Colcannon is a simple, delicious and easy to make Irish side dish traditionally cooked for St. Patrick’s Day. Made with potatoes, cabbage and other greens boiled and mashed together makes this blissfully simple Colcannon, an Irish Gaelic word meaning white-headed cabbage, grounded in Old Irish terms for cabbage or kale (cāl), head (cend or cenn) and white (find). In the American South and Midland, “corn dodgers” were boiled as dumplings with cabbage and ham.

For Ages, potatoes and Cabbage have been sustenance foods in Ireland. The Irish have been thriving on this classic combination of potatoes and cabbage for hundreds of years. Filled with abundant vitamin and mineral nutrition, and possessing a creamy satisfying richness of flavor, colcannon is a tribute to the Irish gift for making the simplest foods into something special.

Generally Irish side dish recipes for are ecstatically simple. Basically, boil or mash vegetables, add a shamrock for stylish effect and this Irish Colcannon is creamy mashed potatoes made green with cabbage or kale and seasoned with salt and pepper. The thought of a plate heaped with Colcannon is enough to make people sing – literally. “The Skillet Pot” is a traditional Irish folk song. Colcannon is a popular dish although not as widely eaten as Champ or Poundies but is equally delicious.

Irish cuisine is a style of cooking originating from Ireland and the cuisine takes its influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in its temperate climate. The introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century heavily influenced Ireland’s cuisine thereafter.

Traditional Irish dishes are Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, potato, boxty, coddle, colcannon and (mainly in Ulster) fadge. Potatoes form the basis for many traditional Irish dishes and initially a garden crop and thereon became the main food crop of the poor. As a food source, the potato is extremely valuable in terms of the amount of energy produced per unit area of crop. The potato is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C when fresh.

Surprisingly most of the Irish dishes have all sorts of ways of cooking potatoes, with festive names like champ (made with mashed potato, scallions, butter and milk), boxty (a kind of potato pancake), and colcannon. Colcannon, in Irish means ‘white-headed cabbage’ and is also the name of a song about the dish. Colcannon is traditionally prepared from mashed potatoes and kale (or cabbage), with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions and chives. Combined with the lovely greenness of kale and leeks and the alluring comfort of buttery mashed potatoes makes a enticing serving next to some beautifully roasted lamb or turkey roast.

Colcannon is often eaten with boiled ham or Irish bacon. At one time it was a cheap, year-round staple food, though nowadays it is usually eaten in autumn/winter, when kale comes into season. An old Irish Halloween tradition was to serve colcannon with prizes of small coins concealed in it, as the Irish, English and Scots do with Christmas pudding.

Cabbage is a popular leafy green vegetable distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, which while immature form a characteristic compact, globular cluster (cabbagehead). The plant is also called head cabbage or heading cabbage, Cabbage leaves often have a delicate, powdery, waxy coating called bloom. The occasionally sharp or bitter taste of cabbage is due to glucosinolate(s). Cabbages are also a good source of riboflavin. Normally the spherical cluster of immature leaves are the only part eaten. Cabbage is used in a variety of dishes for its naturally spicy flavor. The so-called “cabbage head” is widely consumed raw, cooked, or preserved in a great variety of dishes. It is the principal ingredient in coleslaw and Sauerkraut.

Kale is king and along with leek, potatoes, green onions, it is one of the nutrition stand-outs among vegetables. It fights fat through its ability to mingle in a variety of roles — in side dishes, combined in main dishes, or in salads. Kale is unusually high in fiber and helps create the bulk you need to fill you up and to keep you full for a good amount of time. Kale is also an excellent source of nutrients, especially vitamin A and calcium. With a combination of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, kale is a dieter’s dream food.

Preparing Colcannon is very simple and easy to cook. Put the potatoes (3 pounds) in a medium pot with water adding little salt and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain in a colander. Peel skin and mash.

Return the pot to the stove and set over medium-high heat and add 4 oz trimmed kale leaves, 1 leek, light parts only, chopped, 1 bunch green onions, chopped (keep some for garnishing at the last). Cook the greens in salted water for 5 to 6 minutes or until they are wilted and have given off some of their water. Drain water and keep aside.

