The Impatient Chef

Mexi Fried Rice (also Arroz con Pollo)

2011-02-18T21:20:00.001-08:00

A while ago I spent some time in a funny little town called Del Rio, Texas. While I was there I met a friend named José who taught me how to make Mexican style rice. I've made it from memory so many times that I'm not sure if I still make it like he taught me, but here's the recipe to the best of my recollection.

1 1/2 cups white rice (I think short grain works best)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chicken broth (or water + bouillon)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1-2 diced tomatoes
1 diced medium onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt, Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1 teaspoon coriander (optional)
diced hot peppers (optional)
bell pepper, diced (optional)
1 pound cooked chicken, diced (optional)

Heat the oil in a 2-quart sauce pan, or a large skillet on medium heat. When oil is hot, add rice and stir for a few minutes. The rice should change color to a more opaque off-white, slightly golden color. Add water and tomato sauce immediately (have them ready and don't wait too long, the rice will burn! I did that the first time). Add all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 25 minutes. The lid will be screaming "lift me! lift me!" IGNORE IT, or you will have to add more liquid and the rice will take forever to soften up. It will be done in 25 minutes, and on low it won't burn, trust me. This recipe will make about 4 cups of rice, which always stretches waaaay farther than I expect it to, even after making it for 10 years.

The optional ingredients really just depend on what you have on hand, and what your preferences are.

To make Arroz con Pollo, just add about a pound of cooked chicken, diced. I like to make my broth by boiling the chicken before making the rice, but you can also just use canned chicken.

Serve with just about anything Mexican - enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, flautas, etc. Goes really well as something to add to a bowl of tortilla soup.

Gosht Curry and Cranberry Chutney

2010-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

(09:35:11 AM) Rahul: i have another recipe from you
(09:35:13 AM) Rahul: for you
(09:35:19 AM) Mike: shoot
(09:35:21 AM) Rahul: you want a classic meat curry
(09:35:26 AM) Rahul: gosht curry
(09:35:30 AM) Mike: hmm
(09:35:39 AM) Rahul: you can do it with lamb or beef
(09:35:40 AM) Mike: I think that's new to me
(09:36:17 AM) Mike: heh... and all this time I was wondering if you were some kind of vegetarian... talking about palak and bhaji
(09:36:25 AM) Mike: I love lamb
(09:36:35 AM) Mike: I once had a lamb saag that was excellent
(09:36:41 AM) Rahul: wonderful check this one out
(09:36:52 AM) Rahul: 8 tablespoons light vegetable oil
3 pounds lean boneless beef, preferably beef round, or lean boneless lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3-4 meaty beef bones (if using beef) or lamb bones (if using lamb) (optional)
4 cups finely chopped onions
4 cups boiling water
4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
3/4 teaspoon red pepper, or to taste
2 cups finely chopped or pureed fresh ripe tomatoes, or 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped or pureed (if you use salted canned tomatoes, reduce overall salt and add final salt slowly to taste)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and quartered
3-4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over high heat in a large heavy bottomed pan. Pat the meat pieces dry of all juices on the surface using paper towels. It is important not to crowd the meat in the pan and if using the full recipe, you will need to brown the meat in at least two batches or two pans. Drying and not overcrowding will ensure that the meat will sear properly by preventing cooling of the pan from overcrowding and steaming the meat from excess moisture. When the oil is very hot and shimmering, add the meat pieces (and bones, if using), and brown them, but do not cook through. As each batch is browned, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to the pan , along with the onions. Reduce heat to medium-high, and fry the onions until they turn dark brown (about 20 minutes, and yes, it does take this long and it is worth it!), stirring constantly (I gave them a stir about once a minute till the last few minutes when I stirred constantly) so that they do not burn.

Add garlic and ginger, and fry for an additional minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and red pepper, and continue frying until the spices become fragrant (10-15 seconds). Return the browned meat (and bones) to the pan, along with the tomatoes, salt, and four cups of boiling water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours. Add potatoes, and continue simmering, covered, until the potatoes are tender and the meat is cooked through (about 30 minutes). Turn off heat, and let the meat rest for at least 1/2 hour, preferable 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove bones and discard, check for salt, and simmer again until heated through. Fold in the chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Serve with basmati rice, plain yogurt and your favorite Indian bread and side dishes.

