Spicy Mango Shrimp Curry

I was cleaning out my fridge when I found this homemade sweet and sour mango chutney sitting in a corner. I had my mind set on making mango chicken for a while but I never had the two ingredients at the same time. This time too there was the mango but no chicken, so I decided to go ahead with shrimp.
If you are using fresh or frozen mangoes add the mangoes before adding the coconut milk.

Ingredients:
Shrimp – 35-40
Onion – 1 medium (chopped)
Garlic – 4 cloves (finely chopped)
Bell pepper (optional) – 1 (diced)
Mango chutney – 5 tbsp
Light coconut milk – 6 oz.
Fish sauce (optional) – 1 tsp
Red chili flakes – 1 ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp

Procedure:
My family loves their shrimp soft and tender so I pressure cook the shrimp. You can directly add the shrimp to the pan once the gravy is done.

In a pan heat oil and add red chili flakes and garlic and fry until the garlic is cooked. Next add the chopped onions and sauté until golden brown.

To the onion mixture add 3 tbsp of the mango chutney and fish sauce. Stir until the chutney has blended into the mixture.

Now add water (I used the fish stock from boiling the shrimp) and let simmer. When the gravy has reached the desired thickness, add coconut milk, shrimp and bell pepper (if using) and bring to a boil. Cook until peppers are cooked but still retain their crunch.

Garnish with sliced chilies and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Serve with steamed rice.

Potoler Dorma -- Fish Stuffed Pointed Gourd

 With 2 canned sardines lying around for a while, I decided to make Potoler Dorma with it. Now Potol (Parwal) is something I am not too fond. My childhood memories of potol are not too good. I remember dreading the summer season after the so-full-of-green-vegetables winter. Summer meant only jhinge (ridge gourd) and potol, and while I loved jhinge, I was bored with Potol very soon.

But times change and with things change too.

When this not-so-loved vegeteable of mine became scarce once I moved out of Bengal, I began to miss it and whenever I found some dish related to it I gladly gobbled it up. I even went to the extent of carrying kilos of it on a two-day train journey from home to down south in Mysore!

Outside the country I was overjoyed on seeing packed frozen versions of it, and bought 2 packets of it. My joy vanished as soon as the pack was thawed. What remained was a soggy, watery vegetable which didn't have much resemblance to the fresh green vegetable I was used to seeing in my hometown market.

This time when my father bought home some fleshy green Potols from his trip to the bazaar in Bangalore, the whole family was pleasantly surprised. Half of those were made into a curry by my mom, and with the other half I decided to make Potoler Dorma. I've never had Dorma before, so I don't know what it should taste like, but I can say my experiment didn't fail :)

Ingredients:

Potol: 8 pieces

For the stuffing:

Tinned sardine: 1 can

Onion:

Ginger:

Garlic:

Salt

For the gravy:

Garam masala powder: ¼ tsp

Turmeric: ½ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp (adjust according to taste)

Salt: To taste

Sugar: 1 tsp

Oil

Procedure:

Cut one end of the potol and with the back of a spoon scoop out the insides. Season the potols with with salt and turmeric and set aside.

Mash the tinned fish with a fork and set aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add sugar and let it caramelize. Once sugar turns brown, add the ginger, garlic and onion paste and fry until the raw smell of the masala is gone.

Now add the fish and cook until fish is done. You can also add some tomato ketchup to the fish mixture. Once done, let the stuffing cool.

Now fill the hollowed out potols with the fish stuffing.

Fry each of them carefully and set aside.

To make the gravy, add some garam masala powder (you can also use whole garam masala), turmeric, chilli powder and onion-ginger-garlic paste to hot oil and cook until brown.

Once the masala is cooked through, add water and bring to a boil. When the gravy starts thickening add the stuffed potols, cook on high heat for a while and serve hot with steamed rice.

