EGG ROAST

This is my version  of Paul VJ's recipe, check  Here for his recipe. This is definitely a keeper since we love eggs and ofcourse Indian foods. Thank you Paul for sharing this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 T coconut oil (I used canola oil)
2-3 red medium onions or white onions (sliced thinly)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t vinegar ( I used Datu Puti- sugar cane vinegar)
2 t salt
1 t chili powder
½ t turmeric powder
2 Curry leaves
pinch of sugar
4-6 hard "boiled" eggs - i prefer calling them hard cooked eggs

Heat up the oil

Add the vinegar, curry leaves, minced garlic, salt, chili powder and turmeric to the onions.

Put this mixture in the oil and caramelize the onions.

Add sugar. Taste and adjust the vinegar or the chili powder.

Place peeled hard cooked eggs on top of the caramelized mixture.

Let it cook for few minutes until eggs get the turmeric yellowish color.

 

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Ingredients:

8 chicken drumsticks
2 T lemon juice
1 salt
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic
1 t coriander
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
2 T paprika
Red Coloring (depends on how red you want your chicken)
1 t garam masala
½ t ground black pepper
1 lemon, sliced
1 sm onion, sliced

Instructions :

Cut/Slice chicken on both sides.
Rub chicken with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt.
Blend all spice ingredients until incorporated.
Marinate chicken in ref over night or 4 hours.
Bake or grill chicken until cooked.
Garnish with lemon slices and onion slices or cucumber and tomatoes.

Tandoori Marinade

Tandoori Chicken with Aloo Saag

ALOO SAAG (POTATO AND SPINACH CURRY)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh baby spinach
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 fresh green chilli, chopped fine
2 thin slices of fresh ginger
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks (I used yukon gold)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 T garam masala
1 tablespoon canola oil (for saute)
Salt to taste

Saute garlic, onions, ginger and pepper. Add the chopped potatoes, cook until brown. Add little water if needed.

In the meantime, wash and rinse the fresh spinach repeat process until very clean. Chop spinach into small pieces.

Add the spinach into the potatoes. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients. And simmer for few more minutes.

Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Aloo Saag served with Dosas, Basmati Rice.

DARING COOKS CHALLENGE PART 2 - INDIAN DOSAS

As i have mentioned in my DARING COOKS CHALLENGE PART 1-INDIAN DOSAS I made dosas for the second time and challenged myself further to make a different kind of batter. I used the same filling and chutney so pls. check my Part 1 for the recipes. Yes, i made it again because we liked it.

I used AP flour with my first challenge and i was satisfied, this time i challenged myself to make my own batter from scratch, using the lentil/brown rice combination. It's definitely a make ahead thing. It took me 2 days to make the batter, from soaking both the lentil and brown rice to grinding them,to the fermentation.

The lentil/brown rice is way better. It had a nutty flavor and was crispy inspite of the coarse grind. I will grind my lentil and rice finer next time, maybe i can make the paper dosa! Nothing wrong w/ challenging myself again ha!ha!. It was worth doing this dish the second time around. Also i made aloo saag as a side dish.

I know there are a lot of versions to this kind of dosa batter, some calls for more than 2 kinds of grains and other ingredients. I decided to work on what i already have, brown rice and lentil.

Wash and rinse the grains. Fill each bowls w/ enough water to cover the grains. Cover the bowls and soak overnight.

Use a food process or use a blender to grind the grain mixture. Add little water. (I will be grinding this batter a little bit further to make the grains fine the next time i'll make this).

Cover and keep the batter in a warm place for fermentation about 5 hours. I kept mine beside the refrigerator. It should at least be foamy on the top. The batter should be ready for cooking or keep the rest in the ref for further use. Speaking of which, i still have extra batter in the ref waiting..i wonder how else could i use the batter aside from dosas. Suggestions will be appreciated.

Heat a nonstick pan or griddle with little canola oil until hot but not smoking. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread immediately into a circular motion just like you would a pancake or a crepe.
Flip the dosa over when the edges starts to curl up and turn golden.
Cook the other side for few more minutes.
The dosa should be crisp and golden in color.

These Dosas were crispy and has the nutty flavor. I prefer this than the AP flour batter.

I served my Part 2 Indian Dosa with Aloo Saag and Tandoori Chicken.

MUTTON ROGAN JOSH (MUTTON CURRY)

This is the side dish to my Daring Cooks Challenge-Indian Dosas Part 1. We finished the Indian dinner w/ Kheer.

Ingredients:

3 lbs mutton
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp each paprika, turmeric and chili powder
4 cardamom pods, crushed
salt To taste
1 cup plain yogurt ( I used Greek)
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
fresh cilantro to garnish. (I forgot to garnish when i took the pics=:)

*Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic, spices and a good pinch of salt. Fry over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

*Add the meat and 2 tablespoons of the yogurt. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes or until the yogurt is absorbed. Repeat with the rest of the yogurt.