(09:37:53 AM) Rahul: you like chutney?
(09:38:14 AM) Mike: Sure...
(09:38:38 AM) Rahul: its cranberry chutney
(09:38:42 AM) Mike: I used to go to this south indian vegan restaurant in Virginia, they served curry soup, dosas, and chutney
(09:38:45 AM) Rahul: good with turkey sandwiches
(09:38:49 AM) Mike: nice!
(09:39:00 AM) Rahul: if you come visit here, i'll take you to a really good south indian joint
(09:39:08 AM) Rahul: 1 12-ounce package cranberries
1 orange cut supreme (skin and membrane removed), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 cup finely chopped dried figs (or raisins)
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine fruit, juice, shallots, spices, and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved and cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and let cool. Fold in pistachios and figs.
(09:40:09 AM) Mike: Thanks!
(09:40:26 AM) Rahul: no worries, if you like spice
(09:40:29 AM) Mike: Do you think I could substitute chives for the shallots? I have chives growing like mad in my garden
(09:40:36 AM) Rahul: yeah why not
(09:40:41 AM) Rahul: its all about being creative

Fun with Aperture Size

2010-05-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

I've been learning how to use a Nikon camera that we bought last year. I recently learned how to adjust the aperture size to narrow the focus of the picture. Today, my wife's sister had her wedding reception, I used the new skills to take some fun shots.

(Yes, I got some other pictures with people in focus)

Electronic Entertainment

2010-04-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

I recently had the startling realization that the way I manage finances is highly influenced by the countless hours I spent in my younger years playing SimCity2000 and Rollercoaster Tycoon. Those two games taught me to balance the management of immediate cashflow and making investments that will pay off in the distant future, long before I would ever consider using the terms "cashflow" and "investment" in my normal vocabulary.

On the other hand, I do regret the thousands of hours I spent being entertained in front of a 15" CRT, when I could have been spending my time developing healthy face-to-face relationships with other people, learning all sorts of fascinating things about the real world, using imagination, and generally being more beneficial to society.

I think that there's a balance to be struck here; I would argue that the right video games in moderation aren't a complete waste of time, and can actually teach more than watching the latest primetime television series. I think mainly you have to be very careful about how much time is spent doing so.

As an aside, I also have the opinion that entertainment that tries too overtly hard to be "educational", generally ISN'T. (See "Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All" for an excruciating example). I'm inclined to think that the above-mentioned games were in fact WAY more educational than reading and math games.

I'll conclude by saying that I've been thinking a lot about how to help foster my children's enthusiasm for learning. I think mostly the key is to just spend time doing things with them. My wife and I have discovered that our children seem to come with a great curiosity about the world around them, and we have the opinion that the key to feeding and developing that curiosity is to spend time with them doing a variety of activities, including reading, cooking, gardening, singing, hiking, camping, and yes, also playing computer games. I think it's all about spending time together, teaching that there are so many fascinating things to explore in this world, and finding a balance.

Saag Paneer in action

2010-03-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

This weekend I tried the recipe from my previous post. I don't know where to buy paneer, so my daughter and I made it, following this recipe: www.wikihow.com/Make-Paneer-(Indian-Cheese).

Cooking Saag Paneer

Saag Paneer served with Chicken Tikka Masala and Basmati Rice. Follow that link for the other recipe, but beware that it calls for WAY too much salt, reduce it to about half.

Saag Paneer

2010-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

I was recently talking to a co-worker about cooking Indian food. His parents are both first-generation immigrants from India. He was impressed that I've tried cooking a couple of dishes, but enlightened me that it doesn't have to take two hours. I asked him about a particular dish that I found on allrecipes.com; he said "too many ingredients..." He indicated that most Indian dishes that he cooks only take about 20 minutes. He gave me this recipe for saag paneer:

(11:08:50 AM) Rahul: step by step
(11:08:56 AM) Rahul: 2 lbs of spinach
(11:09:08 AM) Rahul: wilt the spinach in a pan and pour in blender
(11:09:10 AM) Rahul: including the water
(11:09:19 AM) Rahul: heat oil, 2-3 tbl
(11:09:27 AM) Rahul: heat up 2 cups of onions
(11:09:29 AM) Rahul: and brow
(11:09:30 AM) Rahul: n
(11:09:34 AM) Rahul: brown the onions
(11:09:38 AM) Michael: diced onions? or rings?
(11:09:42 AM) Rahul: diced
(11:09:46 AM) Rahul: smaller the better
(11:09:48 AM) Michael: roger
(11:09:52 AM) Michael: minced even\
(11:09:53 AM) Rahul: 4 cerrano pepers
(11:10:05 AM) Rahul: if you would like, i dice them....since im lazy :)
(11:10:12 AM) Rahul: 4 peppers diced
(11:10:19 AM) Rahul: add to onions after browned
(11:10:27 AM) Rahul: add ginger around 1 tbl spoon
(11:10:34 AM) Rahul: 2 tsp of garam masala
(11:10:38 AM) Rahul: 1/2 tsp tumeric
(11:10:45 AM) Rahul: then 1 tomato diced
(11:10:46 AM) Michael: fresh ginger? or will powder work?
(11:10:54 AM) Rahul: fresh is nicer :)
(11:10:59 AM) Michael: agreed :)
(11:11:11 AM) Rahul: so cook this for about 1-2 minutes and mix
(11:11:13 AM) Rahul: in pot
(11:11:24 AM) Rahul: then pour in the spinach puree
(11:12:17 AM) Rahul: cook for 2 -3 minutes
(11:12:29 AM) Rahul: then you add paneer cubes
(11:12:33 AM) Rahul: and 1tsp of salt
(11:13:04 AM) Rahul: really low heat and cover for however long you want at least 10 minutes so the paneer can soak up the flavor
(11:13:08 AM) Rahul: and thats it you are done
(11:13:17 AM) Rahul: if its too bitter, add some squeezed lemon
(11:13:25 AM) Rahul: it should take about 20 minutes from start to finish
(11:13:31 AM) Rahul: and will feed quite a few people
(11:13:57 AM) Michael: hmmm
(11:14:01 AM) Michael: I like the lemon trick
(11:14:24 AM) Rahul: thats the key to all indian food if its too bitter

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2009-09-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have to start out by saying that I spent my childhood eating white-flour products, like wonderbread, and even though as a child I ate pancakes cooked from home-made batter, they were generally made with white flour. Later on my mother decided to switch to whole wheat bread, which I wasn't too fond of at first, but grew accustomed to. Later she introduced what we called "blender pancakes", because it involved mixing the ingredients in a blender, including raw wheat. I have fond memories of blender pancakes served with pear sauce, which was puree of pears that we had picked from our own trees, and that mother had canned during the summer.

Now days when I eat white flour products, they just seem to be missing something. They don't take as long to digest, so the meal doesn't "stick" with you as long. Nutritionally, they end up having all of the carbs with hardly any of the good stuff that comes with whole grains.

This isn't the blender pancake recipe, rather it's an adaptation of a pancake recipe that I found in a cookbook. However, I will say that my adaptation has been very much influenced by my mother's pancakes. Also, it's my kids' favorite breakfast.

Without further ado...

1 1/2 cups wheat (I use hard red wheat, but any will do)
1/3 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water (adjust according to how thick you want the batter)
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat a skillet or griddle to 375 F.
Grind the wheat :) (It actually ends up making more than 1 1/2 cups wheat flour).
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a "well" in the middle of the dry ingredients.
Mix the liquid ingredients in a medium bowl. Make sure the eggs are thoroughly beaten.
Dump the liquid mix into the large bowl with the dry ingredients.
Mix until smooth. (I know, every other pancake recipe in the world says your batter should be lumpy, but I mix it smooth).
Pour a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto skillet or griddle.
Flip when they start to look dry around the edges (the "wait until the bubbles pop" trick doesn't work so well with whole-wheat pancakes, trust me on this one).
Each pancake will be done about a minute after you flip it.
Repeat 7-9 until all of your batter is gone.

Makes 4 servings.

