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Showing posts from 2013

Methi Pak

A friend of mine just had a baby, and this year, the winter seems to be pretty harsh, so I wanted to make something that's good for her. I found this recipe for Methi Pak, which has pretty much most of the ingredients you can think of for winter-time goodness. There were a few variations in proportions by the same person, but these types of recipes are anyways guidelines, and you can adapt them to your taste.  I tried to make a version closest to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo4yPndEPss http://www.indianrecipevideo.com/Pages/MethiPak.aspx For a change, I'm writing down the proportions. The final recipe worked out fine, and made about 50-60 pieces. 1 litre Amul Ghee (one container) 2 lbs Magas no Besan ( ~ 8 cups. The original recipe called for Laadu besan, but this worked fine) 1 cup Urad daal flour 1 cup Coarse Wheat flour (Laadu no lot) 1 cup Shingoda no lot (water chestnut flour) 10 oz pitted dates (1 container), very finely chopped 1/2 cup dry c

Lime Pickle

10 limes + make small pieces. In a big steel container with a tight lid. Put it into a pressure cooker and let it go for 12-15 whistles, till you smell the limes. Let it stay overnight without disturbing. Next morning. 1/3 of the cup salt + about 1 kg sugar. Add some red chillis. For 2 or 3 days keep stirring.

Gulab Jamun - Guest Post

One of my friend's mom suggested this recipe. It's on my list of things to try out. 3 packs frozen Khoa (~400 gms. each). 1 pack Swad Paneer (~400 gms) + 250 gm. Barik Rawa (the finext Rawa). Process everything in the food processor. Set it aside for about half an hour. Then Make small oblong shapes. ~ 1 1/2 kg sugar + water. Make a syrup that barely stays on a spoon. Add some line juice + Gulkand. Fry the jamuns, and add to the syrup. Remove.

Blue Cheese Walnut Crackers

Super easy to put together, feel fancy, and taste delicious. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-and-walnut-crackers-recipe/index.html Cream 1/2 stick butter and 4 ounces blue cheese (I had gorgonzola), and 3/4 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add 1/2 tbsp water and combine. Form into a log. I didn't even use an egg wash. The dough was slightly sticky, so I just covered it with chopped walnuts. Covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for about half an hour. Then sliced and baked at 350 for about 20 mins. (I used my toaster oven, and this measurement was just perfect). Enjoy!

Broccoli, Sweet potato, mushroom bowl

Inspired from here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/miso-sweet-potato-and-broccoli-bowl/#more-10867 I steamed (instead of roasting) 1 big head of broccoli (sliced stems), 2 small white-flesh sweet potatoes (cut in medium size pieces, from H-mart), and 1 head of Meitake Mushrooms (Yum!). For the dressing: I blended 2 tbsp red miso (that's the one I had on hand, original calls for white) + 1 tbsp Almond butter +  rice wine vinegar + toasted sesame oil + olive oil + honey +  fresh ginger + gresh garlic. Blend. Makes fantastic dressing. Assemble: lettuce + veggies + dressing + toasted sesame seeds. Next time, I'll do it with rice or something. Seriously good stuff. 

Pear Almond Cake

This is a super quick one, and also doesn't need a mixer. Got inspired from here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/09/dieu-merci-cest-vendredi-tgif/ Which pointed to this recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014976/fig-and-almond-cake.html I modified it slightly, and, of course, used Pears instead of Figs. I also used the Trader Joes' almond flour, instead of whole almonds. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a tart pan properly. Mix together 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup A.P. flour, 1/4 cup sugar,  1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a big pinch of salt. Melt 4 tbsp of butter, mix 2 tbsp honey, mix and cool the mixture, 2 extra large eggs, 1/4 cup milk. Mix the wet to dry. Pour the batter in the tart pan. Peel, core and thinly slice thee medium pears (they were fairly firm, and I used a melon baller to core them, which made it super easy).  Arrange the pear slices on top of the batter. Dot it with small cubes of butter (total 1 tbsp), and sprinkle some sugar ov

Nutella Brownies

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. The nutella flavor was not too pronounced, but the brownies were great: http://iadorefood.com/recipes/delicious-nutella-brownies/ Beat 1 cup Nutella, 2 Eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Add 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt and  blend. Add a stick of melted butter and bake at 325F for about 35 minutes.

