JeanneinDoha Cooks | A Few of my Favorite Recipes for Ramadan Dinners and Beyond

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
(...but any pressure cooker will do!)

I enjoy cooking Indian, Asian-inspired, or simply well-flavored food almost as much as I enjoy eating it! This week on the blog, I'm sharing a few tried-and-tested recipes, and the bloggers and writers who dreamed them up. These are recipes that I return to time and time again because of their ease of preparation and guaranteed flavor, and I think all of them would make wonderful additions to any dinner spread over Ramadan and beyond.

Before jumping on to recipe-sharing, I wanted to take a moment to direct you to a kitchen appliance that you will see pop up a few times in this blog post: I am a major fan of my InstantPot electric pressure cooker. It's inexpensive, readily-programmable and simple to use, and allows you to cook tasty curries, stews and braises relatively quickly. We received our InstantPot as a wedding present. At the moment amazon.co.uk don't appear to have InstantPots available. However, I believe one can acquire an electric pressure cooker at Sharaf DG in the GCC. Alternatively, pick one up whilst on holiday and bring it back with you. I use my electric pressure cooker at least once a week and would be lost without it. You can also make use of a manual, stove-top pressure cooker. I am looking at acquiring one of these as well so that I can be ever-so-cool and have two pressure cookers on the go whilst making dinner!

Turning now to recipes. What Indian meal would be complete without a steaming pile of rice? I love this recipe for saffron brown rice. The instructions are pretty accurate and I find the only modification I sometimes have to make is to add additional water or stock along the way if it looks like we're running low. I also like to sauté some almond flakes in butter and sprinkle them over the top. I would also suggest not scrimping on the saffron.

Let's move on to vegetables. If you haven't yet come across Smitten Kitchen's blog, you're missing out! I have made her cumin junkie cauliflower and potatoes on several occasions.  I do, however, find the recipe a little bland for my palate, so I tend to double the spice quantities shown. I also add a 250 ml. can of coconut milk to the potato, cauliflower and spice mixture as it cooks down. I've made this recipe for brunch and dinner and it's always been a hit 

I have a few other go-to vegetarian recipes in my arsenal. Vegan Richa's blog is full of meals bursting with macro-nutrients. Her vegan chick pea saag served with brown rice has been a lunch box staple of mine. If you don't have a pressure cooker available, you can make it with tinned, organic chick peas and cook your curry on the stove top. I'm also a major fan of this palak paneer recipe from my wonderful neighbor in India, Veena. I've routinely made a "lazy version," cooking thawed frozen spinach with the onions before blending the mixture before continuing as directed.

Pressure Cooker Beef Curry | Pressure Cooking Today

Meat! If you're new to my blog, you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm a vegetarian given how many veggie-oriented posts I have shared to date. I love my vegetables and try to be mindful of the quality and quantity of meat I'm consuming. However, this is not to say that I don't love a good lamb or beef curry. I've made this beef curry recipe in my pressure cooker and it's been a hit with my husband as well as with dinner guests. My Heart Beets is similarly filled with pressure-cooker friendly, largely paleo curries and other main course ideas. A word of caution - this blogger's recipes run on the spicy side, so lower the heat if you don't like getting your sweat on. I liked her goat curry in a hurry (pressure cooker and slow cooker recipes here). 

Spanish Fish Stew | BBC Good Food

We usually have fish for dinner a couple of times a week. Sometimes, we simply pan-sear salmon and serve that with quinoa and steamed veg (I try to follow the Gordon Ramsey's "scored skin" method for searing salmon). On other occasions, we try something more exotic. This Spanish fish stew from BBC Good Food  is amazing! I usually include some saffron to the stock for added flair. I also add the 'parsley with ½ the garlic and lemon zest,' at the beginning of Part 3, rather than at the end. This is beautiful served with cous cous and grilled courgettes. Tip: for those of you who live in Doha, Megmart has frozen wild salmon that works well. I have also had success with My Heart Beets' Kerela fish curry which is beautiful and aromatic over rice with a light salad.

Happy feasting!

Please note that pictures used in my article are drawn from the original blog or web posts. I have the food photography skills of an aged ram, and therefore defer to the capabilities of those far more talented than myself.