koftay?

hi. anyone know a good recipe for koftay ka salan? i made nargisi koftay last night ((the ones with egg inside)) and i was sooo excited. but then i was disappointed. i didnt think the saalan tasted so great...and the koftay were too mushy and like....aata-ey (due to the besan/chaney ka aata i added to the kheema to make it hold better in the kofta shape). Help. Thanks.

Uttapam

This is (another) South Indian food that I looooove. Especially when made by my eldest aunt and served with her AMAZING tomato achar! =) (Props Chand Aunty! =D)

It's basically a savory pancake with veggies mixed in. It's made with the same aata/batter as you would used for dosa and idli. You can eat this plain, with some achar, with sambhar, or with a variety of chutneys, like coconut chutney. It's great for brunch or lunch!

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked white rice

1/2 cup of urud daal/maash ki daal/the white dusty looking daal

(basically, the ratio of rice to daal should be 2:1)

1 tsp salt

you can use any veggies you like. Here are the most popular in uttapam:

finely sliced green chillies

finely diced tomato

finely chopped cilantro

shredded carrot

green peas

finely chopped onion

So, the thing with this stuff is, you gotta plan in advance.

First, you must soak the rice and daal separately for at least 6 hours or overnight. I'm not exactly sure why they must be soaked separately, but apparently it's crucial.

After thoroughly soaking, blend the rice and daal together into a smooth paste. Add only enough water to let it blend smoothly. It should be a thick batter. Like pancake batter! NOW that you've bended the stuff, you must let it sit at room temperature for another few hours or overnight. The best place to keep this is in the oven (while it's off!). This process is to ferment the batter. Sounds gross (the hubbz reaction was "ew I don't want fermented uttapam"), but this is also crucial.

Okay, you'll know when the batter is ready when it's become kind of fluffy and airy when you mix it. IT'S FINALLY READY! Now you can throw in the salt and veggies.

Rub some oil on a heated frying pan at medium-high heat. With a ladle, pour some of the batter into the frying pan and push it out so it forms a pancake. Let it cook for a couple minutes. Drizzle some oil all over the edges and over the uttapam, then carefully flip it. Cook for another couple minutes. The uttapam should be a nice toasty golden brown on both sides. And you're done!

I need to learn how to make sambhar and when I do, I'll post the recipe to accompany uttapam!

Chicken Corn Soup

Ingredients:

about 1/2 to 1 lb of chicken (bone in adds more flavor and nutrients)

1/2 onion, cut in large chunks

2 garlic cloves 

1-2 cans of whole kernel corn

3-4 egg whites

salt and pepper to taste

About 2 tbsp corn starch

Optional garnish:

chopped parsley

chopped cilantro

chopped green onion

Chopped green chillies

Vinegar

Sambal/Sriracha

Soy sauce

First, boil the chicken, onion, whole garlic cloves and salt in a generous amount of water (at least 5 cups). You can use a pressure cooker and cook for about 15 minutes or boil on the stove top for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove chicken and set aside. Strain the broth and discard the chunks. Return the broth to the pot and set on medium low heat. 

When the chicken is cooled enough to handle, shred (mixer works best!) and throw it into the chicken broth. Add water if there's not enough. Give half of the corn a rough pulse with a immersion blender or food processor and throw that into the soup along with the rest of the whole kernel corn and pepper. Taste and adjust salt as needed. 

Once the soup comes to a boil, mix the corn starch with a bit of COLD water and pour it in, stirring. You can add as much or as little corn starch as you like according to how thick or watery you like your soup. When the soup comes to a rapid boil, slowly pour in the egg whites stirring quickly. Let the soup boil for another 3-5 minutes until the egg whites are cooked. 

Chicken Noodle Soup (Plus Veggies)

For those gloomy, cold days when every other person has a cough.

Boil a chunk of chicken breast (around 1/4lb to 1/2lb or to your liking) in water. Use a stockpot that will take the remainder of the ingredients.

Chop 2 carrots, a few green onions, one small onion, 2 green chilies, 3 cloves of garlic, and 10ish mushrooms into bite sized pieces. Add to boiling water & chicken. Half cover and cook on medium heat for an hour or two. Water should be added as needed to cover all ingredients. Remove chicken breast and shred with hands once it cools. Return shredded chicken into soup.

Spices - Salt/Pepper/Lemon Juice to taste.