Indonesian Goat Rendang

Bored of always making kosha mangsho I decided to try out something new which is when I stumbled upon the recipe for Rendang.I once had lamb rendang at a Malaysian place and liked it a lot. Typically I don’t eat lamb, because I can’t stand its overpowering smell but this dish didn’t stink at all and I gobbled up quite a bit of it. At home I decided to substitute lamb with goat and also made a few adjustments with the ingredients according to what I had in store.
Ingredients:
Goat meat – 1 lb
Onion – 1
Garlic cloves – 2
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Red chili – 2
Brown sugar – 1 tsp
Lemongrass stalk – ½ (lower part only, thinly sliced)
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp
Lime juice -- ½ a lime
Lime zest – ½ tsp
Light coconut milk – one 14oz can
Canola Oil

Procedure:
Though the recipe book I was following didn’t call for any marinating I am a bit wary of goat being a bit tough and chewy so I marinated the meat overnight in lime juice, turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala powder, cumin and coriander powder.

In a food processor make a paste of the onion, ginger, garlic, chilies and lemongrass.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and add the brown sugar and let it melt. Now add the onion paste and fry the mixture until it is browned.

Add the meat and lime zest and fry for another minute or so.

Now add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 1-1 ½ hours until the meat is tender and the liquid reduces considerably. Check from time to time so that it does not stick to the bottom. If more liquid is necessary add water or more coconut milk.

Sprinkle lime juice on top and serve with steamed rice.

Zucchini Gratin

On my nth birthday my sis-in-law presented me a French Country Cooking cookbook with the request that I treat them to some recipes from the book. Zucchini Gratin or Tian de Courgettes (as the book says) was one of the easiest recipes I could detect at first glance and one with which I could play around a bit. To make matters easier I also had the ingredients at hand.
The original recipe used only zucchini although the book mentions that any combo of vegetables can be used. Along with the zucchini I used some bell pepper and shrimp and what I liked most was that it was very tasty without being too greasy!

Ingredients:
Cooked long grain rice – ½ cup
Zucchini – 1 (cut into ¼ inch thick slices)
Onion – ½ (thinly sliced)
Garlic clove – 1 (chopped)
Bell pepper (optional) – ½ (diced)
Precooked shrimp (optional) – 8-10 (coarsely chopped)
Chopped fresh parsley – 1 tbsp
Grated parmesan cheese – 3 tbsp (add more if you want)
Egg – 1 (beaten)
Salt & Pepper -- to taste
Olive oil

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile heat a pan with oil and sauté the zucchini until they are just tender. Drain on paper towel, chop coarsely and reserve in a bowl.

In the same pan (add oil if necessary) sauté the onion, garlic, bell pepper and shrimp (if using), and add to the zucchini. To the bowl add the rice, 2 tbsp cheese and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To the mixture stir in the beaten egg and spread it in individual oven proof dishes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and drizzle slightly with olive oil.
(You can use one large dish also, in that case the baking time will be longer, about 25-30 minutes.)

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set.

Now set the broiler on high and broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is browned to your liking.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Tomato

In May we went to DC and before our flight from Dulles airport we had dinner at a tapas place in Georgetown where we had this dish. Back home I decided to try my experiment on a bunch of friends and judging by their response I’d say it was good :)
I used fully cooked chicken sausage in this case.

Ingredients:
Pre cooked chicken sausages – 5 (cut into chunks)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Tomato -- 1 ripe (finely chopped)
Onion – 1 small (cut into chunks)
Garlic – 1 clove (chopped)
Red or white wine – ½ tbsp (optional)
Olive oil

Procedure:
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and fry the sausages. Set aside.

In the same pan (add oil if required) sauté the onions until translucent.

Next add the garlic, bell peppers and tomato and mix well.

Add the fried sausages and wine (if using) and stir all the ingredients together.

Cover and cook for 15 -20 minutes stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve warm.

Fried Pomfret

We’d been eyeing these large pieces of silvery pomfret at the Ranch Market for some time now but couldn’t muster up the courage to cook them. Finally my husband decided that he’d do the cooking, so we went ahead and bought four of them. I’ve always had pomfret in restaurants and that too only the fried version of it. So that’s what we attempted. Since we had four huge pieces of fish we decided to do two the first day. I did all the marinating and hubby was supposed to fry it. But when the time came for cooking he had an office meeting. Coincidental huh! So I did the frying and while eating realized that it needed more spices. So the next day my mom-in-law took over and the fish tasted awesome. The measurements given here are an approximation since we eyeballed everything.

