Okra Stirfry (Ladies Finger/Bhindi Stirfry)

I got this very simple and delicious recipe from my mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

Okra/Bhindi - 250 gms
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Asofoetida - a pinch
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the okra. Chop off the ends and slice them in medium thickness.
Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal, asofoetida, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Add the sliced okra to this and stirfry so that the oil and powders coat all over. Sprinkle salt and continue stir frying for about 10 mins. Okra will start to shrink in size and get a cooked green colour. Serve as a side dish with rice.

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Chicken Liver Fry (Kerala style)

This dish is a family favorite! This is my mom's recipe and I've loved it every single time she made this since childhood. My sister and I would fight over the last bits all the time. My mom used to make it in an old cast iron skillet, so the spices and onions get nicely caramelized, with crunchy powdery liver bits stuck to the pan. Gosh that's the best part! Back in Saudi Arabia, we loved having this with Khubuz and Laban (thick buttermilk). It's a dry dish, so if you're having it with rice, kachiya moru is an excellent accompaniment to it. You'll be sure to lick your plate clean :)

My mom knows that my sister and I love this a lot, that every time we come over to visit, she will make sure that this dish is made at least once. And sometimes, she will even make a huge batch for us to take on our flight back!

Chicken liver, I guess is an acquired taste. I love it because I've had it many times as a kid. The hubby on the other hand found it revolting at first. He does like it now (he better! coz it's one of my favorite dishes of all time so I'm gonna keep making this a lot!!) It does taste amazing especially with all the spices, but the key is to overcome the fact that you're eating an animal's organs. I can understand it, because I can't get myself to eat deep fried goat brains among many other organs, though I've heard that they taste pretty amazing too.

Check out the tub of chicken livers I got at the grocery store. Reminds me of ice cream. Would be a wierd flavor for ice cream though.. lol!

I apologize for the so-so photographs, they were taken with my phone. I could'nt bring myself to get the camera out and plate the dish nicely, because it was late and I couldn't wait to eat it as soon as it was ready haha!

Ingredients:

Chicken Liver - 1/2 kg
Red Chilli powder - 4 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Homemade garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Onions - 2 to 4 large, sliced
Ginger - 1" piece chopped
Garlic - 3 large cloves chopped
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Clean chicken liver using a dash of salt and vinegar in water. Remove any excess fat.
Put the liver in a deep pot (I use my 3 liter pressure cooker pot). Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, garam masala and turmeric powder. Pour just enough water to cover the liver. Cook it on medium heat till the water dries up. Add salt when it's about to dry. (Note: Do not add salt in the beginning because this will harden the liver)
Now in a skillet or frying pan, heat oil and fry the onions, ginger and garlic. Season with salt. When the onions have browned, add the cooked liver to this and combine well.
Serve warm with rice and moru or yoghurt. They make delicious leftovers!

Be sure to check out my recipes for:
Moru Kachiyathu
Homemade Garam Masala
Easy Khubuz

While writing this post, I did google to see if a chicken liver ice cream exists (I know bacon ice cream exists, so why not!) Surely enough, a restaurant in Estonia does serve one:

Chicken liver ice-cream with gorgonzola cream, praline, celery & potato crumble

This photo of Ribe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

And a molecular gastronomer in South Africa made Chicken Liver and Bacon Paté Ice cream:

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Sesame Ginger Chicken & Chinese pantry list

I've been wanting to make Chinese food at home, just like the ones I had in Chinese restaurants as a child in Saudi Arabia. My first attempt was a Szechuan chicken recipe, because the hubby and I like spicy food. After hunting down the main ingredient for the heat - sichuan peppercorns, aka prickly ash from a chinese grocery store, I was all excited about trying this recipe from another blog, which I shall not name. It called for 2 tablespoons of the peppercorns. After toiling in the kitchen for a few hours, we finally sit down to eat. First bite, we felt it was way too sour. And then the sensation, started to come in. This is not heat that we're familiar with, such as in hot chillies. This was a very wierd feeling that we've never felt before. It has a very numbing effect, a very prickly tingling sensation - I can't really describe it. But we just couldn't take another bite. The whole thing went straight into the trash - this is very rare in my house! The first time since I've moved to the US. For a while I did not have the confidence to try cooking Chinese again, because it felt too foreign to me. Now I'm stuck with a huge bag of those sichuan peppercorns, and have no idea what to do with it. I don't have the heart to throw it out, but I guess I will eventually.
Few months later, I was watching the cooking channel on a weekend, and decided to try another Chinese chicken dish, but doesn't call for peppercorns. It's called the sesame ginger chicken, and this one turned out to be amazing! I stocked up on the essential ingredients for Chinese food.