* Increase the heat to high, stir in the tomatoes and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the sauce becomes too dry.

*Uncover the pan, increase the heat to high and cook stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Garnish with cilantro. And a dollop of sour cream.

VERMICELLI KHEER -AN INDIAN DESSERT

This is one of the most common desserts in India. It is very quick and easy to prepare. This pudding, called "Kheer", is made with either toasted vermicelli or rice and is my favorite Indian dessert. There are a lot of versions to this dessert. Aside from rice or vermicelli, some add rose water, vanilla, almond or other kind of nuts. Sometimes saffron is added not only for taste but for color of course. Jaggery can also be a substitute for sugar. Others calls for condensed milk, I’ve used both but it does not make any difference, it still taste sweet and creamy.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted vermicelli
6 cups milk
1 cup sugar
raisins
pinch of cardamom powder or 2 cardamom pods
cashew nuts or other nuts like pistachios

Boil the milk. Add roasted vermicelli and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Add sugar and, raisins cashew nuts and cardamom.

Mix well, boil for 2 -3 minutes and serve.

Could be served hot or cold. I like mine hot.


YOU CAN ROAST YOUR OWN BUT IF YOU CAN BUY THIS W/ THE PRICE...PLS..BUY THEM. THIS PACKAGE GOES A LONG WAY.

DARING COOKS CHALLENGE (SEPTEMBER 2009) PART I- INDIAN DOSAS

This months challenge was hosted by DEBYI
This challenge is nothing new to me in the sense that Indian Cuisine is one of our favorite. We have probably dined at almost all the Indian restaurant/buffet near our area. Dosa is a staple, a must order food, but i have never made them at home. I always thought that they are too complicated to make and just thought of leaving the dosas to the experts.

That being said, if not because of this challenge i wouldn't have known that homemade dosas are well worth the process. I was too enthused with this challenge, i made them twice w/ different batter. So, thanks Debyi! Although i must admit, i was kind of iffy when you mentioned about the "restrictions"no meat products, strictly vegan. I had to compromise since i know my family will look for meat. I followed your vegan recipe and made a meat dish as a side dish. Take note...the meat was my side dish.

I will blog my two versions separately, just because it'll be too long to blog them all at ones. Plus i want to "showcase" each process. I used Debyis' filling and Chutney for both versions. The thing i did differently was the batter and my side dishes.


On my Dosa Challenge Part I, i made Mutton Rogan Josh as my side dish and finished it with Vermicelli Kheer. Pls. check the blogs for both.


Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)-I USED AP FLOUR
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut (I GRATED MY OWN, I WANTED TO USE FRESH COCONUT)
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch. (I ADDED A LITTLE BROTH COZ IT WAS DRY)
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans) (ONE CAN WOULD SUFFICE)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder (I USED 2 T SINCE I I HAD HOT CURRY POWDER- BUT IT WASN'T THAT HOT SO I WILL HAVE TO ADJUST NEXT TIME)
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Happy eating!

Some of the ingredients. I love, love the Tomato tube paste...brilliant idea!

Cooking Basmati Rice is different than cooking a normal rice e.g. Jasmine rice.

Dosa Crepe/Pancake

I did a good job..didn't waste anything. First crepe was perfect.

Coconut Curry Sauce

This was not that hot/spicy, it's obvious based on the color. I had Hot Curry Powder, thought it will be too hot so tappered the measurement..boy was i wrong..it wasn't hot/spicy at all.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

This filling would be great for samosas as well.



Dosas with Basmati Rice

ENJOY!!!

CHICKEN CARDAMOM MASALA

Ingredients:


1/2 C plain yogurt ( i used my homemade yogurt)
2 T garam masala
6 to 10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 t cinnamon powder
2 t chili powder
2 t chopped fresh ginger
2 t salt
4 lbs. chicken, cut into 8 pcs. or 4 chicken thighs, halved
1 t turmeric powder
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 onions, chopped
3 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 2 T tomato paste
2 bell pepperes julienned
1/2 C heavy cream
Chopped fresh cilantro or scallions



1. Combine yogurt, masala, cardamom, cinnamon, chile powder, ginger and salt.


2. Heat about 1 T oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches brown the chicken about 10 minutes each side. Remove chicken and set them aside.


3. Using the same pot, saute' onions and garlic until softened. Return chicken to pot, along with the yogurt mixture and tomato paste.


4. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vegetables, and let it cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken and veggies are cooked through.


5. Stir in cream. Garnish with cilantro or scallions





*Other veggies could be used like cauliflower, carrots or potatoes.


* Serve w/ Naan or Steamed Basmati Rice.