On the side, boil egg noodles (amount of choice, family preference) and drain. Add to entire soup concoction towards the end. Add more water/spices. Sometimes a thick soup works well, other times you want more liquid. Either way tastes fine.

Before serving, garnish soup (or individual soup servings in bowls) with freshly chopped coriander.

Magical Fries...a.k.a. Mexican Fries

So the hubsters had this when he went golfing a few days ago and we decided to recreate it last night and omg....it was pretty much on the same level as a chocolate fudge crunch brownie caramel chocolate fudge cake with extra chocolate and hot fudge on top. *drools*

Oh, bee tee double you, this isn't really cooking, its just throwing things together. But whatever. It's so yummy.

Ingredients:

French Fries of your choice, fried or baked
shredded cheese of your choice (we used cheddar. I also felt like melty cheese like velveeta or nacho cheese would be great with this)
1 onion
pickled jalapenos
ranch dressing
1 tbsp old bay or cajun seasoning

Okay so when the fries are done frying or baking, cover them with cheese. You can pop it in the oven or broiler to melt the cheese. Sautee the onions lightly, until they are just beginning to caramelize. Throw them on top. Then throw on the pickled jalapeno slices. Then drizzle on the ranch and sprinkle on some old bay or cajun seasoning. Dive in.

Chicken 65

I have yet to find a really good, authentic recipe for Chicken 65. Something along the lines of ZYKA'S CHICKEN 65!! Ugh...I highly doubt I will ever taste chicken 65 that amazing in my life. *sigh* Anyway, I've been trying a few different recipes none of them have managed to "wow" me. Last night, I decided to try one that had a few different ingredients and oh em gee, I loved it! It's obviously not as amazing as Zyka's but it's almost, kinda, slightly getting to be, close!! =D

If anyone has a really good recipe for Chicken 65 ((or chili chicken)) please post!!

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, usually boneless chicken cut into small cubes (I used small chicken pieces with the bone in because that's all I had)
3-4 tbs thick yogurt (the greek kind, like Chobani or Fage, works best)
2 tbs corn starch
2-3 tbs all purpose flour
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
2-3 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp lal mirch/red chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
1/3 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp ajinomoto (optional)
1 egg (optional. I didn't add the egg and it turned out fine)
salt to taste

1 tsp rye/black mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves/kari patta
2-3 fresh green chillies, whole OR dry red chillies, whole

Mix the first set of ingredients together to make a nice batter. If it's too thick, add water. You can adjust the salt, tanginess, or spiciness to your liking. Throw in the chicken, and marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Deep fry the chicken until golden brown. In a separate sauce pan, heat a bit of oil and add the rye/mustard seeds, chillies and curry leaves. When they start to sizzle and when the mustard seeds start to pop, add the fried chicken pieces and stir for about 2-5 minutes. This is not to cook the chicken, it's just to give the fried chicken the flavors from the curry leaves and mustard seeds.

NOTE: I really loved the taste of this recipe but the only thing was that the batter turned out to be kind of a thick coating on the chicken. It was yummy, and nice and crunchy but I feel like chicken 65 should have a very light yet crispy coating and not such a thick batter coating. This could also be because I may have made the batter too thick in consistency. Anyway I still love it and will probably stick to this recipe until I find a better one. ENJOY!

Spicy, Tangy Fish Saalan/Curry

After being away from home (my parents' home that is) for ten+ months I've begun to really miss the good ol' home cookin' of my mom and aunts. Today the craving was for some kind of exotic, tangy, spicy, extra yummy seafood of some kind. So after like two hours of searching the internet for a recipe I found one for fish curry and kind of tweaked it as I went along. I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome, but I think I'm gonna need to call up the aforementioned pro chefs in my family really soon!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb to 1 lb of your choice of fish (I used tilapia fillets (cut into 4 pieces) that I had in the freezer but steaks of some kind work best. I think my mom and aunts usually use catfish steaks)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
about a handful of hara dhanya/cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1-3 green chillies, slit down the center (depending on your preference)
1 1/2 tsp of cumin and coriander powder
about 1/3 tsp of methi powder if available
pinch of haldi
pinch of hing is available
about 1 tsp tamarind/imli, soaked
salt to taste

Rub the fish pieces with salt and little bit of haldi and set aside. Sautee the onions in oil until they begin to turn golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and green chillies and cook covered about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes look mushy. Add the cumin, coriander, and haldi powders, hing, cilantro and salt and stir fry for a minute then add the soaked tamarind water and about 1/2 cup of water if the mixture looks too thick. Once it starts to boil, gently add the fish pieces (do not stir yet!) cover and cook. After about 5 minutes, the fish should have turned white. At this point GENTLY turn the fish over and kind of move the pot around the mix the curry. After another 5-7 minutes the fish should be cooked through. Garnish with more fresh cilantro. ENJOY!

Earthquake cake

This recipe was passed onto me from my sheeshter, Api, otherwise known to most as Nafisa. =D Sounds deeeeelicious!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups chopped pecans
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
1 box German chocolate cake mix (prepare per box directions)
½ cup margarine (1 stick)
1 8-oz tub cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour a 9” x 13” pan. Spread pecans and coconut evenly in bottom of pan.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour prepared cake mix over nuts & coconut.

Melt margarine and cream cheese in a saucepan. Add powdered sugar to melted mixture while still on stove and stir till well blended. Pour mixture evenly over cake batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool and cut into squares.

Cajun Skillet

Soo... work was pretty productive today. It feels soo good to finally get out and have a routine..to have something productive to do with myself! I finally feel LESS worthless! YAY me!! =)

But man, can I just be a total pansy for a second? After ten months of being a total bum, waking up early and DOING things before 11am is....exhausting!!! Especially when you have 30 2nd graders in that mix. =P I was/am sooo tired and in a sucky mood and totally didn't feel like cooking dinner tonight. Not knowing what the heck to cook added frustration to my mix of not-so-fun emotions. Poor hubsters. =P So anyway the moral of the story is, I googled random things to come up with any idea for dinner and found this! I was skeptical but it came out pretty decent!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of chicken, cut into small cubes
1/2 lb peeled shrimp
2-3 halal turkey sausages, sliced up (the spicy kind are best)
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet onion soup powder (comes in a blue box from Lipton and can be found in the soup aisle)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp Old Bay (or any cajun or creole seasoning powder)
red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or dry parsley flakes)
2-3 tbsp chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and sautee the onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic until slightly soft. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add chicken and Old Bay (or cajun seasonings) to same skillet and sautee until no longer pink. Remove and set aside with the veggies. Add shrimp and Old Bay (0r cajun seasonings) to the skillet and sautee until cooked.

In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour, stirring with a whisk to blend into a thick, smooth roux. Add the onion soup powder and about 2 cups of water, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook about a minute or so. It should thicken up really quick. Add the parsley and dill and the veggies and meats and stir. If the mixture is too thick, add water. If it is too runny, cook until it thickens up. Serve over white rice.

NOTE: the person who posted this recipe on the website had zucchini, green chillies and potatoes in the mix as well.

Texas Vegetarian Chili

I went to a multi-faith cooking class in May and the women there had done a Texas-themed menu. The food was super-duper good and easy to make. So i'm giving the recipes exactly as I got them from them, and I'll let you know the variations I've done.

Here we go,

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. black beans, red beans, pinto beans
2 tbsp. salt
2 yellow onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup buttter
1 pint sweet peppers diced and seeded
1 pablano pepper seeded and diced
2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 chipotle chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
28 oz. can diced tomatoes drained
28 0z. can crushed tomatoes
15.5 oz can white hominy drained

Directions:

Soak beans in ample water overnight with 2 tbsp. salt

Rinse and drain beans.

Place beans and 2 yellow onions in a slow cooker and cook for 6 hrs.

Drain liquid from beans.

In a large stockpot add 1 cup butter, 1 yellow onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 pint diced sweet peppers, 1 pablano pepper and 2 jalapeno peppers. Cook until onion is clear.

Add beans to onion and pepper mixture.

Add 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, 28 0z can of crushed tomatoes, and 15.5 oz can of white hominy.

Add remaining spices and cook on medium until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and cook for 3-4 hours.

To serve top with sour cream & cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

OK NOTES:
First of all, I dont own a slow cooker, so I just used a regular pot and my regular stove. Worked wonders for me! I just had to keep watching it though.
I only used red beans and I thought it was fine, although the chili I had at the event did taste a lot better than mine...but then I also added about 4 lbs of ground beef when I made just because my husband can not eat something without any meat in it. Omnivore, nothing. He's all carnivore.

Also, at the event they really went all out with the chili. When serving it, first they put a scoop of rice (in each individual serving), then came the chili, then fritos, then sour cream, then cheddar cheese, then green onions. SO obviously it tasted divine.

