Kimchi Fried Rice with Korean BBQ Beef

If anyone's not familiar with kimchi, it's a popular Korean condiment made of cabbage and chili paste, which is then fermented for anywhere from a few days to a year! I'm not actually a huge fan of kimchi...I think it's an acquired taste that I'm still in the process of acquiring. lol But it tastes great in this fried rice, I think because the flavors are more mild when cooked. I'm also not a fan of runny yoke, but I have to say the egg really is key for this dish.

Ingredients for the BBQ beef:


1 lb thinly sliced beef strips
a couple tbsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sambal/chinese chili sauce
a dash of sesame oil
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the meat and the marinade and let sit in fridge for at least a half hour. Heat a couple tbsp of oil in a wok over high heat. Throw in the meat and cook until the water evaporates and the beef is nicely seared.  You can reserve the marinade and reduce it for a sauce.


For the rice:
2 cups cold cooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup kimchi (depending on how kimchi-ish you like it), chopped
~4 tbsp soy sauce
sliced green scallions
sunny-side up eggs

Heat some oil in a wok over high heat, throw in the onions and saute for a few minutes until tender. Add the kimchi and soy sauce and saute for another minute. Add the rice and stir well, frying for a couple minutes. Plate, and top with a sunny side up egg. Garnish with scallions.

Roasted Leg of Lamb

This is one of my dad's specialties and I was fortunate enough to learn from him! It's surprisingly easy to make and makes for an impressive entree, but if you do plan on making this, know that it is time consuming...should be marinated at least overnight to 24 hours (I marinate mine for a few days when I can), and takes about 3 hours to bake. 

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb, thawed, trimmed of most fat (leave some on to melt into the meat during cooking)

1 box Shaan brand mutton roast masala

2 tbsp Shaan brand tikka boti masala OR fry chops masala (optional)

3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp meat tenderizer

salt to taste

1/2 stick of butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 bay leaf

3-4 black cardamom pods (bari elaichi/kaali elaichi)

3-4 whole garlic cloves

a few cloves and black peppercorns

With a knife, make deep slits/pockets in various places in the leg of lamb. Mix the mutton roast masala (and the tikka boti/fry chops masala if you're using it) ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, meat tenderizer and salt to form a paste. Fill the pockets/slits with the masala paste and then generously rub it around the entire leg. Stuff the pockets with slices of butter. Cover with foil, let marinate in the fridge for as long as possible. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a large roasting pan with a rack or something that elevates the lamb so it doesn't touch the bottom. Spread oil over the rack and place the lamb on top. Pour about an inch of water into the bottom of the pan (make sure it doesn't touch the lamb at all) and place the bay leaves, cardamom pods, garlic, cloves and black pepper in the water. Cover TIGHTLY with foil and place in the oven for 2 1/2-3 hours. To test for doneness, gently and carefully peel back the foil and insert a fork into the lamb. When it's tender and the meat is pulling away from the bone it;s done! Reserve the juices from the bottom of the pan to use as an au jus/gravy. I serve this with spanish rice, kabuli pulao, cucumber yogurt sauce, salad, etc. 

Creamed Spinach

This sounds weird. Tastes amazing. And is pretty bad for you. lol There are many different ways to make creamed spinach (milk, cream cheese, provolone, mozzarella, heavy cream...) but this is how I do it. I've also done it with kale and it turned out great, and I think the sauce would also be great for green bean casserole or cauliflower or even broccoli!

Ingredients:

one bag/bunch spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup half and half
parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the spinach for just a few minutes until it's wilted.

in another saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onions until tender. add the garlic and saute for another minute. add the flour and whisk until it forms a roux, and cook stirring for a minute. add the half and half and stir until incorporated. add the salt and pepper and cook for another few minutes, stirring. When its thick and bubbly add the spinach and cheese stir well. I served mine with steak and a bake potato...yummm.

Another Chicken 65 Recipe

So this is Sunni's chicken 65, which I LOVE, with my tiny little variations.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast cut into cubes
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chili-garlic sauce/sambal
1 tsp zeera/cumin powder
a splash or two or lemon juice and vinegar
pinch of cayenne pepper/lal mirch
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red food color (optional)

5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds/rye
1 jalapeno, sliced

Mix the first set of ingredients together and let marinate for at least a half hour to an hour. Heat oil over medium high heat. Mix about 3-4 tbsp of corn starch into the chicken mixture until the chicken is all coated. When the oil is hot enough, drop the chicken pieces into the oil (individually, or they will stick together!). Fry for about 7 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Drain.

In a separate pan, heat about a tbsp or two of oil, add the curry leaves, jalapeno slices, and mustard seeds and fry until the jalapeno looks a little soft and the mustard seeds start to "pop". Throw in the chicken and stir for about 30 seconds to a minute. Serve immediately.

Grilled chicken 65 with imli chutney

Okay, so I'm not totally sure about the name of this recipe. This is just something I threw together one day when I couldn't figure out what to cook, and it turned out pretty good so here it is. This doesn't have any measurements so here goes:

First take about 1 lb of boneless chicken breast and cut it into cubes. Marinate it with minced garlic, chili garlic sauce, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken masala, lemon juice, and some red food coloring. Then take a grill pan and drizzle a little bit of oil on it (just enough to keep the chicken from sticking) and grill the chicken on it on medium-high heat. Once the water is dry and chicken is cooked through, add some sliced green chili peppers, curry leaves, and chat masala, and grill it for another few minutes. I fried up some French fries and served it with that.

