zucchini and salt and allow it to sweat on medium heat. Once they start releasing water ,reduce to simmer, cover and let it get cooked till soft.

Remove the cover, add in the powdered cumin,cayenne pepper,black pepper and tomato puree and mix well. With a masher or hand/immersion  blender try to mash the mix chunkily while continuing cook for another minute or so. Fold int he remaining onions and mix well.

Serve as a spread or dip with veggies/chips either warm or room temp or even chilled. I prefer warm/room temp.

The quantity is very less and is sufficient for 1 person alone. So double or triple the recipe as you prefer as the recipe is spot on. The crunch of the zucchini and onions and also the thickness given by the mashed onions along with the comforting spices makes it a hearty dip/spread.

Yakh-dar-Behesht : Ice in Heaven

This is a quick fix pudding from Iranian which is actually prepared during summer to beat the sweltering and yes, its name literally means "Ice in Heaven" and it truly takes you to heaven. It is similar to firni/phirni or fereni in Iranian as like firni it also uses rice flour. The only difference I found was the use of cornstarch or even wheat starch which sets the pudding instantly. I have browsed through several recipes and here's my recipe that uses the minimum quantities required for 2-3 bowls.

Ingredients:
Rice flour: 2.5 tbsp
Cornstarch: 2 tbsp and 2 tsp
Milk: 1 and 1/4 cup (preferably cold/room temp)
Water: 1 and 1/4 cup (preferably cold/room temp)



Rosewater
Sugar: 1/4 cup or as per taste



Toasted Chopped Pistachios: for garnishing
Preparation:

Dissolve cornstarch in cold water.Dissolve rice flour in cold milk.Combine the two together and bring to a slow boil in a heavy bottomed pan.Stir regularly and cook until it thickens. This will take only few minutes or barely 5-7 minutes.Add sugar and rosewater as required. Continue cooking for few more minutes until the sugar dissolves and the pudding thickens,while stirring regularly. This may take another 2-3 minutes.

Pour into serving bowls and chill in the fridge.If you leave it outside then a skin may come.Serve as dessert garnished with chopped pistachios and/or dried rose petals etc.

Taste it to live it.You can feel the spoon,cutting through the fluffy clouds or pillowsof heaven and your tongue will take you there. OMG, this is THE BEST. Enjoy each and every moment.

This also is visiting AWED:Iran at Sweet Artichoke,an event by DK.

Iranian style Kidney Beans

This is a simple gravy of Kidney beans which is supposed to be Persian style and is adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven.I have adapted this from this site. The recipe is pretty much easy where cooked beans is added to a tangy gravy and is cooked to dry but since I was serving this with herb rice I went for a thick gravy.

Ingredients:
Red Kidney beans: presoaked and cooked: 1/2 cup

Olive Oil: 2+ tsp
Onion: chopped finely : 1 small
Garlic: 1 big clove crushed/minced

Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon: 1/2 tsp +/-

Orange Juice: 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice: 1-2 tsp
Tomato Paste: 2 -3 tbsp
Jalapeno/Red/Green Chilly: 1 slit

Salt: as per taste

Preparation:
Cook kidney beans and keep aside. If you are planning a dry dish,then drain out most of the water used for cooking the beans.

Heat oil in  pan.Add chopped onion.Saute till transparent.Add chopped garlic,cumin,cinnamon and salt.Saute till the raw smell goes. Add in orange juice,lemon juice and mix well. Add tomato paste and little water from the cooked beans and let it simmer for a few minutes.Add beans(with water for a gravy) and slit jalapeno/ red/green chilly and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.You can add in more water as per your preference of gravy or let it cook untl dry.Adjust the salt prior to serving.

Serve warm as a gravy with rice or if dry stuff it into pita and serve.I did the first option.

A simple gravy where orange juice is also used in addition to lemon and tomato for tanginess. I do not know what else this serves.The gravy is excellent with rice and next time I will be trying it out as a stuffing.

The delectable gravy is on way to AWED:Iran at Sweet Artichoke,an event by DK.

BTW, do you know how we finished off the Iranian Feast? Here's a glimpse..

Sabzi Polo - Iranian Herb Rice

Sabzi Polo is a wonderful polow /pilaf/pulao dish from Iran made using mixed fresh herbs. It is usually served with grilled white fish during the Norouz or Iranian New Year. I found an excellent recipe from here and made accordingly.The main thing to be considered while making sabzi polo  is that rice is half cooked first and then mixed with herbs and finished cooking. The way the dish is done is interesting atleast the recipe I followed was. I served it with Persian style Kidney beans.

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice: 1 cup

Mixed Fresh herbs: chopped : I used cilantro,parsley,dill,spinach and methi leaves.
Scallions: 1-2 including the green part.

Salt& Pepper: as needed per taste
Cumin Powder: 1/2 -1 tsp
Cinnamon power: 1/2 -1 tsp
Oil: 1-2 tsp

Melted Butter: for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Wash basmati rice and soak it in salted water for atleast 6-8 hours or overnight.

