February Archives - SpiceBreeze

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Trinidadian Doubles

You can find this trendy street food all over Trinidad & Tobago. The garbanzo bean dish is served on two, overlapping small flatbreads, hence its name “Doubles”. The real deal comes from the toppings. Obligatory is a fruit chow. It’s sour, sweet, salty, and hot at the same time. If you can spare the time, make also the green seasoning for the cucumbers.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings 3

Ingredients

Shopping list

2 cans garbanzo beans rinsed, (15.5 oz each)
1 can pineapple chunks drained (keep the liquid), 20 oz
1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
1 English cucumber grated
8-16 Flat bread of your choice (e.g. naan or Mexican tortilla)
5 cloves garlic grated
1 shallot finely chopped
1-3 lime for juice
oil
salt & pepper

Doubles Culinary Spice Kit

Pouch [1] cumin, amchoor, turmeric, yellow mustard, curry leaves, fenugreek, onion, ginger, coriander, cayenne, cilantro, garlic, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon
Pouch [2] Scotch bonnet pepper

Instructions

Pineapple Chow

In a BOWL, mix the pineapple chunks with 1/4 cup cilantro and half of the garlic.
Add to taste: pineapples can liquid, lime juice, Doubles [2] spices, and salt. Mix well.
Cover and let rest for 1/2-2 hours.

Cook

In a large POT, 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Add the shallots and half of the garlic.
Fry over medium heat until the shallots turn translucent.
Add the garbanzo beans and Doubles [1] spices. Mix well.
Add 1 1/4 cup of water and salt & pepper to taste.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Mash some of the beans with a fork or potato masher.
Add 1 tbsp cilantro.

Flatbread

In a PAN, quickly reheat or fry the bread with some oil or heat the tortilla without oil.

Serve

Serve the beans on flatbread, topped with pineapple chow, and cucumber.
Enjoy!

Notes

Substitute pineapple with mango,
Substitute cilantro with parsley or chives.
Substitute some beans with ground meat.
Prepare a cucumber chutney with our online recipe.

Keyword amchoor, cardamom, curry leaves, fenugreek, Scotch bonnet pepper, turmeric

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French Crêpes

Savory crêpes make a great quick dinner with versatile fillings, one for every taste. Beetroot powder adds all the health benefits of beetroots and a nice reddish color to the crêpes without a difference in the taste. Give the French dish a global touch with little sprinkles of Togarashi. This original blend from Japan is also preferred by Chefs of the best restaurants in San Diego, California.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 3

Ingredients

Crêpes

1.5 cup flour buckwheat or all-purpose
1 cup milk
3 eggs whisked
3 tbsp butter melted
oil or butter salt

Fillings

1 cup cream cheese goat
1 tbsp chives finely chopped
6 oz mushrooms sliced
2 oz baby spinach optional
3 oz cheese grated
1 clove garlic sliced
olive oil salt

Culinary Spice Kit

[1] Beetroot powder
[2] Togarashi: Chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, seaweed, white sesame seed, Sansho pepper, ginger

Instructions

Prepare

Mix and sift Crêpes [1] spices with the flour.
Mix milk with 3/4 cup of water.
Stir in the flour mix, one tbsp at a time.
Stir in the eggs, butter, and salt to taste.
Cover and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake

Coat a PAN lightly with oil or butter over medium heat.
For each crêpe, pour 1 LADLE of batter.
Rotate the PAN in all directions to cover the cooking surface evenly thin.
Cook until the crêpe is dry on the top.
With a LARGE SPATULA, loosen the edges and flip it.
Cook the other side until it's lightly brown.

Filling # 1

Mix goat cheese with chives.
Spread it on the finished crêpe.
Sprinkle with Crêpes [2] spices to taste.
Roll it.

Filling # 2

In a PAN, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Fry mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are just soft.
Optionally, add spinach.
Season with salt to taste.
Place 2-3 tbsp of the mushrooms on half of the crêpe.
Sprinkle with cheese and Crêpes [2] spices to taste.
Fold and bake it on both sides until cheese is melted.

Serve

Serve immediately.
Bon appétit!

Notes

* recommended: Gruyère or Swiss cheese

▪ Substitute chives with microgreens.

▪ Substitute mushrooms with ham.

▪ Optional savory fillings: smoked salmon or thinly sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Keyword black sesame, orange peel, Sansho pepper, seaweed, sesame seeds

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Bengali Panch Phoron

Panch Phoron

Panch phoron is an Indian spice blend from five whole seeds. It includes fenugreek which is known as an essential ingredient to Indian curry blends. The seeds are always used whole. They are fried in oil until they pop, or can be used as a spice rub.

This is a simple recipe for fried chicken. Alternatively, the aromatic oil from step 1 can be used as the base for a fried vegetable dish.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Bengali

Servings 3

Ingredients

1 lb chicken legs, thighs, wings
5 medium tomatoes quartered
4 cups basmati rice cooked or steamed
1 inch ginger grated
3 cloves garlic grated
limes or lemons
oil or ghee
salt

Panch Phoron Culinary Spice Kit

[1] Brown & yellow mustard, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, nigella
[2] Kashmiri chili

Instructions

Step 1

In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Fry Panch Phoron [1] spices until they begin to pop.
Add ginger and garlic.
Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Step 2

Add chicken and salt to taste.
Stir-fry chicken over high heat for about 5 minutes until all sides turn brown.