Also, I'm thinking for desi people, it should be a bit more spicy?
I dunno, maybe you will need to play around with it a bit.

Again, enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce

Three of my favorite things in one sauce...mmmm! This goes great with the Fettuccine Alfredo listed below.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb-1lb of raw shrimp
1 large onion sliced
2-3 cans of sliced mushrooms
about 1/4 cup of Cajun seasoning ((my dad likes to use no-salt cajun spices because they tend to be very salty))
1 tsp italian seasoning

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil and sautee the onions until translucent. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Add the mushrooms and seasonings and cook until the water is gone and the shrimp are cooked. ((about 15 minutes)) YUM!

Fettuccine Alfredo

So I thought I'd follow Sadia with another pasta recipe!

This is my dad's famous home-made fettuccine alfredo recipe that gets people begging him to make it for them. It's easy, but kind of time consuming, but the rich, velvety sauce made from scratch is well worth it!

Ingredients:

1-2 boxes of Fettuccine noodles ((as many as you need))
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1 quart half-and-half
about 1 cup of parmesan cheese
7-10 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
about 1/4 cup of dry basil
1-2 tsp italian seasoning
salt to taste

Boil the noodles according to the box.

In a large non-stick wok or sauce pan, heat the heavy whipping cream and half-and-half, stirring occasionally. When the liquid gets hot and begins to steam, you have to start gently stirring it constantly. Add the garlic slices and cook, stirring, for a while. By a while I mean a good half hour at least! The garlic should begin to get very mushy and eventually melt right into the sauce. You can spoon out the garlic and give it a good mash with a spoon too. Add the basil and italian seasonings and keep stirring. After about 30-45 minutes, the liquid should seem just a tad thicker and like some has evaporated. At this point ((and also after the garlic has melted into the sauce)) lightly sprinkle a layer of the parmesan cheese over the sauce and stir gently to blend. Keep repeating this until you have put in all the cheese. If you just dump it in and give it a whirl, it'll most likely clump up and not blend in smoothly. At this point, the sauce should be significantly thicker. Taste for saltiness ((the cheese should have made it salty enough)). Pour over the noodles and enjoy!

Usually, when my dad makes this he always makes a Cajun Shrimp and Mushroom sauce to go with it and we add some garlic bread and voila, a magical meal! I'll include the recipe for the shrimp and mushroom sauce as well.

Hakka Noodles

So I felt like we had covered a variety of recipes but no pasta recipes! I looove pasta, all pasta. I would have it any day over our traditional desi food. This recipe is another of my cooking show recipes that I've played around with a bit. These are Indian-Chinese type noodles, so while they have veggies and stuff they're also a little spicy so the people who want desi desi food generally like them too! I first started making them with chicken (tiny cubes) but there was this one time I didnt feel like going and defrosting a bunch of chicken, so I tried them with gyros and they tasted soooo good. So you can really try either way.

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. package medium egg noodles
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
3/4 lb boneless chicken cut into tiny cubes OR
12-15 gyro slices cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped green chilies
1 tbsp salt
1 green bell pepper
1/4 medium cabbage
1 julienne cut carrot (or carrot matchsticks)
1 sliced green chili pepper
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp thai chili sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice

First, take a pot and boil water for the egg noodles with haldi and salt. Add the egg noodles, and remove when they're almost done. You don't want them to be completely cooked because they'll cook with the sauce too.

In a wok, add oil, minced garlic, and the chicken or gyros. Stir-fry the meat with black pepper and the green chili paste. When it's stir-fried (for chicken, when the water's dry and it's done), add the veggies and stir-fry with all the sauces. You can add salt to taste if you're using chicken. Once everything's stir-fried, add the noodles and mix it together well. If it looks too dry add some olive oil or a little water. Cover and let it cook on low heat for about 5 mins. It's ready to serve!

You can experiment with this recipe however you like. It's super fast to make so I sometimes throw it together for lunch or whatever too. I've tried it with pesto sauce which is also reallyyyy good. It gives it a fun italian kick. I've also tried it with just hara masala - none of the red sauces, just green chili sauce, some crushed red pepper, green chutney, oregano, etc. Also turned out really good. Really this'll probably turn out good however you try it.