Cupcakes for a crowd

L.'s company is celebrating their success and I wanted to pitch in. So i baked cupcakes. Well, mini cupcakes...a lot of them. Around 100. I did cheat though. I used cake mixes. Duncan hines devil's food and french vanilla. Each pack made about 48 mini cupcakes (with a little batter leftover). After cooling, I used the glaze by Martha Stewart. I used the proportions here: http://www.marthastewart.com/317440/handwritten-valentine-cupcakes-with-choc And the method here: http://www.marthastewart.com/282944/chocolate-glaze 2/3 cup heavy cream 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 tablespoon corn syrup    Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth.I let it stand at room temperature for a while (in fact, even refrigerated it, since it was a hot day) and then glazed the cupcakes. One recipe was eno

One more Paneer Tikka

I took my go-to paneer tikkas to work when the annual summer party was cancelled. Then, it actually happened, so I had to come up with a new version of paneer tikkas to feed the vegetarians, since it was the same crowd. Thanks to Sanjeev Kapoor, this recipe was a supar hit: Copied from here: http://sanjeevkapoor.com/hara-bhara-paneer-tikka.aspx Ingredients • Paneer (cottage cheese),2 inch cubes 500 grams • Fresh coriander leaves 2 bunches • Fresh mint leaves 1 bunch • Green chillies 4 • Garlic 10 cloves • Ginger 1 1/2 inch piece • Lemon juice 2 teaspoons • Onions,chopped 2 medium • Salt to taste • Hung yogurt 1 cup • Fresh pomegranate pearls 2 tablespoons • Gram flour (besan) 4 tablespoons • Kasoori methi powder 2 tablespoons • Chaat masala 2 teaspoons • Roasted cumin powder 2 teaspoons • Garam masala powder 2 teaspoons • Mustard oil 2 tablespoons + for basting • Onions,2 inch pieces 2 medium • Green cap

Plum Mousse

This was kind of serendipitous. Was trying to use up some plums and this recipe was created. De-seed some ripe plums. Blend them completely (with the peels, I used magic bullet).  In a small sauce pan, heat the plum pulp with some sugar and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be used as a dessert sauce with various applications (think ice-cream and pound cake). Whip some heavy cream, add sugar, vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the cool sauce and chill the mousse. I liked to keep some streaks of white for a prettier effect. I also served this with slices of fresh plum and some berries, with a drizzle of the plum sauce. I'm clearly not on a diet!  

Drunken Noodles - Sort Of

When I interned at MSR, their cafeteria made these awesome Drunken Noodles. I even had it for my birthday lunch. I've been trying to find a similar one ever since, but just can't find it. The other day I was cooking on a whim and came up with a noodle dish. What I made is not really similar to it, but decent by itself.  The next time I make these, I would try to add some lemongrass, maybe. The hunt for good Drunken Noodle continues.. I used Trader Joes' Dried Egg Pappardelle pasta, and it worked really well. Boil the pasta in salted water as per instructions, but keep them fairly al-dante. In the mean while, in a shallow pan, add some oil, and saute one package sliced porcini mushrooms. Once they're sauted a bit, shift them towards the outside of the pan. Add more oil, and add sliced peppers and onions. I used one white onion, 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper. Saute them and add about 3-4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic and grate some fresh ginger. Mix all the veggies

Aloo Posto

A friend of mine is married to a Bengali. Here's a simple, but classic recipe from her mother-in-law. Prepare Kaccha: Grind together Khuskhus, green mirchi, sarso oil and salt with a little water. (This kaccha can also be used like chutney).  Peel and dice potatoes (fairly small).  Heat some oil. Add the diced potatoes, haldi, red chilli powder, posto (kaccha), cover and cook it. Add sarso oil before serving. Garnish with a bit of dhania. 

Super Hit Corn Salad

Made this for my Birthday and every single person loved it. Super simple but fantastic. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Charred-Corn-Salad-with-Basil-and-Tomatoes-51104300 Grill corn on the cob, remove kernels and cool. Add cherry tomatoes cut in half, very thinly sliced red onion, lots of torn basic, several sprigs of fresh thyme, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

S.'s Tikka Masala Recipe

A very dear friend shared this recipe for tikka masala with me that I keep referring back to. Works great for marinating all kinds of stuff. I've added yoghurt to it and marinated Paneer/Tofu and veggies for awesome summer time grilling. Here it is in her words: Ing : 2 tablespoon coriander powder 2 tablespoon cumin powder 1.5 tablespoon garlic powder 2 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 tablespoon ginger 2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 tablespoon dried mint  salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice  1/2 cup Oil (hot) Mix all the spices and lemon juice and then pour hot oil over the mixer. I guess you can store this paste for quite sometime too..