Here is a list of must-have ingredients in your pantry if you want to get started on Chinese food:

1. Low sodium soy sauce: I used to buy regular soy sauce before, but I feel the low sodium ones are better in making chinese stir-frys. The regular one is much more salty and strong - maybe good to use a few drops in soups.
2. Toasted sesame oil: When I used to make fried rice or noodles, I used regular sesame oil that you would get in Indian grocery stores. Turns out "toasted" sesame oil, makes all the difference, and give the food that unique "Chinese restaurant" aroma. I bought a bottle that had hot peppers infused in it. I used the exact amount in this recipe and it wasn't hot at all, at least not by Indian standards - not even a small tingling sensation on the tongue for me.
3. Rice wine: I bought a cooking rice wine from the asian aisle in my local supermarket.
4. Rice vinegar: Many recipes call for rice vinegar, including many stir-frys. Do not confuse it with rice wine (at least I tend to).
5. Hoisin sauce: This is a sweet Chinese barbecue sauce. Again, tastes amazing in a lot of recipes, including noodles.
6. Sweet chili sauce: This is a great dip on its own with spring rolls, but it also adds a nice sweetness to many Chinese dishes.
7. 5 spice powder:  This would be like the Chinese "Garam masala", and like garam masala - the spices can vary in each household. The one I got contains cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper and licorice root. So it's definitely more than 5 spices, but that's the name they give it. Other versions can also contain Sichuan peppercorns, but thankfully mine doesn't.
8. Oyster sauce: This is made from real oysters, and it gives a very pungent smell. Another sauce similar to this is Fish sauce. Many people use it directly in soups, or in dipping sauces. I'm still not that bold, and would rather use it within the cooking process, because the smell is too strong for me. Whenever I see oyster or fish sauce, I always recall the first time my sister opened up my bottle of fish sauce and took a whiff of it. Her face contorted and she wailed "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" and placed the bottle as far away as possible from her. I will never forget what she said next: "Why would you use such a stinky ingredient in your food? This smells like somebody's underwear used for 5 days and then left to rot!". My eyes are rolling with tears and I still can't stop laughing as I type this. Maybe after you read this, you won't feel like buying this, but if you use the same amount as the recipe asks for, it will taste good, I swear. Also, I think oyster sauce is a lot less pungent than fish sauce (which uses fermented fish).
9. Sambal Oelek: This is a ground chili paste (different varieties of chillies). In the US, you will only find that of the brand Huyfong (it has the rooster symbol on it). The same brand also makes a chili-garlic paste. I sometimes use that too. I guess you can use any red chili paste you can find in your local store.
10. White pepper: This is more milder than black pepper. If you can't find it, you can substitute with regular black pepper.

Now onto the recipe.
Credit: Kelsey's Sesame Ginger Chicken
Click here to watch the video of the same recipe.

Ingredients:

CHICKEN MARINADE:
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (i used chili flavored)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

STIR-FRY:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 green bell pepper, cut into small pieces (optional)
4 tablespoons Chinese Shoaxing rice wine
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sambal chili sauce
1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce
1 lemon, zest and juice
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish
Fried Rice, for serving (or steamed rice)

Method:

For the chicken marinade: In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken with the sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce and pepper. Toss to coat, cover, place in the refrigerator and let sit 1 hour.

For the stir-fry: Remove the chicken from the fridge. Add 1 cup cornstarch to a shallow baking dish and dredge each piece of chicken, shaking off any excess.

Fill a Dutch oven or wok with enough oil to completely submerge the chicken pieces. Heat over high heat until glossy and the temperature reaches 375 degrees F. Deep fry the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes, adding your chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding and to keep your oil from dropping in temp too much. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until golden brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bell pepper (capsicum) if desired and saute for a two minutes. Next, add the rice wine, hoisin, oyster sauce, soy sauce, honey and the chili sauces; bring to a simmer.

In a glass measuring cup, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3/4 cup very cold water (make sure you water is cold to avoid lumps!), whisking until combined. Add the mixture to the sauce and simmer for an additional minute, until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Add in the fried chicken and toss to coat with the sauce. Add the lemon zest and juice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.

Tips:
1. Toasting sesame seeds:
Heat a small pan on low-medium heat. Put around 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds and constantly toss so that the toasting happens evenly. Stop when it turns golden brown and transfer to a cool plate.

