Meethi and Jeera Chicken

This is a Sanjeev Kapoor recipe. We have been ardent fans of his for many many years now and the first gift that I received from my hubby was a collection of his recipe books. His recipes are so simple and easy to make, not to mention that all his recipe measurements are so accurate that one could blindly follow them.


Ingredients: 

Chicken (bone in/boneless) thighs 1/2 lb
yogurt 1 1/2 cup
cumin seeds  3/4 tbsp
coriander leaves
mint leaves
olive oil  2 tsp
turmeric powder  1/2 tsp
Serrano chilies  6
black pepper  1/2 tsp crushed
salt to taste
juice of half a lemon

Method: 


Marinade chicken pieces with salt and lemon for 30 mins in the refrigerator. Heat oil in a non stick skillet. Add cumin and turmeric. When the seeds turn golden, add the chicken, chilies, mint and coriander leaves. Saute for 10 mins. Now add yogurt and crushed pepper. Add salt if needed. Cover and cook till done. Sprinkle some lemon juice.

Eat hot with rice or naan.

Enjoy!

Asparagus with Fried Egg and Parmesan Cheese

I was feeling lazy today and decided to make a simple meal that wouldn't take me longer than 10-15 mins to make from start to finish. I remembered having book marked this recipe from Steamy Kitchen in my drafts a few days back and decided to go with it as I had asparagus sitting unused in my refrigerator for some days now. I also had some left over sticky rice from this past weekend that we had made to eat with Thai Red curry chicken. I sprinkled some Furikake mix and served it on the side. Mu hubby loves Furikake and he thought this meal was heavenly -- who said you had to slog in the Kitchen to please your man!

Ingredients: 
asparagus (boil for 5 mins in salted water)
Egg (prepare sunny side up)
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
sticky rice
Furikake mix

Method: Boil the asparagus in salted water for 5 mins. Prepare egg sunny side up. Place this on the asparagus and sprinkle parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Prepare sticky rice as per instructions. When done sprinkle some Furikake mix.

Enjoy!

Red Fish Curry -- Tilapia Gravy

This is a Kerala inspired curry that is usually made with King Fish. The spicy and tangy flavor of the curry makes it lip smackingly good! I really can't wait to serve this dish to my parents and see their reactions. I came across this recipe on Food and Wine site. 


1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh curry leaves
15 garlic cloves, smashed
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
One 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and julienned (1/4 cup)
4 long hot green chiles, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons tamarind puree
1 cup tomato puree or one 14-ounce can of whole tomatoes with juice, pureed in a food processor
Six 6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro leaves, for garnish


Method: 

1. In a very large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the curry leaves and cook over moderately low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots, ginger and chiles and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coriander, turmeric and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tamarind and tomato purees and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
2. Season the tilapia fillets with salt and black pepper and nestle them in the sauce. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, turning once, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to plates and spoon the sauce on top. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve.

Enjoy! 

Courtesy: Food and Wine

Black beans and Corn with Roasted Salmon

Tonight's dinner was simple and healthy! Thanks to Martha Stewart -- I adore her blog, especially all the recipes on it. I asked my hubby to pick up salmon from our nearby store on his way back from work today with the intention of making grilled salmon until I realized I did not have dill in my pantry. I browsed for some more salmon recipes and came across this one. 

Black beans and Corn: 

 3/4 can black beans (drain water)

1 large can corn kernels (drain water)

1 large finely diced red onion

3 large garlic diced

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 small green chilly

1/4 tsp (or less) oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions and garlic till transparent. Add the beans, corn, tomato paste, chilly. Cook for 5 mins.  Add oregano, salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and mix. Sprinkle parsley. 

Courtesy: Marthastewart.com

Curried Prawns in Coconut Milk

Today in the middle of my studies I had this unbearable craving to have something Thai. I realized that just yesterday I had bought a bag of frozen prawns from Whole Foods. With this basic ingredient to start with, I raided my pantry for some more Thai stuff -- found a can of light coconut milk and green curry paste. Had some peppers and onions in the fridge. And I picked basil from my kitchen garden to help me complete the dish. This dish took me just 15 mins to make and it tasted amazing. 