Samosas (INDIAN APPETIZER)

Traditionally Samosas are triangular in shape but i wanted mine to look like an empanada. I also opted to use chili flakes in lieu of the chili powder.

Samosa(An Indian appetizer, could be prepared w/ meat or plain vegetables)

Pastry Dough:

1 ½ C All Purpose Flour

¼ C oil

1/8 C water
1 t salt

¼ t red chili powder (I used chili flakes)

Filling:

4 medium potatoes, peeled and mashed coarsely

½ C green Peas

½ t Garam Masala or Tandoori Masala

¼ t pepper

Salt to taste

¼ t Red chili powder

1 t cumin

3 T oil

1 finely chopped Green chili

1 t lemon juice

Oil for frying

Filling:

Heat oil and stir in the green chilies. Then add the mashed potatoes and peas.

Add the garam or tandoori masala, pepper, red chili powder and cumin powder.

Mix well and let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes covered.

Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Remove and let it cool.

Pastry:

Mix the flour, water, oil, salt and red chili powder to make a stiff dough.

Set the dough aside and let it relax.

Making the Samosa:

Cut the pastry dough into 4 equal parts.

Roll dough into round about 6 to 8 inches in diameter.

Cut into two parts (like a semi circle).

Moisten the straight edge with water.

Take one semi circle and fold it in a shape of cone.

Stuff about a tablespoon of the potato-pea mixture into the cone and seal the edges w/ little water. Repeat process.Heat oil and deep fry the samosas.

Fry in batches until samosas turns golden brown.

Serve hot with Tamarind Chutney or just by itself.

I also use eggroll wrappers to make samosas, when i'm in a hurry.


ENJOY!!!!

LAMB ROGAN JOSH (LAMB CURRY)

INDIA
Recipe Source: Fresh and Tasty Casseroles

(Richard Caroll)

Had this for Thanksgiving=:) I had non traditional Tday menu .

Ingredients:
3 lbs lamb (I used lamb ribs)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp each paprika, turmeric and chili powder
4 cardamom pods, crushed
salt To taste
1 cup plain yogurt ( I used Greek)
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
fresh cilantro to garnish. (I forgot to garnish when i took the pics=:)

*Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic, spices and a good pinch of salt.
*Fry over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
*Add the lamb and 2 tablespoons of the yogurt.
*Increase the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes or until the yogurt is absorbed.
*Repeat with the rest of the yogurt.
* Increase the heat to high, stir in the tomatoes and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
* Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lamb is tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the sauce becomes too dry.
*Uncover the pan, increase the heat to high and cook stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
*Garnish with cilantro. And a dollop of sour cream.

LAMI KAAYO- VERY DELISH

PRESSED HERBS AND SPICES TURKEY BREAST

Source: Food Network (Rachael Ray)

After all this years i finally decided to cook turkey for Thanksgiving. Nope, not the whole bird=:)

I was watching Rachael Ray's Thanksgiving show and she made this recipe. It looked good, easy and interesting because of the ingredients. It is sort of an Indian/Middle Eastern fare.

I brined the turkey breast w/c was not required in this recipe, but it seems to me that majority of the Chefs recommends brining to make the turkey juicy.
It came out pretty good!!! It was juicy and moist. I will probably lessen the parsley next time because my daughter doesn't like too much parsley.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. grill seasoning (Montreal Seasoning)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. smoked sweet paprika
1 tbsp. coriander
4 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, 8 sprigs, stripped of stems
1 cup cilantro leaves, or 1/2 cup basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shelled natural pistachios
Exra-virgin olive oil, for generous drizzling
2 boneless halved turkey breasts, about 3 pounds each

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450 degress F.
*Preheat a 14 inch skillet or medium roasting pan over medium heat on your largest burner. *Mix grill seasoning, cumin, paprika and coriander together.
*Place the thyme, cilantro or basil, parsley and pistachios in the food processor and process into a paste.
*Remove bowl from processor and remove blade from bowl.
*Have a rubber spatula on hand.
*Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil generously over the breasts to coat the skin.
*Loosen skin of the breasts with a small sharp knife.
*Divide the herb and nut paste between the flesh and skin on each breast.
*Use your hands to move the paste around under the skin to evenly distribute the mixture.
*Coat the extra-virgin olive oil coated skin with the spice mixture.
*Set the coated breasts into the large skillet or roasting pan.
*Wash hands, Set a second slightly smaller skillet or pan on top of the breasts and weight down with a couple of bricks covered in foil.
*Crisp the skin 8 to 10 minutes then transfer meat to oven and roast 35 to 40 minutes, until and isntant-read meat thermometer registers 165 to 179 degrees F.
*Let turkey rest to distribute juices then thinly slice and serve with stuffing and gravy.
***It was moist, tender and juicy!!!

HUMUT AND LAMI KAAYO - VERY AROMATIC AND VERY DELICIOUS