Rice & Shrimp Taco - #TacoTuesday #2

I have been meaning to post these taco recipes for quite some time now. These tacos were made almost a year ago, but never got around to posting them on the blog. Hopefully, all the tacos will find a home here soon now. 

Ingredients

8 small tortilla (6 inch ones) - I used the ones made at home - Recipe Here
1 pound medium shrimp (about 25 shrimps)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS lemon juice
salt to taste
1 tbs oil
1 onion - sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup cooked rice
Chipotle mayonnaise (store bought)

Method

Mix together the cilli powder, roasted cumin powder, garlic powder and salt along with lemon juice and form a paste. To this add the shrimps and coat each piece well with the marinade. Let it sit for atleast an hour. In a wok, add the oil and then cook the shrimps till they curl up and become a pink color - about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove shrimp on a plate.
In the same wok - add the sliced onions and get a nice seat on them on high heat. Remove on a plate.
I just warm the tortillas a bit. You can do this on a griddle or in a microwave too.
To assemble the tacos - take a tortilla, place a tablespoon of rice and then some of the onions. Add about 4 shrimps per taco. Top with chopped cilantro and drizzle some chipotle mayo on top. Serve as is with a side of Pico de Gallo and Guacamole.

Fish & Chips - #FishFridayFoodie

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone who is celebrating. I do not know much about this day - just know that it is the traditional day when St. Patrick passed away and its a Public holiday in Ireland as they celebrate the feast of his life.

St. Patrick used the 3 leaf shamrock (clover) to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish and I guess hence its all about clover leaves this day. I learnt from Lil Miss A that the reason everyone wears green on this day is because green is the color associated with Catholics in Ireland and Orange is associated with Protestants. I was not sure about this as she is just 6........... so, I did read about it online. She is right........ ofcorse she learnt it at school.

Ofcorse then there are legends or myths about rainbows and leprechauns and pots of gold. 

And ofcorse #LuckOfTheIrish

I wanted to make something special for this day that was from the region of Ireland.Wanted to try something simple that the family would love. So settled with fish and chips. I know, people associated Fish & Chips with UK........ but, it is very much found in Ireland and in Irish Pubs too. I just joined the group  #FishFridayFoodie  and they had a theme for Irish Inspired dishes. So, that was another reason for this dish.  

Ingredients

For Fish

5 big tilapia Loins cut into 3 inch pieces - we got about 15 of them.
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
7 oz beer (I used corona)
2 cups oil

For Chips (in Air Fryer)

4 Russett Potatoes
2 tablespoons Al Purpose Flour
Salt

Method

For Fish

Wash and pat dry the fish pieces and let them sit on a paper towel.
In a pan add the oil and let it heat till it becomes very hot (about 380F).
In a bowl whisk together the  flour, salt, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder and baking powder. Take half of this dry mixture on a plate. With the remaining half in the bowl, add the beer to this mixture and mix well till you get a flowy batter.
Take the fish. Put it on the dry flour mixture and then dunk it in the beer batter and then again in the dry mixture and dust extra flour off and let it sit on a baking sheet. Use tongs to do this. Get all the other fish pieces ready in the same fashion.
Keep cut potatoes in ice water after cut, and let sit 5-10 minutes
Meanwhile, dry the fish with paper towels and dredge each piece in the flour mixture on the baking sheet.
Add 3 fish at a time to the hot oil and fry for about 8 minutes till it turns a beautiful golden brown. Once done, remove and transfer to on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

For Chips

Peel the potatoes and cut them into big sticks like french fries. Keep them soaked in cold water for about 1 hour. Drain the water and pat dry the potatoes with a paper towel. Take half of them in a bowl, add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp flour and dust each stick with it. Add 1 tbspoon oil and shake the bowl again. Add this to the airfryer at 375F for 20 minutes. Halfway through the cycle, just open the airfryer and give it a shake. Repeat with the other half potato sticks. Remove them on a plate and sprinkle some more salt on top.
You can fry these chips in oil too. You will need 2 cups oil. Heat it to 375F. Add potatoes in batches (do not overcrowd). They should turn a nice golden brown in about 5 minutes. Remove onto a paper towel lined plate to drain. When all the chips are done, add salt and mix well.

Serve the fish and chips together on a plate - if you line it with a magazine page or newspaper, you can get the authentic street side way of having the same food.

Sending this to #FishFridayFoodie

The theme this month was “Irish Fish & Seafood Recipes” - hosted by Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies?  

We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. 

To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

An InLinkz Link-up

Flour Tortillas

Tortillas are important if you are making tacos. So, when we started the tradition of #TacoTuesdy at home, it was only natural that I wanted to try and make the tortillas at home too. I have made the roti with corn called 'Makke ki Roti' which is very close to the corn tortilla. Now it was the turn of the flour tortilla.

Ingredients

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt and mix it together. Add the oil and the water and knead into a dough. Cover and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan or a cast iron griddle. Make a gold size ball of the dough - I got about 12 of them, Dab it with some flour and then make a circular disc about 1/8th inch thick using a rolling pin. Place it on the griddle and cook over medium high heat. Cook on one side till you see some brown specs on the surface. Turn and cook the same way on the other side. Remove on a plate and cover and keep till all tortillas are made, Use it to make tacos or enchiladas. For a Burrito, you might want to make it with a tennis ball size dough.