Bring half a can of light coconut milk to boil. Add 1 tbsp of green curry paste. Mix well. Simmer for 5 more mins. Add 1/2 tsp palm sugar and salt. Add the remaining milk. Now add about 15 jumbo shrimp + 15 cherry tomatoes + 1/2 cup diced bell peppers + 1/2 cup yellow onions. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 6-7 mins. Add some lime juice. Complete the dish with a garnish of generous amount of basil leaves.

Enjoy!  

Prawns with Pomegranate Seeds

Spinach Omelette

Today's dinner was very healthy. I realized that the spinach sitting in a lonely corner of my fridge was crying to be rescued. I thought of steaming it and eating it as a side. But that did not seem appetizing enough to my hungry stomach. Then suddenly I realized I can make a frittata, using some peppers, onions and tomatoes along with the spinach. However, I ended up with an omelette (read scramble!) as I was lazy to put the pan into the oven after cooking on the stove.

Heat some butter in a pan. Add finely chopped spinach + 1/2 cup diced onions + 3/4 cup diced bell peppers + mushrooms. Sauté' till the veggies are just soft (not mushy!). Now add 3 eggs that are beaten together in a bowl and seasoned with salt and pepper. Cover and cook till the eggs are cooked. Transfer on a serving plate and garnish with goat cheese crumbles. Enjoy with your favorite juice or tea/coffee.

Enjoy!

Turkey Sandwich with Roasted Pepper Hummus

My dad is a picky eater and as children we often heard our mom say that she wished her daughters married men who were less picky. Luckily my mom's prayers were answered and we both married men who are not fussy at all, sometimes we wish they were a little more strict to keep us on track! I made this sandwich for lunch today for my hubby who was working from home. I told him to rate it on a scale of 1-10 with the condition that I would post it on my blog only if he gave the green light. He said 10 on 10!!!

2 whole grain bread + 1 tbsp roasted red pepper hummus + shaved turkey breasts + swiss cheese + sliced tomato + boston lettuce leaves. salt and pepper to garnish.

Enjoy!

Blackened Catfish Fry

I was introduced to southern barbecue and soul food like catfish fry, creamed spinach and corn bread by my husband when we lived in Knoxville, Tennessee before moving to California. Though I am not a fan of barbecue (huge pieces of meat don't excite me!), I love their catfish fry and other stuff. Since frying is not my forte, I wanted to do something similar with catfish -- that's when I came across this house blend of Cajun Seasoning at Whole Foods. It tastes great on catfish. I shallow fry the fish 6 mins on each side and serve it just by itself or with some steamed veggies on the side. I wish I knew how to make tartar sauce. 

Season catfish fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub the Cajun Seasoning well on both sides. Heat oil in a pan. Drizzle some olive oil. Add catfish. Lower heat to medium. Cook 6-7 mins on each. Squeeze some lemon juice. Eat hot.


Enjoy!

No fuss lunch

What do you when you have terrible cramps and are confined to a sofa and T.V.  Make a quick lunch like I did today -- sautéed some lean white turkeys hot dogs and served them with Insalata Caprese and yellow mustard on the side. Both the wife and the husband were pleased.

Insalata Caprese: Mix together some cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Garnish with fresh basil or mint.

Chicken Tagine

My friend has collected zillion of books on Home & Garden over the years, and whenever I visit her we both sit together and go through them one by one, making note of recipes or reading about fashion ideas etc. It was one afternoon when she was doing her summer cleaning (I guess!) and trying to get rid of stuff that she no longer wanted. She came across his book on one pot meals and told me that while she thinks the book is  interesting, she doesn't think she will be trying recipes from it anytime soon as her kids are fussy eaters and they prefer rice and vegetables separately. I borrowed it from her as I have also been trying to learn some one-pot meals. I decided on this chicken Tagine dias as I had pretty everything that this dish needed. The dish came out O.K, I wouldn't rate it as one of my favorite recipes but I was happy that it had vegetables to chicken to beans in it. I would definitely try it again.

Chicken thighs + 1 1/2 cup chicken stock + 1 bell pepper diced + 1 onion diced + 1 small eggplant diced + 6 large garlic cloves finely chopped + 1/4 cup garbanzo beans + 1 tbsp tomato paste + 1/4 cup dried apricots + 2 tbsp all purpose flour + salt & pepper + coriander leaves finely chopped + 1 big cinnamon stick + 1 tsp cumin powder.

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 5 mins. Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 mins. Add cumin and cinnamon. Mix well. Saute for 2 mins. Add flour and mix well. Add eggplant and bell peppers. Saute for 2 mins. Add the tomato paste and chicken stock. Let it boil. Now add garbanzo beans and apricots. Cover and cook till done. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh coriander. Cook for 3 more mins. Enjoy hot!

Crab Sukka -- Indian Crab Masala

This recipe was sent to me by my sister,Chaya, after I threatened to delete her name from this blog for her absence from contributing to this site. Just kidding! The truth be told my sister and my brother-in-law are awesome cooks who love cooking and entertaining! But I guess I am much better in self promotion than they are -- maybe they are just being humble, what can I say.. The crab sukka looks delicious -- I can't wait to request (maybe order) my sister to make it for me when I visit her next time. Till then, I will satisfy my craving for this dish by just drooling at the pictures. I have copy- pasted the recipe from the email Chaya sent me.    

Ingredients :

Chilies 25-30 nos+ coriander seeds 2 tbsps+ cummin seeds 1 tsp+ fenugreek seeds 1 tsp + pepper 1 tsp + turmeric powder 1/2 tsp + garlic 6-8 flakes + tamarind lime size + coconut, grated 1 no + onion, chopped 1 + salt to taste.

For Seasoning: Onion, chopped 1 no+ coconut oil 2 tbsp.

Preparation :

Fry the chilies, grated coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and pepper in a little oil.

Grind together the chilies, grated coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, pepper, turmeric powder, garlic and tamarind to a fine paste. Saute the onions in oil, till slightly brown. Then add the crabs, mix well & keep for a while till they change colour. Next add the roasted ground masala and cook for a while.Now add the tamarind water and simmer on low heat. If you require the consistency of a gravy, then add some water or else keep it dry.Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!

Thanks sistah for a great recipe!

Recipe Source: Goaholidayhomes.com

Scallops on a bed of Couscous

Scallops are one of those easy breezy seafoods that you can make when you want something fancy yet very quick! I always have frozen packs of scallops from Trader Joe's in my freezer -- this scallop dish was taught to me by my hubby whose inner chef comes out of him every now and then -- and boy, when it does I just love it. I just find him endearing when he talks like he knows a lot about cooking -- you know what I am talking! I act like I hadn't heard about / knew about these things before -- all wives am sure know this trick =)

 Make couscous as per instructions on the package (I used garlic and herb couscous mix) and keep aside. In a non stick pan, melt a small stick of butter. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Saute them with butter for 7-8 mins. Sprinkle dry oregano leaves. Remove from pan and spread on the couscous mix. Pour the remaining butter from the pan on the couscous -- this adds a nice aroma to the pasta.

In addition to these scallops, I also grilled another batch of em' using Whole Foods grill seasoning (their house brand of seasoning made with tequilla and lime). That's why you see that some of the the scallops in the picture have a brown texture to them. The verdict from the Iron Chef was "YUM." This made the sous chef happy.

Dhone Pata Chicken -- Coriander Chicken

For a while I had been busy with exams, exams and exams! Sigh, done with take-out and pizza for the next few months. My palette had been screaming to be gentle to it for a while now, and my closet kept looking more organized with fewer clothes on the racks as my waistline kept growing (another story altogether)! I couldn't believe I had been religiously sticking to my diet for the past couple of days and that prompted me to learn some new  low carb, low fat Indian chicken dishes. The recipe below is from a blogger whose runs the website called Bong Mom's Cookbook , great site for fish and chicken dishes from Bengal. She seems like a quick fix cook like me. I will try and post pictures next time I make this dish. Today was a spur of the moment cooking session.

Method:

Marinade:  Take 1- 1 1/2 lb chicken tighs or bone in chicken pieces. Marinade with 2 tbsp lemon juice+ 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste. Keep aside for 30 mins.
In a pan heat  2 tbsp oil. Add 2 red chilis broken. Add around 1 tsp of panch poran powder ( a type of mixed spice powder). Stir for 1-2 mins. Add 5-6 red onions diced. Fry till they are transparent. Add 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix well. Add a large diced tomato. In a blender make a paste of 1/3 cup coriander leaves + 4 large garlic cloves + 1/4 inch ginger +2 green chilies. Add this paste to the pan. Mix well. Add 1 tbsp coriander powder + 1tsp cummin powder. add the marinaded chicken. Mix well. Add salt. Add 1 cup chopped coriander leaves. Cover and cook till done.

