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Cooking With Mohít, 430 W 24TH ST, Norfolk, VA (2026)

05/15/2024

Persian kebab kubideh 🍢

Sound 🔊on to salivate 🤤 … kebab kubideh is the quintessential Persian grillable, a favorite in households far and wide. We made this cookout meal for mama Mohít this past Mother's Day.

All you need is fire, skewers, meat and onions.

To prepare the meat, we used 1 pound of 80/20 grass-fed ground beef and 1 pound of veal. In the traditional Iranian recipes, veal is commonly used for Kubideh (which literally means "pounded"). Grate a large red onion and a medium white onion and, using a paper towel, squeeze out the excess moisture. Salt and pepper to taste. This is where the "kubideh" comes in - mix your meat, onions and seasoning until there is a thick fat layer clinging to the side of the mixing bowl (and your hands). Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 30 to 60 minutes to firm it up.

For traditional kebab, you want to find some flat skewers and then take a baseball size amount of meat and work it down the skewer, pinching off the ends. Make sure that it's an even layer against the skewer so that your meat does not separate from the skewer and fall into the flame while cooking.

This is a high heat project, so make sure to have your flames high and get the kebab as close to the heat source as possible. We want the fire cooking this meat, not a slow baked heat. Also a tip, once you first put your skewers on the heat you want to rotate them every few seconds so that the outside is evenly cooked and the kebab stays intact and doesn't start to fall apart. Once the meat starts to firm up you don't have to rotate as often.

Don't have skewers? Just shape these into traditional 🍔 burger patties, and serve with buns and have a kebab Kubideh burger, with Persian pickles, red onion and parsley.

Happy cooking y'all!

🎥 Watch the Reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6_ISysOfK9/?igsh=MWcwdjVhdzl2Nm9nbA==

05/10/2024

Recipe 🍝 Drop: Cheesy Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Pasta for a busy weeknight dinner.

Season tenderize chicken breasts with 1tsp salt, 1tsp turmeric, 1tsp black pepper, 1tsp onion powder, 1tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp mustard powder.

Cook chicken in a hot castiron pan, with olive oil, until it is nicely browned on both sides and cooked through.

While your chicken is cooking, start boiling salt water for your pasta and prepping your vegetables. We used a mandolin to finely slice our Brussels sprouts, then julienned one shallot and did a rough chop on four cloves of garlic.

When the chicken is done, set it aside and cook your vegetables in the same pan, adding more butter as needed. We decided at this point to add some sundried tomatoes as well, but this is totally optional.

Add your chicken back to the pan and let everything simmer together for 10 minutes before turning off the heat and adding a handful of flaked or shredded parmesan cheese.

We plated our chicken over buccatini pasta, which is a Mohít household favorite, and then garnished with fresh basil.

This meal was so delicious and filling. We cleaned up after dinner and went straight to bed. Pooya jokingly called this recipe "Pass-out Pasta" and I think he might be on to something.

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ybJzOO9kS/?igsh=MW81Y245a2R5NzVibw==

05/09/2024

The Mohíts took the night off and hit the town last night. We decided to go to one of our favorite spots, Perro Blanco they're known for delicious tacos and mezcal everynight-- but on Wednesdays they have a Taco 🌮 Bell inspired menu straight out of our 90's childhood memories-- but so much better.

We got the soft beef tacos, hard beef tacos, soft carnitas, and soft chicken, and they were each delicious in their own way. You really can't go wrong.

For drinks, we had to order the homemade Baja Blast margaritas because nothing pairs better with tacos, and that's science.

It was so nice to get out of the house and treat ourselves. After dinner, we grabbed a couple of Lime and cruised home, taking the long way by the 🌊 water.

May is mental 🧠 health awareness month, so it seems only appropriate that we remind ourselves of the importance of taking breaks. Take some time to enjoy the little things that excite you, and the people that make you feel alive. You don't have to put so much pressure on yourself to always produce. Rest is a prerequisite, not a reward-- so take care of yourself this month, and always.

Happy Eating, Y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6vtCUCO7tf/?igsh=NHp1Zm45eGxnczNi

05/08/2024

Can't you hear the 🔥 sizzle?