Bring a big pot of water to boil.Add in the rice and let it cook till half done. Drain the rice and wash it in cold water to prevent further cooking and keep aside.

Rinse and chop the herbs and keep aside.

Take a suitable vessel,grease the botton  with oil .Spread a layer of rice evenly on the pot.You can give it a tight press so that it spreads evenly.Sprinkle little salt,pepper,cumin and  cinnamon.Top the layer with half of the herb mix and lightly fluff to mix.I did not fluff and had got alternate white and green layers.Top the herbs optionally with more spices and salt. Top this with another rice layer and repeat the rice-herb layering process to get three rice layers and all the herbs and rice are used up.

Cover tightly with a lid and steam in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes to 1 hr and 35 minutes depending on the cooking time of the rice. I went for 1 hour by which time the herbs were all cooked and their juices had spread into rice.

Serve warm topped with melted butter -I did not use butter- along with grilled fish or kidney bean gravy or anyother gravy or raitha of your choice.You can slightly mix in the layers before serving.

To be honest I was sceptical how the rice would turn out.But I have had more successes than failure with rice dishes and was partially confident that it would be good. The only addition from my part was the use of pepper. The spices mentioned would not be enough to heat up my tastebuds,hence pepper which also goes well with the herbs.

Use the herbs according to the taste. Fenugreek or "shanbelileh" in Persian had the least quantity mentioned in the recipe and so I used just few tablespoons. Where as spinach and cilantro were used more and mostly dominate. I used dill and parsley in minimal quantities and they just add a hint to the rice. A cross section of the rice will look like..

This too is on its way to  AWED:Iran at Sweet Artichoke's, an event by DK. And hey more on the gravy in the next post,.. watch this space for more...

Bademjan Pollo & Mast o' Khiar - Persian Eggplant Rice & Cucumber Dip

Persian cuisine or Iranian cuisine is diverse like the Indian cuisine.Each province has its own way or style of cooking and there are a variety of herbs and rices and other side dishes most of which are with meat.I have read that Iran is a non friendly state for vegetarians/vegan. but I have come across rice dishes where meat is actually optional as well. Pollow or pollo  is Iranian pulao or pilaf as it is also known in UK/Europe. It can be made with rice along with variety of herbs and vegetables.Here rice is cooked in a broth along with veggies/meat and based on the veggies and meat added there are several types of pollos.

I was searching for eggplant recipe when I found this recipe for Bademjan Pollo. This is the only site where I have seen this  recipe and it was meat free. I am not sure whether it is an authentic dish,but surely veggies are added to pollos.The recipe had lots of oil involved which I have reduced or kept to minimum and have made it slightly my way. I served it with mast o khiar a simple yoghurt -cucumber raitha albeit Iranian style. I have looked through several sites for the dip  and they have the same simple basic  recipe as that of raitha.

Bademjan Pollo (Iranian rice with Eggplant)
Eggplant or Bademjan  is like 'potato of Iran'and there are several eggplant dishes but with meat a well.You can have it in dips,sides,main etc and this is a simple main course where it is folded into rice.

Ingredients:
Eggplant: 1 cup cubed

Veg Oil: 2-3 tbsp + 4 tbsp

Onion: 1 chopped thin

Basmati Rice: 1 cup
Tomato: 3-4 medium
Salt & Pepper: as per taste


Dried Dill weed: 1-2 tsp

Preparation:

Cube the eggplant into bite size pieces and salt it. Let it sit for atleast half an hour when it lets out the bitterness. After atleast 30 minutes,squeeze the eggplant pieces and drain them on paper towels.Chop the onion into long thin pieces. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water and peel and chop them into small pieces.

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed pan,add in oniion and saute till it starts to brown. Add in rice and stir till it starts to brown and dry.Make sure there is enough oil for this.Add in the blanched,peeled and chopped tomatoes,salt ,pepper and enough water as needed to cook the rice. Bring to a boil,reduce,cover and cook till rice is (almost) done.This depends on the cooking time of basmati used.

Meanwhile heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add in the drained eggplant pieces and saute till they start to brown. Drain them on paper towels for removing excess oil.

Once the rice is almost done, fold in the eggplant pieces. Sprinkle dill and mix well.Cover the dish with a lid wrapped in towel and steam for about 10-15 minutes till the flavours blend.

What I did was,I folded the eggplant pieces when rice was almost cooked,then transferred everything to a smaller dish,covered with a lid and put the dish in a pressure cooker /steamer and steamer it for about 5-10 minutes till everything gets blended and cooked.This is my way rather than the mentioned Iranian way.

Serve the rice with cucumber dip or raitha.

Mast o Khiar- Iranian Yoghurt & Cucumber Dip

This is s simple dip or raitha as we can say,where seedless cucumbers are mixed into thick yoghurt spiced with salt,pepper and dried mint. The name literally translates to yoghurt (mast) and cucumber (khiar - remeber it is called kheera in Hindi).Normally Persian cucumbers are used which are similar to seedless ones.