Enjoy!

Omelette with Goat Cheese and Chives

Did we have a "EUREKA" moment the other day when we discovered the egg beaters at the grocery store. We hate using egg whites even though they are much healthier than the yolks as they are not that flavorful. However, we were so pleased to know that the egg beaters are literally yolks that have their fat content and cholesterol removed. Ever since this find we have been using eggs for breakfast alternating them with oatmeal and cereal every other day. Isn't it a nice and a healthy way to start 2010!

Ingredients:

Egg beaters 1/4 cup
bell peppers (green, red and orange) diced
yellow onions
mushrooms
goat cheese crumbled
chives
cooking spray
fresh pepper from the mill
salt to taste

Method: Heat skillet. Spray PAM and add the egg mixture so that it spreads to the entire pan. Season with salt and pepper. Spread onions, bell peppers and mushrooms so that they cover the entire omelette. Press the vegetables lightly with a spatula. When the omelette turns golden brown flip half of the omelette so that it covers the other half. Reduce heat and cook further till the eggs are completely cooked. Place the omelette on a serving plate. Spread with chives and goat cheese. We like to have ours with a cup oh hot dark chocolate  or apple juice on the side.

Enjoy!

Chicken Kebabs

We spent the holidays in Baltimore this time. The Washington Belt which is rich in history also has some amazing restaurants around downtown Baltimore and Georgetown areas. Our culinary exploration ranged from Afghan to Mediterranean to Spanish tapas to Indian cuisine and so on.  But on the New Years Eve as it was rainly heavily we decided to take it easy. We watched Avatar at a theater close to home and then brought in the New Year by popping Champagne and cooking some delicious food, mostly by my brother-in-law (Sid) and sister (Chaya) who are great cooks. They made these amazing kebabs which were so succulent and delicious. We also had paneer mutter, fried rice, dal and veg fritters for dinner. It was an awesome experience.
  

Ingredients: 

1 lb chicken breasts

7 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

5 green chillies

1 tbsp lemon juice

skimmed milk yogurt (curd) just enough to coat the chicken pieces. If you use too much yogurt the chicken pieces will turn soggy when coooking

2 tbsp gram flour (besan)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp chat masala powder 

salt to taste

Vegetables to grill with chicken (optional)
onions, bell peppers, pineapple - diced. Season with salt and pepper.

 Method: Apply lemon juice to chicken breasts and keep aside. Grind ginger and garlic. Finely chop green chillies and keep aside. Roast gram flour in a non-stick pan on a low heat, stirring continuously. Cool and mix with yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, salt and chopped green chiIlies. Marinate chicken breasts in the above mixture and refrigerate for one to two hours. Skewer marinated chicken and vegetables and bake at 425 °F for 15 mins by flipping them in between. Now turn the oven to broil and cook for 10 more mins -- this gives them a charred crust. Garnish with lemon juice and chaat masala.

Enjoy!

P.S: If using wooden skewers, immerse them in cold water for a few minutes so that they don't burn.

Courtesy: Sanjeev Kapoor 

Spicy Chilli Garlic Prawns

This dish is very similar to Chicken Chilly/Chicken Manchuri found on the menu of many Indo-Chinese restuarants in India. The heat from the chillies and garlic is balanced by the sweetness of the ketchup. You can also add some palm sugar if you want it to taste more sweet. Try using ingredients based on your taste preference -- we mostly eyeballed the ingredients.

Ingredients:

10 uncooked tiger prawns
3 red chillies (we used Indian chillies)
6 large garlic cloves minced
1/2 inch ginger minced
1 tbsp peanut/sesame oil
4 tbsp scallions finely chopped
salt and fresh pepper from the mill
Sauce:
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut/sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp corn starch
5 tbsp water
fresh pepper from the mill.

Method: Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Keep aside for 15 mins. Take a bowl. Mix together the  sauce ingredients and keep aside.  Heat a wok/pan. Add 2 tbsp of oil. Add the garlic, ginger, red chillies and prawns. Saute on high heat for 4 mins. Add the sauce mixture, mix well. Saute on high for another 4 mins or till the prawns are slightly pink. Garnish with scallions. Enjoy with white rice/ fried rice or as an appetizer.