2. Original recipe called for only 1/4 cup of water to add with cornstarch to the sauce. That will make the sauce too thick to just coat the chicken pieces, and it will be very dry (good as an appetizer). I needed some more gravy (side with fried rice), so I added about a cup of water. You can adjust as per your liking.

3. I had half a bell pepper in my fridge, so I tossed it into the chicken. This is often used in most Chinese stir frys. Original recipe does not call for it.

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Stir-fry noodles

This recipe is very similar to my Pancit Bihon recipe. The main difference is that I use rice noodle in the Pancit recipe. In this one, I use either Udon noodles or Ramen (Maggi noodles is also Ramen).

Ingredients:

Noodles: 2 packets
Bacon - 4 strips
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped fine
Ginger - 1 inch piece, chopped fine
Onion - 1 chopped (optional)
Assorted vegetables (choice of grated carrots, sliced french beans, corn kernels, green peas, sliced bell pepper, bean sprouts)
Green onions (spring onion/scallion) - 2 stalks, chopped
Sambal oelek - 1 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Noodle flavor sachet (your choice of flavor)- 2
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tp (optional)

Method:

Cook noodles, drain and keep aside.
Heat a wide pan, cook 4 bacon strips till crisp. (no need to use oil as bacon has fat). Take bacon out on a plate, keep aside. In the same pan with bacon fat, fry onions, garlic and ginger. Once onions soften, add the vegetables. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add green onions, soy sauce and mix. Then add sambal. Add in the noodles, noodle flavor, black pepper and mix until well combined. Serve hot with spicy ketchup or siracha sauce, if desired.

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Egg Fried Rice

This is my favorite recipe for egg fried rice. Usually it contains only rice, egg and soy sauce. But I like it with thinly cut vegetables too. More like a combination of vegetable and egg fried rice.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
French beans - 10 nos.
Carrot - 1 large
Green Peas - 1/4 cup
Corn kernels - 1/4 cup (optional)
Green onion (spring onion) - 1 stalk
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp
Sambal Olek - 1 tbsp (optional)
Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Cook rice first. Fried rice works best with refrigerated rice, so if you have rice leftover from your last dinner, you can use that. Basically, the rice needs to be cooled down before frying it. So if you're cooking it now, drain it and let it cool down for a bit (let all the steam come out). Then stick it into the freezer for around 10 or 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop beans finely, cube carrots finely and chop green onions too (including the white part and keep it separate).
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok. The pan you're going to use needs to be wide so that you can work the stir fry properly, or else it will get sticky. Now add the white part of the green onions first and let it soften by stir-frying for a couple of minutes. Then add minced ginger and garlic, fry for 3 minutes. Then add the green beans and carrots. Stir fry for about 5 minutes. Then add green peas and fry for 5 more minutes. Stir often so that the vegetables don't brown. Move the vegetables to a corner of the pan. Break 2 eggs on the other side. Scramble it by mixing constantly. Then combine with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper/ Finally add the rice and mix well. Pour in soy sauce and sambal (if using). Garnish with chopped green onions and serve with your favorite Chinese side.

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Gobhi Manchurian - Cauliflower Manchurian

This is an Indo-Chinese recipe, that's very popular all across India. Cauliflower is known as Gobhi in Hindi.
I heard a funny story about a pure vegetarian software engineer in India, who was sent to China on an assignment. Being vegetarian, your options are pretty much limited in China. This guy confidently accepted the assignment, thinking that he can order Gobhi Manchurian and survive. To his horror, there is no such thing as Gobhi Manchurian or Gobhi Anything in China! This is a vegetarian dish using common Chinese ingredients and techniques, but only found in India. ;-)

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Corn Starch - 1/4 cup
Soy Sauce - 5 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp
Yellow onion - 1 medium, minced
Garlic cloves - 3, minced
Freshly grated ginger - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Rice vinegar - 2 tsp
Siracha sauce or Sambal Olek - 1 tbsp
Maggi Hot and Sweet Tomato sauce - 1/4 cup (substitute: 1/2 cup tomato puree)
Apricot Jam - 2 tbsp (Substitute: 1 tsp sugar)
Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp, plus more for frying
Green Onion (spring onion) - 1 stalk, minced

Method:

Wash cauliflower florets. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the cauliflower on an oiled baking sheet, season with salt and pepper to taste, and roast until just tender, turning once, 12 to 15 minutes total. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of the red chilli powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and the water and mix well to make a batter. Add another tablespoon or so of water if the batter is too thick.
In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dip the cauliflower in the batter, then arrange in the hot skillet. Fry until golden brown, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes total. Optionally, you can also deep fry it. Transfer the cooked cauliflower to the baking sheet and return to the oven to keep warm.
Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon coriander, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the 1 tbsp apricot jam, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, Sriracha (or Sambal Olek), Maggi hot and sweet tomato sauce (or tomato puree). Add 3 tablespoons of the Spring Onions and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup of water is the sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Return the fried cauliflower to the pan and spoon on the sauce to coat, turning the cauliflower gently to coat with sauce. Serve immediately. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon green onions.