For the chutney, soak some imli (tamarind) in water and pop it in the microwave for like 20 seconds. Remove the seeds and add some red chili powder, sugar, zeera powder, and a pinch of salt. Cook it until it thickens and chill it before serving.

Serve the whole thing with some parathas and you're good to go!

Moong Ki Daal - A Thick Yellow Lentil 'Soup' Prepared Pakistani Style

It's been four months since I moved away from home and I think I finally figured out how to cook something that comes very close to what my moms food tastes like. This  is a big victory for me. Those who've had my indo-pak (desi) foods have great feedback, but it's almost never been good enough by my own standards. This time, things were different. Finally.

No matter how hard I try I can't seem to follow exact recipes for Indian or Pakistani dishes. I almost always guesstimate the spice quantity and that's how I like it. So if I don't specify the quantity for an ingredient below, you need to figure it out. Sorry!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup moong ki daal (yellow lentils)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic / garlic paste
• 1 tbsp minced ginger / ginger paste
• 3 tbsp tomato paste (comes in a can)
• 1/2 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4-6 curry leaves 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• water
• haldi 
• red chilli powder
• salt
• cumin or zeera seeds
• cilantro
• a clove of garlic, finely sliced
• a small onion, finely sliced
• crushed red pepper / whole red chilli peppers
• olive oil

Method:

Soak the lentils overnight in 2 - 3 cups of water. This speeds up the cooking process.  If you're unable to do so, just continue on with the recipe. 

Combine lentils, ginger and garlic paste, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, tomato, jalapeno pepper, paprika, curry leaves, haldi, salt, red chili powder in a pot. Add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil on the stove, then add 1/2 cup water and simmer on low for an hour or until the lentils and tomato have all broken down and the ingredients have fused together. During this time you should check the pot every 10 mins or so and stir it to make sure there's enough water (add 1/4 cup at a time, as needed) and that the  lentils aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan. After this process you can thicken the soup according to your liking by adding more water or cooking the water down.

In a separate pan, heat some oil. Add finely sliced onions and brown them. Add finely sliced garlic, cumin seeds, crushed red pepper, saute until everything is toasted and add the contents of the pan to the lentil soup pot while its still hot. Chop cilantro and mix in. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 tsp) and more fried onions if desired. Serve over basmati rice or drink it up with a spoon =) 

Pizza Revisited

A few years ago when this blog first began, I posted a pizza dough recipe. Since then, I've tweaked it. Here's the latest version:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour - not to be confused with all purpose flour or self rising flour. bread flour is readily available in the baking aisle of any grocery store.
• 1 package active dry yeast - I use the rapid/quick rise yeast, not the slow rising one
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup warm water - make sure it's not HOT, because that can kill the yeast
• 3/4 cup (or more) of olive oil (substituting vegetable oil will not really work out as well).

Method:

In a mug, mix honey/brown sugar and water. Add yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, sift together flour and salt.

If you plan to use a dough mixer (I use the Ninja Pulse System, it's great!) combine olive oil, water/honey/yeast mixture and pulse it. Add a cup of flour and blend with the dough paddle. Continue adding a cup at a time. Keep kneading in the machine for a few minutes afterwards. If the dough doesn't feel soft, add more olive oil and warm water (alternating) 1/4 cup at a time to get the right consistency. 

If you plan to knead with your hands combine olive oil, water/honey/yeast mixture in a large bowl. Add half a cup of flour at a time and knead thoroughly. If the dough doesn't feel soft, add more olive oil and warm water (alternating) 1/4 cup at a time to get the right consistency. 

Oil a large bowl and let the dough sit in it in a warm area for an hour. Cover lightly with kitchen cloth. 

After an hour has passed, knead a bit more with your hands, and let the dough rise for an additional hour or two at which point it's ready to be rolled out and baked. i split the dough into two portions for thin to medium crust pizza. for a thick/pan crust i'd go for 2/3rds of the dough.  

I use this pizza roller instead of a regular rolling pin and this perforated pizza pan (helps the bottom cook better/crispier). I cover the pan with a foil, lightly oil it, and use it as a mould to shape the dough with the roller.  

I either half bake my crust (8 minutes) on 400 F (on the foil over the pan) before pulling it out of the oven, cooling it, adding toppings, then rebaking (without the foil over the pan) until the cheese is bubbly. 

OR I half bake, add toppings, and freeze the whole thing for a day or more to bake it right before serving. I really liked the results of the freezing technique and will be sticking to that for the future. It also cuts 'day of' prep time by a LOT!

To avoid the veggie toppings from getting watery in the oven, saute your veggies in a pan on the stove before adding to the pizza. 

For a flavored crust, I add 1 tbsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of italian seasoning to the wet ingredients before the kneading process. 

Special brownies

This isn't so much a recipe as an idea. But it's pretty amazing. Diabetes in every bite! ;-) lol

You'll need a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, a pack of oreos and a batch of brownie batter. I use ghiradelli brand brownie mix and cookie mix.

Prepare the cookie dough and brownie batter as per directions. Pour the brownie batter into a 9x9 inch pan and bake until it's about 10 minutes away from being done. (Around 20-25 minutes). Take the brownie out of the oven and sprinkle a generous layer of large Oreo chunks. Top with a healthy layer of huge cookie dough globs to cover the top. Bake for another 10 minutes or so...I took it out when a toothpick came out just barely clean...this way the brownie and cookie topping are still slightly gooey. ;-)