Step 3

Add tomatoes.
Add salt and Panch Phoron [2] spices to taste.
Cover and cook over low heat for about 10-20 minutes until tomatoes fall apart and the chicken is cooked.

Serve

Serve the panch phoron chicken on rice with lime wedges.
Enjoy!

Notes

Substitute chicken with fish filet, shrimp, or tofu.
For a vegetarian version, substitute chicken with garbanzo beans, potatoes, and mixed root vegetables.
Optionally, season the rice with turmeric.

Keyword nigella, panch phoron

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Cuban Vaca Frita

This popular Cuban dish is fresh and juicy. It’s very easy to cook, though it takes some patience. The key to vaca frita or "fried beef" is slow-cooked beef the Cuban way. You can prepare this step in advance. Quick frying is the second and last step in the preparation.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cuban

Servings 3

Ingredients

1.25 lb brisket or skirt steak
1 green bell pepper quartered
1 green bell pepper halved & sliced
1 large onion quartered
1 large onion halved & sliced
5 cloves garlic or more to taste
2 limes or lemons for juice
olive oil
salt & pepper

Vaca Frita Culinary Spice Kit

Cumin, orange peel, ancho chili, oregano

Suggested Sides

cooked rice
a fresh salad
black beans recipe in the notes
fried plantains recipe in the notes

Instructions

Step 1: Cooking & Shredding the Meat

In a POT, add meat, the quartered bell pepper & onion, 2 cloves garlic, and salt to taste.
Cover with water. Close and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to low. Cook at least for 2 hours until the meat starts to fall apart.
Take the meat out. Shred it into 1/2-inch thick chunks. Keep the broth. Set aside.

Step 2: Frying the Vegetables

In a PAN, heat 1/2 cup of oil over medium heat.
Fry sliced onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt until the onions are translucent.
Scoop the vegetables out. Set aside.
Keep the remaining oil in the PAN.

Step 3: Frying the Meat

In the same PAN, add meat, 3 cloves chopped garlic, and Vaca Frita spices.
Fry over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until the meat is golden brown but not crisp.

Step 4: Finale

Return the vegetables to the PAN to reheat.
Turn off. Add 2-3 tbsp lime juice and salt & pepper to taste.

Serve

Serve with your preferred sides.
Optionally, add more lime juice.
Enjoy!

Notes

Substitute beef with chicken thighs.
Optionally, add up to 1 cup of the broth in step 4).

Recipe changes for variation with Mojo Sauce (spiced fried onions):

(Step 2) Fry onions and bell peppers separately.
(Step 4) Return only the bell peppers to the PAN and don't use lime juice.
New Step: To mix the Mojo sauce, place fried onions in a BOWL and season with lime juice and optionally chili or chipotle to taste.
(Serve) Top with Mojo sauce.

Recipe for fried plantains as a typical side:

Peel 2-3 plantains and cut them into 1/2 inch slices.
In a PAN, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat.
Fry plantain slices until they turn golden on both sides.
Season with salt to taste.

Recipe for black beans as another typical side:

In a POT, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Add 1 can black beans (rinsed).
Season to taste with salt, cumin, and black pepper.
Fry beans for a couple of minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of the broth from step 1 (cooking the meat).
Cover the POT and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Keyword ancho, chipotle

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North African Ras El Hanout

When a spice shop owner in North Africa uses its magic to create an extraordinary spice blend, it is called Ras El Hanout, "head of the shop". The quantity and quality of the selected spices depend on the wealth of the customer. This recipe includes a blend of 23 ingredients, including precious long pepper, grains of paradise, rosebud, and mace. You will love it!

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Algerian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Tunesian

Servings 3

Ingredients

1.25 lb chicken breast or thighs cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 lb white carrots roughly cut
1/2 lb turnips roughly cut
olive oil
salt & pepper

Ras El Hanout Culinary Spice Kit

Cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, grains of paradise, ginger, nigella, caraway, cinnamon, rosebud, mace, anise, brown mustard, turmeric, chamomile, long pepper, cardamom, fenugreek, cloves, chili, lavender

Suggested Sides

couscous
rice
boiled potatoes

Instructions

Vegetables

In a POT, steam carrots and turnips or cook them over low heat in a little bit of water with salt to taste.
Use only as much water as needed to prevent the vegetables from burning.
Once the vegetables are tender, mash them with a fork or potato masher. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Chicken

In a large PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Add the chicken, Ras El Hanout spices, and salt to taste. Mix well.
Fry the chicken until it is cooked through and turned brown on all sides.

Serve

Serve the chicken on a bed of vegetable mash with your preferred sides.
Enjoy!

Notes

Substitute the chicken with turkey, lamb or pork tenderloin, sirloin beef, or your preferred steak. For lamb or beef, fry it to your desired doneness.
If you really want to miss out on the turnips, substitute them with potatoes.
Substitute white carrots with colored carrots.

Alternatively, use the Ras El Hanout spices for one of the following recipes:

Keyword grains of paradise, long peper, mace, nigella, rosebud