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Beef Fry - Kerala style

This recipe is different from my mom's recipe. It's an adaptation from Vazhayila. But the quantity of spices used for the meat masala seemed a bit too much for me, so I made a few changes here and there. My mom uses a lesser amount of the masala. Both use coconut cuts (thenga kothu). As I wasn't in a position to break open a fresh coconut to cut out the pieces, I used grated coconut from my freezer. Still tasted amazing with steamed rice and kachiya moru.

Ingredients:

For Meat masala powder:
Bowl -1 Roast and Grind
Dried red chili - 15   OR  Chili powder 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp   OR  Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Black Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
Green Cardamom - 5 OR Cardamom seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves - 6
Star anise - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Or garam masala - 1 to 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

To pressure cook:
Beef - 1 kg (chuck works best)
Salt to taste
Meat Masala powder - half of of the recipe above
Curry leaves

To roast:
Shallots chopped - 1 cup
Garlic chopped - 4-5 cloves
Ginger chopped - a small piece
Green chili chopped - 2
Coconut cuts ( Thenga kothu) - 1/4 cup OR Grated coconut - 2 to 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Curry Leaves
Oil

Method:

Heat a small pan and add all the ingredients in the section for meat masala powder, except turmeric powder.
Dry roast it for 4-5 minutes on a medium steady flame , until aromatic and brown.
Switch off the heat and add turmeric powder. Grind it to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder.
This will give you about 5-6 table spoon of meat masala.

Clean and cut the beef into medium cubes and marinate it with half of the prepared masala powder (around 2.5 - 3 tbsp), salt to taste and curry leaves. Fill water till half the level of the beef pieces occupied. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed cooking pan and add curry leaves and coconut cuts or grated coconut. Fry for 3-4 minutes. If using grated coconut, it will initially absorb the oil and start to foam. Then it will start to change color and foaming will stop. Do not let it overbrown.
Now add onion. Add crushed ginger,garlic and green chilies.
Saute till they start to turn brown. Add the remaining masala powder (or less if you think its too much masala) and fry for a minute or two.
Add the cooked beef along with cooking liquid if any and simmer until it is dry .
Turn the flame to medium and saute,stirring often and scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent from sticking,until it turns dark and dry. Serve warm with steamed rice and moru. Or another popular combination is to have it with Kerala Parotta.

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Kovakkai Poriyal - Ivy Gourd Stirfry

This is the first guest post on this blog, from one of the biggest followers of my blog, my dear husband!
Now that he has started trying his hand in cooking, he surprised me one day when I came back from work, by cooking up this beautiful poriyal. I have never tasted anything like it before and it was scrumptious! He even plated it and took photos for me to post this on the blog. How sweet! Hopefully there will be more guest posts on the way.
This recipe is followed from Solai's True Chettinad kitchen blog.

Ingredients:

Ivy Gourd/Kovakkai/Tindora-1/2 kg
Big onion- 1 (cut length wise)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Chana dal (roasted and powdered) - 2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Mix the sambar powder and salt needed with the kovakkai and keep aside for 15 minutes. Now keep the kadai (wok) in the stove. In one table spoon of oil, splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the onions and garlic, fry till golden brown. Now add the kovakkai pieces and sauté in the oil itself for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of water, mix well, close the kadai, reduce the flame and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Check in between if there is enough water in the wok. When you feel that the veg has been cooked till soft, increase the flame and let all the water content evaporate. The oil you added in the beginning will come out at this stage. Now add the Bengal gram mix kept ready and mix well. If you cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring continuously, the Bengal gram powder will form a coating on the kovakkai and it will get roasted well. If you don’t have Bengal gram powder, paruppu podi (toor dal powder) can be used.

