{Versions & Verdicts} Linda’s Batata Koucha

Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

9 years ago

There are some things that remind you of people. Some food that remind you of people. Either way, they make you remember people. Most of them are in your friends or family circle. It’s so fun and sweet to remember someone you did not even meet personally.

That’s what blogging does. You remember your fellow bloggers when you see certain foods or you hear or read certain lines… Without their knowledge, some of their recipes are stuck in your mind and you keep thinking about it over and over again until you reach that day that the battle should end. 😀

I don’t know if I can call myself a planner, but I always make a list of what I want to do for the weekend or what errands do I have to run after work. I always keep track of the ingredients and buy them before they’re even finished. When at the grocery and suddenly thought of cooking this and that, I buy ingredients without even knowing when I could use them. They end up somewhere else in my pantry. I could say that it’s not a very good idea, but sometimes, those kept ingredients help when something just pops out.

It was one fine weekend while I was running an errand. Suddenly, a recipe of a fellow blogger just popped out.

I always remember Linda @ La Petite Panière when I see any Moroccan or Algerian dishes. She’s so good at it. I also remember her whenever I see Brioche. She’s the Queen of Brioche. There are so many recipes of her that I want to try, but you know what happens when life interferes with your blogging. (Or is it the other way around??) But as I say, one recipe at a time. 😉

I didn’t have any plan to ask her about the recipe because I wanted to surprise her. But because I’m afraid I might fail, I don’t think I have a second choice. 😀

This dish is called Batata Koucha which Batata means potatoes and Koucha means oven. The beef together with chickpeas and very simple seasoning is cooked until the water reduces. The beef comes out very soft and tender. I did not use cinnamon as I am not really a huge fan, but the beef (while cooking) smelled incredible. It’s like I’d like to skip the oven part, but that’s how the dish is cooked – cooked over the stove and later transferred to an oven-proof dish to continue the cooking. The dish came out very tasty and super delicious. <3

Batata Koucha

Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

500 g of beef strips
6 large potatoes, cut in wedges
Sliced of red bellpeppers (optional)
About a handful of dried chick peas, soaked overnight
1 cup onion, sliced
4 tbsp sunflower oil
Oil for frying
1 L water
1/4 parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a large pot with medium heat, add oil. Add onion, beef, salt, pepper. Cook until beef is no longer pink.
Remove water from the chickpeas. Wash and drain. Add to the pot with beef.
Add water. Cook for one hour or until liquid is reduced.
Meanwhile, on a different skillet, add oil over medium-high heat and fry potato wedges until golden brown. Place on a stack of paper towel to drain excess oil.
On a different pan/skillet, add oil over high heat.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
When the meat is cooked, transfer into a baking dish.
Add potato wedges and bellpeppers (if using).
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Drizzle with lemon and chopped parsley.

Please visit Linda’s post for the original recipe and for more drool worthy recipes. 😉

{Version & Verdicts} I just love this! The dish is so tasty I could finish off everything in a day. Linda is right, the dish is so much better the next day. I don’t think there is a right word on how I love this – it’s just super awesome. Drizzled with lemon? Beef heaven! 😀

I hope you try this dish and love it as much as Linda and I loved it. Thank you for spending your time with me. I wish everyone a fab weekend and happy partying. 😉

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I love to support my fellow bloggers. And this, {Versions & Verdicts}, is one little way to show my love for you. Please check out the previous posts: