Salt Fat Acid Heat: MEATS

Each month I’m highlighting a different non-Ina cookbook – these can be old favorites, classics I need to try, or new books I’m excited about. I’ll make at least one recipe from each chapter of the book to get an overall flavor of each. For the month of September, the book is Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat. I hope you’ll cook along with me! The book is available for purchase here.

Note: some recipes may be available online, but I only share links if they explicitly state it’s reprinted with permission from the author or publisher!

Kufte Kebabs

These torpedo-shaped Kufte Kebabs are simple lamb meatballs flavored with saffron, onion, garlic, turmeric, parsley, mint, and cilantro. As I’m not the biggest saffron fan (it seems to be all I ever taste in the recipe), I should have tried the Moroccan and Turkish versions in the book! But despite the saffron, I still enjoyed these and they were made even better with all the accompanying brightly colored dips, drizzles, and sides! It was a feast for your eyes and mouth and I’d highly recommend making the whole spread. For more about each of the sides, see below.

Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 356
Rating: 5/5 
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: olive oil
Pricey Ingredients: Saffron

Recipe on The Guardian.com

Accompanying side:

• Shaved Carrot Salad with Ginger and Lime, page 227 (recipe not online) I hadn’t planned on making this salad, but Samin recommended it as an accompaniment to the kufte … and I couldn’t be happier I gave it a shot! It takes forever to cut up the carrots, but you can really slice them any way you prefer and the rest comes together quickly. The carrots are mixed with raisins (which I usually hate in dishes, but were surprisingly good here), toasted cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, jalapenos, and cilantro. Dressed with a lime vinaigrette, it’s a cool, refreshing treat that’s packed with flavor and plenty of heat!
• Persian-ish Rice, page 285 (Recipe) My first attempt at tahdig (crispy Persian rice) wasn’t a resounding success as I was so nervous about it staying together on the flip that I cooked it way too long and ended up with burnt vs golden crispy rice … BUT it did stay together! I just scraped off the burnt bits and broke up the disk. More details about this recipe and experience are coming Thursday!
• Persian Herb and Cucumber Yogurt, page 371 (Recipe) A creamy, cool mix of yogurt with cucumber, herbs of your choice, garlic, walnuts, and raisins was perfect with the kufte and balance the spicy carrot salad nicely.
• North African Charmoula, page 367 (recipe not online) A tasty mix of cumin, cilantro, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and lime that we drizzled over every element of the meal. It may be my new favorite herbaceous topping! We mixed it with leftover pasta and I dare say I enjoyed it more than a pesto! Sorry to Ina and all those who are cilantro adverse.

Pork Braised with Chilies

The other feast I prepared from this section was her Pork Braised with Chilies which, taking Samin’s lead, we used to make tacos! The tender shredded pork flavored with onions, tomatoes, cumin, and a smokey heat from dried chiles and smoked paprika was delicious on its own, but even better piled into a corn tortilla with Bright Cabbage Slaw, Mexican-ish Herb Salsa, and some Mexican crema to finish it off!

Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 348
Rating: 5/5 
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: light corn syrup
Pricey Ingredients: —

Recipe on CiaoSamin.com

Accompanying side:

• Mexican-ish Herb Salsa, page 348 (recipe not online) I love versatile toppings like this that pack in the flavor and can turn up the volume on any number of savory dishes – eggs, pasta, meat, veggies, etc. This one contains chopped cilantro, shallots, jalapenos, and scallions with lime juice, and olive oil.
• Bright Cabbage Slaw, page 224 (recipe) Over the years, I’ve moved from camp creamy when it comes to slaw to team vinegar and the slaw hits all the right notes! Thinly sliced cabbage with macerated onions, parsley, and red wine vinegar – it’s crunchy, acidic, and perfectly balances the rich pork. And this just gets better the longer it sits.