Serving suggestion: Stack two pancakes, spread a thin later of sour cream on top, add unsweetened applesauce, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. You might think that sour cream sounds strange, but it doesn't taste sour with the applesauce and cinnamon sugar. Despite the fact that it has "cream" in the name, it has significantly less saturated fat than butter, and doesn't have the transfat found in margarine.

Another nice way to enjoy these pancakes is with almond butter, applesauce, and cinnamon sugar.

Eating healthy

2008-07-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

In these days when there is so much controversy over how to eat healthy, it can be hard to separate bad advise from the good. I generally try to find simple, easy-to-follow principles that don't sacrifice how much I enjoy my food. Here's a great article that fits my criteria; if you don't have time to read the entire thing, at least read the first line:

Unhappy Meals

Call before you die

2008-07-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today I was minding my own business, riding my bike along the streets of Seattle, from the office where I work, to the bus stop, when I looked down and saw a message engraven on a metal knob embedded in the pavement: "Call before you die". Kind of creepy.

Peanut Butter Fudge, Take 1

2007-12-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I decided to continue a budding family tradition of making peanut butter fudge. I marched into the kitchen on Saturday night after putting the kids to bed, determined to not leave until I had made peanut butter fudge. I looked up a few recipes in cookbooks, and was presented with the following options:

A classic fudge recipe, which involved using a candy thermometer. I didn't have a candy thermometer on hand, and I don't trust my ability to judge when a confection is heated to the soft-ball stage (without the thermometer).
A "simple" fudge recipe, which didn't require such precise heating. However, it called for two cups of small marshmallows. I didn't have any marshmallows on hand. However, I did have a jar of marshmallow cream, on which I found the next option...
The recipe on the back of the marshmallow cream jar. This recipe was similar to the simple fudge recipe, except it didn't have a peanut butter fudge adaptation, and I didn't want to use the 3/4 cup of butter that it called for.

I was already in the zone, so going out and buying something was completely out of the question. It would have interrupted everything. I was ready to make a masterpiece; surely I couldn't let such trivial matters ruin it. Therefore, the only option left was to make up my own recipe.

I decided to use option #2 as the basis for my recipe, since it conveniently had optional instructions to make peanut butter fudge. The base recipe called for 1/2 a cup of butter, the alternate recipe said to substitute 1/2 cup of peanut butter for the butter. I decided to substitute the whole jar of marshmallow cream for the 2 cups of marshmallows, since the other recipe told me to use the whole jar.

It called for one 5 ounce can of evaporated milk. I only had a 12 ounce can, so I altered that part a little bit to be a more round number in relation to the can that I had: 6 fluid ounces, which is 3/4 of a cup.

It also called for 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces or chopped bittersweet chocolate. I looked up a substitution; the best that I could find effectively said 2 parts cocoa, 1 part butter. Now, you have to understand that butter is a precious resource to me, so I use it sparingly. I thought, "I'm substituting peanut butter for butter in a different part of the recipe, so why not do it for this part?" The decision was made, I would alter the substitution: 2/3 cup of cocoa, 1/3 cup of peanut butter.

Now, I really don't like measuring the same ingredient multiple times; clearly it would be much simpler to just combine the two measures of peanut butter. 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup = 5/6 cup... Hmm... I didn't have a nice way to measure 5/6 cup, so I rounded it up to 1 cup. Badda Bing! My new recipe was born:

1 1/2 cup sugar
~~5-ounce can of evaporated milk~~
6 ounces of evaporated milk
~~1/2 cup butter~~
1 cup of peanut butter
~~2 cups tiny marshmallows~~
1 jar marshmallow cream
~~1 cup semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate~~
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Line a 8x8-inch baking pan with foil, coat it with non-stick cooking spray
Decide to ignore the part in the book that say to butter the sides of a 2 quart sauce pan.
Combine the sugar, evaporated milk, and peanut butter in a 2 quart sauce pan, and warm over medium-high heat. Stir with your favorite wooden spoon constantly unless you want ash-flavored fudge.
Notice that the book says "10 minutes or until boiling", interpret that to mean "until bubbly". When it starts to bubble (at about 6 minutes), lower the heat to medium.
Forget to set a timer until after it has cooked for a little longer. Realize that the book said to continue cooking for 6 minutes after lowering the heat. Clumsily use one hand to set the timer to 5 minutes while frantically continuing to stir with the other.
Take it off the heat, madly dash around the room collecting and measuring the remaining ingredients (the marshmallow cream, baking cocoa, and vanilla). Stir them in until the marshmallow cream is completely melted.
Beat it with the spoon until your arm feels like it will fall off, or for one minute.
Pour into prepared baking pan, cover, and place in the refrigerator.
Sample the remainder by licking the wooden spoon and by scraping the sauce pan. Feel proud of yourself that it actually tastes pretty good.

