Spiced Potatoes

My started making this dish a few years ago, and we sometimes use it to make samosa's, but its a great vegetarian side dish. Its simple, relatively quick, and delicious.

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
3 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon 7 spice mix (found at middle eastern grocery stores)
Start by peeling two medium sized potatoes

Start by peeling your potatoes.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise so they resemble logs, then dice them up in squares about 3/4 of an inch big. Do the same with the onion.

Heat up a medium on medium heat, and add a tablespoon of oil. After about 20 seconds, add the potatoes and carrots. Mix them up so the vegetables are coated with the oil. After about 5 minutes, add the carrots, and a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, and mix up well.

Cook for another 5 minutes, and add another tablespoon of water. Saute another 5 minutes, and add the last tablespoon of water, about half a tablespoon more oil, and the spices.

Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the water has evaporated, and the potatoes are tender. Transfer to a plate, and garnish with some parsley.

Pho Asian Noodle House and Grill

I have passed by Pho Asian Noodle house countless times, and finally got to try it out. The inside is small but had a decent amount of tables. Im told it used to be a taco bell. You order your food at the counter and take a seat until they bring it to you, so its not a typical sit down restaurant.

One of my favorite vegetables is green beans, so I ordered the spicy green beans with chicken, and my friend ordered pepper beef.

My dish was great, the green beans were flavorful and crisp, and the chicken was juicy and spicy. The light sauce was a perfect accompaniment to the beans and chicken, since they were both so flavorful that a heavy sauce would have masked them.

The fried rice is came with was sub par though. It tasted like normal rice, which I love, but it definitely was not fried, it just had some carrots, peas, and egg in it. My fried recipe is way better :)

Although spicy green beans and chicken is one of my favorite things to order at Chinese restaurants, I have to admit, the pepper beef was even better.

The beef was extremely soft and tender, probably because it was cut so thin. It just melted in your mouth. The sauce was spicy and a bit sweet, from the caramelized onions.

Overall, Another great dining experience, I highly recommend you try this place.

Chai Tea

My parents, like most Kurds, drink black tea three times a day...at least. You have tea with your breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner. In fact, a meal is not a meal unless you have tea right after. My parents like the "Ahmed Tea" blend, which you can find in Middle Eastern grocery stores and certain Walmarts.

Kurds make tea a little differently than Americans. First you get a tea kettle, add water, then add tea leaves, not tea bags. These days some people use a combination of both. They get a very fragrant tea and a more mild tea, and add them both to the pot. Sometimes a Cardamom pod or two is added. Then the pot is put on the heat, and you take it off as soon as it boils. Put a couple of teaspoons of sugar in a tea cup, and pour the tea.

I like my tea a little differently. I make this chai like tea on cold winter mornings before I drive off, and it keeps me alert, awake, and warm!

Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 black tea bag(lipton, earl grey, breakfast tea, almost anything goes)
2 Splenda packets
2 Cardamom pods
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of fragrant black tea leaves (usually found in cannisters, I use Ahmed Tea)
1/4 cup of milk

First, add the water to a large mug, and add two Cardamom pods.

Add the teabag, and one teaspoon of tea leaves.

Then add the cinnamon.

Put the mug in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Once its done, add some milk, and cook for two more minutes.

Extract the tea bag and throw away. Get another mug, put a strainer on the top, and pour the tea through the strainer so you can get the tea leaves. Then, enjoy!

Simple Shrimp Fried Rice

This fried rice recipe is easy, delicious, and foolproof. My little brother, who eats constantly, asks me to make this for him at least 3 times a week, as one of his 5 daily meals. You read right, the 65 pound, 9 year old eats five whole meals a day.

This recipe is modeled after my favorite fried rice, which is made on a hibachi grill at House of Japan, my favorite Hibachi restaurant. I use a wok, and get similar results. No one can ever copy it exactly though, the fried rice they make is all kinds of magical, but this is a close second.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons of green onion
1/4 cup carrots
1/4 cup mushrooms
5 or 6 pieces of medium raw, deveined shrimp
1 cup cooked jasmine or long grain rice
1 egg
3 tablespoons of oil, divided
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

Chopp up the onions, mushrooms, and carrots.