In the blender add onions, boiled kale and leeks and 2 tablespoons room temperature butter and puree to a smooth paste. Add this mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add ¼ cup cream or milk and combine all the ingredients well. Finally garnish with finely chopped green onions on top and a huge knob of butter in the center.

You can also add cabbage instead of Kale which is an excellent source of vitamin C. It also contains significant amounts of glutamine, an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage can also be included in dieting programs, as it is a low calorie food.

Enjoy Cooking!

Glutinous Rice Balls with Red Bean Paste is a traditional Chinese dessert that is well loved by all generations. It is called as Tang yuan in Chinese and is basically made from glutinous rice flour. Glutinous rice flour is mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling water. Tangyuan can be either small or large, and filled or unfilled. They are traditionally eaten during Yuanxiao, or the Lantern Festival.

Glutinous rice balls with red bean paste or tang yuan is a traditional holiday food and now has popularly become one of the most common everyday foods the Chinese eat. There are many ways to make tang yuan. They can be either filled or unfilled, with popular fillings being peanut, black sesame or red bean paste. The traditional version is often unfilled rice balls served in a sweet soup. The most popular soup is the one with ginger and rock sugar, but there’s also red bean and black sesame soup. The unfilled tang yuan tend to be smaller in size, and also is more colorful.

Eating the tang yuan has an important cultural significance. For many Chinese families in China and overseas, this dish is usually eaten together with family. The round shape of the balls and the bowls where they are served, come to symbolize the family togetherness. The most prominent varieties come from Ningbo and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province. However, they are traditionally eaten throughout China.

Glutinous rice balls with red bean paste or Tang yuan have also come to be associated with the Winter Solstice and Chinese New Year in various regions. Today, the food is eaten all year round. Mass-produce are commonly found in the frozen food section of Asian supermarkets in China and overseas. However, most people prefer to make their own since it’s easy as a piece of… rice ball.

This recipe uses glutinous rice flour (also called sticky rice flour), balls coated with coconut stuffed with sweet red bean paste. Red bean paste or Azuki bean paste is a sweet, dark red bean paste originating from China. It is often used in Chinese cuisine, Korean cuisine and Japanese confectionery. This paste is prepared by boiling and mashing red bean or azuki beans and then sweetening the paste with sugar or honey. The husk of the beans is removed by sieving before sweetening, which leads to a smoother and more homogenous paste.

As for the taste of this dish, both the texture and flavor of the glutinous rice balls are totally different from anything. It is soft, almost a bit gooey, and the glutinous rice flour adds a very distinct, yet mild taste. Red bean paste makes a pleasant filling because it’s quite malleable. You can also be free to experiment with other fillings if desired such as a combination of crushed peanuts and brown sugar, or a mixture of softened butter, coconut and sugar would both be good choices.

Glutinous rice balls with red bean paste is most popular during the winter solstice (Dongzhi festival) – usually celebrated in December (it was on the 22nd last year), and symbolizes the day in the year where the day is the shortest. After this celebration, the Chinese believe that the days will be filled with more hours of sunlight, and therefore and increase in the amount of positive energy. In addition, eating these during the winter solstice also symbolizes becoming a year older. Tang yuan are also made on special celebrations such as Chinese New Year and used as an offering to the gods. They are also served during weddings.

You can make sweet or savory fillings. Northern China variations mix sesame, peanuts, sweet bean paste and place them into bamboo baskets with rice flour, sprinkle water continuously on the rice flour to form the fillings and form round balls. Southern variations are typically larger, and are made by wrapping the filling into sticky rice flour wrapping and crumpling them into balls. Filled tang yuan are served along with the water in which it is boiled (hence the “soup” in the name) while unfilled tang yuan are served as part of a sweet dessert soup (known in Cantonese cuisine as tong sui, which literally means “sugar water”).

To prepare this lovely glutinous rice flour balls with red bean paste, firstly mix glutinous rice flour and corn flour in a large bowl. Add water and condensed milk, mix well as soft paste roll. Pout into pain container and steam on high heat for 15 minutes.

Cut the paste roll into 6 balls while it cools down; press a hole on ball by thumb. Steam red bean paste with 1 tablespoon of water until soft and let it cool. Fill red bean paste into the rice ball’s hole by a spoon, seal the rice balls. Rolling the rice ball gently until the ball is total sealed. Roll over on grinded coconut, dish up and serve in cool.