Simple Chicken Taco - #TacoTuesday #1

Lil Miss A came home one day from school and asked me why we did not do #TacoTuesday like her friends in class did. I never thought this day would come so soon - but it did. She said she wanted to start having Taco Tuesday Dinners every tuesday. Well, here at 'merakitchen' - it cannot be the same taco every tuesday. So, I started to make different tacos with new combinations and we have been loving this new tradition at home ever since. It has been about 10 weeks of Tacos on Tuesdays and Lil Miss A and Mr. A both look forward to Tuesday dinners - so do I as it gives me a chance to come up with new combinations and new ideas. i thought of sharing this over here. So, you will be having a taco influx on this blog for some time. Afterall, I need to catch up on writing 10 weeks worth of tacos.
The first Taco we made was a simple chicken one with the additon of shredded lettuce and guacamole and sour cream on a flour and corn tortilla. I got these amazing tortillas from Trader Joes and loved the combination of the two flours. Well, here is the recipe for Taco #1

Ingredients

8 small tortillas (6 inch ones) - I used the flour and corn torillas here, you could use flour only or corn only too.
4 chicken thighs or breasts - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (you can add some more if you want it to have some heat)
1 teaspoon coriander & cumin powder
salt to taste
1 head of romaine lettuce - shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
sour cream
guacamole (I used this quick version that I make)
2 tablespoons oil to cook chicken

Method

Mix together the garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and mix well. To this add the chicken pieces and coat each piece well with the marinade. Let it sit for atleast an hour. In a wok, add the oil and then cook the chicken pieces untill they are well done. It would take about 10 to 15 minutes.
I just warm the tortillas a bit. You can do this on a griddle or in a microwave too.
To assemble the tacos - take a tortilla, smear a teaspoon guacamole, then a teaspoon sour cream, put about 4 to 5 pieces of chicken (you can add more too - its just easier to eat with 4 to 5), top with shredded lettuce and sprinkle some chopped cilantro.
Simple chicken tacos are ready
My family prefers soft tacos - but, you can make these with hard taco shells too.

Thai Red Curry - with Shrimps and Veggies (curry paste made from scratch)

We love cuisines from around the world at our home. Indian food is always a favorite and then come the other Asian flavors. Thai food is very much loved and when you think of Thai food its always the yummy curry with the sticky jasmine rice and chicken satay. We made the Thai Red Curry at home ........ yes, the paste and all too. It was a wonderful experience and I loved the fragrance on my fingers - especially from the lemon grass and the thai basil and the kaffir lime.

The shrimps and the veggies and the kale gave it a wonderful color and when it was served with sticky jasmine rice - it was a party in the mouth. Its super easy to make and you feel proud and accomplished. Yes, the ingredients list can look intimidating - but, trust me......... this is super easy and super yummy.

Ingredients

For the Red Curry paste

2 dried kashmiri chilis
2 dried byadgi chilis
1 birds eye thai chili (I removed the seeds)
1 lemon grass stalk (used only the bottom fleshy part)
1/2 teaspoon kaffir lime leaves (I used a bottled one) - if you get fresh, use 2 of them
1/2 teaspoon thai basil (I used bottled one)  if you get fresh, use them 2 to 4 of them
1/2 inch galangal (this can be substituted with ginger - but, it wont taste the same)
1 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon white peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil (I used olive oil)

For the Red Curry

1 teaspoon oil (I used olive oil)
1 can coconut milk
5 baby corn - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 green bell pepper - sliced
1/2 red bell pepper - sliced
1/2 cup water chestnuts (used frozen)
1 onion - sliced
2 cups chopped fresh kale
15 to 18 medium shrimp (uncooked frozen used)
red curry paste
salt to taste

Method

For the Red Curry Paste

Pour about 1/4 cup of hot water over the dried kashmiri and byadgi chillis and let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes to rehydrate them. Once done, remove the chillis and discard the water.
Take all the ingredients in the section and blend it in a mixer till you get a nice dough like paste. It will not be very smooth - but will still look like a paste. Here is the red curry paste - all ready.

For the Red Curry

In a saucepan add the oil. When it gets hot, add the onions and saute till it becomes transparent. Lower the heat and add the coconut milk and stir continuously. Add 1 cup water to the mixture. Increase the heat to a medium and cover the saucepan. Let this mixture come to a boil. When it starts to boil - lower the heat to a simmer. Now add the prepared paste and mix well and then add the vegetables. Add some salt to taste. Check the consistency of the curry - if it is too thick add another half cup water. Cover and let it cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Then add the shrimps. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes for the shrimps to fully cook (When they turn pink and they curl - its cooked).
Turn the heat off and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Orange Blossom and Cardamom flavored Madeleines

These french cookies have been on my to-do list for a couple of years. I wonder why I never got to making them. About a year ago, I even went and purchased the madeleine mold from a store - and it was lying there in my basement along with all my other baking accessories. 

They are so easy to make - they look so cute - and they are delicious to taste. It is a cookie but has the texture of a cake. These are just amazing.