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Vendakka Pachadi - Stir fried Okra in yoghurt sauce

Okra is a vegetable that I would steer clear of as a child. My dad used to say that his mother would prepare okra curry like beef curry during the lent season. And nobody would miss eating meat, coz it has a meaty texture. I never liked the slimy gooey texture, but after being married to someone who loves this vegetable, I had to prepare it to keep him happy. The okra stir fry is one of his favorites and my mother-in-law gave me the easiest recipe for it.
For a change, I tried this pachadi (South Indian gravy made with yoghurt). Its definitely healthy for you.
Okra is high in fibre and also high levels of antioxidants and vitamin A.
The key to making a good okra recipe, is to slice it in thin circles, about 1/4 inch thick, and to sauté it in a wide pan so that it can spread out, stirring regularly, until most of the moisture dries up and its slime free. If the pan is overcrowded, the okra will release a lot of moisture and become a slimy mass.

Ingredients:

Okra - 2 cups, sliced
Red pearl onions - 5, sliced (can use 1/2 red onion as substitute)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green chilli - 2 (or to taste)
Turmeric - a pinch (optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Plain yoghurt - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method:

Whisk yoghurt with water, salt and roasted cumin seeds in a bowl, and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Sauté pearl onions and green chillies till they turn brown. Add a pinch of turmeric, if using. Now add sliced okra pieces and fry till okra is cooked to a good crisp (takes about 15 to 20 mins). When done, take it off the heat and allow it to cool.
Dunk the okra mixture into the bowl of whisked yoghurt.
Serve with steamed rice.

Inspiration from Edible Garden.

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Punjabi Samosa

Ingredients:

For stuffing:
Potatoes - 6, medium
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 3-4 (increase or decrease according to your spice level)
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Crushed black peppercorn - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur (dry mango) powder or Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Crushed dry roasted coriander seeds - 1 tbsp (optional)

For samosa cover:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour (Aata) - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Carom seeds (Ajwain) - 1 tsp
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Water - about 1/4 cup

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Dough for the samosa wrappers:
In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour together. You can also use 2 cups of all purpose flour and leave out wheat flour. Add salt, carom seeds and  oil. Mix well with your hands, it will become crumbly. Add a little water and knead it to a firm dough. Cover and leave for 15-20 mins.


Make the filling:
Wash and peel potatoes. Pressure cook with salt and enough water to cover the potatoes, for about 4 whistles. Or you can boil them on an open stockpot till its cooked.
Drain and mash roughly. You need to have some chunks in there too.
Grind green chillies and ginger into a paste.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, asofoetida, red chilli powder and fennel seeds. Allow it to temper for 10 seconds and add the green chilli - ginger paste. Sauté for few seconds and add green peas, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Now add the mashed potatoes and mix. Add garam masala, amchur/anardana, black pepper. Taste and adjust salt. Mix well and take off heat. Let it cool down completely.

Make the samosas:
Roll the dough into lemon sized balls. Now roll it out with a rolling pin into an circular or elliptical shape. Cut it in half with a knife. Fold the cut edge in half and stick them together. You can dab some water for help in sticking. It should form a nice cone shape. Fill this cone with the stuffing in keep it compact. Then pinch and fold a portion of the outer edge. Then pinch from two sides and close together in the middle. Pull the edge up a little. You can refer Sanjeev Kapoor's video recipe below to understand this technique. From 8:08 onwards.

Heat oil in a deep wok or frying pan to a medium heat. Deep fry the samosas till they turn an nice golden brown color.

Serve with date and tamarind chutney and/or coriander-mint chutney. If you don't have these chutneys, you can use ketchup as well.
Or you can use these to make an amazing Samosa Chaat.
Enjoy! :)

Notes: You can store these samosas in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and fry them whenever you're ready to eat.
Oil can be any vegetable oil like canola oil or even olive oil for a healthier option.
You can even bake these samosas instead of deep frying for a healthier snack. Just pre-heat the oven to 400°F, and bake the samosas on a baking sheet for 15-20 mins until they're golden brown.

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Italian Spaghetti Sauce served with Chicken Hawaiian Meatballs and Linguine

My husband came back from the grocery store with a packet of Aidell's Chicken Meatballs - Hawaiian style Pineapple. So I made an easy pasta sauce (similar to the one I made for Chicken Parmesan), and served it with Linguini. I did not have spaghetti in stock, and I like Linguini better.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves chopped finely
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Red Bell Pepper - 1/2 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Bay Leaf - 1
Tomato paste or Pasta Sauce - 1 cup
Dried basil - 1/2 tsp
Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Parsley - a handful chopped

Method:

Heat meatballs in oven as per instructions on packet. Or make your own. (I've never done this yet).
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add chopped garlic and onions. Saute till onions turn translucent. Add red bell peppers and saute for a few minutes. Stir in chopped tomatoes, salt, sugar (if using), and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 10 mins.





Now add tomato paste and basil. (I used a pasta sauce that has tomatoes and basil), black pepper and meatballs. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve on cooked linguine and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Note: Inspired by All recipes Italian Spaghetti Sauce. It says that the simmering time is 90 mins first, and 30 mins after the tomato paste is added. I was not so patient, but you can try and see if it really brings out the flavours more.

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Sautéed flank steak beef strips in a honey-orange-spice sauce

I bought a pack of frozen pierogies on the recommendation of a neighbor who took us grocery shopping as we don't have a car of our own yet. Sweet right? Pierogies are of Polish origin and are something similar to Raviolis, a dough covered dumpling, and the filling would be predominantly mashed potatoes. Other variants would include sautéed onions, cheese with the potatoes. More info on wikipedia: Pierogi.
I bought the one with potatoes and onions. As the flavour would be on the blander side, I wanted to make a side that would complement it with a good kick!

 So I made these sautéed flank steak beef strips in a honey-orange-spice sauce with onions, cabbage and red pepper. I know it sounds like a lot of ingredients but its easy to make. It was inspired by a show I watched long ago on the travel channel, called Everyday Exotic. It was an episode devoted to the spice Star Anise, and it was used with beef strips and had a honey orange sauce. But my version is totally different.

Ingredients:

Beef steak cut into thin strips (similar to the cut in Philly Cheese Steaks) - use flank or sandwich steak

To Marinate:

Garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Star anise - ground - a pinch
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients:

Orange juice - from one clementine
Honey - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch (optional)
Onions - 1, sliced
Red pepper - sliced lengthwise (same length as beef flanks)
Shredded cabbage - 1/2 cup.
Cheese - grated (optional)
Butter - 2 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - 2 tbsp

A box of Mrs T's Pierogies.

Method:

Mix the beef strips with the marinade ingredients and leave for an hour.
In a bowl, mix soy sauce, honey and orange juice. Heat a frying pan and add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of EVOO.
Add the beef strips until its just  cooked. Dont mix it around too much if you want a nice carmelization to happen. Add the orange juice mixture into the pan. This is called deglazing. Allow the sauce to thicken and dry up a little. Keep aside.
In the same pan, add another tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of EVOO. Saute thinly sliced onions with a bit of salt till its light brown and caramelized. Now add red peppers, chopped ginger (if using) and shredded cabbage and sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. When its cooked, add the beef strips and combine well.

Pierogies can be boiled in hot water, or baked, or sautéed in oil or butter.
I boiled it as per the instructions on the box, then added gave it a quick toss in the same frying pan the beef was cooked, to get its edges browned a little.

All in all, it was fun!

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Kerala Chicken Roast

 
This is the first time I used a whole organic chicken rather than buy separate pieces. When I was in high school, my parents wanted me to learn this 'very important' skill, so that I don't disappoint my future in-laws. Who knew back then that they would turn out to be pure vegetarian lol! I used to squeal touching raw meat, though I loved devouring the cooked versions. On a dreaded weekend, my dad dragged me into the kitchen and forced me to cut the whole chicken. It felt like an operating table, my mom on my left side, and dad on my right, giving directions to a novice surgeon! Only difference was that, the novice was screaming, looking disgusted, even crying! After that day, I did it again, I guess 12 years later, minus the squealing and minus the parents. But with my husband on my side, on the verge of throwing up every time I tore it open and pulled apart the skin. I felt he was acting like the 16 year old me. I was surprised that I still remembered every step of the procedure. I decided to try something different this time, a Kerala style chicken roast.

Credit: I followed vahchef Sanjay Thumma's recipe. His videos are so hilarious, such a joker!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 whole Chicken - cut into medium sized pieces, without skin

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 pinch turmeric

1 tbsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

10 pearl onions sliced fine

2 sprigs curry leaves

2 tbsp coconut grated fresh

1 tbsp broken cashewnuts (optional)

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp pepper pwd

4 green chillies

1 pinch garamasala

2 tbsp oil

2 sprigs coriander leaves

salt as per taste

Method:

Take chicken clean and marinate with chilli powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste mix well and keep a side for 4hrs.

Now take a pan add oil, add cumin seeds, sliced pearl onions and fry for 5 mins on medium flame. Then add curry leaves mix well, and add grated coconut and cashewnuts (if using) and mix for a couple of minutes. Now add the marinated chicken mix well and close it with a lid and cook till the chicken is done, around 10 minutes. The chicken will ooze its juices out. Remove the lid and add vinegar.

