Chinese dumpling sauce

Ingredients:

Low sodium light soy sauce - 3 tbsp
Tamari - 2 tbsp
Coconut aminos - 1 tbsp (optional)
Sesame oil (i used chilli sesame oil) - 2 tbsp
Malt vinegar - 2 tbsp
Coriander root and stems, chopped fine (cilantro) - 2 tbsp
Ginger, minced fine or grated - 2 tbsp
Green onions, finely chopped - 2 tbsp (1 stalk)
Sweet chili sauce - 1 tsp.

Method:

Mix all ingredients and let marinate for at least half an hour before serving.
Taste and adjust as per your liking.
For an extra kick, I also ground some sichuan pepper corns and sifted it to let a small sprinkling of it into the sauce.
If you have regular sesame oil, then use 2 tbsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp chilli oil or to taste.
I was making dumplings too, so sprinkled a small amount of garlic in the sauce too (that I was going to use for dumplings).
Sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds on it too if you like.

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Chickpea feta burger

I wouldn't call it a veggie burger because it contains eggs. It is a delicious and healthy option on a hot summer day. I served this with a nice dill tahini sauce.

Ingredients for chickpea feta burger:

200 grams chick peas soaked and boiled with salt
100 grams feta cheese crumbled
2 eggs
1 grated carrot
6 red pearl onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp oil

Ingredients for dill tahini sauce:

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup dill minced
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1tsp lemon juice
Dash of salt

To assemble:

Hamburger buns
Baby spinach leaves
Tomato slices
Iceberg lettuce leaves

Method fpr sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Method for burgers:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook pearl onions and garlic for 2 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a food processor. Add chickpeas, carrots feta and eggs and process until combined. Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and mix until combined. Divide mixture into golf ball portions. Shape each portion into a patty.

heat the remaining oil on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for 4 minutes each side or until brown and cooked through.
Toast the hamburger buns for 2 minutes each side or until lightly toasted.
Divide half the bun cut side up among serving plates. Spread with a little tahini sauce. Top with a lettuce, spinach, tomato and chickpea patty and other half of bun.

Assembled Burgers:

Dill Tahini Sauce:

Burger mix:

Grilling the burgers:

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Shrimp and Veggie Pasta Casserole

This is one my most favorite casseroles. I love shrimp and I love white sauce. Combine it with pasta, mixed veggies and you've got a solid meal!
This recipe is inspired from a mix of two recipes. One from the heritagecook and the other from stacey snacks.

Ingredients:

For shrimp:
Large shrimp - 1 pound (1/2 kg) - shelled and deveined
Garlic - 3 cloves - minced
Green onions (spring onions) - 2 stalks
Butter - 4 tbsp - softened
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

For garnish:
Panko breadcrumbs - 4 tbsp
Canola oil - 1 tsp
Parsley - 3 sprigs - minced
Grated parmesan cheese (optional) - as per taste

Pasta:
Linguine pasta - as per serving nos.
Water - to fill 3/4 of a stock pot
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

For Bechamel (white sauce):
Butter - 2 tbsp
Flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup (warmed or at least at room temperature)
Cream - 1/4 cup (optional)
Pepper - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For veggie mix:
Cooking wine - 3/4 cup (I used rice cooking wine)
Green onions - 2 stalks
Yellow onion - 1/2 chopped
Frozen mixed vegetables - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix salt and lemon juice with shrimp and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile mix all the other ingredients in the shrimp section to form a buttery paste. Add this paste to the shrimp and coat well.
Lightly cook linguine pasta in boiling water in a stock pot with salt and olive oil. Drain and place onto the casserole dish. This is your first layer.
Onto the sauce. In a sauce pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and also giving some time for the flour to cook. This mixture is called the 'roux'. To this add a small amount of milk and whisk so that no lumps are formed. Add the rest of the milk and cream if using. You could also use half and half. The sauce will thicken. Season with salt, pepper and paprika if desired, and your bechamel sauce is ready.
In a separate pan, heat oil on medium heat. Fry the onions and whites of the green onions until soft. Then add the thawed mix of frozen vegetables. You could also use a mix of fresh vegetables. You can use your preferred combination like green peas, french beans, carrots, broccoli, corn kernels. Add remaining green onions. Pour the white wine into this and allow to cook until its reduced and thickened (for about 2-3 minutes). The alcohol would evaporate at this stage, but you could leave the wine out if you dont want the flavor. Pour this mixture into the bechamel sauce and combine well.
Pour this mixture all over the paste in the casserole. Use a fork to shake it a little so that the sauce seeps through the pasta.
Now for the third layer - place the shrimp mixture over this.
For the garnish, mix the canola oil with the panko or breadcrumbs so that its lightly coated but still fluffy. Mix grated parmesan cheese if desired. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle chopped parsley over this.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. I had some leftover cooked bacon strips that I crumbled on top as well, so that I don't have to throw them away. It added more flavor to the already awesome dish!

Note: For a simple shrimp appetizer, you can just bake the shrimp mixture alone with the garnishing at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown and shrimp is cooked through.
Also the recipe of the bechamel sauce is very versatile and is used in many continental dishes.

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Hummus (Hummous)

Hummus or pronounced as Hummous in the Middle East, is a ground chickpea, tahini dip that goes great with almost anything! As a child, my dad would bring home Arabian Barbecued chicken or Chicken Broast on days we decide to eat takeout. In Riyadh, Chicken broast was a popular local fast food. A popular fast food joint was Maccoys, where the queues are sometimes so long, it goes far out of the store. Hummus is always a free accompaniment with any item on the grill.
After I left Saudi Arabia, I missed hummous so much that I started making my own. It comes close to what I used to get there, but I guess it will never match upto the magic of food back in Riyadh.
This is more of a taste and go recipe. You keep tasting it as you're grinding the ingredients and add whatever you feel the hummous needs more of.
If you're wondering what tahini is, it's a paste of ground white sesame seeds. I used to make my own tahini as well while I was in India, but you can find them easily in most grocery stores in the US.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked overnight in water (about 8 hours)
Tahini - 2-4 tbsp
Garlic - 1 large clove, minced fine
Lemon juice - from half a lemon
Water - 3 cups (for boiling chickpeas)
Extra virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Paprika - a pinch (optional)

Method:

Boil chickpeas with enough water in a pressure cooker, for about 6 whistles. Drain and store some of the remaining water. In a mixer, add the boiled chickpeas, tahini sauce, garlic, 1/4 cup drained water, salt and lemon juice. Grind till it becomes a coarse paste. Add olive oil and grind a bit more. Don't make it too fine like peanut butter, its good to have a few chunks of chickpeas for texture.

Store in a bowl. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and drizzle more extra virgin olive oil.

Hummous can be used as a dip for carrots, cucumber sticks, or pita chips, tortillas and crackers. Or as I said, you can eat it with fried or grilled chicken. Falafels and hummus are a killer combination! Smear it on toast or shawarma sandwich. Serve with accompaniments such as olives, pickled radishes, turnips, cucumbers, feta cheese. The choices are endless!

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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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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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Puli Inji / Injicurry - Ginger Jaggery sauce

I simply love this curry coz its sweet and spicy and gives a lovely kick to any boring bland dinner. If I have rice with just moru, pappadam and puli inji, I'll be happy. I also recently learned that its a good side with Chicken biryani. As the main ingredient of this dish is ginger, it helps with digestion of a heavy meal such as Onasadya or Biryani. I'll post a better picture the next time I prepare it.

Credit: Mishmash

Ingredients:

1 cup minced fresh ginger, tightly packed
3-4 Indian green chillies, finely chopped
4-5 curry leaves, finely chopped
l/2 tsp mustard seeds
l/4 tsp fenugreek seeds/ Uluva
l/4 tsp Uzhunnu parippu/urad dal/black gram
2 whole dry red chillies
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups water
3-4 jaggery/sarkkara cylinders, with 1 1/4 inch length and 3/4 inch width OR to taste
2-3 tsp tamarind concentrate OR to taste
l/4 tsp chilly powder
l/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method:

• In a small deep saucepan or stone vessel, heat water, tamarind paste, melt jaggery with red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt and bring to a boil and then keep the lid open and place a stirring utensil in it and let it simmer until it reaches half the quantity of the water. Adjust the tamarind-jaggery balance by doing a taste-test here and adding the extra bit if necessary. There should be a proper balance between tamarind and jaggery. So adjust according to your personal taste.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a shallow pan and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal and dry red chillies. Add minced ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and fry until ginger turns golden brown, in low flame. Enjoy the wonderful aroma coming off the pan at this point. Using a slotted spoon, transfer all the ingredients from the pan, including the oil (there will not be much oil left), to the saucepan where the tamarind and jaggery mixture is simmering. Once more bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low flame and let it thicken until the oil layers floats on top. At this stage, turn off the stove. It thickens more when it sits in the room temperature.
• This can be made in advance and stored in refrigerator for a long time. The oil floating acts as a preservative here. It can be served not only at Sadya but also a great condiment for Biryani.

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Coconut Chutney - for Dosas or Idlis

A must have with dosas!

Credit: http://www.tarladalal.com/Coconut-Chutney-(idlis-and-Dosas)-1653r

Ingredients:

1 cup grated coconut
2 small green chillies , chopped
1 tsp grated ginger (adrak)
1 tbsp roasted chana dal (daria)
salt to taste

For The Tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)

1/2 tsp urad dal
1 red chilli , broken into pieces
2 to 3 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tsp oil

Method:

1.Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
2.Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well.
3.Refrigerate and use as required.

My note: I actually pour the chutney into the tempering and mix rather than the other way round. I prefer cooking the ground mixture for a couple of minutes, adjusting water for consistency, and bring it to a boil before I take it off the heat.

Serve with crisp hot dosas. Also use milagai podi on the side with some gingelly oil poured on top of it. Enjoy!

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Coriander-Mint Chutney

There are tons of variations of this green chutney that I found on the net.

I particularly liked vahchef's green chutney post as it gives 3 different types of green chutneys that you can use. It doesnt involve onions in the basic paste. 

Also in Sanjeev Kapoor's post, I saw that the ratio of coriander to mint leaves is 2:1 (2 portions of coriander leaves to 1 portion of mint leaves), whereas in vahchef's post, its the exact opposite. I tried the Sanjeev Kapoor ratio as I feel coriander leaves are more mild and mint leaves are more strong, hence a little amount of mint will be sufficient. Also I do not have pomegranate seeds (dry or fresh), but as the purpose is to add a bit of sweet and tanginess to it, I already have the tamarind-date sweet chutney prepared and stored in the fridge. So I will be using couple of tablespoons from that. Another time I prepared it, I added a teaspoon of sugar.

Vahchef:


Sanjeev Kapoor:


Also in Showmethecurry's Coriander chutney post, I saw that adding a few drops of oil to the chutney helps in increasing the shelf life of the chutney. (they intended to freeze it, but I'm deciding to just chill it in the top shelf of the refrigerator)
Showmethecurry:


So in the end, this is what I did and it turned out just awesome!

Ingredients:

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 long ones (turned out to be quite hot so can change it to one next time)
Ginger - about 2-3 inch long piece
Garlic - 5 cloves
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (2 portions)
Mint leaves - 1 bunch (1 portion)

Sweet tamarind-date chutney - 3 tbsp / Sugar - tsp / Dry pomegranate seeds - 2 tsp

Salt - a pinch
Lime juice - half a lime
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Blend all ingredients in a chutney grinder (mixer) except for oil and lime juice. You might have to open it, mix it up a bit and blend again. This process may have to be repeated about 5-6 times till you get a nice green paste. Better to fill the mixer jar upto half with the leaves first, and then slowly add the remaining leaves. Then squeeze half a lime into it and you can serve it as it is if using now. If you plan to store it in the refrigerator, add a teaspoon of oil (vegetable/canola/sunflower/palm) to it and mix well. Store in an air tight container.

Today, I served it with aloo tikki and sweet chutney along with paav. :) So sort of like a vada paav minus bhel and butter. It was an appetizer as dinner is going to take some more time.

When you make kababs or biryani and want a nice dip with it? Add 2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt to the chutney as per your liking and serve.

Tonight's dinner: Steamed rice, tomato sambar, fried pomfret smeared with the green chutney paste, mango ginger pickle and some curd with extra green chutney on the side :) yum!!

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Date and Tamarind Chutney

I made this as an accompaniment to the banana pooris. Its the traditional sweet chutney that is served in chaats that I love so much! And its quite easy to prepare as well.. Its best served chilled but as I did not have time to refrigerate it (had a hungry bee breathing down my neck!), I served it warm and it went quite well with cold yoghurt, yesterday's cold spicy tomato chutney (recipe posted already) and coriander chutney.

Credit: http://www.grouprecipes.com/11916/sweet-chutney.html

Ingredients:

Dates: 250 gms

Tamarind:150 gms

Jaggery: 50 gms

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Jeera Powder: 1 tsp

Black pepper Powder: ½ tsp

Salt

Method:

Remove seeds from dates & tamarind. Wash & soak in just enough warm water for 30 minutes. Grind to a paste, pass through sieve. Add chopped jaggery & cook for 5 minutes till jaggery melts. Remove from fire, add salt, garam masala, jeera powder & black pepper powder. Store in fridge. If too thick, dilute with plain water, adjust seasoning.

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Spicy Tomato Chutney

This is what I prepared for tonight's dinner. Bee came back from the UK today. Boy what a HOT day today was!! Bangalore has become unbearable hot to withstand. Bee is feeling kinda sick coz of the climate change and wanted somethin to cool his body down. When I told him I had chappathis and havent figured out the side dish yet, he asked if I could prepare a spicy tomato chutney. I reckon he remembered the usual tomato chutney which was chilled and spicy that we used to have at this north indian mess called Prayag Raj. So I googled it and found something similar..
Credit: http://www.foodreference.com/html/spicytomatochutney.html

Ingredients:

½ cup corn oil (I used canola oil)
1 tablespoon mustard seed, toasted
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
4 yellow onions, finely minced (used 1 large and 1 medium onion - sliced it, and put it into the mixer jar and gave it a quick turbo pulse)
20 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I used about 6 usual tomatoes)
4 tablespoons minced ginger
Salt
6 jalapeños, minced (I used 3 long green chillies sliced finely)
3 cups packed cilantro, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon ground fenugreek seed**

Method:

In a large pot, over medium heat, (I splutteed mustard seeds first, added jeera) fry garlic, onion, ginger, and jalapeños(green chillies) in oil for one minute.

Add spices (fenugreek powder) and continue cooking for one more minute.
Add tomatoes and a dash of salt and bring to a boil.

Cook for 15 minutes (covered with lid) or until almost reduced to a coarse paste.
Cool it.. try serving it chilled with chappathis and coriander chutney on the side.

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