TIP: Glutinous rice flour can be a bit tricky to work with – at first it looks too dry and the next thing you know the dough is sticking to your hands because you’ve added too much water. If that happens, add a bit more glutinous rice flour. On the other hand, if the dough is too dry, add more boiled water, a small amount at a time. The amount of water needed can vary quite a bit depending on the humidity level where you live and the age of the flour.

Glutinous rice flour is pretty sticky in its own nature even when is cooked. If the flour is steamed for enough time, it’s all right even though it still sticks to your chopstick a bit. If you don’t taste any uncooked-flour flavor, it’s cooked and can use it to wrap fillings.

A glutinous rice ball with red bean paste is a colorful treat and a very fitting dish because the round shape of the rice balls symbolizes family reunion, harmony, unity and prosperity. A lot of people color the rice balls pink or red because it’s supposed to bring good luck. Do try this recipe and enjoy eating!

Basbousa is a popular sweet cake made of semolina or farina soaked in syrup. It is also commonly known as Hareesa in Arabic or revani in Turkish or ravani in Greek. The syrup may also optionally contain orange flower water or rose water. This dish is very common in Egypt and this cake has many years of service in the Egyptian kitchen.

Basbousa is found in the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean under a variety of names. It appears to be a variant of the Egyptian dish ma’mounia. In southern Greece this dish is commonly called as ravani while in the north it is known as revani. It is a traditional dessert in Veria. Basbousa is often called as Hareesa in the Maghreb and Alexandria.

There are different other recipes of making the Basbousa that requires adding coconut flakes. They are also other variations where few people add yoghurt and few do not. It is also called as Nammourah (Namoora in Lebanon) or Hareeseh besides many other names across the Middle East name Basbooseh or Basboosa. Traditionally they are small cakes that are covered with syrup and are perfect with coffee or tea.

Farina, ingredient used in making Basbousa is a cereal food frequently describes as mild tasting usually served warm, made from cereal grains. In English, the word usually refers to semolina or cream of wheat made from soft wheat. Wheat farina is a carbohydrate rich food, often cooked in boiling water and served warm for breakfast, or cooked with milk and made into semolina pudding. It is used as an ingredient in many dishes and in processed foods such as breakfast cereals and pasta. The word farina comes from the Latin “farina” meaning meal or flour.

There are many varieties of Arabic sweets that are truly delicious. When you walk into a dessert shop specialized in Arabic sweets you feel like really want a bit of everything but there is a common belief that Arabic sweets are hard to prepare but this recipe of Basbousa is simple and easy to prepare at home. This excellent semolina cake is a very popular dessert in Middle Eastern cities and can be found commonly sold on a push trolley scrolling down the streets. It is a sweet dish that can be served as a dessert after a meal or had on its own with afternoon tea.

To prepare this special Middle Eastern delicacy, firstly mix the yoghurt, sugar and butter together until the sugar gets totally dissolved. Mix the semolina, baking powder and sodium carbonate and add to the yoghurt mixture. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly well (The dough should be heavy). Brush the cooking tray with Tahini using a spoon. Pour over the dough and spread evenly all over the plate.

Cut the dough mixture into square pieces and then cut the square into halves. Top each piece with a half almond. Bake the dough in the oven over 375 degree Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until it gets golden color. Remove from oven and add a tablespoon of butter to the syrup and spread evenly over the cooked dough. Put it back in the oven again for another 3 minutes and remove and keep aside. Let the baked sweet cooled down (do not cool it in the refrigerator). Serve once it is completely cooled down.

Do enjoy this traditional Egyptian dessert recipe and enjoy its taste. Click on the link for detailed recipe at:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/Basboosah+%28Hareeseh%29:2604

For all those who have not eaten this dish do try this Middle Eastern dessert which is a special cake but not exactly a cake. Basbousa is a dish that is tasty and light.

The food of Bihar is vegetarian. However, unlike Gujarat or some communities of south, non-vegetarian food is also quite acceptable even in traditional homes of Bihar. Some sects of Brahmins ke the Maithil Brahmins have traditionally eaten some varieties of fish. Mutton or Goat meat is even” used as Prasad in some type of pujas. like devi puja Oddly, many Kayastha families in Bihar, who are generally considered great lovers of non-vegetarian food, are vegetarian in Bihar.

