Rice and peas

Got a hankering for Jamaican rice and peas after making some jerk chicken.

• two 540 mL (19 oz) cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• one 400 mL (14 oz) coconut milk, highest fat content possible
• 526 g long grain rice, or 634 g basmati rice
• 1 red onion, chopped (yellow is fine)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed (minced is probably ok)
• 2 stalks scallions (green onions)
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme (I used 2 tsp dried thyme)
• small piece of ginger, about 3/4 inch or 15g, sliced for easy removal
• 10 allspice (pimento) berries, whole
• 2 tsp salt (I used 1 tsp, can season to taste later)
• 638 mL (2.5 cups) water

Wash and drain the kidney beans.

Saute the onion and garlic in some oil until aromatic. Add the beans, scallions, ginger, thyme, salt, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add the coconut milk, and bring to a gentle boil again. This is to avoid burning the coconut milk on the bottom of the pot.

Wash and drain the rice, then add to the pot. Return to a gentle boil or simmer again. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the rice steam for 20-30 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit for another 3-5 minutes.

Source: https://jamaicanfoodsandrecipes.com/jamaican-rice-and-peas-recipe/

Beware the page has a bug. If you click on 2x to double the recipe, some ingredients do not double. For example, the quantity of basmati rice remains 317 g. To its credit, the original recipe provides instructions to cook the red beans from dried.

Chili

 

Originally a three-bean vegetarian chili, but we like to add ground beef.

If using dried beans, start by cleaning and soaking them the night before. Cook each type of bean separately to ensure peak doneness, usually 30-45 minutes depending on soak time. The red kidney beans tend to be ready first, then the black beans. Roughly 1 cup of each type of dried bean has worked for me.

If using canned beans, a 15 oz can of each type of bean is fine. Quantity is flexible. In the original recipe, the ratio of each type of bean, and the corn, to each other is 1:1, but approximations are fine. It's a chili, not fine cuisine.

• 1 onion, diced
• optional: ground beef, like 1/2 lb or so.
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 oz black beans (425g), 1 can, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz red kidney beans (425g), 1 can, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz chickpeas (425g), 1 can, drained and rinsed.
• 15 oz corn (425g), 1 can, drained. Or use frozen.
• 30 oz diced tomatoes, or 2 cans.
• 1/4 cup tomato paste (55g)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder (original recipe: 3 tbsp, but A- doesn't like too spicy)
• 2 tbsp cumin (ground in mortar and pestle with the coriander and salt, below)
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or beef)
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (A- doesn't like spicy)
• optional: 2 tbsp honey (original recipe called for this, I never use it)

In a deep pot, saute the onions and garlic, adding the ground beef if using it.

Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, vegetable or beef stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir every 30 minutes or so. In the beginning, simmer with a lid on to control evaporation. When the diced tomatoes have broken down, simmer with the lid off to thicken the chili. Be careful to stir and scrape the bottom frequently, or the beans will burn on the bottom of the pot. Once the chili is done, turn off the stove. Give the pot another good stir, and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. This helps release anything stuck on the bottom of the pot.

Source: https://tasty.co/recipe/freezer-prep-protein-packed-chili

Cauliflower ideas

 https://dishingouthealth.com/parmesan-roasted-cauliflower/

Roasted chickpeas

• 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
• drizzle olive oil
• pinch of salt

Roast at 425F for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

References:

• https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-chickpeas/

Gyoza

 https://www.recipetineats.com/gyoza-japanese-dumplings-potstickers/

Combine for 20 minutes to wilt the cabbage:

• 1.5 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 150g)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine in a separate bowl while the cabbage is wilting:

• 1 cup chopped garlic chives (or green onions) (about 75g)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp salt (I went shy of 1/2 tsp)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 lb / 454 g ground pork

Squeeze out as much water from the cabbage as possible and combine with the meat mixture. Mix well using your hand for about 5 minutes, to ensure ingredients are evenly distributed (e.g. the ginger). Don't be squeamish!

Parcel out into gyoza wrappers. I used 0.55 - 0.60oz (15-17g) of filling in each dumpling.

Wontons

1 lb (450g to 500g) lean ground pork

300g shrimp

3 cloves garlic (about 24 g)

3/4 inch piece of ginger (about 12g)

5 green onions (about 50g)

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1.5 tbsp sesame oil

2 packages wonton wrappers

This started out based on the recipe from Jamie Oliver's "jamie's kitchen", but:

- I add lean ground pork

- increase amount of sesame oil and soy sauce because of the pork

- lightly fry the garlic, ginger, and green onions before adding to the meat mixture to make then taste milder