Start by heating up a wok on medium/high. Add a tablespoon of oil, and after the oil is hot, add the carrots and white onion. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly soft.

Add the shrimp, and sprinkle on black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Move the shrimp and vegetables to the side of the wok, away from the main heat. Add another tablespoon of oil to the side of the pain, then crack an egg into it.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the egg. As the egg cooks, scramble it and break it apart.

Once the egg is cooked through, mix it with the vegetable and shrimp mixture. Add the mushroom and green onion, and cook for about a minute.
Reduce the heat to medium, and add the cup of cooked rice, and mix with the rest of the ingridients in the wok. Add another tablespoon of oil, and mix it all up and let it cook for about a minute.

Then add in soy sauce and mix. Keep it on the heat for about another ten seconds, then remove and add to your serving dish.

I always garnish with a bit of sriracha hot sauce.

Traditional Arab Hummus

Hummus is something I did not like until recently. Being Kurdish, we never made it, and only got exposed to it through our Arab friends. My first few attempts were less than great, but I once saw my moms friend make it, and I just used her method, and thats what I am sharing now!

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas, drained, 3 tables of the liquid reserved
3 tablespoons of tahini paste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
half the juice of a lemon
1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
pinch of salt
Olive oil and chili powder for garnish
(optional: some olives)

Put the chick peas and reserved liquid in a blender. Blend on high for about a minute.

Turn off and add the tahini, lemon, finely minced garlic, pinch of salt, and olive oil. Blend until you get a smooth consistency, adding water if need be.

Once its smooth, scoop it out in a plate, making sure the sides are a little more elevated than the center. Drizzle on olive oil, lightly coating most of the hummus. Then sprinkle on chili powder. I usually then add some olives for garnish, and then done! Serve with warm pita bread, pita chips, or vegetables.

Mad Greek Goodness

For one of my first posts, I wanted to go to one of my favorite places to eat in Columbus, a Greek restaurant called "The Mad Greek."

I first went here at the suggestion of a friend a year ago, and have gone back many times...for the same thing. Usually when people think of Greek food, they think of greek salad, gyros, kebobs, and lots of feta cheese. What I first had was different, it was actually a pasta dish. Probably one of the best pasta dishes Ive ever had.

The pasta dish is called pastisio, a lasagna like dish with layers of a hallow pasta like ziti or penne, a beef or lamb meat mixture, tomato sauce, and creamy Bechamel sauce. Bechamel is a white sauce that is made with cream, milk, butter, and flour. Yes it is probably not very good for your health, but its delicious. This dish is unique because of the addition of nutmeg and cinnamon, something you dont usually find in pasta. Paired with the bechamel sauce, it makes for a wonderful combination.

The Greek are also known for their fish. Since Greece is scattered among many islands, seafood is a staple. Lemon sole is one of my favorite ways to eat fish. Its both crispy, creamy, and light all at the same time. Sole fish is lightly coated with breadcrumbs and cooked in butter and/or olive oil, then topped with lemon juice, oil oil, and parmesan. Its usually served with rice and vegetables.

In this case we skipped the vegetables and got cajun fries instead. These were normal crispy fries topped with cajun spices, a hot cajun sauce, and crumbled feta cheese. It was glorious.

For desert, we ordered tiramisu. I know, this isn't a typically Greek dessert, but Italy and Greece are neighbors, so good enough. Tiramisu is layers of expresso soaked lady finger cookies, topped with a sweet, creamy mascarpone cheese mixture, then topped with coco powder, a dark chocolate sauce, and cinnamon.

Welcome!

Welcome to my food blog, Sunshine Creations and Explorations! My name is Shine Hawramani, an avid food lover. I have been cooking since I was eleven years old, and love everything about food, cooking, and eating.


With this blog, I want to share some of my beloved original recipes, classic favorites, and document my trips to restaurant with reviews and pictures. So stay tuned :)