Traditional Bihar society did not quite eat eggs and chicken, though other types of birds and fowls were highly acceptable. However, such distinctions are no longer current

Staple food – As stated eartier, much of the food consumed by people in Bihar is vegetarian. The staple food is “bhat, dal, roti, tarkari and achar”, prepared basically from rice, lentils, wheat flour, vegetables, and pickle. Traditionally, mustard oil. has been the popular cooking medium. “Khichdi”, the broth of rice and lentils, seasoned with spices, and served with several accompanying items like curd, chutney, pickles, papads, ghee (clarified butter) and chokha (boiled mashed potatoes, seasoned with finely cut onions, green chilies) constitutes the lunch for most people of Bihar on Saturdays.

Sweet delicacies – Unlike Oriya and Bengali sweets which are soaked in syrups made of sugar and are therefore wet, sweets of Bihar are mostly dry. Some of them are Laktho, Khurma.Balushahi.Anarasa, Khaja, Motichoor ka Ladoo, Kala Jamun, Kesaria Peda, Parwal ka Mithai, Khubi ka Lai, Belgrami, Tilkut, Thekua and Chena Murki. Some of them owe their origin to towns in the vicinity of Patna: Khaja from Silao Nalanda, Ladoo from Maner, Kala Jamun from Vikram, Khubi ka Lai from Barh, Tilkut arid Kesaria Peda from Gaya .balushahi from Harnaut and Chena Murki from Koelwar. Descendants of the original family members of the cooks, called halwais in the local language, have migrated to urban Patna and authentic sweet delicacies are now available in the city itself.

Other traditional snacks and savouries – There are several other traditional snacks and savouries:
Pua, prepared from a mixture of powdered rice, milk, ghee (clarified butter), sugar and honey and its variant Malpua
Pittha, steam cooked, mixture of powdered rice
Chiwra, beaten rice, served with a coat of creamy curd and sugar or jaggery
Makhana (a kind of water fruit) is prepared from lotus seeds and is taken puffed ocas kheer, prepared with milk and sugar
Sattu, powdered baked gram, is a high energy giving food. It is taken mixed with water or with milk. Sometimes, sattu mixed with spices is used to prepare stuffed ‘chapattis’, locally called as ‘makuni roti’
Litti/Choka, a fast food item that can be prepared with minimum of utensils by people on tour. It is prepared with Sattu and Wheat flour and taken with mashed potato and brinjals.
Dhuska, a deep fried item prepared from a mixture of powdered rice and ghee but is salted Kadhi Bari, these fried soft dumplings made of besan (gram flour) are cooked in a spicy gravy of yogurt and besan it goes very well over plain rice.

Non-vegetarian food – The distinctive Bihari flavor of the non-vegetarian cooking finds mention in the memoirs of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who found it quite tasteful. Forms of Kebabs, Mutton preparations and dishes prepared from the various fowls and birds have a very distinctive flavor. Bihari’s are quite famous for their Behari Kebabs another typical Bihari non vegetarian dish. This dish was traditionally made from mutton and is eaten with Roti, Paratha (-sort of pita) or boiled rice. Recently in fast food restaurants these Behari Kebabs are also sold as Behari Kebab Rolls. This is essentially the kebabs wrapped up in a Paratha. Some muslim families moved from Bihar to Pakistan during partition in 1947. The Behari culture and their cuisines can be seen quite distinctively in Karachi where they are in quite a large number Later on few of them immigrated to US and Canada, taking with them their culture and cuisine. There are a number of Behari restaurants that sell various vegetarian and non vegetarian rolls and are rather popular by the generic name Bihari Kebab Rolls whether its Lexington Avenue (South) in New York or Gerard Street in Downtown Toronto.

It is a set lunch that is served on the eponymous thali – a round steel platter set down before the eager diner and ringed with small steel bowls containing an array of treats. (The platter is sometimes lined with a piece of banana leaf, or in more traditionally-minded thali restaurants, the platter is done away with entirely in favor of a placemat-sized section of banana leaf.) The bowls are usually arranged with lighter, more liquid dishes at the bottom right – the place nearest the eating hand The thicker and heavier dishes are positioned towards the top of the thali.

