Goan Escapades (Part 2) - Portuguese style Goan Chicken Pulao

The worst part of flying is the long layover times. Sometimes they extend so long that you really do not know what to do. It becomes extremely irritating if you are travelling alone. Time does not seem to fly and the airports ( the duty frees, the lounges) seem to be losing their charm. I think Hotels will do good business if they organise some cooking classes on the local cuisine at these international airports ( pay & learn). I'm sure dead bored travellers like me who almost everytime have a long layover, will attend these classes. Let me know what you think about this idea and incase it does get incorporated remember where you read it first. I'm writing this post during one such long layover ( 4 hours ...fairly long for me). It pays to have such posts up your sleeve to tide over long layovers ( longer and you might have seen 2 of them). It is the sequel to my first goan escapades. My colleague and neighbour ( our cabins in office are next to each other), Dan, had this video, as I had used his camera to shoot it. He had since gone on a long vacation and returned a few weeks back. What makes this post exciting is the fact, that in my previous post, we cooked (as in the Chef) some nicy spicy Balchao. Most people associate goan food to being fiery, with lots of tangy flavors. The chicken pulao in this post, shatters this.

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Stuffed Peppers

I have never hated flying and so much and I have never loved coming back to a hotel so much as I did last evening. My trip to Florida and Washington had been so exhaustive that everytime I needed to catch a plane, I dreaded it. Thankfully, I'm back in Minneapolis and looking forward to the weekend.

To celebrate the weekend I made myself some stuffed peppers. It took me no time to make them and once I was done with the plating, I raised a glass of wine to myself quitely and bit into one of them. They tasted so good, I had to raise the next glass to my creations. I used some spanish rice with squid salad on the sides.

If these look appealing to you, wait till you hear my plan for the weekend. I plan to make some Chile Rellenos with an Indian twist on Sunday and have been spending my time shopping for the ingredients.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

Bell Peppers - 3

Rice, boiled and drained - 1 Cup

Beef Mince - 1 Cup

Onions, chopped finely - 3 Tblsp

Carrot, chopped fine - 3 Tblsp

Mushrooms, chopped fine - 4 Tblsp

Celery, chopped fine - 3 Tblsp

Garlic, minced - 1 Tsp

Tomatoes, concassed - 3 Tblsp

Cayenne Pepper - 1 Tsp

Thyme - 1 tsp

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Allspice - 1 Tsp
Basil - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds, powdered - 1/2 tsp

Paprika - 1 tsp

Black Pepper - 2 tsp

Cheese, grated - 3 Tblsp

Salt - To taste

Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add in garlic and onions. Saute till they turn translucent.

2. Add in the Beef mince. Cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the finely chopped vegetables (except tomatoes) and mix well.

4. Add in the spices and mix well.

5. Cook for 7 minutes.

6. Add in the chopped tomatoes. Mix well.

7. Cook till the mixture starts to dry and beef is cooked.

8. Take off flame. Mix in rice and adjust seasoning. Keep aside.

9. Blanch the bell peppers and cut them into halves lengthwise. Deseed and clean them.

10. Fill the bell peppers with the prepared mixture. Press the mixture down as you fill the peppers.

11. After you have filled the peppers till the top, sprinkle grated cheese on top.

12. Place on grill and cook till cheese melts.

13. Cut into further halves (quarters) and serve hot.

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