Grilled chicken thighs are a staple in the Mohít household. The slightly fattier cut develops a nice char and stays juicy at the same time. Here's how we did it:

Ingredients:
▪️4 boneless chicken thighs
▪️Italian dressing or marinade
▪️gallon size ziplock bag
▪️ One med white onion
▪️salt/pepper to taste

When it comes to chicken, you always get the best results when you marinade or brine for at least 30 minutes before you cook. If you could do it the night before, there would be more flavor to savor.

Add chicken thighs to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Add marinade salt, pepper, ingredients you like, and quartered white onion to the bag. Seal, mix, and sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.

If you have a gas grill, you want to set it to medium heat first and then finish at low medium. If you have a charcoal grill, you'll get some additional depth, especially if you add soaked wood chips to add a smoked flavor. Get your charcoal going, let it burn off a good bit, and come to a mild heat. Just remember that charcoal has a shorter shelf life and less consistent heat, so you want to start at a bit of higher heat and be attentive so the chicken doesn't burn during flare-ups (stay away from the center).

Once your grill is to temp, place your chicken and ensure it's fully spread out and not clumped to cook throughout evenly. Grill for 7-8 minutes before flipping and letting sit for another 12-15 minutes on low to medium heat. We have a high-heat outdoor grill tied into our natural gas, so you may want to mess with the temperatures depending on how strong the flame distribution is on your grill.

Once your chicken is ready, immediately pull it off the heat so it doesn't dry out, and pair it with your favorite side(s) because it's time to eat.

We decided to accompany our grilled chicken thighs with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a Shirazi salad (another staple of the Mohit household).

Happy cooking, y'all.

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6tNgmyufvJ/?igsh=aWprdHZ6cHNjaXY1

05/07/2024

Let's make potato 🥔 croquettes from leftover mashed potatoes.

If you want to save money and hassle, it's time to start re-thinking your leftovers. Our favorite food to remix is mashed potatoes. There are a million ways to do it, but this might be the best.

Using mashed potatoes we had left over from the night before, we added 2 eggs, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 2 tsp salt, and rolled individual croquettes.

We dropped the potato balls into a deep pot full of hot peanut oil and allowed them to cook through, pushing them around gently until they floated to the surface.

We always use peanut oil when frying because of the soy allergy in our home (vegetable oil is mostly soy) but also because it gives a cleaner taste and it a beautiful golden brown finish.

After pulling the potatoes out of the oil, we finished them with some salt and parmesan cheese and served them with Rao's Homemade ketchup and plain Greek yogurt for dipping

This would also be delicious with cheese sauce, ranch dressing, or brown gravy.

We enjoyed these so much that one of us (Pooya) didn't have room for dinner after snacking.

Overall, this is a win in our book. We ate the last of the potato croquettes with brunch on Sunday, and that made 3 full meals out of one side. We hope you love them as much as we did!

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6pZ5Z8uzEx/?igsh=MXhhZXh3cjk0Z3Z0Zw==

05/05/2024

It may look like a beast, but this recipe is a beauty and sure to be the "bell" 🫑 of any ball…

Here's how to make mini couscous and beef stuffed peppers.

Ingredients:
- 1lb ground beef (we used 93/7)
- 1 cup of Couscous (we used Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods tri-color)
- 1.5 cups beef bone broth
- 1 med red onion
- sliced Swiss cheese
- Feta cheese
- 1 med tomato + grape tomatoes
- 1 package of mini bell peppers
- 1 small can of crushed tomatoes
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, turmeric, paprika and chili flakes to taste

Prep Ingredients:

- Dice your onion, tomatoes, and cap and deseed your bell peppers. NOTE: cap them so you can put them back on after stuffing—season the inside of bell peppers well with spice mix.

- Set the oven on low broil and put your mini peppers into the part to bake for about 10 minutes. Check to ensure they're not too close to the fire to burn. We want to soften them and get a slight charring on the skin.