Enjoy!

Courtesy: Life Loves the Curious

Grilled Mixed Fruit -- Topping for Vanilla Ice Cream

This is one of the recipes from Everyday Italian on Food Network. The grilled fruits give a nutty flavor and the fresh mint adds a freshness to this dish. Serve it with a good quality vanilla ice cream. Make sure the fruits are not too ripe or else they will turn soggy when you grill  'em. We used frozen blueberries instead of the fresh ones that were mentioned in the recipe. Still they tasted great! We made the sugar syrup slightly less sweet -- adjust the amount of sugar based on your preference.

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
4 bananas, halved lengthwise
1/2 can of diced pineapple
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 (or less) cup sugar
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup water
1 scoop vanilla icecream

Method: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, toss the fruit in the sugar to coat. Grill over medium heat, until a golden crust begins to form on the fruit, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. In another medium bowl, mix together the mint, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Arrange the fruit on a serving platter, drizzle the mint syrup over top, and serve.

Simple syrup: In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup before using. Any extra cooled syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Place a scoop of vanilla icecream in a bowl. Drizzle some of this fruit mixture on the top.

Enjoy!

Courtesy: Everyday Italian

Egg Bhurji -- Popular Street Food in India

Egg Bhurji means scrambled eggs. This dish is considered as one of the most popular street foods available in carts on the roadsides of big metropolies like Bombay and Calcutta. At our house, making this dish was one way of utilizing the eggs before they got old. It made for a great breakfast or an afternoon tea snack.

Ingredients:

5 eggs
2 onions diced
2 medium tomatoes diced
6 large garlic cloves diced
1 tbsp ginger diced
3 sprigs curry leaves
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
5-6 Indian green chillies
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp coriander leaves finely diced
salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Heat oil in pan. Saute onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves and chillies till onions turn translucent. Add tomatoes and cook till they are mushy. Add the whole eggs to the pan. Mix well and keep stirring so that the eggs do not burn. Cook for 8-10 mins for medium flame till the eggs are cooked. Add salt & ketchup. Mix well and cook for 3 more mins. Garnish with coriander leaves and fresh pepper from the mill. Enjoy it hot with an Indian Tea and pav (Indian bread) on the side. You can also use it as a filling on the bread. We usually ate it with a bread toasted with some butter.

Massaman Curry

"Massaman" means "Muslim" or "Musulman." The curry is an Indian inspired dish from Southern region of Thailand that contains spices indigenous to India. The legend is that the Muslim traders carried these rich spices like cardamoms, cloves, turmeric from Middle east and India to East Asia where they mingled with the local flavors. This is a rich coconut based curry made with potatoes, preferably beef (you can substitute it with chicken and lamb), massaman paste (we used store bought paste which tastes equally good as the homemade one) and a combination of spices (cardamom, bay leaves, cloves). Some people like to add some fish sauce and peanuts to the curry. Enjoy it hot with plain white rice or roti prata and ajaat (slightly pickled cucumber salad) on the side.

Ingredients:

4 chicken tighs/drumsticks - bone in and skin on (we prefer leaving the skin on as the fat from the skin adds another depth to the curry making it more flavorful)
1 can coconut milk + 3 tbsp coconut cream
1 1/2 medium red onion diced
2 small potatoes diced into medium sized pieces
4 1/2 tbsp store bought massaman paste
7-8 cardamom pods
1" cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp or less palm sugar
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
5 tbsp peanuts roasted and unsalted
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil


Method: Heat oil. Add the massaman paste and keep stirring till it imparts aroma (2-3 mins). Add the chicken, mix well so that the paste gets absorbed by the chicken pieces. Fry for 5 mins. Now add the coconut cream. Coat chicken with this and stir fry till oil separates from the dish. You will begin to notice red color standing at the top of the dish. Now add the coconut milk along with the spices, potatoes, onions. Mix well, cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 mins on low heat till the chicken is cooked. Add the peanuts, tamarind paste and palm sugar. Mix well and simmer for 2 more mins. Eat it hot with plain white rice and ajaat on the side.

Enjoy!