I had just got this bottle of orange blossom water and wanted to use it. Orange Blossom water is used a lot in Lebanese/Arabic cooking. Mind you - it does not have a citrus aroma, it is more flowery. Just as the name says, it is orange blossom water. But, the smell is divine. Ofcorse, the best thing to combine with it was crushed cardamom and that how this flavor came up.

The Madeleine Mold

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter (melted and cooled)

3 large eggs  at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

powdered sugar, for garnish.

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Sieve/Sift together the flour and baking powder into a bowl and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the sugar and eggs and mix well with an electric mixer till its nice and thick like a sauce. Add the orange blossom water, salt and cardamom powder and mix well. Now add the cooled melted butter and flour and baking powder mixture and fold it gently into the wet mixture until fully incorporated.

Refrigerate this mixture for atleast an hour. Very important step to get the famous hump on a Madeleine.

Grease and dust a madeleine pan. Add the batter to the prepared pan - 1 tablespoon into one well (I used a standard madeleine mold). Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. 

Remove from oven and cool in the mold for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and dust some powdered sugar for garnish.

I got almost 30 madeleines from this batter - since I have a mold that makes 12 madeleines at a time - I had to use it 3 times.

Pesto filled yeast rolls

Lil Miss A learnt about 'Taco Tuesday' at school and then came the turn of 'Friday Pizza Night' - so, these are 2 traditions that we have at home. Well, the same taco or the same pizza is not allowed for atleast a month, that is another house rule. We are foodies and we truly believe in the saying "variety is the spice of life". 

Last Friday - we had our first 'Friday Pizza Night'. Lil Miss A had her pepperoni pizza (turkey pepperoni) and we had our spicy italian sausage topped pizza. We had some leftover dough, and these yummy spiral babies came from that. They pulled apart like monkey bread and the pesto filling made it colorful and tasty.

The pesto used was a basil pesto - the most simple one. Topped it with some cheddar and mozarella shredded cheese. 

I have cut the recipe to make a round pull-apart spiral roll in a 9 inch round cake pan.

Ingredients

For Pesto

1 cup packed  basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 green chilli
salt to tastee
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

For Bread Rolls

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour OR All Purpose Flour (APF)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

For Pesto

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor - except the oil. Pulse it a few times to get everything together. Now start the processor and pour olive oil through its inlet. I like my pesto to be creamy, so the processor ran for about a minute. If you like it a bit chunky, process accordingly. Pour it into a glass jar and refrigerate. You can use this in pastas, or as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip or for the yeasty rolls we made here.

For Bread Rolls

you can knead this by your hands too - but, I prefer using my kitchenaid bowl mixer. In the bowl add the warm water and sugar and yeast. Let this sit for about 10 minutes. You will see bubbles coming up and a sweet beer like smell - it just shows that the yeast is active and you can go ahead with the other ingredients. Now add the flour, salt, italian seasoning, garlic powder and oil. First use the stir function and then mix it using the dough attachment. I generally knead the dough for a good 7 to 10 minutes to get the gluten going. When a nice smooth dough is formed - cover it with some oil and put a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 and 1/2 hours. In this time the dough will rise and become double. This time can vary between 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm and humid it is.
Once its doubled in size - punch the dough and knead it for another 2 minutes. Now take some flour on a flat surface and put the dough on it and roll it into a rectangle shape about 10 inches long and 6 inche wide. Now put the pesto in the middle and spread it all over the rolled dough. I used about 4 tablespoons of pesto. sprinkle some shredded cheese, about 3 tablespoons. Now roll into a round shape like you would for cinnamon rolls - you will roll on the 10 inch side to get a 10 inch long roll. Cut it into equal portions - I got 17 portions. You could do less or more. Grease the 9 inch round cake pan and line these portions equally around keeping some space between each of them to allow them to rise. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. In the last 15 minutes preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.Once the rolls have doubled in size - put them into the preheated oven. After 10 minutes remove the pan and added the remainder of the shredded cheese. Put it back into the oven for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot with pesto on the side or tomato ketchup or just savor them as is.

Crab Chettinad Fry - My Way!

As the name suggets - Chettinad food is from the Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu, a state in Southern India. My knowledge about this cuisine is minimal - but, I love the flavors and the pungent taste and the aromas that it brings. This may not be the most authentic Chettinad food - but, this is how I developed the flavors based on the crab curry that we had from a seafood joint here in NJ called Arusuvai.

Chettinad food is generally consumed with rice or with rice based stuff like dosas, appams or adais. However, at Arusuvai we were served this kind of curry with Lacha Paratha and hence we like it like that.
This reminded me of Mahesh Lunch Home and Gajalee back home in my amazing town called Bombay (I refuse to call her Mumbai)
We loved this stuff and hope you like what you see and what you make at home too.

