5 Braising Recipes – (No Processed Ingredients)
Healthy, Non-Toxic Braising Recipes in MEC:
Here are 5 healthy and delicious braising recipes for cooking in your MEC Pure Clay Pot. As you are taking all the steps needed to cook healthfully and nutritiously, it is important to keep these things in mind:
1.Avoid unhealthy canned ingredients like chicken broth as the dish will absolutely hold flavor in MEC pots without it.
2.If your recipe demands, add water to the pot instead of canned broth, we’ve tested and have seen how the food is only more delicious.
3.Use sea salt (has many trace minerals), raw sugar like “Jaggery”, and good minimally processed cooking oil like coconut oil, sesame seed oil, or olive oil. Avoid vegetable oil or corn oil and the likes.
The MEC difference:
Besides your food being fully non-toxic (no metals and chemicals interacting and leaching in to the food), and more nutritious (the heat cooking the food is different and cooks without damaging nutritional cells). Here are some more great benefits to braising in MEC pots:
–Most recipes cook in at least 5-10 minutes less time, and 1/2 the heat setting, compared to conventional cookware (thanks to the pure earth’s unique far-infrared heat!)
–The complete recipe can be done in one pot, including searing the meat and/or vegetables. With conventional pots, it’s recommended that meats be seared in a separate pan because of the charring or burning that affects taste if done in the same pot. Traditionally, meats have to be seared on high heat to break down the tough connective tissue (collagen). In MEC’s pure clay pots, the far-infrared heat cooks the meats perfectly just on medium heat without burning the food, and the moisture released while cooking stays inside the pot, keeping the food moist and juicy, again preventing burning and charring. So the entire recipe can be done in one pot, and cooked to perfection!
–Less water than usual is required if following traditional recipes. for conventional cookware. Water being released from the main ingredients is retained inside the pot.
–And as always, use less spices, salt and oil than conventional cookware. As taste of food is rich and pure because of the difference in the nature of heat cooking it and the pot that’s completely inert.
1. Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients:
(Serves 10) (cook time-40 to 50 minutes in a well seasoned MEC pot, almost 1.5 to 2 hours in conventional cookware)
1 teaspoon healthy oil (as suggested above), 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast — trimmed, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 cups coarsely chopped onion, 2 cup water, 4 thyme sprigs, 3 garlic cloves — thinly sliced, 1 bay leaf, 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces, 2 medium sized potatoes, washed and cut into bite size pieces; Fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Recipe:
Heat oil in a large MEC Dutch oven pot or MEC Large pan on medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes while you get the onions ready, then add onions to pot. Add chuck roast and sprinkle salt and pepper; cook for 5 minutes, covered. Add the water, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, and bay leaf; stir water around in the pot, so it is coating the meat and the spices are evenly scattered in the pot, and cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes to pot, cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve onto platter, optional — shred meat with 2 forks. Pour cooking liquid and vegetables over roast evenly. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.
2. Braised Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
(Serves 4) (cook time-40-45 minutes in a well seasoned MEC, compared to 50 minutes to 1 hour in metals and other pots)
4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick, about 3 pounds total); sea salt; 1 tablespoon healthy cooking oil (as suggested above); 8 shiitake mushrooms; 4 medium shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise; 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks; 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced; 1 red chile, sliced; 8 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 star anise pods; 2-3 cups water; ⅓ cup golden raisins; 1 tsp brown sugar; Sliced chives (for serving)
Recipe:
Heat oil in a large MEC Dutch oven over medium for a minute or so, Add cleaned and washed chicken, add salt, add the mushrooms. Cook covered for 10–12 minutes. Add shallots, cinnamon, ginger, Chile, garlic, and star anise to pot. Stir and cooked covered for 5-7 minutes. Add water, raisins, and brown sugar, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer and cook, lowering heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, until chicken is tender — another 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and spoon braising liquid over and around it, topping with shallots and aromatic spices. Serve topped with chives.
3. Braised Fish
Ingredients:
(Serves 2) (cook time 20 to 25 minutes in a well seasoned MEC pot, compared to 35-40 minutes in metals and other pots)
1/2 tsp ginger, thinly sliced; 1 tsp garlic, thinly sliced; 2 spring onions, sliced, sliced; 2 sea bass (medium-sized, cleaned and ready to cook); ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp healthy oil; 3 star anise; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup water.
Recipe:
Add oil, spring onions, ginger and garlic to MEC pot set on medium-low heat. Place fish, star anise, and salt and water to the pot and continue to cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn stove off and allow to cool with lid partially open for 5-10 minutes. Transfer fish to a serving platter, pour liquid from pot over the fish and cover with spring onions, serve with rice, bread or steamed potatoes or yam.
4. Coconut Curry Braised Chicken
Ingredients:
(Serves 5) (cook time 20 to 25 minutes in a well seasoned MEC pot, compared to 35-40 minutes in metals and other pots)
2 tsp healthy cooking oil, 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tsp red chili powder and 1 tsp coriander powder, 2 cloves garlic — minced, 1 Tbsp ginger — minced, 2 cups water, 1/4 bunch cilantro; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 1 lime, soak 1/2 a dried coconut for 20 minutes in warm water and grind in blender or grinder. We recommend using dried coconut here, and in all our recipes, because of all the options to use coconut in cooking, this is the only one not infected with chemicals. The grated — frozen, the powder, the coconut milk, all of them have chemicals and preservative for different reasons. While the dried coconut is just the coconut, sun dried, thus preserved naturally, and does not need refrigeration. Can be stored along with your dry spices. Soaking it in water 20 minutes before cooking helps rejuvenate it and makes the pulp rich and moist, if you can soak it longer, that’s even better.
Recipe:
Add oil, onions, ginger and garlic to pot, stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add chicken, chili and coriander powders, coconut, and water, stir and allow to cook for 15 minutes, covered. Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and let the thighs simmer in the coconut sauce for 15 minutes.
To serve, scoop about 1 cup of cooked rice (Basmati or Jasmine) into the bottom of each bowl. Add one of the braised chicken thighs, then top with a ladle or two of the coconut broth. Add fresh cilantro leaves, and a wedge or two of fresh lime to each bowl!
5. Juicy Brussels Sprouts w/ Braised Turkey
Ingredients:
(Serves 4) (cook time 25 to 30 minutes in a well seasoned MEC pot, compared to 40-50 minutes in metals and other pots)
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered, 1 bunch scallions, cut diagonally in 1/2-inch size, dark green parts separated, 1 red bell pepper, cut in thin 2-inch strips, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp grape seed, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 garlic cloves, minced, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, 2 lbs turkey cut to bite sizes, 1-2 cups water, salt and pepper to taste; ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Grains or noodles, for serving
Recipe:
Add oil, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and Brussels sprouts, white and light green parts of scallions to pot, stir, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat. Add turkey, soy sauce, sprinkle salt and pepper, add water, stir, cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat. Add bell peppers, cilantro, grape seeds. Simmer for 5 more minutes and sprinkle with green scallion ends.
Turn stove off and serve with grains or noodles.
“Enjoying every meal I make on this cookware…”
– Belinda, NE, USA