Harees/Ganjee

Ganjee, or Harees as I was recently taught by my dad is the proper name for it, is a yummy Indian soup that is a staple for iftaar in South Indian families, or at least in my dad's family. It is usually served with fried yummies. I got the recipe from my Nani-in-law and tried it today! Yay me!

I've usually had this with kheema but you can make it with kheema, vegetables, or neither. I'll include both in the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
1-2 green chilies, cut in half or thirds
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
1/3 tsp garam masala
pinch of haldi/turmeric
1 small tomato, diced
1 carrot, sliced, or a handful of baby carrots
a handful of green beans ((fresh would work best I think))
handful of peas/tuvar daaney
1/3 lb kheema or the size of a fist ((there should be very little in the soup))
1 handful of uncooked white rice
1/2 handful of moong daal/yellow lentils
mint/pudina, crushed dried form or fresh finely chopped to garnish
finely chopped hara dhanya/cilantro to garnish

Crush the rice and daal just slightly in a coffee grinder or soak for a few minutes and crush with your hands only a little! Heat oil in a pot and sautee the onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic-ginger paste and garam masala and sautee for a minute. Add haldi and green chilis and sautee for another minute. Add the tomato and cook for another minute or so until they start to look mushy. Add either the vegetables or kheema and cook. When the veggies or kheema look just about cooked, add the rice and daal and stir. Add about 3-4 cups of water and salt to taste, cover and cook until the rice and daal are soft and mushy. You can add finely chopped/crushed mint/pudina and finely chopped hara dhanya/cilantro. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the kind of thing that you either despise, or loooove. I am of the latter. I love me some 'shrooms!!!!! But I prefer the non-hallucinogenic type OF COURSE! hehe :P

I think I literally made this recipe up after eating about half a tray of stuffed mushrooms at my cousins place once, and it's really mess-up-proof. You can play around with the ingredients and add or subtract whatever you like! It's a hit at every gathering I've made this for.

Ingredients:

2 packages of fresh white mushrooms OR about 1 lb ((?)) try to go for the smaller, more bite-sized ones.
1 tub of cream cheese, at room temperature to soften
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
((you can also add any type of cheese you like, like mozzarella, bleu, asiago, or pepper jack!))
a pinch or two of red chili powder OR red pepper flakes
about 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
salt to taste

Wash the mushrooms thoroughly by scrubbing with your hands to remove all the dirt. Dry with paper towel. Remove the stems as best as you can, leaving the inside hollow, like a tiny bowl. Chop up the stems.

In a bowl, add the cream cheese and the rest of the ingredients along with the chopped mushroom stems. Mix well to blend.

Brush olive oil over a cookie sheet. Using a small spoon or butter knife, stuff the filling into each of the mushroom "bowls". You can add enough to make a small mound on top. When they are all finished, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the mushrooms, and sprinkle the tops with plain or italian season bread crumbs and more parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are brown and kinda shriveled up. CAREFUL! These are extremely hot for a good 5 minutes after baking!

Vegetable Pulao

This is my Khala ((Anju Masi))'s recipe for a suuuper easy and totally yummy vegetable pulao. You can use whatever vegetables you like, but this is what I use:

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked rice
1 onion, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1/3 cauliflower, large florets
3 carrots, thick slices
1/2 cup peas/tuvar daaney
1 ripe tomato diced
1/2 tsp red mirchi powder
1 tsp dhany and zeera powder/cumin and coriander ((I actually can't remember if she said to add this, or if I did last time, buuut what the heck, extra flavor can't hurt!))
pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
salt to taste

In a large pot, heat oil and add onions, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes and cook for about 2-5 minutes. Add caulifower, peas/daaney, and the masalas and cook, covered for about 2-5 minutes. The tomatoes should emit some water as it cooks and that should be enough, but if it still looks TOO dry, add a little water. The vegetables should only be about half cooked, more or less.

Wash the rice and put in rice cooker. Add the vegetable mixture and 2 cups of water, stir and let the rice cooker do the work!

