Cooking, recipes, how to

benazir's blog

Chickpeas With Beef Short Ribs And Couscous

Hello lovely people there are several ways you can season this awesome dish here and before we start I am going to post the links and show you how to use them and they must be made in advance especially the Preserved Lemons which are ready in 3 days but if you have them on hand then you can skip this step then you will need to grind spices for Baharat Or Bokharat Seasoning or you can use My Ras El Hanout instead either with or without the perserved lemon.

I am so much in love with the flavor and smell of lemons from childhood even though they are quite sour but added to the food it is really amazing. Plus the rind is edible and and has a host of bioflavinoids which is great for healty conective tissue and your immune system. That’s right because just like vitamin c it is also an anti oxident. If you do not want to use the bokharat or baharat seasoning as it may be called in some other regions of the Arab contries or the ras el hanout which is used in North African countries wher the population is mixed with Arab and Berber who where pretty much nomadic people. Down below is another option of a list of spices to put just in case you do not want the any of the two I have mentioned with the links above.

You will need 1 bay leaf the rest gets ground in mortar and pestle.
1 broken piece of cinnamon stick
1 pinch each of cumin seeds coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, kalounji (black seeds),, any color peppercorns
1 pinch of sumac another ingredient that does not go in mortar and pestle, place this in a bowl with the bay leaf and set aside.
1 red chili in mortar and pestle to grind
2 cloves
2 kabab chini
4 allspice berries

These all get ground in to a mortar and pestle and then you will need to put 1/4 cup of either grapeseed oil or olive oil in the instant pot and add 1 onion or shallot, select saute button and the time for 5 minutes and tap start. The oil will get hot and cook what is inside. Stir until onion is brown. I perfer to do this when it says it is hot and then the timer starts. This will cook the onion and the 4 cloves of garlic. Wait until the aroma starts and add either the ras el hanout, bokharat or this other spice blend including the sumac and bay leaf if you use for what is on the list only.

You can use this with or without perserved lemon but the me thing is I love lemons so much so I can’t do without this at all. Add 1 pinch of either pink salt. seasoned salt, vegtea seasoning, kosher salt, sea salt or bullion. Add 3 dashes of either maggi or knorr aroma, worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar. You can add also if you want 1 drop of pomagrante molasses and pomagrante syrup too. Add 1/2 cup of washed chickpeas and 1kg or 1 lb of beef shortribs and tap the cancel button if the instant pot cooker does not shut off. Add liter or 1 qart of water and stir. Why do I always say instant pot? It is because I own one and it was my birthday present from Mr. Riaz.

I love it so much that I want instant pot to sponser me and seriously I want to work with this brand and be an influencer and for peole who do not have one and if you can afford it which really they are under $200.00 for the duo crisp 8 quart for which I have that It has everything so I do not have a cluttered countertop with all of these appliences. It is not only a space saver but a time saver as well unless you have to steam something then you have to set an external timer. I do it all of the time when I am steaming vegetables. Now back to finish off this yummy recipe and there are 2 ways you can go about this. You can either slow cook or pressure cook these and whatever you choose this dish is oh so yummy in the tummy and the tastebuds as well. If you are slow cooking even though you have the condensation collector in the back and to keep from getting up and having to empty it. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top and a lid a glass lid that is big enough to go over the cooker. I had one already before I got my cooker and this I bought by mistake.

My old crockpot lid was damaged and while my crockpot still works and I have used it from time to time. Mr. Riaz said he was going to buy me another and I said don’t bother and the foil bit I have picked up from a dear friend of mine. She too is a blogger and she blogs to promote her artwork and it is on point. That guy of mine ended up getting me a pressure cooker a stovetop one after I said no thanks about a new slow cooker. That was until I spotted the instant pot duo crisp add and that they sold it at Target, Walmart, Amazon and Kohls. I showed it to him and he went to Target and got me my instant pot for my birthday.

To slow cook select slow cook after placing the foil to seal and the top to weigh it down on either high or low which you have to tap the slow cook button again for the high or low option and select the time for 430 which is 4 1/2 hours or if you are pressed for time take the pressure cook lid that comes with the cooker place this on the pot and make sure the quick release button is on the sealing position and select pressure cook for either high or low and you tap the pressure cook button twice to toggle through and select 20 minutes and start.

When time is up it shuts off unless you have the keep warm setting on and I would advise you tap that keep warm setting button to off position before you start cooking if it comes on. Place steam diverter on the vent on top of the cooker and make sure it is in a safe posistion then tap the quick relase button. If the meat and beans are a little hard still then repeat for 10 minutes. After this then you want to make a pot of this> Couscous (Moroccan Pasta) < is an absolute must right here or you can simply add the couscous to the lovely juice and let set for 16 miuntes before eating. Before you eat either garnish this with 1 pinch of either mint, cilantro or parsley. Enjoy with coffee or tea.

Go back