- Add some butter to a pot with medium heat, add in the couscous, and stir for 3-5 minutes to lightly toast them. Stir often. Next, add the bone broth, stir, cover, and reduce to low heat for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, set aside couscous. Sauté onions and beef. Mix in your tomatoes, Feta, and then finally the couscous. Stir well and season more to taste.

- Once the mix is ready and the bell peppers are partly baked, take the bell peppers out of the oven. Take some sliced cheese, which we used Swiss cheese, cut it in half, and fold it so that the inside of the bell pepper is lined with the cheese. From there, stuff bell pepper to the top with the mix, put a little square of cheese on top and cover with the bell pepper cap, then put it back on the baking sheet.

- Once all peppers are stuffed, put them back in the oven under low broil for another 10 minutes or so for all the cheese to melt and some of the flavors to come together.

- once peppers are cooked, allow them to cool; they will be scorching hot. Enjoy with a salad side or serve them solo as an appetizer.

🤔 Did you know -- you can make these vegetarian? Just substitute your favorite mushrooms and Veggie broth instead of beef and enjoy!

Happy cooking, y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6leEAcuJZZ/?igsh=NmJpY3AzZjJoNGx5

05/03/2024

You can only choose 1 -- 🍔 Burger or 🌮 Tacos?

Which do you pick?

05/02/2024

Haters will tell you soup 🍲 season is over, but an icon like chicken & rice is forever.

🍲 In our home, if we have a rotisserie chicken or Cornish hen carcass leftover after a meal, we use it to make fresh chicken stock. It's much easier than you may think, and it's worth the effort.

🍲 First, we throw the bones and other any leftover skin into a large pot and allow it to cook down. Throw in rough chopped onions, celery, carrots, and any other veggies you have laying around. Let your pot simmer until it becomes aromatic

🍲 Time for wine. We like to degalze our stock with white wine. Pour 2 cups of room temperature wine into the pot and gently scrape the bottom of your pot to remove anything that's cooked-on. Allow the stock to cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the alcohol is cooked off, then add enough water to cover the contents. About 6 cups should do.

🍲 Add any additional seasonings or herbs you might want, cover the pot, and let simmer for another 15 minutes before straining the liquid into a separate container.

🍲 You can use this stock right away by adding leftover meat, chopped veggies, rice, noodles, herbs, etc. Or you can store it in a Mason jar in your fridge or freezer. If it's sealed properly, homemade stock can last 2-3 months in the freezer.

🍲 Try this recipe, and you'll never need to buy store-bought stock again. Not only that, but your family will think you're a superhero because-- "Who does that?!"

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6drf97OL4o/?igsh=OXJqZzNoMGl6MmJn

05/01/2024

If you love a veggie-heavy 🥗 meal packed with delicious mediterranean flavors, Falafel is the choice for you.

🥙 Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern dish, appearing in many cultures throughout the region. The dish consists of fried chickpea balls, fresh and pickled vegetables, flat bread, and either tahini sauce or yogurt dip.

🥙 There is no shame in our game. We used boxed Falafel mix, just like Pooya's mom typically does, and it's just as delicious as fresh.

🥙 Just add water to your favorite box mix (we used Ziyad brand), stir, and wait 30 min. We used this time to bring a pot of peanut oil to proper frying temperature and to begin prepping our vegetables.

🥙 When the oil is hot, use a spoon to form little football shaped Falafel saucers and drop them into the oil, allowing them to cook until they're golden brown.

🥙 We believe a meal is only as good as the bread you pair it with, so we went with Lavash, a delicious variety of Flatbread commonly served with Middle Eastern fare.

🥙 We also made a quick yogurt dipping sauce with cucumber, lime juice, salt, and dill. This is a staple in our home-- we make it often and sometimes even eat it on its own as a cold soup.

🥙 Finally, we dressed our plate with fresh herbs, fresh red onion, sliced cucumbers, sliced grape tomatoes, and pickled carrots that Pooya made several weeks ago.

🥙 It's up to you how you eat your Falafel, but we prefer to make sandwiches using our bread and fresh cut veggies.

🥙 This is a great meal for a busy weekday night that won't leave you feeling weighed down despite the fried aspect of the dish. Next time you find yourself trying to impress a vegetarian friend, make this your go-to! We promise, you won't be disappointed.