We left it in the refrigerator overnight and checked it the next morning. It actually set up! Well, it wasn't quite as firm as some other fudge that I've had, but come on! At least it holds its shape! The only other thing that I wasn't completely satisfied with is that ... how do I put this? ... Let's just say that the marshmallow flavor isn't quite as subtle as I had hoped. All in all, I think that it turned out quite well considering all of the last-minute alterations that I made. Our two-year-old even gave it her stamp of approval.

I'm going to try again next week. I think that I'll cook it a little bit longer, and maybe I'll use marshmallows instead of the cream. On the other hand, I think I'm onto something with that larger dose of peanut butter...

Tag, I'm it.

2007-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all, welcome to my new blog. My dear wife just "blog tagged" me, and announced to the whole world that I would be starting a blog, so here it is.

Now for the fun part; I'm supposed to mention seven things about myself that not very many people know. Without further ado:

I busted my nose pretty bad way back when I was just a toddler. If I understand correctly, it involved a relative, a ball, a concrete foundation, and my nose (of course). My dad had converted the old garage into a living room. Unfortunately, due to the way the foundation was set, there was a little concrete ledge around the perimeter of the room, inconspicuously painted the same color as the walls. Apparently some relative was playing a go-fetch-the-ball game with me, the toddler. After a few rounds, the ball rolled over near the side of the room, I chased after it, and tripped at the wrong time. I was rushed to the hospital and had several stitches, which all got pulled out by my grubby little nubbies over the next few days. Stitches itch. Disclaimer: this story is entirely constructed from vague memories and things that other people have told me, any part may be entirely inaccurate.

The tag line of my blog says that I write computer software for a living. What is less known is that I started doing so when I was a little kid. One day my dad brought home a new computer (a dinosaur by today's standards). A few years later he showed me that if you turn it on without a cartridge or disk, it started up in a mode that let you write computer programs. I don't remember what year I started, but I'm guessing that I was 7 or 8 years old.

When I was in third grade, I had a full-blown epileptic seizure in the middle of the classroom. I guess my teacher handled it pretty well, because I'm still alive. Yet again I was rushed off to the hospital and had to stay there for a week. I was diagnosed with epilepsy. The doctors prescribed a medicine called Dilantin, which I kept using for the next ten years.

I played the clarinet in the school band for seven years.

I once broke a tooth by biting into a pea pod. No, really, I did! Well, it wasn't a real tooth, it was a fake one. It was actually the third generation, after two other fake teeth that met similar fates. The second one was lost due to a less glamorous reason; I got sick, lost my previous meal, and lost the tooth with it. The first one broke by biting into an apple. The real tooth had a hard history during my childhood, it became aquianted with a metal bar on a playground, then later with my sister's kneecap on the trampoline, and finally met a basketball that was thrown at my face in a particularly violent game of basketball in the middle school gym. It finally gave up. Yes, all of my fake teeth since then have been the removable kind, and no, I'm not interested in getting a permanent one.

When I was a junior in High School, I wrote a piece of music to be played by the high school band. Yes, I transposed the different parts and all of that business. We played it at the end-of-school-year band concert. It was the only 5 minutes of fame I ever got during my entire high school career. It even got a standing ovation. I put together another piece the next year, which I dare say was much better than the first one I did, but the new band teacher wasn't the least bit interested in letting us play it. Oh well. That leads to my next one...

One of my dreams is to someday make a little home music studio, with a collection of both acoustic and electronic instruments, a rack of recording/playback equipment, and whatever other sound gadgets I can collect. It could be a sound-proof room so that people can use it to practice instruments as loud as they want without anybody else getting upset. You get the idea.