This is especially yummy with some dahi/yogurt and achaar/pickle! :)

Gosht ka Khaliya

This is also a recipe I learned from a relative just before I got married. I'm not sure if it's just a South Indian thing or what, but my aunts make it and I love it.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef, lamb, or goat cubes
2 medium onions, chopped in small bits
2-3 medium tomatoes, also small cubes
1 bunch of finely chopped hara dhanya/cilantro
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
handful of curry leaves
4 whole green chillies, slit down the center
salt to taste
1/3 tsp red mirchi powder
1 tsp zeera/cumin powder
1 tsp dhanya/coriander powder
1 tsp methi/fenugreek powder or seeds ((if you have))
1 tbsp imli/tamarind soaked ((more or less to your preference))
2 spoons tomato paste
1 green mango/kachcha aam in large chunks ((optional))

In a large pot/dutch oven, add the onion, tomato, cilantro, curry leaves, garlic, green chillies, and salt and give a good mix. ((my aunt mixes and smushes with her hands)) Add oil and set over medium heat. Add the red chili powder, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek powders and cook for 7-10 minutes, covered. Add the meat and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of hot water, cover and cook until the meat is tender.

Add the soaked imli juice, tomato paste, and the green mango chunks, cover and cook over low heat for about 10-15 minutes until the mango is soft.

Rasam/Char/South Indian Hot and Sour...soup?

Okay so basically in the South of India, they make this awesome stuff. It's spicy, it's sour, and its basically used like a daal; served over rice! You can also slurp it up like a soup! This is one of those dishes that everyone includes in their "favorite foods" list, at least every south indian. =D

I feel like everyone has a different set of ingredients they use or a different method of making this, but it always turns out basically the same. When I first started making it ((from a relative's recipe, so it is authentic!)) I had some trouble with it looking, or smelling, or tasting like Rasam/Char, but I think I'm finally getting there! So here's how I do it:


Ingredients:

1/2 bunch of cilantro/hara dhanya leaves
1 tomato
4 cloves garlic

handful of dry red chilies
handful of dhanya/coriander seeds
about 2 tbsp zeera/cumin seeds
about 2 tbsp methi/fenugreek seeds
about half a handful of curry leaves
1 heaping tbsp black peppercorns

1 small ripe tomato, diced ((optional))
1 tbsp imli/tamarind soaked in warm water ((Adjust to your preference))
salt to taste

Take the first set of ingredients and blend them to a paste/puree. Dry roast the second set of ingredients on a dry frying pan and then grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder. ((I don't have a coffee grinder, so I used one of those small food processor/chopper thingies. It took a little while, but I did get a satisfactory masala powder.)) This masala can be stored in a ziplock or bottle for future use in sambhar or daal as well for an extra kick.

Heat oil over medium heat and add rye/mustard seeds, a couple curry leaves, and two dry red chillies, and fry for a couple minutes. When the mustard seeds start to "pop", add the tomato/cilantro/garlic puree and stir fry for a couple minutes. Add about 1 tsp of the ground masala mix. Add the chopped tomato and cook for a minute or so until they become a little mushy. Smash the cooking tomatoes a bit with the back of your spoon. Add about three or four cups of water, the soaked imli juice, and salt to taste, and bring to a boil. When is starts to boil, taste, and adjust the salt, imli, or mirchi level to your liking. Aaaaand it's done!

This is a very strong tasting dish ((gives you a bit of a KICK when you take a swig)) so it should be bursting with flavor. So you can add more masala powder or whatever you want. Also, this is supposed to the consistency of water, no thicker. When it's served, a lot of people will not mix it, but will let the bulk of it settle to the bottom and only pour the top water over their rice. I like to give it a little mix for my own plate however.

Singaporean Rice

This is the recipe for my singaporean rice. It's really simple and it looks very impressive AND it tastes great so its a must for everyone to try! I originally got this recipe from a desi cooking show, but I altered and adjusted and this is my now standard recipe.

Rice:
2 cups rice
1/4 cup oil (or whatever is standard in rice)
1/2 tsp zeera
1 knorr chicken cube (you can find halal ones at all desi stores)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 cups water

Sauce:
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into little cubes
1 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper (optional, but this makes it look and smell so good!)
1/4 bag carrot matchsticks (or some julienne cut carrots)
2-3 stalks green onions chopped
1/4 cabbage thinly sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper (I add this if i have it, if not thats ok)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground green chili peppers
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp chili garlic sauce
2 tbsp thai chili sauce or 1/2 tsp tom yum paste (optional)

Paste:
3-4 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp ketchup

Garnish:
2 oz angel hair pasta, broken to about 1 inch
5-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 green chili peppers, long slices
1/4 cup oil

Pasta layer:
about half a box of angel hair pasta, boiled with salt and set aside

First, you take a wok and you fry the ingredients for the garnish (sliced garlic, sliced peppers, and pasta) in the oil until golden, then you take it all out and set it aside. In the same oil, you can prepare the sauce. First to the hot oil you add minced garlic and then the chicken, black pepper, white pepper, salt, ground chili peppers, and crushed red pepper. Stir-fry the chicken till the water's dry. Then you add in the veggies (except the green onions) and stir-fry for about a minute with soy sauce. Then add in all the rest of the sauces and cook until the chicken is done. At the end you add in the green onions. There should be a little bit of sauce in with the veggies and chicken but not too much.