Ingredients

1 pound crabs - I used about 2 snow crabs here

1/2 cup sliced onions

10 cloves garlic

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1 TBS coriander seeds

1 Tsp Peppercorns

1 inch cinnamon stick

1 Tsp Tamarind Paste (I get concentrated paste at the store)

6 dry kashmiri chilis (you can use more to get more heat)

2 TBS coconut oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder

20 Curry Leaves

4 green chilis - slit in the middle

Salt to taste

Cilantro for Garnish

Method

Crabs need to be used immediately after cleaning - so we make the masala first and then do the rest.
In a Big Karahi or Wok - dry roast the coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon and kashimiri chilis. Once they leave an aroma add 1 TBS Coconut oil and add the 1/2 cup sliced onions along with the 10 cloves of garlic (chopped). Fry  till the onions turn a nice golden brown. Add the shredded coconut and let the mixture mix well and saute till you get the aroma of roasted coconut. Take it off the flame add the tamarind paste and let it cool. Once cooled down - grind it to a fine paste adding very little water just to ease the grinding process.
Wash and Clean the crabs and let them sit on a plate. In the same Wok or Karahi add the other 1 TBS coconut oil. When the oil gets hot add the curry leaves and the slit green chilis and in about 10 seconds add the onions and saute till they turn transparent. To this add the turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala powder and mix well. Add the ground masala mixture and mix well. If you feel that the mixture is too thick add just about 1/4 cup water and salt to taste and mix well. Add the crabs and cover each crab piece with the masala mixture. Cover and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once the shells of the crab turn a nice orange you now crab is cooked.
If the masala is watery - just heat the mixture uncovered for another 2 to 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve hot with Parathas and salad.
If you are anything like us - you will not have parathas or rice - just plain crab chettinad along with salad.

Creamy Pasta in White Sauce with Spicy Chicken Sausages

I generally never buy sausages - just because, we have never really found a creative way to eat them. As a family, we do not like to eat sausage for breakfast or even as a sandwich in a hot-dog bun. We have tried those breakfast sausages and have liked the spicy Italian ones the best, it has been used as a pizza topping more then often. We have even tried the seafood sausages - we liked them out of their casing and used as a pizza topping or as a part of a pasta dish.
The other day I found these spicy cilantro and green chilis chicken sausages - the flavor combination looked nice and hence we bought it.
Pasta was the thing that came to mind the day my kiddo said she wanted to have chicken pasta. We had a super busy weekend - a birthday party on a Saturday which went on till late at night, and then we had a communion to attend to on Sunday morning - I was exhausted by the evening. But, the smile on Little Miss A's face and her cute way of asking gave me the energy and the inspiration.
Its actually a pretty dish and takes some time. But, the best prize and the biggest compliment was when she ate away her bowl of pasta without wasting any time and without dropping anything in the floor.

The sausages are always in a pork casing - for people who do not eat pork - you can substitute with marinated pieces of chicken or just have it with some other veggies like peppers, corn, olives etc etc.

Ingredients

2 cups penne pasta - I used a variety of shapes
4 chicken sausages
2 cups broccoli florets - cut into bite size pieces
2 medium carrots - sliced into circles
1 medium onion - roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil (any oil will work)
2 cloves garlic - grated
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour (all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste

Method

In a saucepan add 5 cups of water. Cover it and let this water come to a boil. Once it boils, add 1 teaspoon salt and then the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Generally that's the time it takes to cook those packaged pasta. Do check the cooking instructions to see otherwise.
Once its cooked, drain it in a colander and add 1 teaspoon oil and toss it around the colander, so that the pasta does not stick together.
Remove the chicken sausages from their casing and slice it. In a frying pan, add these slices and let them cook through. Sausages generally have oil in them so you do not need greasing. Cook it on medium heat till its cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove onto a plate. In the same pan add 1 teaspoon oil and add the chopped onions. Once the onions get translucent, add the broccoli florets and the carrots. Add salt to taste and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove them into the same plate as the chicken sausages.
Now to make the sauce. Take a saucepan, add the butter to it. When it gets hot, add the grated garlic and bring the heat to a medium - be careful not to burn it. Now add the flour and mix well. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes to get the raw smell of the flour out. Now add the milk and keep stirring so as to not form any lumps. I generally use a whisk and it does not create any lumps. Add salt to taste and the crushed black pepper. Let this mixture come to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 minutes. To this add the cooked pasta and the chicken and veggies. Mix well. Garnish with chopped parsley (I did not have any) and serve with a side of garlic bread.

Quick Chicken Tagine with Vegetables, Olives and Preserved Lemons

I finally gave in to my temptation and bought a tagine pot. I had been wanting one since forever now. Well, that tagine pot sat on my kitchen counter tempting me to cook something in it for a few days. But, we were travelling and I had to wait. Well, yesterday was the day I finally had everything that I needed and I just started. Like someone had suggested....... make the cooking pot your canavas and just go about with things
- the end result will always be good if you make something with love, passion and a lot of confidence. So - with that thing in mind I whipped up this quick stuff. Do not know if its authentic or no - but, we loved it and thats all that matters in the end.

Ingredients

For Marination

8 chicken drumsticks or 6 chicken thighs (I used it with the bone and skin on)
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil

For the Tagine

2 onions - roughly chopped
2 carrots - roughly chopped in chunks
2 bell peppers (I used red ones) - roughly cubed
4 potatoes - skins removed and cut in quarters
10 cloves of garlic - grated
1/2 inch ginger piece - grated
1/2 Preserved Lemons - chopped fine
10 black olives - halved
10 green olives - halved
6 pimentos - finely chopped
        I got the olives and pimentos (they were brined) at the olive bar at Wholefoods (a grocery store)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
           if you do not wish to use saffron - substitute with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 2 to 5 strands of saffron
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (add more or less as per preference)
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
salt if needed (I did not add any salt - as the olives and the preserved lemon had enough salt)

Method

Get the tagine pot ready by reading the instructions provided. I had to soak my clay pot in water for 5 hours before I could use it.
Marinate the chicken drumsticks (or thighs) using all the ingredients under the 'For Marination' tab and let it sit for atleast 1 hour. I left it in the refrigerator overnight. 
Heat a frying pan and once its nice and hot sear the chicken drumsticks/thighs on both sides to get the meat brown. You do not need to cook the chicken, just get a nice sear on the outer layer.

Seared Chicken Drumsticks

In the same frying pan, add the 1/2 tablespoon oil. When it gets nice and hot add the chopped onions and saute them till they get a nice golden brown. Then add the garlic and ginger and saute till the raw smell goes away. Add the chopped carrots, chopped bell pepper and the quartered potatoes and mix well. Lower the flame. Make a paste of the saffron, chilli powder and coriander powder with the 1 cup water and add it to the vegetables. Add the chopped parsley and chopped cilantro (keep about 1 tablespoon of each aside for garnish later). Mix well. Get the frying pan off the heat and keep it aside. Its now time to assemble everything into the tagine pot.

Sauteed Vegetables

Chopped Olives, Pimentos and Preserved Lemons

I used a heat diffuser to get the tagine evenly heated and to avoid any direct contact with the heat. Its a delicate piece of equipment (the tagine) and I did not want any cracks on it.
In the tagine pot add 1/2 tablespoon oil and then add the sauteed vegetables. Arrange the chicken evenly over the vegetables. Over this add the chopped olives, pimentos and the preserved lemons.

Arranged in the tagine pot

Cover it with the conical shaped tagine cover. Lower the heat to a medium low. Cook it this way for an hour. The aromas will be like heaven, but do not open the cover. Let it cook on its own in those juices.

The Chicken Tagine being cooked over medium low heat with the use of a diffuser under the tagine pot.

After an hour, open very carefully, the cover will be hot. Check the meat for doneness. If its still a bit undone, cover and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the cooked dish over a bed of couscous or some Pita Bread along with a simple Salad.

The final product

It is not really necessary to own a tagine pot to cook tagines. You can do this slow cooking even in a crock-pot or a dutch oven.

Preserved Lemons

I have always wanted to cook Moroccan and Mediterranean food. I even got a tagine for myself. One of the key ingredients used in the food there is preserved lemons. Firstly it was very very difficult to find them and then when I found the bottle, it was way too expensive.

I thought to myself - preserved lemons is like the simple humble lemon and salt pickle that my grandma (Mom's Mom) used to make - and boy.... it has been preserved for over 50 years now. I remember mom used to get that antique bottle of the lemon and salt pickle to serve with the humble dal and rice when we were sick - as that would give some taste to the the otherwise no taste in the mouth.
So, I made the preserved lemons myself and I can say I am very happy. Now to conquer Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine.

Ingredients

8 yellow lemons
6 tablespoons Himalayan Pink Salt (you can use any coarse salt)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 tablespoon vinegar (optional - I used it as a preservative)

Method

Wash ans scrub the lemons really really well. wipe them clean and let them dry on a towel for about an hour. Cut the stem or the stub off the lemon. Now cut the lemon into quarters - do not cut through - keep about 1/4 inch intact at the bottom.  Do this for 6 lemons.
The other two lemons get the juice out of them and mix in the vinegar and let it sit.
Open up the lemon gently on the cut area and sprinkle the salt inside it generously. Do the same with the other 5 lemons.
Use a nice and dry jar - big enough to hold six lemons and juice. Add some salt at the bottom and a pinch of the chili powder. Squish one lemon into the jar and really squish till you see the juices coming out. and filling the jar. Add a pinch of chilli powder and squish another lemon in the same way. Layer with chili powder and squish another lemon. Repeat this till all six lemons are packed inside the jar. Add any leftover salt and chili powder and then add the lemon juice with vinegar mixed in it. Note that the lemon juice should cover all the lemons to the very top.
Cover it and let it sit in a dry and dark place for about 2 weeks. Keep turning the bottle upside down atleast 2 time every day during these 2 weeks.
The rind gets softer and thats when the lemons are ready.
You can store this in the refrigerator for 6 months.

You can add spices like cinnamon, bay-leaf, sage, peppercorns, fennel, clove, cardamom etc - alone or in combinations to make these too.

This is traditionally used in Moroccan cooking. But, I like it as a pickle with dal and rice or even curd and rice. I am planning to use it in some Indian curry too in place of tamarind - lets see how that plays.

Easy & Quick Baked Doughnuts with a Chocolate Ganache Glaze

My kiddo whom I lovingly refer to as 'Little Miss A' is a huge huge doughnut lover. She has loved those dunkin doughnuts for a long time. Now, she looks at pictures and asks me to make them at home. Guess, shes just like her Dad - ask mom to make something and she will do it types. No complains there. I love to cook food for these two most important people in my life - and it makes me very happy when I see them savoring every bite. Its like 'Mission Accomplished'
Now, traditional doughnuts are fried and then to top it they also have that sugary glaze - too many calories to indulge in on a regular basis. So, I was very fascinated when I saw these doughnut baking pans. I purchased one to make them for her. I saw quite a few recipes that used cake mix to make these baked doughnuts. I do not use cake mix and hence I kinda put baking these aside. Untill this Monday - 'Little Miss A' just sat breathing down my neck - saying doughnut doughnut since she woke up in the morning. So, the evening was spent in making these yummy fluffy treats.
She was happy - and I got the stamp of approval from her dad too.

Ingredients

For Doughnuts

1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

For Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon butter

colorfull funfetti for added garnish

Method

To make the Ganache

microwave the chocolate chips, milk and butter in a bowl at 30 second intervals 2 times. Mix well till you get a nice and velvety chocolate sauce. Let this sauce/ganache cool down before you frost the doughnuts.

To make the Doughnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add sugar, salt, flour, baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well and let it sit aside.
In another mixing bowl add oil, yogurt, water, egg, vanilla essence, vinegar and mix well till everything is combined. Now add this mixture into the dry mixture and combine everything well. Do not overmix.

Grease your doughnut pan with oil. 

You can use an icing bag, a doughnut pouring bottle, those ketchup bottles you get or just a simple ziploc back (cut a small hole in the corner to pour the batter). Add the batter to the doughnut mould/pan - just fill half of it (as shown in the picture) 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the tops turn a nice golden brown. Remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. The color should be like its in the picture below.

Dip the doughnut in the ganache and then let ti sit on the wire rack. You can sprinkle some funfetti for added color.
Savor with a cup of coffee or with a glass of milk.

We baked a total of 12 doughnuts with these measurements. If you do not have a doughnut pan - you can make them in a mini muffin pan (they will resemble doughnut holes) or even a cupcake pan (here the baking time may vary - just insert a toothpick and see its baked through in 12 to 15 minutes)

Bread Pudding

I always wondered how this bread pudding tasted - the recipe always made use of stale bread and eggs with milk and spices together baked to a golden brown - served with ice-cream and some kind of sauce....... which was generally a bourbon sauce as bread pudding is a delicacy from the Southern States of America where bourbon and whiskey are loved plenty.
I had tasted this amazing bread pudding at our favorite restaurant "Bubba Gump" and had fallen in love with the bread, nutmeg and cinnamon together with that awesome sauce.
Had been wanting to recreate this dish for a long time - but, never came around to making it. The other day I had baked white bread at home and somehow it was not used up. Home made bread tends to get spoilt in 2 days. Hence had to use it up. That's when the hubby asked me to make this dish.
The recipe is a little bit from here, a little from there. Frankly, its the same recipe if you see it everywhere, just a teaspoon extra of this or a pinch more of that.

Ingredients

7 cups bread - bite size pieces of white bread or baguette
2 tablespoons butter - melted
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar - you can use brown sugar to get that brown color.
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice powder
4 eggs
1/2 cup black raisins
1/2 cup pecans - chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a cookie sheet spread the bread pieces and then cover the bread with the melted butter. Put this cookie sheet int he oven and get the bread a little crisp, say for 10 minutes. In the meantime - in a big mixing bowl take the milk, sugar, spices and eggs and mix well and make it into a custard. Add the raisins and the pecans and then the crisp bread to the mixing bowl and cover the bread with the custard mixture. Take a 13X9 baking dish and grease it. Now add the bread and custard mixture to it. Bake it in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes. If the top starts getting brown, just cover it with an aluminum foil and bake for the full 45 minutes.
Serve with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

You can just add a bit extra zing to this pudding by soaking the raisins and the pecans in 1/4 cup bourbon for 24 hours (or more) and then use it to make the bread pudding. It will be a slight bit boozy and will have a southern kick to it.

Quick Guacamole (in the food processor)

It was one of those wintry February evenings when we were just too bored and were trying to think of what to do to make it a fun evening - the winter this year was too harsh and most of the times we were stuck inside the home.
So, it was going to be movie time with some chips and store bought salsa. But, then I saw this beautiful avacado that was sitting on my kitchen counter saying so lovingly....... pick me up.
So, we quickly whipped up this guacamole in the mini chopper (the handheld one) and savored it with some corn chips while watching Ice Age.

Ingredients

1 avocado
1/2 red onion
1/2 tomato
1 green chilli (you can add more if you want the heat)
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Chopped cilantro for garnishing (I did not have any cilantro and hence there is no garnish in the pictures)

Method

Cut the avocado, remove the seed and scoop the flesh into a mini chopper. To this add the onion, tomato and green chili, lemon juice, salt & peppers and mix in a pulse motion 5 to 6 times. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Savor with chips
Snack time - guacamole and chips.

Cilantro Salmon Bake

Salmon - that beautiful orange colored fish is an acquired taste. I still remember the first time I had tasted this fish......... I nearly spit it out. But, over time we have developed a love for this fish. We have tried cooking it with Cajun spices, Indian spices, even added it to curries. We love the fish cutlets made with salmon.
I always wanted to bake salmon using a crust - like most of the pictures that I had seen on pinterest and on various food sites. But, at the same time, wanted it to have some spice. So, we came up with this spicy cilantro mixture to be added on top and also in between the salmon fillet to fit our taste-buds. The result was - well, just awesome. We loved it.