Once the chicken is 90% done add pepper pwd, half slit green chillies, kerala garamasala, mix and cook till the chicken is dry.

Once the chicken is dry, top it with chopped coriander leaves.

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Achinga Payar Thoran - Yard long beans stir-fry with coconut

 

Ingredients:

Achinga payaru/Pacha Payaru/ Yard long beans - 1 bunch
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Shallots - 3 or 4 or half of a small onion, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
Green chili chopped - 2
Dried red chili - 2
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt

Method:

Clean and chop the beans finely in very small circles.
Heat oil in a pan and add Mustard seeds.When they pop up add dried red chilies and curry leaves.
Add shallots/onions, garlic and green chilies.
After 5 minutes, add chopped beans and salt and mix well.
Sprinkle 3 table spoons of water , keep everything to the centre and cook it covered for 4-5 minutes or till it is dry and the beans are cooked.
Add coconut mixture and toss well. Saute for a couple of minutes or till it is dry and done.
Serve warm with rice.

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Dessert Crepes - Nutella and Apple-Cinnamon

Crepes provide a wide spectrum for displaying creativity and variety. They can be both sweet and savoury. I have not tried the savoury version yet. I prepare the sweet ones on some weekends for breakfast. I have tried a variety of fillings such as Nutella - the irresistible Chocolate n Hazelnut spread, Crunchy Peanut butter, Morello Cherry jam, Rasberry or strawberry jam, coconut-cardamom mixture (madakku saan), caramel toffee spread, and most recently, an apple-cinnamon mixture.

Making the crepes is super simple. I've already explained it in my previous post for madakku saan as well.

Ingredients:

For the crepes:

• Flour/Maida - 1 cup
• Water - enough to make a loose batter
• 1 egg
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Salt - a pinch

Method:

Mix all ingredients of the batter to get a dosa batter like consistency. Fry them on a non-stick pan (no need of any oil) by placing a dollop of the batter with a steel ladle and spreading it in a spiralling motion from the center. Allow one side to cook, flip using a spatula when air bubbles start to form on one side. If it does stick to the pan, then dab a little oil in a gauze or kitchen towel or tissue and just wipe across the pan. I got a batch of about 8 from this mixture.

To make Nutella crepes:

As simple as spreading the nutella mixture on one side and rolling it!

To Make the Apple-Cinnamon filling:

Credit: Hungry-Girl (altered as per my liking)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. granulated sugar/brown sugar - I used brown sugar as it tastes better
1/4 tsp. corn flour
1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 cup diced Washington apple (about 1 apple)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice (about 5-6 drops)
1 tbsp. cream cheese, or Mascarpone, at room temperature
Maple syrup (optional)

Method:

In a small nonstick saucepan on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, butter, cinnamon, and salt with 2 tbsp. cold water. Stir to dissolve. Add diced apple and lemon juice and stir. Bring to medium heat and cover. Cook until apple has softened and liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes, uncovering often to stir.

Remove pot from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl. Allow to cool for several minutes. Thoroughly stir in cream cheese or mascarpone. Add maple syrup if desired.

Lay crepes flat on a dry surface. Evenly distribute apple mixture between the crepes. Fold each crepe up envelope-style, first folding the sides in, and then folding/rolling it up from the bottom.

Plate your crepes and drizzle them with caramel dip or maple syrup. If you like, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Try not to pass out as you dig in!

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Love Letters / Madakku Saan

Madakku saan is an authentic snack from kerala. Its a wonderful crunchy crepe thats just not too sweet but feels good in the tummy. They're also given the nickname "Love Letters" coz of the lovely sweet coconut mixture rolled up like a letter or packed in an envelope. :) It would make a cute gift to prepare for loved ones.

Ingredients:

For the crepe:
Flour/Maida - 1 cup
Water - enough to make a loose batter
1 egg
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

For the coconut filling:
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom powdered - 1 or 2 tsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp

Method:

Mix all ingredients of the batter and fry them on a pan (no need of any oil). If it does stick to the pan, then dab a little oil in a gauze or kitchen towel or tissue and just wipe across the pan.
Mix all the coconut filling ingredients in a bowl. Place a tablespoon full of the mixture onto the center of a crepe and roll. Allow the filling to spread towards the ends.