For the rice, you just cook like regular rice: warm the oil, add in the zeera, then add the water, salt, and the chicken cube. When the water boils add the rice and cook till done.

In a separate boil, mix up the mayonnaise, red chili powder, chili garlic sauce, and ketchup. This paste should end up being an orange-ish color.

Now that everything's ready, we just have to layer it. So take a shallow dish, and first add in the rice. On top of the rice you add the chicken and veggie sauce. On top of that is the mayonnaise paste, and on top of that is the boiled pasta. On the very top is the garnish - the fried angel hair, garlic, and green chilies.

And then you serve! This should serve about 6 people, so if you want to make more/less just adjust. And as for the sauces, you can add or subtract as you wish. I generally add random sauces when I have them so you can just adjust the taste however you want. The sauce may taste a little off when it's cooking, but when its layered it just all comes together.

Beans and Rice

This is a very common, daily use dish in a lot of spanish and island cultures ((bahamian, coasta rican, jamaican, etc)). It's easy and adds a little flair to regular rice as a side for things like grilled fish or chicken. ((Ginger-glazed mahi mahi recipe below!!))

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked white rice
1 can of beans of your choice ((black beans are more popular for this dish))
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced/crushed
1 3/4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp cumin/zeera powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder

Heat oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic and sautee for a couple minutes until slightly tender and translucent. Add the rice and sautee for a minute or so. Add the cumin and chili poweder and stir well. Add the broth, stir and cook uncovered. When the rice looks halfway cooked, add the beans, cover and cook over low heat until the rice is done.

Ginger-citrus-soy glazed Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

Mahi Mahi fillets or any fish you prefer
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup of water or broth
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated
1 tsp lemon or orange zest
1 tsp lemon or orange juice
Sambal or crushed red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Season the fish fillets with a little salt and pepper and place them in a shallow dish or plate. Combine the sesame oil, water, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, citrus zest and juice, salt, and pepper band pour this mixture over the fish to coat it. Cover and put it in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes to marinate.

Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and fry the fish ((save the marinade!)) or grill on a George Foreman grill or broil until cooked through. ((Fish should flake easily with fork))

Pour the reserved marinade into a sauce pan and cook, stirring, until the marinade reduces to a glaze-like consistency. You can add a slurry of cornstarch and cold water to help thicken it up. At this point, you can taste it to adjust the flavor to your liking.

Pour glaze over fish and serve warm.

Sunni's Calzone Recipe

ok. first and foremost, this is the first ever time im posting a recipe that eyes other than mine shall see and minds other than mine shall attempt to comprehend. That being said, proceed at your own risk. LOL.

(note: this is a calzone, so you can put whatever you want in it. leftovers from last night are ok. so are sauteed veggies or fish or even lima beans if you want. Im just telling you what i do. I'm just making stuff up as i go. i usually just toss in whatever i find in my pantry, but alhamdulillah its turned out really good so far.

...i actually just waltzed over to my pantry to see what i have there so i could remember what was in it)

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 little pack of yeast

salt to taste

HOT water as needed (the hotter the water, the better)

3 tbsp oil

Meat Filling:

2 lb loaf of boneless beef

1 onion sliced

3 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp barbecue sauce

1 tsp red pepper flakes

ground cumin as desired

lemon juice as desired

black pepper as desired

In the Calzone:

Marinara Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Bell Peppers

Sliced Jalapenos (the jar kind)

1 egg for glaze

First of all, knead the dough by mixing all the ingredients together. I usually just put everything in the bread machine, and let it do its thing, but by hand works fine too. An electric mixer works well, too but you still have to knead by hand again. You can use a store bought pizza dough (like pillsbury), but everyone thought the homemade dough tasted better. its also more economical if youre making it for more people. Ive also found that even if you do double the amount of dough used, you still only need one sachet of yeast.