Ingredients

4 center-cut fillets of Salmon (I used frozen Salmon)
2 cups cilantro / coriander leaves
4 green chillis (you can add more if you like it spicy)
8 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 onion
1 teaspoon salt (you can add more or less - as per your taste)
juice of a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor, add the cilantro, garlic, chillis, ginger, onion, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 of the oil and pulse about 10 times to get a coarse mixture - it should look like the mixture does in the picture above. Take the salmon fillet and using a paring knife, make a small incision in the middle of the fillet, fill it with a little of the cilantro mixture and set aside - repeat the same process with the other fillets. Take a baking tray and grease with some of the remaining oil and place the salmon fillets in a row. Smear the remaining mixture on top of the salmon fillets evenly. Add a sliced onion or if you like a sliced tomato and pour the remaining oil all over. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes till the Salmon is well cooked.
Serve with Salad of your choice.

Masala Dudh & Fresh Strawberry PannaCotta (Veg)

Today is Valentines Day - well, its the day of love and hearts - Its a day of red and pink overdose. Come to think of it........ why should we celebrate love only on one day???? Why cannot everyday be a celebration of love???? 

Well, Valentines Day has no particular significance at our place - According to my hubby........ everyday is Valentines Day if we can make it happen - and I agree with him.

Well - everyone was making something special for Valentines Day - and I wanted to try this dessert for ages. So, took the opportunity and made it. Very happy with the way it turned out. Hubby is not a great fan of milk based desserts - the only one he likes is rasgullas. Even he gave me a thumbs-up for this.
I remember as a kid we used to get these packets called 'china grass' - there were various flavors available - pista, chocolate, strawberry, mango. kesar, elaichi and many more. I used to love the milk jelly - yes, thats what we called it.
After I started cooking, I found out that china grass is actually 'agar agar' a veg substitute for gelatin and is used to make vegetarian jelly, pannacotta and many other such desserts. It is actually a seaweed used in Southeast Asian cuisine. That is what I have used in this too. Makes it fully vegetarian.

Ingredients

9 strawberries

6 tablespoons sugar - divided (add more if you want it more sweet or less if you want it less sweet)

1 cup water

1 & 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 tablespoon dudh (milk) masala (I used Everest)

7 grams agar-agar flakes

Method

Quarter the strawberries and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to it. Let it sit for about an hour. In the meantime, bring the 1 cup water to a boil and add the agar agar to it. You have to be patient as the agar agar will take some time to get completely dissolved - almost 15 minutes. Once it is dissolved, you will get a nice liquid without any particles. Keep this aside. In another saucepan, add the milk and the remaining 4 tablespoons of  sugar and bring it to a boil. To this, add the dudh masala and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Now, back to the strawberries - In the one hour that the strawberries were left with the sugar, they will have released some water and the sugar gets dissolved. Grind this into a fine paste and set aside.
Now divide the agar agar solution into 1/4th cup and 3/4th cup. Add the 1/4th cup to the strawberry mixture and mix well - add the 3/4th cup to the milk mixture and mix well.
Now to assemble them - I had used 4 medium sized ramekins - you can use small ramekins too or you can even use a silicon mold which has those beautiful flower or any other designs. I am still awaiting my silicon mold, thanks to the weather - its taking its own sweet time coming to me. Here is the link - Rose Mold
Add the milk mixture about 1/2 of the ramekin/mold. Let it set for about 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature and then in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. Now add the strawberry mixture to the top of the milk mixture - just to form a small thin layer, about 1/4th inch. Now let it set in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours.
Before serving, dip the bowl in some hot water, then run a knife along the edge of the pudding/pannacotta and invert onto a plate. And enjoy this yummy goodness.

Sichuan Pepper Chicken

After moving to the US............. I was reminded of all the amazing food back home in India. I learnt how to cook most of the food that we wanted to eat by asking mom, reading books, the internet and sometimes by just remembering the taste and recalling the ingredients.

One such spice was the 'Sichuan Pepper' also called as 'Teppal' or 'Triphal' in Konkai & Marathi respectively. However, I never got hold of this in the US. Craved for the fish curry with this spice. Finally got a hold of it on the amazon store and bought the bottle.  It smells like the teppal back home - but these are small in size and a little red in color too. But, they are still the same and I am glad to have my hands on it now. Here is the link - Ajika-Sichuan-Peppercorns
Well - the day we got this bottle, we wanted to use it. We had no fish at home and hence fish curry was out of question. Well, the name is sichuan pepper - which is so southeast Asian. Well, we decided to make a nice chili chicken type dish - only with no chilies but with the spice in the bottle. Well, it turned out quite nice. We loved it and this dish is a keeper now.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs - cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce - you can use any soy sauce you have
3 tablespoons peanut oil - again, you can use any oil of your chocie (just do not use extravirgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt - you can skip salt if you want as the soy sauce has salt in it.
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons sichuan pepper - crushed - I coarsely powdered mine in the spice/coffee grinder
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 bunch spring onions/scallions - chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili powder - you can skip it if you do not want this spice.
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/2 cup oil for frying