Ingredients:
Whole Pomfret – 2
Onion – 1 (small)
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Garlic cloves -- 4
Fresh Cilantro – ½ cup
Lime/lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – for frying the fish

Procedure:
Make two to three slashes on both sides of the fish.

In a food processor grind together the onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro. To the paste add the lime/lemon juice, red chili powder and salt and mix well.

Now rub the fish with the paste and set aside for 30-40 minutes.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan and fry the fish until both sides turn golden brown.

Drain and serve hot with lime/lemon wedges and green chilies.

Chicken Meatloaf -- Desi (Indian) Style

Ingredients:
Ground chicken -- 1 lb
Grated ginger – 2 tbsp
Chopped garlic – 2 tbsp
Chopped green chilies – 6
Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)
Potato – 1 small (grated)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 1 cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Eggs – 3

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat one egg until fluffy and pour into a greased loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl knead together the chicken, ginger, garlic, half of the onion, cilantro, potato, four green chilies, turmeric and salt.

Put the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the remaining two eggs and add the remaining chilies and onion to it.

Remove the loaf pan from the oven and pour the egg mixture all over the chicken.
Return to oven and bake until the eggs have set.

Slice and serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs has long been on my to-do list. I've seen quite a few versions of the dish on the Food Network and other magazines. Finally I found the perfect opportunity to try my version when a few friends dropped in for the Brazil-Ivory Coast match and some light brunch.
Ingredients:
Hard-boiled eggs - 7
Grated Manchego or Gruyere Cheese - 3 tbsp
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped celery - 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper

Procedure
Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the yolks into a bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork until smooth. Add the cheese, mayonnaise, celery, salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling into the egg white halves and serve.

Note: you can make the filling in advance and assemble the dish before your guests arrive.
Btw, add some chives for the color and the mild oniony flavor. I wanted to add some but couldn't find any in the store that day.

Chicken Manchurian

A friend was coming to dinner tonight and all I knew was that I would make chicken. Because that’s the one thing I had in the freezer in sufficient quantity. Also I wasn’t in the mood for fancy elaborate cooking in the middle of the week so I was trying to figure out what chicken dish to prepare. The battle was between chicken 65 and chicken Manchurian and Manchurian won because it opened up a whole bunch of student day memories.
There was this tiny Chinese eatery called Gunjan on Surya Sen Street (near College Street, Kolkata) which we used to frequent during our college and university days. People came to know of this place by word of mouth – the fame of Gunjan travelled from seniors to juniors and it thrived on that tradition. The place could hardly seat ten people at a time. I remember the first time we tried to go there we couldn’t find it because it was just around the corner of a lane so narrow that a car couldn’t go in, and we actually ended up eating at a place which was next to it but on the main road. During our college days birthdays and special occasions were celebrated at Gunjan when side dishes like Chili Chicken and Chicken Manchurian were ordered. Otherwise the favorite was Chicken Hakka Chowmein. Once our group of 12 (yes, we did manage to squeeze ourselves in) got kicked out of the place because people were waiting outside and we didn’t show any signs of leaving even though we were all done.
And during my Masters’ I and a friend AB, who’s a great foodie, frequented Gunjan so much that we ran out of money by the second week of the month. (It was a bit on the costlier side for a student.) That was when we made a vow that we would come to Gunjan twice a month. We did manage to stick to the self made rule for a few months, mainly because by that time another cheaper Chinese shack had opened up right in the University premises.
Now for my version of Chicken Manchurian. I used drumsticks because that’s what I had. Ideally small bite sized pieces (breast or thighs are best) should be used.

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks – 8 pieces
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 ½ tsp + 1tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp + 1tsp
Hot sauce – 2 tbsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small (cut into thick slices)
Green bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces)
Red bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces) (either one of these peppers is fine)
Scallions – 2-3 (cut diagonally)
Green chilies – 3-4 (chopped)

Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tsp of ginger paste and 1 tsp garlic paste. Now coat the drumsticks/ chicken pieces in the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

After an hour remove the chicken from the marinade and dust it with a tbsp of cornflour.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces on medium heat until golden brown and cooked. Set aside.
In the same pan fry the sliced onions, bell pepper and scallions and set aside.

Now add the chopped green chilies, a tbsp of the ginger paste and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the reserved marinade, water and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Add the chicken pieces and let simmer until the gravy reaches a consistency of your desire. If there is too much liquid add a paste of a tbsp of cornflour in a tbsp of water and let the liquid dry up.

About a minute or two before removing from the heat add the fried vegetables to the pan and let them sit. This way they retain their color as well as their crunch which I like.

Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces – 1 lb
Cinnamon stick – 1 + 1
Cloves – 4-5
Black Cardamom – 2-3
Bay leaf – 1
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Black peppercorns – 1 + ½ tsp
Onion – 1 small (quartered) + 1 large (thinly sliced)
Ginger – 1 inch piece (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Garlic – 4-5 cloves (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Green chili – 4-5 (slit)
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
Saffron – pinch (soaked in warm milk)
Salt – to taste
Nutmeg
Oil/butter/ghee

Procedure:
Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water. To the water add the following:
•1 cinnamon stick
•coriander seeds
•cloves
•cardamom
•bay leaf
•cumin
•1 tsp whole peppercorns
•crushed garlic
•crushed ginger
•quartered onion
Bring to a boil. When water starts boiling add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is tender.

With a slotted spoon remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

Strain the stock. Discard all the spices, retain the stock.

In a separate pot heat oil. You can use a combination of oil and ghee or oil and butter or use only ghee or butter. I used only oil.

To the hot oil add ½ tsp peppercorn and the green chilies.

Next add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.

Now add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the chicken pieces and fry until they start browning.

Now add the basmati rice and gently turn to coat the grains with the masala.

Put in the saffron strands.

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil on medium high heat. (If there is less than 2 cups of stock, you can use water or use a boxed one.)

When most of the liquid has dried up switch off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit until all of the liquid has dried up and the rice has cooked perfectly. The rice will cook in the steam.

Add a dash of grated nutmeg and fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or mint. (optional)

Serve hot with raita.

Tandoori Fish

I had plans of making this dish on Monday. Problem was I was going out on Sunday and wouldn’t be back until Monday evening which wouldn’t leave me much time for marinating the fish to make it ready for dinner. So I marinated the fish on Sunday before I left without the lemon juice as keeping the fish in the lemon juice for a long time would disintegrate it. After I came back I added the lemon juice and marinated it for 30 minutes. Worked out well.
Ingredients:
Sea bass steak – 1 lb
Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves – 2-3 (minced)
Lemon – 1 (juiced)
Curry powder – 1tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Olive Oil

Procedure:
In a nonreactive mixing bowl mix together ginger, garlic, curry powder, red chili powder and 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and then put it in the marinade.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes add the lemon juice and marinate for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400F.

Arrange the fish on an oven proof dish and drizzle oil on top.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, turning the fish after 15 minutes.

Next, set the oven to broil and broil on high until the edges are charred to your liking (8-10 minutes approx in my oven). Watch the fish carefully as it might burn very easily while broiling.

Serve hot with pickled onions and lemon wedges.

For pickled onions, soak onion slices in vinegar for an hour.

Goat Biryani

I had a fair amount of leftover goat meat, so I decided to make use of it in the form of biryani. Watching the sunset and having biryani on the patio – Friday night dinner couldn’t have been better.

Ingredients:
Goat meat – 1lb
For goat meat ingredients and recipe see kosha mangsho
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for half an hour)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Green chili – 3-4 (chopped)
Bay leaf -- 1
Cardamom -- 2-3
Clove –3-4
Cinnamon stick – 1
Nutmeg
Saffron – 1 tbsp (soaked in warm milk)
Whole black peppercorn -- 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil

Procedure:
To a pot of water add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and peppercorn and bring to a rolling boil.

Now add the soaked basmati rice and cook until rice is al dente. Drain very well and keep aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In an oven proof dish arrange a layer of rice. Sprinkle some of the fried onions and saffron milk. You can add a drizzle of oil or ghee (I do not.) On top of the rice arrange a layer of meat. Now repeat the process again. Finish it off with a layer of rice and fried onions on top. Add a dash of grated nutmeg. You will have two layers of meat and three layers of rice.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.

Mix meat and rice and serve hot with raita.

Seared Scallops with Lemon-Basil Pasta

Ingredients:
For the scallops:
Scallops – 4
Garlic cloves – 3 (minced)
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Olive oil – ¼ cup
Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
For the pasta:
Spaghetti – 2 servings
Grated parmesan cheese – ¼ cup
Lemon juice – ½ lemon
Fresh basil – 5-6 leaves (chopped)
Salt & pepper

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl mix the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning.

Now add the scallops, turning to coat. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet on high, and drizzle olive oil.

Now add the scallops and sear them until golden brown. Flip with tongs and sear the other side.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water. Drain the pasta, reserving a ladle of the pasta water.

In a skillet warm up the reserved marinade from the scallops, just to avoid the smell of raw garlic. Add the spaghetti and coat well.

Add the grated parmesan and lemon juice. If required to moisten add the pasta water, a little at a time until you have the desired result.

Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil and serve with the seared scallops.

Herb roasted salmon with caramelized onions

While cleaning the house last weekend we chanced upon a printout of a salmon recipe dated Nov 2005. The recipe was shared by my husband’s friend who is an awesome cook and a food connoisseur. Hubby had prepared this dish before but it was from his memory and tasted good. But once he followed the recipe it tasted awesome. And along with the salmon he made a simple spaghetti (his specialty btw) with cherry tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Saturday night dinner didn’t taste this good in a long while. Thanks Dr. Ghosh for the recipe :-)

Unfortunately the recipe doesn’t mention any exact amounts, and neither did my hubby measure out anything. So I am unable to give any measurements, just eyeball everything. The original recipe uses sour cream along with the caramelized onions, but we didn’t have any in the house. And instead of oregano and basil we used Italian seasoning and fresh basil leaves.

Ingredients
Salmon – two 8oz pieces
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Italian seasoning
Fresh basil
Onion – 1 (sliced)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400F.

Marinate salmon fillets in red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, basil, olive oil and garlic salt for about one and half hours.

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and bake the fish for 15 minutes. Then flip and bake for another 10 minutes.

Then broil the fish until a red crust forms on one side. Turn over and broil the other side. Be careful not to over fry or else it’ll become dry.

Add a squeeze of fresh lime and serve with caramelized onions.

To caramelize the onions warm olive oil in a skillet and add sugar. When sugar starts to melt throw in sliced onions. Cook till the onions turn brownish in color.

Hot and Spicy Sea Bass

Any type of firm fish will work well for this recipe.

Ingredients:
Sea bass filets – 4 (cut into cubes)
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Corn flour – 1 ½ tbsp
Garlic cloves – 5-6 (minced)
Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
Scallions – 2 (sliced)
Serrano chili – 2 (chopped)
Yogurt – ¼ cup (beaten smooth and seasoned with salt and pepper)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 2 tbsp
Lemon wedges – for garnish
Salt – to taste
Cooking oil

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red chili powder, cumin powder and lemon juice to the fish cubes and marinate for 15-20 minutes.

After 20 minutes coat the cubes with corn flour.

Meanwhile heat a skillet with oil. Now fry the fish cubes until they are browned evenly on all sides. Set aside.

Now in the same pan (add oil if necessary), fry the garlic, ginger and Serrano chili.

Next add the fried fish cubes.

Now add the beaten yogurt and coat the fish pieces well. Let the yogurt dry up. (If you want some gravy don’t let the yogurt dry up completely.)

When the yogurt is almost dry add the sliced scallions. Cook for a minute or so and remove from heat.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, chopped green chili and lemon wedges and serve hot.

Great as a snack food or as a side with fried rice.

Fajita Roll

All of a sudden I had this craving for some sizzling fajitas and so I thought…ok let’s make some fajita today. But to have a real fajita experience you need to have all the sour cream and the guacamole which I didn’t have and I didn’t quite feel like going out and getting the ingredients. So I decided to just make the sizzling filling of the fajitas. As I was cooking an idea struck me. What if I stuff this filling into an egg roll? So that’s how this dish came into being. When I finished assembling the rolls they looked like tacos because I stuffed them so much that it became a little difficult to fold them.
To make the egg rolls, I used tortillas because that’s what I had at hand, but you can use the frozen parathas. Without doubt they taste much better than the tortillas, which by the way ,are much more healthy. You can also use rotis or make parathas from scratch. Totally up to you.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into strips)
Eggs – 4
Tortilla – 4
Onion – 1 (sliced)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green chili – 1 (optional)
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Salt and pepper – to season
Hot sauce – 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Dash of lime
Cooking oil

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl add 1 tsp red chili powder to the chicken strips. Mix well and keep aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet and fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown.

While the chicken is being fried, season them with salt and add a tbsp of tomato ketchup and hot sauce each. When sauce dries up and chicken is cooked, remove from heat and keep warm.

In the same skillet (add oil if necessary) fry the bell peppers until the edges turn brown. Set aside.

Next sauté the onions and reserve with the bell peppers.

In a bowl beat an egg until fluffy. Season with salt and pepper.

Now heat a nonstick pan. Drizzle a little oil and pour the beaten egg.

When egg starts to set but is still a little wiggly in the middle, put a tortilla on top of the egg and let it set. When egg has set completely flip the tortilla and lightly fry the other side. (If using frozen parathas, fry the parathas according to the directions on the pack and keep ready before frying egg.)

Remove from heat and onto a plate. Follow the method for the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.

Now stuff the tortilla (egg side up) with the chicken, bell peppers, onion and chopped green chili (if using). Squeeze some lime juice on top.

Fold the tortilla like a roll/ wrap and grab a bite.

Paella

Thinking of making paella for a while now. Finally it is time. Like my father says, “ajke din bhalo ache, kore phel” (Today is a good day to do it. And the ‘it’ symbolizes whatever it is that you are postponing.) So today it is paella day for me. But in making this dish I left out a few staple ingredients – the clams and mussels, primarily because I have never tried cooking them, and since a friend was invited for dinner I didn’t want to try my experiments on him, more so because this was the only dish. But I have to say even without the mussels the paella tasted fine. Next time will try cooking with them.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into cubes)
Spanish chorizo sausage – 1 (cut into thick slices)
Shrimp – ½ pound (peeled and deveined)
Scallops – 6
Red bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Green bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Tomato – 2 (pureed)
Red onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic cloves – 5 (finely chopped)
Frozen peas – ½ cup
Medium grain rice – 1 cup
Chicken stock – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Paprika – 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
Saffron strands – a generous pinch
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Olive oil
Fresh flat leaf parsley – ½ bunch (chopped)
Lemon wedges – for garnish

Procedure:
In a bowl rub the chicken pieces with a tablespoon of paprika, season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 30 minutes to one hour.

Heat olive oil in a wide shallow skillet. When oil is hot add the chicken cubes and fry until browned evenly on all sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, fry the chorizo until browned. Remove and reserve.

Next, sear the scallops on both sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, sauté the shrimp until they turn pink. Remove and reserve.

Now in the same pan (add oil when necessary) sauté the onion, garlic and parsley.

Next add the pureed tomatoes and 2 tsp paprika and cook until the mixture caramelizes. This mixture is called a sofrito.

Meanwhile heat the chicken stock and water in a pot and keep it warm.

Now add the green and red bell peppers to the sofrito and cook for a minute or so.

Next add the rice and fry to coat the grains with the sofrito. Now add the saffron strands, chicken stock and water and cook the rice.

When the rice is cooked halfway add the chicken and sausage.

When the rice is almost done add the scallops and shrimp.

When the rice is cooked crank up the heat and let the rice toast at the bottom.

