Sushi!!

سلام! بسم الله

I made SUSHI!!!! It wasn't my recipe of course, I just looked up how to do it online, but I still wanted to share some pictures :-)










I didn't have any sushi-grade fish, so I made this from teryaki chicken and tempura shrimp with cream cheese and/or cucumber.

I made some extra seasoned sushi rice and tempura shrimp as sides.

Chicken Adobo

Salam!

Bismillah

My mom spent a few years of her childhood living in the Phillipines. They had a maid who taught her mother how to cook some of their dishes and Chicken Adobo QUICKLY became a family favorite. This is definitely a taste from my mother's childhood so it was really cool to learn how to make it!

This recipe will make 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cornish hen, quartered
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1-2 bay leaf
5-10 whole peppercorns
6 garlic cloves, chopped
oil
2 1/2 cup white rice
4 1/2 cup water, salt

1. bring soy, vinegar, bay leaf, and peppercorns to a boil (you can adjust the the amount of soy and vinegar depending on what you like)
2. add chicken and simmer until thoroughly cooked
3. roast garlic in pan with oil until it is soft and brown
4. add chicken to pan with garlic and sear both sides
5. place rice water and salt in sauce pan, cover with foil and lid: heat over med-low for 15-20 minutes until rice is the texture that you like
6. serve chicken on a bed of rice with juice and topped with roasted garlic

Al Mandy Al Dajaj (Chicken Mandy)

Salam!

Bismillah

One of my friends from the gulf told me about how they would go out in the desert and dig a pit to make this kind of chicken (or lamb) and rice called "mandy."
I could just picture the set up with the coals under the pot with the rice and the chicken hanging suspended over the pot to cook in the steam and the smoke of the coals.
I set out to recreate this lovely dish in an apartment kitchen, to the best of my ability, and this is what I came up with...

Please let me know what you think!!! :-D
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
1 Small Chicken (cornish hen) halved
2 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Vinegar
2 tsp Olive Oil
Spices: Cumin, Black Pepper, Curry Powder, Paprika, Tumeric, Cardamom, Coriander, Salt, Galanqa
*amounts to your liking. Mine is HEAVY on the coriander and cumin.*

For the Rice:
2-3 Tomatoes
1 Green Pepper
2 Onions
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
5-8 Cardamom Pods
1 stick Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
2 Chicken Bullion Cubes
Dash of Ground Galanqa
Salt to Taste
2 cups Basmati Rice
2-3 cups Chicken Broth (room temperature)
2 cups Water (room temperature)

Method:
1. Chop Veges in thin rounds/ circles




2. Mix all ingredients for the chicken and poke with holes, let rest

3. Soak the Rice for 30 minutes in some room temperature water

4. Run two wires through the chicken halves (make sure it is stainless steel wire... no weird alloys, lol)

5. Melt butter and Oil for the rice in a pan over the stove, add onions, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and green peppers and cook until soft

6. Add bullion cubes, salt, and tomatoes until tomatoes are warm

7. Add soaked rice into the pan and stir until thoroughly mixed

8. Spread rice and vege mixture into roasting pan and add broth and water


9. Next, hang chicken from wires inside the oven over the place where the rice will cook (so that the steam will directly hit the chicken as it cooks


10. Cook in 350F oven for about an hour and a half until rice is done (you may have to add liquid or use less than the 5 cups I recommended depending on the humidity of your home and the ventilation in your oven.)


I hope you enjoy!!!!