Ingredients:
Cucumber : 1 preferbly seedless,though any thing will do.

Yoghurt:1 cup + as needed
Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Dried Mint: 1 tbsp or more.

Preparation:
Dice the cucumber into small bite size pieces optionally peeling and deseeding it.

Take yoghurt in a bowl,add in the salt,pepper and dried mint. Mix well. Fold in the cucumber pieces.Adjust the salt and seasonings and serve with pita or rice (as I did) or chips/crackers as a dip.You can even see pictorial representation of this here.



The combo was perfect. The rice was hearty. The taste was excellent as with any spiced rice and the way of making was interesting as well. The dip reeked of mint which I had added more,but it was refreshing.Hearty meal from Iran it is.

I hope Sweet Artichoke accepts the combo  for AWED : Iran, an event by DK.



Borani Esfanaj

Borani is a simple Iranian cold dish made with yoghurt and vegetables.Basically the dish is a simple raita or a mix of yoghurt and veggies of choice.When spinach (or esfenaaj/esfenaj/esfanaj in Farsi) is added to this then we get a yoghurt -spinach raita or borani esfanaj and is served as side to pilaf or as per choice. There are many ways of making this raita where the versions differ in the way of cooking spinach like blanching,boiling,steaming or stirfrying.The rest of the recipe is the same and I have adapted a stirfried version from here.

Ingredients:
Spinach: a small bunch chopped
Onion: 1 small
Garlic: 1 clove (optional)

Yogurt
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan,add chopped onion and garlic and saute till brown.Add the chopped spinach and little salt and cook till it wilts.I took it off the gas right at the instant it started giving out water. Allow it to cool.

Whisk thick curd adding salt and pepper.Add or fold in the cooled spinach-onion mix and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temp.

The raita as it is known here is a simple and obviously tasty.If you want more spiciness replace the pepper or adjust it with your choice of spices.The simple dish is my entry to Weekend Wokking:Spinach hosted this tme by the originator of the event herself,Wandering Chopsticks.If you have any spinach dish do send it over after checking the rules.

Pomegranate Soup

Pomegranate soup or Aash-e-Anar is an Iranian soup made using rice,lentils ,optional beet,traditionally meat balls and obviously pomegranate juice.I had bookmarked this soup from Asha's Blog where she had made the soup from a book named same by Marsha Mehran and had obtained the recipe from the same book.I was actually about to post it for T&T:Foodieshope but when the same book was chosen for BookClub I decided to read the boook and then post the same.But as Luck would have it,I couldn't gethold of the book,but still Thanks to Simran, I am posting it.Apart from Asha's recipe which I followed ,I also referenced here and made addition of Paprika substituting Aleppo Pepper,but avoided the koftas or meat balls as I felt it would be too much,but traditionally the dish is served as a one-pot meal.

Ingredients:
Olive oil: 1+ tbsp
Onion: 1 small chopped finely
Garlic: 1-2 cloves minced or chopped finely

Moong Dal (Yellow split Peas): 2-3 tbsp
Basmati Rice: 4 tbsp
Beetroot: 1 medium slice (2-3 tbsp)Peeled and finely chopped/grated
Water:2+ cup

Salt
Pepper
Paprika/Aleppo Pepper
Turmeric Powder

Fresh Herbs: Parsley+mint+Cilantro 3 tbsp each (I avoided parsley and increased mint)
Spring Onions: 1-2 tbsp (I did not add)
Fresh Pom Juice:1 cup+
Sugar: 1 tsp
Angelica Powder: 2 tbsp (I did not add any)

Optional spices: as per taste
CuminPowder
Chilli flakes

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a deep pan,saute the onions and garlic till they turn brown.Add the washed and picked lentils and rice and saute till oil coats each grain and then add chopped beet,salt,turmeric powder,pepper and paprika and water required to cook the grains.Mix well and bring it to a boil.Cover,reduce heat and let it simmer till half done for 20 minutes.

Once half done add finely chopped herbs,pom juice,pinch of sugar and angelica powder / cumin powder+chiliflakes. You can add uncooked kofta balls to it while adding the pom juiceCook till the grains are cooked well and the soup thickens to a required consistency.It thickens itself after sometime.

The taste was much better than expected.I was clueless about the taste and thats the reason why I wanted to try this recipe.The little similar the taste comes to is beet rasam provided you add the cumin and chilliflakes. May be addition of angelica may change the taste.I liked the soup as it was very refreshing.The combo of pom and herbs will always be so.The additional ingredients enhance it and provide a filling meal.

Now lets see what others are making for celebrating the delicious recipe filled book.

Simran made Lavash

Jaya brought a delicious Lentil soup

Aqua served Dugh - a lovely yoghurt drink

Update on 31st August 2009: The little soup that remained became more flavourful and tasty the next day.The soup containing lentils is on way to MLLA:14 hosted by the creator The Well Seasoned Susan herself.A warm bowl of soup also joins the Soup N'Juice Event by Sireesha who is celebrating 150 post landmark in her hearty blog.