Remove from heat, add the frozen peas and keep covered for 5 minutes.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Slow cooked kidney beans and chicken

Ingredients:
Red kidney beans – 1 ½ cup (soaked overnight)
Chicken breast – 1 (cut into cubes)
Carrots – 2 (diced)
Celery stalk – 2 (diced)
Green bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Tomato – 1 (diced)
Onion – 1 (diced)
Garlic cloves – 5-6 (minced)
Jalapeno pepper – 1 (diced)
Bay leaf – 1
Italian seasoning – 1 tsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Worcestershire sauce – 1 tsp
Chicken stock – one 14oz can
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Water

Procedure:
In a pan heat olive oil and add the onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper and garlic and sauté.

Next add the jalapenos and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften.

Now add the chicken cubes and kidney beans and mix well.

Add the Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper.

Now transfer the mixture into a slow cooker.

Add chicken stock and water so that it just covers the beans.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf and give it a stir.

Cook on slow for 7-8 hours.

Garnish with sliced scallions and serve alone or with rice or bread.

Chicken Momo

I was introduced to momos in college at a place called Food Station in College Street, Kolkata. After that I was treated to homemade momos by my friend, Shradha. We (me and five other people) were staying at a hostel then where cooking wasn’t allowed. But we managed to sneak in an electric heater and we made everything from scratch – starting from the dough to the soup to the achar and of course the filling. To roll out the dough we made use of our steel plates and steel glasses. She had brought a momo steamer all the way from Kalimpong, her home town. And it was so much fun cooking and eating together. The pot stickers available here gave me the enthusiasm to make momos because making the dough and rolling them out is the scariest part. Though they don’t look as good as my friend’s its tasty nonetheless. Here’s to you Shradha.

Ingredients:
For the filling:
Ground chicken – 1 lb
Finely chopped cabbage – ½ cup
Onion – 1 (diced)
Garlic cloves – 2 (minced) + 2 (whole)
Finely chopped ginger – 2 tbsp
Canola/vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 ½ tbsp
Salt – to taste
Wonton wrappers
For the achar:
Tomatoes – 2
Serrano chili – 3-4 (or according to taste)
For the soup:
Low sodium chicken broth – 2 cans (14oz each)
Scallions – 2 (chopped)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 1 tbsp

Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl mix together the ground chicken, cabbage, onion, minced garlic, ginger, salt and oil until well incorporated. Do not over mix. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile boil water in a pan. Put the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or so.

When the skin starts to peel off, remove from heat and let cool. When cool peel off the entire skin and put it in a food processor.

In the processor add 2 cloves of garlic and the Serrano chilies and blend into a puree.

Season with salt and set aside in a dipping bowl.

Arrange the wonton wrappers on a flat surface.

Spoon in 2 tsp of the filling onto each wrapper.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and seal them tightly.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.

Now brush a bamboo steamer liberally with oil (so that momos don’t stick).

Arrange the momos on the steamer so that they don’t touch each other.

Put the steamer on top of the pot of boiling water and steam the momos for 12-15 minutes.

Serve immediately with the tomato achar and soup.

For the soup:
Heat the chicken broth with ½ cup of water. When it comes to a boil remove from heat, adjust seasoning, garnish with scallions and cilantro and serve.

Thai Fish Curry

Ingredients:
Catfish fillets – 2
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into long strips)
Carrots – 2 (cut into strips)
Scallions – 2
Cherry tomatoes – 8-10
Garlic cloves – 2 (finely chopped)
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Lime – ½
Basil (chopped) – 1 tsp
Coconut milk – ¾ can (14 oz)
Curry powder – 2 tsp
Chicken curry masala – 1 tsp
Black pepper – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Olive oil – 2 tbsp

Procedure:
Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on the fish.

Season with salt, pepper and chicken curry masala and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan.

When oil is hot fry the fish until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.

In the same pan add garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes, curry powder and fry.

Now add the carrots, bell peppers, scallions and cherry tomatoes, one after the other and sauté.

When vegetables start to soften add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

When the gravy starts to boil, add the fish and simmer for a few minutes.

Remove from heat.

Add lime juice, garnish with chopped basil and serve hot with steamed rice.