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Spicy Corn Fritters

Its become sort of a routine to start the weekend with a "bread n eggs" brunch. We've been making omelettes for a while and decided to go for scrambled eggs for a change. I decided to make use of the sweet corn kernels lying in my freezer as an accompaniment. I did a quick search and found these simple spicy corn fritters.
Its actually meant to be eaten as a snack with a dip. I did not bother using any dip since it was just an accompaniment to the bread n eggs.

Credit: Simplyrecipes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon lebanese spice or garam masala
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup of corn kernels (frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
1 small onion finely sliced or chopped small (about a quarter cup)
3 green chillies sliced finely
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
canola, or gingelly oil (a high smoke point oil) for frying

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin, spice, red chilli powder in a medium bowl. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, green chillies and cilantro. Stir until just combined.
Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon as soon as it is in the pan. Work in batches. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.

Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated. Note that the fritters will likely splatter a bit as you are cooking. So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes while you cook.

Serve with a dip

Or use as an accompaniment with bread, eggs and sausages.

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Caramelized Apple with Maple Mascarpone

I had brought a few apples too from Riyadh and I was too lazy to eat them as such. I tried to find a more interesting yet simple way of having them, so I searched a bit and found this lovely quick and easy dessert.
It was so tasty we were licking it all off the plate!!

Credit: Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 apple (peeled, cored, sliced)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (powdered)
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the apples, sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon and saute until golden brown.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup and mascarpone. I used the small mixer of my food processor, so it blended perfectly. Just make sure there are no lumps of mascarpone and you get a nice creamy blended texture.
4. Top the apples with the maple mixed into the mascarpone.

You can also use icecream instead of the maple mascarpone.
But since I had mascarpone in my refrigerator that I had to use, this was just lovely.

I made this a second time the next day too, and allowed the apples to caramelize a little longer than the last time. It was delicious either both ways.:)



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Falafel Sandwich

Saudi Arabian Falafel Sandwich

A lot of different ingredients go into Falafel sandwiches.
But I try to keep it as close to the ones I've had in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the popular shawarma shops such as Yamal Asham, Mama Nourra and Maccoys.

Ingredients:

Khubz (Arabic Bread/Pita)
Falafels
Garlic Sauce or Garlic Tahini Sauce
French Fries
Lebanese pickled cucumber/carrot/radish
Chopped tomato
Parsley

Method:

Spread Garlic Sauce or Garlic Tahini Sauce on the Khubz.
Sprinkle parsley, chopped pickled veggies and tomatoes.
Place falafels. I crumbled mine as it was easier to roll into a sandwich but usually they are placed whole.
Add french fries. I made my own french fries by peeling potatoes and chopping them in my food processor with the french fries blade, fried and sprinkled salt.
Wrap and serve.

You can also add iceberg lettuce in them.

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Falafel

On some days I miss the food I grew up with in the middle east. Falafels are one of them.
The first time I tried making these, it was a total disaster. I was inexperienced and decided to cook the chickpeas first before making the ground mixture and frying them. The result: As soon as the falafel hits oil, it just kept disentegrating into the oil and whatever is left is not cooked. God what a nightmare. Almost a year later, I tried this again by referring another blog. It was successful, but a bit dry. But definitely tasty. The vegetable and sauces I used to wrap them in my own grilled Khubz helped to cut down the dryness. I've been finding it impossible to find flat leaf parsley in Bangalore so on my trip back from Riyadh, I got a bunch of parsley which costs less than a Saudi Riyal! Its magical flavour is what gives falafels and many other middle eastern foods a unique taste.
Credit: Homemade-recipes blog

Ingredients:

For Falafels:
500 gms dried chick peas (kabuli chana)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain flour or gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon ground dried coriander
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 teaspoons baking powder

Note: When I made the mix using the above ingredients, I did find that it was still a bit difficult to make firm balls, so I added about 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs into the mix. Also I did not use paprika, used extra red chilli powder instead. I did not use the bicarbonate of soda because I did not have it with me. Will use next time to see if it has a difference. I also used only 2 tsp of baking powder. Maybe it will be more airy and lighter (less dense).

For Deep Frying
Vegetable oil

Method:

• Soak chickpeas in water for 24 hours, then drain well.
• Mix together the chick peas, chopped parsley, coriander/cilantro, crushed garlic and chopped onions 
• Grind in a food processor.
• Add all remaining falafel ingredients and process again.
• Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Knead the falafel mix.
• Form spoonfuls of the falafel mixture into balls and flatten slightly. Flattening ensures the insides are cooked.

• Heat oil in deep pan over high heat, then fry till browned and cooked through.

 

Serve with Garlic Sauce or Garlic Tahini Sauce or Hummus.



Or make a Falafel Sandwich



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