At many places in India, the bread and the rice preparation are not served together in the thali Typically, one finds the Indian bread being offered first and the waiter serves the rice subsequent to the consumption of bread, often in a separate bowl or dish.

As one moves geographically to the South, the emphasis gets shifted to the rice preparation especially from the point of view of quantity. One finds here places which offer exclusively rice in their thalis. The reverse, however, is not true anywhere in India. Rice, even if it is in a modest amount is essential to the popular definition of thali in India. One does not term an exclusively bread offering as thali. But one is often given the option of asking for bread instead of rice at several places.

It is normally the chapattis that are served first. Once thi: is done, in the center of the thali. and as the anchor of the meal, is served a pile of steamed rice and a papadam – a crunchy lentil wafer that begins your thali experience. Plantain chips or some fried savory and chutney are often part of a thali meal.

Thali always features rasam, a spicy lentil soup that one can sip or eat with papadam. and sambar, the classic South Indian lentil stew, redolent with the delicate flavor of kari leaves.

The thali also has a range of other vegetable dishes. This is where thali typically varies the most: it could include a hearty mushroom curry, a coconut and cauliflower dish, or stewed onions and okra, among thousands of other options. There is also curd (yoghurt – is usually a must to balance the fiery tastes of South Indian meals.) and a dessert,”such as a creamy pudding, that is usually dairy-based and seasoned with cardamom, saffron, or rose (South Indian diners often begin the meal with this sweet treat). The essence of the thali is to incorporate a treasure house of tastes and textures to delight the taste buds.

Appetizers

Samosa – Triangular pastries filled with vegetables, subtly flavored with spices & exotic herbs, served with mint/yogurt chutney

Bhajiya or Pakora – Slices of onion spiced & coated with chick pea flour batter, deep fried to a golden brown, served with mint/yogurt chutney

Lamb Kebab – Lamb chops sprinkled with ginger/garlic extract, mildly seasoned, marinated & cooked over charcoals, served with mint/yogurt chutney

Chicken or Paneer tikka – Succulent boneless breast chicken pieces or paneer, marinated in yogurt & spices, cooked in the tandoor oven until tender, served with mint/yogurt chutney Seek Kebab – Minced lamb, marinated with garlic/ginger & exotic spices, skewered & cooked in the tandoori oven, served with mint/yogurt chutney.

Vegetarian Entrees

Vegetable jalfrezi – Seasonal vegetables tossed in butter & mildly seasoned with cumin seed, turmeric & cayenne pepper

Paneer Kofta – Koftas of homemade creamy cheese ground with vegetables, mixed with nuts & raisins, deep-fried, served in a creamy sauce.

Palak Paneer – Homemade cottage cheese, deep-fried & cooked in fresh pureed spinach, mildly spiced. A speciality from North India.

Dum Aloo – Small potatoes, exotically flavored with fresh herbs & fresh ground spices, sauteed & cooked in yogurt sauce garnished with chopped coriander leaves Dal Makhani – Lentils cooked on slow fire with butter until tender, mildly spiced & complimented with fresh herbs.

Meat dishes

Lamb Roganjosh – A rich lamb curry from Kashmir delicately flavored with exotic spices Chicken Tikka – Succulent pieces of chicken marinated in exotic spices, cooked in the Tandoori oven, finished with tomato, cream and butter sauce. Lamb Vmdaloo – An authentic spicy, hot, sharp & tangy, lamb dish
Korma – A northern delicacy. The most popular dish to entertain guests with. Cooked with lots of yogurt, cream, coconut, rose-water and garnished with raisins, almonds and fried onions. Tandoori Chicken – Whole Chicken baked in clay-oven

Accompaniments

Basmati Rice.
Plain Basmati rice
Peas Pilau – with fresh peas
Vegetable pilau – with mixed vegetables
Tandoori breads: Plain naan Garlic naan Roti
Cheese and Onion Kulcha Alu Paratha – potato and herb Paratha Lacchader – “Flaky”
Side Condiments and Raitas: Tomato and onion ‘kachumber’ salad Cucumber and yogurt raita’ Sweet mango ‘Chutney’ Mango, lime and chili pickles