RECIPE: Jamaican Pumpkin Rice

If you are like me, around this time of year you have, without even trying, accumulated a mass of pumpkins. My toddler comes home from preschool with one every other day. I dutifully add the glitter/sticker/paint covered orb to our ever expanding gourd menagerie that has somehow taken over our entryway. Never one to throw away perfectly good food, I have started poaching some for recipes. Since you have to peel pumpkin, a decorated one is fine to use, though I would suggest doing it out of sight of the pumpkin artiste. Two-year-olds tend to cry when you take a knife to their beloved creations. (Oh, relax. There will be another one tomorrow). I figure it is better to make good use of them instead of letting them slowly and sadly decay over the next several months until my husband has to scoop them up with a shovel. Savory recipes are less common, so I thought I'd share one.

INGREDIENTS:
2 T. oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Jamaican allspice (regular allspice works, but the Jamaican has a different character that really makes it richer)
1 small pumpkin, seeded, peeled and diced
1.5 c. white rice
3 c. veggie or chicken stock
Large handful of fresh thyme (you can put this in whole, but remember to remove the stems before serving)
Salt and pepper to taste
* If you like spicy food, you can add some scotch bonnet pepper to this. I usually serve this with very spicy jerk chicken or curry goat, so I tend to leave it out of the rice.

In a medium pot, heat oil. Add onion. Cook until soft. Add garlic, allspice and pumpkin, some salt and pepper. Toss to coat pumpkin and cook for 1-2 more minutes, careful not to burn garlic.
Add rice, stock and thyme. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until stock is absorbed (about 25-30 min) and rice is cooked through (pumpkin will be cooked and falling apart). Stir thoroughly until pumpkin is in very small pieces and well distributed. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Makes 4 servings.

RECIPE: Curry-garlic pumpkin seeds

Your house will smell like an Indian restaurant for days, but these are worth it.


Seeds from 2 pumpkins, cleaned and patted dry
3 T soy sauce
3 T. melted unsalted butter*
1 T. mild curry powder (I like the Kerala brand from Whole Foods)
.5 t cumin
.5 t granulated garlic
.25 t cayenne pepper (optional)
Kosher salt to taste*
 (*if you use salted butter, you can omit salt)

Toss all ingredients together and pour onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so, stirring often. Remove from oven and toss with salt. Transfer onto a paper bag to dry for a few hours (bag will soak up excess oil and help them not go rancid as quickly). Eat within a few days. As you can see by the picture, I like mine well done (almost to the point of being burnt), but they don't need to be this dark.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Bida Manda

  Bida Manda has been on my radar for awhile as one of the best new restaurants in Raleigh, but we don't get out as much as we used to pre-kiddo, so it took us awhile to get around to trying it. We finally went with some friends this past Monday and I can see what all the buzz is about. I usually avoid restaurants on Sundays and Mondays because those are usually the chef's nights off, so sometimes the food can be sub par on those particular evenings. But with grandma (aka free babysitter) in town just for the night, Monday it was.
   I admittedly don't know a whole lot about Lao cuisine and figured it to be pretty similar to Thai (due to it's proximity) and wasn't far off in that assumption. The usual suspects of Pad Thai and curries make their appearances, but there are also more traditional Lao dishes of Larb and Mok Pa. We started with the salmon ceviche an the soft shelled crabs with cilantro lime pesto. The ceviche was fresh and bright if a bit salty from an overzealous use of a soy reduction. The crab was fried to crispy perfection and the pesto was a nice addition. For entrees we tried the Duck Larb, the Curry Chicken and the Mee Ka Tee (Crispy Pork Belly Soup). I have no idea what Mee Ka Tee translates to, but I think it must be along the lines of "heavenly bowl of porky goodness." It was a somewhat cold and rainy night, and the soup with its combination of spice, acid and smokey pork was the perfect dish for the weather. The Larb was very flavorful, with just enough heat to make my nose run ever so slightly (just what everyone wants from their dining companion, right?). It had a great balance of sweetness and spice with a little sour added from the accompanying lime wedge. Served with sticky rice and meant to be eaten with your hands, it was satisfying and delicious. The curry was respectable but not particularly noteworthy.
    For a Monday night, Bida Manda was doing a brisk business. By the time we left, the restaurant three-quarters full and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. With our limited time and funds, and the large quantity of new and notable restaurants in the Triangle, we rarely find ourselves going back to the same place twice unless it makes a huge impression. Only time will tell with Bida Manda, but I think I already hear the Mee Ka Tee calling to me.

Visit www.bidamanda for full menu, hours and reservations.

LOCAL DEALS: Harris Teeter e-VIC coupons

  I do not claim to be a couponing guru. I actually don't use them that often, mostly because they are usually for things I don't often buy. But when we got a Groupon for the N&O Sunday paper (where most coupons originate), I thought, what the heck, let's see if I can save a little money.
  Everyone knows how paper coupons work. Clip, present, and if you are lucky they double or sometimes event triple them. But at Harris Teeter there is even a another layer. Enter the e-VIC coupon. So if you have a VIC card (their customer loyalty card), you can go on-line and sign up for e-VIC. By doing this you get an email once a week with specials on about 10 items that are only offered to e-VIC members. In addition, you get access to their e-VIC coupons which you download to your VIC card. Now here is the kicker: These e-VIC coupons can be used IN ADDITION to your paper coupons (which already get doubled). Even if you just buy one of the items, you can us BOTH coupons. This can mean huge savings (sometimes even getting things for free). For example, I just got a box of Total Raisin Bran for $.75. It was already a VIC special at $2.50 and I had a paper coupon for $.50 (which was doubled). Then add on the $.75 eVIC coupon and bam! Cereal for $.75.