Leave the dough covered in a warm place (i leave mine in the bread machine) for about 3-4 hrs to let rise. I once let it rise for that long and then put in the fridge overnight. It turned out really well.

Next for the meat, cut the loaf into small 3 inch pieces. It will cook faster this way, but you dont have to cut it. Add in all the ingredients and water enough so that the meat has drowned. Cook for approximately 2 and a half hours. Make sure to have all the water dry up, and your meat should be such that when you test it, it should crumble easily.

Let the meat cool, and crumble it using a wooden spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Next grease the pan, generously, with olive oil.

Roll the dough into a ball. Dust the work surface with all-purpose flour. Using a rolling pin, spread out the dough into circular shape. Thickness should be as you desire, but I've found about 1/4 of an inch works well for me, because it does spread itself further when you add the filling.

First, put in a tbsp of marinara sauce on one half of the dough leaving approximately half an inch at the corners. This will be the area we will seal. Do not use more marinara! The calzone WILL tear. Then add mozzarella cheese. Then meat, then bell peppers, then jalapenos. Add some more cheese. Any other ingredients are optional as are these. Season with salt and pepper.

Now close the calzone. Brush the edges with water and carefully take the edges over the filling. Firmly press together. Now using the back of the fork, press down sealing the calzone closed.

Brush the top with the calzone with a whipped egg coating. This is not neccessary, it just makes it shiny. Make 3 slits in the top of the calzone.

Put on the baking tray and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or till golden. Most ovens should not require you to flip the calzone over, but Ive found in mine that it cooks unevenly if I dont.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. I have yet to find halal parmesan, so i dont do this.

Now serve with ranch or bleu cheese and enjoy!

I just found a video that demonstrates how to to make it. LOL! I could have just posted this link and that would be that. Well, at least you'll know what I mean now.

Murgh Mussallam - Chicken in a Yogurt Based Sauce

So Sana asked for a fun, yummy, exciting and NEW desi recipe. Well, this recipe is all that and more importantly, it's unique. The best thing about it is that although it's 'desi', it does not involve a ton of the traditional spices in bulk which we normally use. However, despite that, the flavor is amazingly rich and just absolutely full of flavor. I think one of the most impressive thing about a dish with flavor is if its been crafted using simple ingredients.

The following recipe is sure to to be a delightful change for your regular desi tastebuds. But also, it is a recipe that's very appropriate for hosting non desis. I definitely recommend adding this to your menu if you ever happen to host a diverse crowd :)

I got this recipe from a desi website. Keep in mind that when desi sites list their ingredient quantities, they are doing so with chickens from desi land in mind. It's laughable, but really, the size of the average chicken or goat over here is much larger. That's why it's best to kind of do your own estimation and increase as you see fit.

Chicken cut into pieces, 1 kg (I use a whole chicken most of the time)

Juice from 1 lemon (I use about 2 big ones)

Ghee, 1 tbsp (I use vegetable and olive oil  mixed, but more than 1 tbsp and more like a few, since its for frying onions)

Onions, sliced, 1 cup (I used an additional 1/4 cup maybe)

Ginger, 1" piece, chopped (I used a bit more)

Yogurt, 1 cup (I use a bit more, since the yogurt makes the 'gravy' part of this dish. It's veryyy hearty and yummy, so you want more of it!)

Almonds, ground, about 12 (I use a bit more)

Raisins, 10-12 (I use those plus cranberries too. They add SUPER yummy taste)

Garam masala 1 tsp (definitely need more than that, about 1 tbsp)

Saffron, few strands

Additional ingredients I use: potatoes, carrots, peas

Lemons cut into wedges, onion slices, and chopped green coriander to garnish

Method: 

Marinate chicken in lemon juice and set aside for 2 hrs. Heat the oil, add onions and ginger, and saute till brown. Remove from heat and cool. In a food processor, grind onion/ginger mixture into a smooth paste. Then blend in the yogurt and almonds into this paste. The paste should be hearty/thick enough to make a decent amount of 'gravy' for the chicken. In the oil leftover from the onions, saute the chicken lightly. Then add the yogurt/onion/etc mixture and cook covered with a heavy lid. After about 20 minutes, add raisins;cranberries, garam masala, and saffron. At  this point I add potatoes, carrots and peas as well. You might want to do this a bit earlier if you think the potatoes are big in size and may take longer to cook. Then cook until chicken/veggies are done. Garnish with lemons, onions and coriander.