Crab Rice

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter

4 cups water

2 fresh bay leaves

Pinch of kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, divided, plus more to taste

1 1/4 cups Carolina Gold rice

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump crab, picked (about 4 cups) 

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until melted. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the butter until you see foamy bubbles. As the butter cooks, take a spoon and skim as much foam into a small bowl as you can; discard. Continue cooking the butter, stirring occasionally, until the color darkens and you smell a nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the butter into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl; discard solids. Set aside. Save the buttered skillet pan for later use.

Bring water, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in the rice. Simmer, uncovered and stirring often to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes. Strain the rice into a colander and then transfer to the back to the saucepan and stir in 3 tablespoons brown butter. Cover the pan and let sit for at least 10 minutes to finish steaming the rice.

Stir smoked paprika, pepper, allspice, ginger, mustard powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl. Place next to the stove.

Heat 1 tablespoon brown butter in the reserved buttered skillet pan over medium-high. Add crab and season crab with all but a pinch of the dry spice mixture. Stir the crab gently until the spice mixture coats the crab, trying not to break up in any clumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring once halfway through, until crab browns and forms a crust, about 5 minutes. Transfer 2 cups crab to a small bowl and set aside for serving.

Fold in rice and 2 tablespoons brown butter into the remaining crab mixture in skillet. Season with remaining 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste. Cook over medium-low until hot, about 3 minutes.

Serve the crab rice topped with reserved crab, pinch of the seasoning, chives, lemon juice, and more brown butter, if desired.

Gun Powder

Red Chilli - 12

Rice - 1/4 cup

Channa Dhal - 1/4 cup

Peppercorn - 1/4 cup

Urad Dhal - 1/2 cup

Hing - a small pc

Curry Leaves

Salt

Dry Roast Red Chillies, Rice, Channa dhal, Peppercorn, Urad dhal, Hing and Curry leaves in a medium flame until the mixture begins to brown.

Allow this mixture to cool down completely and transfer to a blender along with required Salt. Grind this mixture to a coarse powder.

Middle Eastern Smash Tacos

Tacos⁣

1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferably)⁣

1/2 white onion, grated ⁣

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped⁣

2 cloves garlic, minced or mashed⁣

1 tsp cumin⁣

1 tsp allspice ⁣

1 tsp paprika ⁣

1 tsp kosher salt⁣

1/2 tsp black pepper⁣

8 taco size flour tortillas⁣ ⁣

Sumac salad⁣

2 persian cucumbers, chopped⁣

1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced⁣

2 roma tomatoes, diced⁣

2 tb red wine vinegar⁣

1 tb sumac⁣

1/2 tsp kosher salt⁣ ⁣

Tahini sauce⁣

1/2 cup tahini⁣

2 tb honey⁣

1 clove garlic⁣

1 lemon, juiced⁣

1/2 tsp kosher salt⁣

1/4 cup water⁣ ⁣

First make the meat mixture. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix to incorporate well. Set aside.

Next make the sumac salad and sauce. For the salad, add the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced onions to a bowl. Toss with the vinegar, sumac, and salt and set aside.

Make the tahini sauce by adding everything to a small blender and blending until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed.

Finally, make the smash tacos. Spread ~3-4 tablespoons of the meat mixture into an even layer on each tortilla. Heat a pan over medium heat. Place each tortilla meat side down on the pan and cook for ~4 minutes, pressing it down with a heavy object or a press so the meat doesn’t shrink up and cooks evenly. Flip to the other side and let cook one minute more. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining tortillas.

Finally, assemble tacos with the sumac salad on top and lots of tahini sauce. Enjoy!