Method

Add the soy sauce, sugar, salt, chilli powder, black pepper powder and 1 teaspoon crushed sichuan pepper in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and coat each piece with the marinade. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Heat the 1/2 cup oil in a wok/karahi. Add the cornstarch to the marinated chicken and coat all pieces well. Now fry the chicken untill it gets cooked fully, about 7 to 10 minutes. I fried the chicken in 2 batches. Remove the chicken onto a plate.
Let the oil cool - remove it into a bottle if you wish to use it once again or you can discard it.
In the same wok add the 3 tablespoons of peanut oil (if you wish you can use 3 tablespoons of the oil the chicken was fried in too). When the oil gets hot, add the ginger and garlic and the white portion of the chopped spring onions/scallions and saute for about 30 second - be careful not to burn the garlic. Bring the heat to medium and add the balance 2 teaspoons of crushed sichuan pepper and mix well. Add the fried chicken and coat it well with the ginger, garlic and scallion mixture. Remove into a serving dish and garnish with the green part of the spring onion/scallions.
This could be served as a starter or it could be teamed with some ginger and egg fried rice as a full meal (thats how we had it)

Torta De Cielo (Mexican Almond Cake)

Baking is a passion. Cakes, cookies, bread - you name it and I will jump to have it done. Every year for my husband's birthday I bake a different cake. We have made the humble vanilla cake, chocolate cake, fresh strawberry cake, his favorite pear and ginger cake, date and walnut cake (my mum had baked that one).

This year was no different. I started looking at what I could bake to make his special day extra special. Well,  I found the almond meal packet in my freezer (I had got this to make the french macron - well, never got to make em) and decided to bake an almond cake. 

I had picked up this simple baking book from homegoods and found this cake (torte) recipe that I loved and thought of making it.

Torta De Cielo is a Mexican Almond cake and generally is made by using whole almonds with or without skin which is coarsely powdered in a food processor. Since I already had the almond meal ready, I used that.

This cake is generally bakes in a round baking dish - just like a torte. Well, since half of my stuff is in storage due to our future move, I baked this cake in a bundt pan.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1 and 1/4 cup almond meal (you can use whole almonds too)
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt

Method

Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan OR as I have used, you can use a bundt pan too. If you are using whole almonds, then place them in a food processor and process to form a mealy mixture.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar untill smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, almond extract and vanilla extract to this mixture and mix for about 3 to 5 minutes till its a nice fluffy mixture. Add the almond meal/almond mix and salt to this mixture and mix well. Now add the flour and fold it into this mixture till everything is incorporated. Do not over mix at this stage, just fold everything in.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 40 to 45 minutes, or untill a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let it stand to cool. You can dust it with powdered sugar and decorate with toasted almond slivers.

Deviled Eggs (Wasabi flavored)

Deviled eggs have been an all-time favorite with hubby and me. We have savored the best deviled eggs at Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester, NY. I have never made deviled eggs at home - though always wanted to try em. Yesterday was the ideal day - baked a focaccia and was too bored to make anything great for dinner - so ended up whipping some deviled eggs - and it was some yumm and easy dinner :)
Traditionally - once the deviled eggs are stuffed - it is covered and is refrigerated for 24 hours to get that mayonnaise and other things to mix well. Here, we just made the mixture and added it to the egg whites and relished the dish.

Ingredients


8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated wasabi (you can add more if you want it spicy - wasabi is very spicy)
1 celery stalk - chopped fine
2 spring onions - chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon sweet relish (optional)
pinch of salt
pinch of crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
chopped parsley for garnishing



Method


Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, celery, wasabi, spring onion, relish, horseradish, tomato ketchup and salt & pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and garnish with shopped parsley
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving - you can serve it right away too.

Moo Shu Pork

This was cooked by me for the Daring Cooks challenge in October 2011. I know I know I am posting it late - but as they say 'better late then never'

Well, I googled a lot to see how to cook Moo Shu Pork and ofcorse there were the recipes provided by  "Shelley" from "C Mom Cook" who had set up the challenge. Moo Shu Pork is nothing but pork, eggs and veggies together.

I used bits and pieces from the various sites and came up with a mixed concoction of moo shu pork my way.  It was  easy to make the Mandrain pancakes that accompany it. They are actually like thick roomali rotis with a strong seasme oil flavor

I used the recipe here "lotus-pad-mandarin-pancakes" for the mandrain pancakes.

Ingredients

1/2 lb pork loin, cut into strips
4 tbs soy sauce
2 cups shredded napa cabbage (you can use regular cabbage too)
4 eggs beaten
1 bunch of green onions/scallions - cut into 1/4 inch pieces diagonally - leave a few of the green leaves for garnishing
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sriracha - you can add more if you like
salt to taste

Method

marinate the pork in soy sauce, garlic powder, little salt and rice wine vinegar and let it stand for 1/2 hour. In a wok add 2 tablespoons of oil and stir fry the pork till its well done. Remove the pork on a plate. Then add 1 tablespoon oil and add the beaten eggs with a pinch of salt and scramble them well. Remove it in the same plate as the pork. Now add the remaining oil in the wok and add the scallions and napa cabbage and the sriracha and stir fry for 2 minutes. To this add the pork and the eggs and mix well. Add salt if required. Moo Shu Pork is ready.
Make a burrito roll with Moo Shu Pork on a Mandrain Pancake and enjoy.

You can add mushrooms, bean sprouts, bell peppers and even tender bamboo shoots to this (cook it along with the scallions and cabbage)