Happy Cooking, Y'all!
🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6bHzDVOZ32/?igsh=MTNlZmpqYjZ6MjJuZQ==

04/30/2024

BBQ Chicken, but make it indoors. If you're skeptical, we swear this recipe and technique will make you a believer.

🍗 We have a soy allergy in our household that makes it absolutely imperative for us to know what ingredients go into our food. Unfortunately, most store bought bbq sauce contains soy-- so we decided to make our own bbq sauce at home.

🍗 Start with 1 cup of your favorite ketchup, we used tomato ketchup because it's made with simple ingredients, and it's a staple in our home. Then add 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 tbsp honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red peppers, to taste. Set aside 1/4 of your sauce to baste the chicken later.

🍗 Marinade your chicken in the sauce for at least an hour, then throw it into a screaming hot castiron pan. Our pan is ceramic coated. We use it for everything, and we love it.

🍗 We wanted our chicken to have that grilled flavor and texture that you get outdoors, so we nearly blacked the thighs on both sides. Remove the thighs from the pan and transfer them to a cooking sheet. Baste with your remaining bbq sauce and finish it in the oven on 350°F for 10 minutes to make sure each piece is cooked through.

🍗 In keeping with the cookout theme, we served our chicken with homemade potato salad and corn on the cob.

🍗 We won't say the chicken is good enough to make you smack your momma because we love our mothers (Shoutout Simin & Mary) and Mother's day is right around the corner, but it will make you give her a spirited pat on the back. And maybe a kiss on the cheek.

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

04/30/2024

Baking is considered by many to be one of the most intimidating culinary arts, but as long as you follow the instructions carefully, it really is a "piece of cake."

🍰 Let's start with the basics; yellow (vanilla) cake. This recipe is a tried and true classic for birthdays, weddings, and every occasion in between.

🍰 Begin by whisking together your dry ingredients; 3 cups of all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1.5 tsp baking powder.

🍰 In a measuring cup, combine 1/3 cup milk and 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and set this aside.

🍰 In a separate bowl (or stand mixer) add 1/2 cup butter (one stick, softened), 1/2 cup vegetable oil (we use peanut oil because of the soy allergy in our home), 2 whole eggs, and 2 egg whites, and beat with your whisk, or paddle attachment, until it fluffy. Don't over-mix!

🍰 At this point, we add our milk mixture and flour mixture, a little bit at a time. Alternating between the two until the cake batter is fully incorporated.

🍰 Pour your batter into 2 lightly greased 9" cake pans, and bake at 325° F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

🍰 For the cake in this reel, we cut our recipe in half and made a 3rd layer after the first two were done.

🍰 We frosted our cake with homemade American buttercream with added strawberry flavor (requested by the birthday girl). Stay tuned for that recipe later.

🍰 Pro-tip: slice the rounded tops off your cake layers for easy stacking.

🍰 We hope this recipe inspires you to take a slice at baking. It really is easier than you think.

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6YhIccOquC/?igsh=ZjhleDFuaWs5dmhh

04/29/2024

Burgers have fries, salads have soups, and sandwiches have potato chips. It's a match made in food heaven.

🥔 The key to making delicious homemade potato chips is following the 3 basic rules of potatoes.

🥔 1) Choose the right potato for the job. When making chips, you want starchy, not waxy, potatoes. Russet is our spud of choice.

🥔 2) Soak your potatoes to reduce the starch before frying. This step will ensure that you nail that signature crispy finish.

🥔 3) Season them well and often. Potatoes soak up flavor, so make sure to toss them in your seasoning as soon as they come out of the fryer.

🥔 We seasoned our chips with a blend we call our "fancy salt," a recipe we will keep in the family for now, but we suggest starting with salt and adding whatever tickles your fancy.

🥔 Serve these beauties up alongside your favorite sandwiches to elevate a simple lunch (or dinner).

Happy Cooking, Y'all!

🎥 Watch the reel - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6V7lmmOBx1/?igsh=MWprdGN5NjFuMW5lMg==

Cooking With Mohít

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