Spicy Potato Subji

A spicy potato dry dish good to be eaten with chapatti or yogurt rice. I made a mild yogurt rice with very little spice and ate this sabji with it.

 

 

 

Prep Time - 5mins  | Cooking Time - 10mins  | Serves - 2

 

Ingredients

 

• 2 Medium potatoes diced
• 1 Medium sized potatoes
• 1 tblsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tblsp Cooking oil
• 2 dried red chillied (I use Byadagi)
• 1 tsp Deeghi Mirch (MDH brand) Im going to give a listing of the different chilli powders you can use in another post and how they affect the taste of the food.
• 1 tblspn finely chopped cilantro
• Salt for taste

 

Heat oil in a non stick pan add cumin seeds, dried chillies and fry. Add the onions and saute until golden brown. Now add the potatoes cover and cook for a minute. Now add the chilli powder, salt ans cilantro mix throughly cover and cook until potato is tender.

Tamrind Rice/Puliyogare

This is a southindian dish a easy way to add zest to good old white rice. I simply love tamrind rice and I totally cheat on this recipe. My mother used to make the paste/powder from scratch. I simply buy mine from the indian grocery store. Ive tried several brands for this recipe (MTR, Aachi, Mother's recipe) and Ive always end up liking MTR puliyogare paste. I personally prefer the paste to the powder mixes easily and gives an extra tanginess of the tamrind.

 

 

 

 

Prep Time - 1 Min  | Cooking Time - 10 Mins (Including the rice) | Serves - 4

 

Ingredients

• 2 Cups cooked rice
• 3 tblspn of MTR Puliyogare mix.

 

Heat pan on low, add mix and fry. Add cooked rice usually doesnt require salt but add a little if you need it. Serve hot.

Lemon Rice/Chitranna

This is a quick and easy recipe on a busy day. My brother-in-law's garden yielded about 200 lemons, we took home about 60 of them shared some with friends and I still have 35 left. Now these are not your regular lemons, they are the size of an orange, easily squeezable, juicy and perfect. I used about 10 to make spicy hot pickle recipe coming soon...Today's recipe if for Lemon rice or Chitranna (Kannada) a breakfast item in Karnataka. Also a good lunch box item with leftover rice, you can cook up in 5mins.

 

Prep Time - 5mins   | cooking time - 10mins | Serves - 2

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3 green chillies split and deseeded
• 1 cup peanuts with skin
• 1 tblsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 dried chillies (I personally use Byadgi, they give good flavor and color)
• 1 tblsp chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tblsp cooking oil
• Salt to Taste

 

Heat oil in a deep pan, add mustard seeds let it splutter. Add the dried red chillies and peanuts and fry a bit. Once the peanuts change color (turn crimson) add the green chillies and onion fry until translucent. Add the turmeric powder and fry. Turn off the gas and now add the lemon juice. Mix the cooked white rice mixing gently sprinkle cilantro leaves. Serve hot.

Mutton Kholapuri

I have never been a fan of Lamb or Mutton, somehow I've never acquired the taste for it. So when M mildly suggested he wanted to eat something meaty and spicy I had to make Mutton Kholapuri.

Prep Time - 5mins  | Marinate - 3hours  | Cooking Time - 45mins   | Serves - 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb Mutton cut into small pieces trim most of the fat, do keep some gives flavor to the meat.
• 1 big onion roughly cut
• 2 tomatoes roughly cut
• 4 potatoes quartered dont make small pieces they can get mashes quickly
• 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 tblsp mutton kholapuri masala
• 1/2 tblsp red chilli powder
• 1 tblsp cooking oil
• salt to taste

Wash the mutton throughly in water atleast 2-3 times. Marinate the mutton with 2 tblsp kholapuri masala and a little salt for 3hours.
Grind onions and tomatoes to a paste. In a pressure pan/cooker heat cooking oil
Add the paste and saute until you see oil being separated from the paste.
Add the masala, chilli powder, mutton,potatoes and mix throughly.
Adjust the salt and finish with the lemon juice.
Pressure cook mutton for 8 whistles. Turn off the pressure pan/cooker and let it cool.
Check the consistency of the mutton it should be soft, simmer for 5mins garnish with cilantro.
Serve hot with roti or rice.

Banana Walnut Bread

I usually have a my kitchen stocked with fruits. We are both fruit eaters.Sometimes, I end up having some very ripe bananas and I cringe and cry because I have to throw them. I personally hate wasting food.
So I found a new way of freezing them to later use when making banana bread, muffins or even smoothies.

 

You can either peel them and freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put it in a baggie or freeze them with the peel on.
To use let thaw and mash as normal for the recipe.

 

Here is the banana walnut bread recipe, making the dough is pretty easy doesnt require any major tools a spatula is good. The bread itself came out very soft, not so sweet and simply yummy.

 

Prep Time - 10mins | Cooking Time - 1Hour | Serves - 6

 

• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg room temparature and beaten lightly
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat oven for 350F(175 C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust it with flour. Using a spatula mix the melted butter to the mashed bananas. Mix in the sugar,egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for 1hour. Cool on rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Deep-Fried Oyster with Spicy Remoulade Sauce

 

M and I lived in Iowa for a year, we had very little access to fresh seafood, mostly frozen tilapia. So when we moved to california we jumped at every opportunity. One of our favourite places to eat is Barbara's Fish Trap near half moon bay. We usually spend our saturday afternoon at the beach and then hit this place for lunch. The fresh jumbo prawns, steak fries, yumm.

 

This saturday I picked up some fresh oysters at the local chinese market and tried this recipe I saw on TV

 

 

 

Prep Time - 30mins  | Cooking Time - 10mins   | Serves - 2

 

Ingredients

 

• 16 Ounces shucked oysters - I just bought mine from the local chinese market
• 1 cup plus 1 tblspn milk
• 1 tblspn water
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

 

Drain the oysters and place in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup milk and let soak for 15mins. In a bowl whisk together remaining milk, water, cayenne pepper and eggs. Place flour, cornmeal, black pepper, salt into a brown paper bag and shake to mix.

 

Heat oil in a pan. Drain the oysters from the milk. Dip oysters in the egg mixture and then drop it in the paper bag. Make sure the oyster is coated well. Fry these until golden brown. Serve hot with the spicy remoulade sauce.

 

Sauce
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic clove smashed
1 tblspn capers
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp hot sauce (Frank's red hot)

 

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve. 

Potato Bhaji

Today both M and I were craving for some simple homemade food. We usually go out with friends for dinner on friday but today we just decided on eating at home and watch a movie.

 

M loves everything with potatoes. I made a simple dal, rice and aloo sabji. I added ground peanuts to the recipe just before serving, it adds just that extra flavour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time - 5mins | Cooking Time - 15mins  | Serves - 4 | Calories

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 medium sized potatoes cubed
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3 green chillies slit and deseeded
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Ground Peanuts (No skin)
• 2 tblspn cooking oil
• Salt to taste

 

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and saute cumin seeds till they start to sizzle. Add onions and fry till brown
.
Add turmeric powder, and then throw in potatoes, stirring well to coat with spices. Add salt and let potatoes fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Add the ground peanuts just before serving
SERVE warm.

Lemongrass Chicken

M wanted to eat rotisserie chicken, so picked one up from Costco. I had more than half the chicken for leftover. I separated the meat from bone and decided to use it for chicken sandwiches but decided on lemongrass chicken.

 

 

 

Prep Time - 10mins   | Cooking Time - 12mins   | Serves - 4   | Calories

 

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp fish sauce (soy sauce if you dont have one in your pantry)
• 3 garlic pods, crushed
• 1 tblsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tblsp plus 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 pound chicken - I used the cooked, shredded chicken. You can use chicken breast/thigh, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tblsp water
• 3 tblsp cooking oil
• 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, sliced
• 1 lrage shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 chillies, seeded and minced

 

Method
In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt and 1 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar. Add the chicken to coat.

 

In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoon of sugar with 1 tablespoon water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar had dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from heat and stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a bowl.

 

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chillies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry until the chicken  is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and top with scallion. Im going to server this with steamed white rice.

Asian inspired chicken noodles

During our recent trip to India, M and I gorged on rice, all sorts of indian bread and some very rich food. That along with an extra serving of everything mom/aayi(M's mom) made has increased our waistline. A small part of our new year resolution is to be fit.

 

I usually plan dinner depending on lunch. Today was a very light lunch but M was in the mood for something different (no rice, bread etc). Hence noodles...

 

 

Prep Time - 5-7mins   | Cooking Time - 5mins   | Serves - 4   | Calories -

 

Ingredients

• 3 blocks Egg noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 7  Button mushroom quatered
• 1  Red pepper diced
• 1 Yellow pepper diced
• 1 Cup shredded chicken
• 4 garlic pods finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger finely chopped
• 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tblsp Sambal Oelek (Huy Fong's)
• 1 tblsp Sriracha (Huy Fong's) Optional, we like our food spicy
• 1 tblsp green onion for garnish
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• Salt to taste

 

 

Noodle
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt to the water (This step is optional). Add the noodles to the boiling water and a little oil (This keps the noodles from sticking) use a fork separate the noodles. Boil on high for 2minutes Drain them and set aside

 

Saute the shredded chicken, salt in a deep wok till cooked through. Remove and set aside.
In the same wok, heat oil and saute ginger, garlic till slightly browned. Add in the diced red pepper, yellow pepper, quatered mushroom and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the sambal oelek sauce, soy sauce and sriracha sauce(optional).
Stir in the cooked chicken season it with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the cooked noodles.
Garnish with green onion.

Paneer Burji

Quick, easy make on a busy day. Tuesday is U-Jam and I usually have an hour to cook and hit the class. I made paneer burji yesterday with chapattis.

 

 

 

 




Prep Time - 5 Mins    Cooking Time - 5     MinsServes - 2    Calories -  480

 

Ingredients

 

• 1/2 block of Paneer shredded (I use nanak)
• 1 Medium onion (Red/White) finely diced
• 1 medium tomato finely diced
• 3 green chillies split and deseeded
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (Badshah)
• Fresh coriander chopped for garnish
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• Salt to taste

 

Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds and green chillies let it splutter. Add diced onions and saute. Add the spices, tomatoes and lively simmer for a few minutes till the oil separates. Add the shredded paneer and salt and combine well. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.