Sunday, July 20, 2014

Celery Root Coleslaw and Veggie Rice

When it comes to side dishes I am very picky. I am not a fan of just serving everything with fried or mashed potatoes. When I serve a protein based dish I feel like I need to have two side dishes to accompany that: one salad and one starch. 

My favourite starch-based side dish is rice. But this is a more yummy and a colourful rice because it has carrots and peas in it. When I was a kid I also used to eat this as a meal with some yoghurt on the side. We Turkish people love to eat food with yoghurt, because our yoghurt is a little bit different than the yoghurt you eat for breakfast. It is similar to the Greek yoghurt but not exactly the same. So you can use Greek yoghurt for our fake coleslaw recipe. 



When I was a kid my mother used to cook the celery root with potatoes and tried to show the dish as a boiled potato dish. But I was smart enough to understand that there were not only boiled potatoes. And to be honest, I hated the feeling of having a bite thinking that it is potato but tasting something completely different. But as I grew up I got used to the bitter taste of the celery root and it is one of my favourite dishes as a salad, I still don't like the version with potatoes because of the bad memories. But the salad version is actually super healthy and delicious. 

So, here is the recipe for two of my favourite side dishes: veggie rice and celery root coleslaw. You can serve these with steak, chicken or with anything that you think will go great with. 





VEGGIE RICE RECIPE

Ingredients
2 cups of rice
3 cups of hot water
1 large carrot, peeled
3/4 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 drops of lemon juice
Olive oil
Hot water

Directions:

1) Drain the rice under cold water. Make sure that the water runs clear under the rice. 



2) Dice the carrots into small pieces and drain the peas. 

3) Add some olive oil into a medium pot. Then add the diced carrots and sauté them for 2 minutes. Then add the peas. Pour in 2 tablespoons of hot water and close the lid of the pot. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes.






4) When the water is absorbed, add in the rice and stir for 1-2 minutes until the rice is mixed well with the vegetables. 




5) Pour in the hot water. Add in the sugar, two drops of lemon juice and salt. Give it another stir and close the lid of the pot. You can add water later if the rice is not cooked.






6) When the rice is cooked, add in the butter and stir well. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

(Sorry I do not have a the final look of the rice, but this is how it looked like): 


photo from: http://www.yemektarifler.in/?attachment_id=197

CELERY ROOT COLESLAW

Ingredients
1 small celery root
1 medium carrot
3 tablespoons of greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
salt, pepper

Directions: 
1) Take a colander and line it with a very thin cloth or cheesecloth. Add the yoghurt and let it drain for about 1-2 hours. You can make this in advance. 

2) Peel the celery root and grate it into a bowl. Grate the carrot into the mixing bowl. 
I am using an electrical grater here, a machine that my grandmother has been using for many years but you can grate it with a normal grater. Just make sure to stir the grated celery roots with a little bit of lemon juice to make sure that they do not get darker. 




3) Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, the olive oil and the minced garlic into a mixing bowl. Give it a nice stir and then add in your grated celery root, grated carrot and chopped walnuts. Combine well and serve cold. 








Enjoy.

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