Green Smoothie

Ok, I admit this one sound too "healthy" .....but it is actually pretty tasty and filling...Blend together half an avocado, a big handful of baby spinach, 1 tbsp of yoghurt (I had whole milk one on hand), a couple of tbsps of crushed flax seeds, a big dash of honey and about a cup of plain, unsweetened almond milk. Yum. 

Navratna Korma

Fairly quick to make...came out just like the restaurants... In a pot, heat some water, add chopped green beans, diced carrots and fairly small diced cauliflower, with a pinch of salt and let it boil till the beans are cooked. In a small microwavable bowl, add one roughly chopped medium-big white onion and microwave for a minute or two, till it softens. Add a handful of cashewnut pieces to this bowl (with hot water), let it sit for about 10-15 mins or so, and then grind into a fine paste. Heat some oil in a pan (could use ghee), saute a handful of whole cashews and keep aside. Saute some mushrooms and keep aside. Add some more oil to the pan, add the onion-cashew paste, some ginger and garlic paste and saute for a few minutes. Once the raw onion smell is gone, add the boiled vegetables, along with some of the stock, and let the curry simmer. Add the mushrooms, cashews, some dried cranberries (originally, raisins are used), some salt, sugar, and a pinch of garam masala. Reduce the fl

Corn Bread

Cold, wet, February night....steaming bowl of chilli + cornbread.... http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/recipe-of-the-day-cornbread/ There are plenty of variations possible, but I made the simple one, using the cast iron skillet. Ingredients 4 tablespoons butter, olive oil, lard or bacon drippings 1 1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups milk, more if needed Method 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put fat in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or in an 8-inch square baking pan. Place pan in oven. 2. Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix eggs into milk, then stir this mixture into dry ingredients, combining with a few swift strokes. If mixture seems dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk. 3. When fat and oven are hot, remove skillet or pan from oven, pour batter into it and smooth out top. Return pan to oven. Bake about 30 minut

End of the Mexican Mania...Chile Rellenos

This kind of wrapped up the mexican week....much easier than I imagined...and much better than what you get at many restaurants...so here we go... Fire roast poblano peppers (I do it on a grill on a wire rack over the coil). Cover with foil to let it cool and steam. Peel off the skin, make one slit on the side and slowly remove the seeds (keep the stem attached). Try not to wash the peppers with water, since that might make it difficult to coat with the batter. Stuff the peppers with cheese (I used TJ's mexican blend, but could also use queso fresco). Close the pepper and secure with a wooden toothpick. For the batter, separate 2 eggs, whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks, and fold in the yolks. Add about 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and salt and fold gently. Heat oil. Coat the stuffed peppers with the batter and fry. For the tomato sauce, heat some oil, add tomato salsa (the one I made earlier this week), saute for a bit, add a small can of tomato sauce, salt and let the s

Eggs in Tomato Sauce..a quick dinner

My mexican saga continues with using some leftover ingredients from the previous meals and turning it into a quick weeknight dinner. Heat oil in a flat pan. Add about half a diced red onion and saute for a bit. Add a couple of tablespoons of fire-roasted salsa , saute for a bit, and then add one medium sized can of diced tomatoes in juice, one small can of tomato sauce (I usually use no-salt added), a pinch of red chilli flakes, a pinch of dried oregano, and some salt. mix well, cover and simmer for about 15-20 mins till the sauce reduces and cooks. Now, slowly break about five eggs around the pot, making sure the yolks don't break. Sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper over the eggs. Cover and let it cook on gentle heat, till done (about 3-4 minutes). Sprinkle some cheese (not a lot), and cilantro and sping onion on the pot and serve with mexican rice and fried plantains .  

The grand finale for 2012

It was not a sophisticated dessert....nor did it use any fancy ingredients....what it was, was a super kid-friendly dessert that will also please the kid in you...I literally resisted to make anything remotely fancy....not even a lemon pound cake...Not that it would not be good, but just that sometimes, very simple ingredients can really bring back childhood memories....cm'on it was New Year's Eve...we all deserved a little treat.... Trifle Pudding : Cut pound cake into medium pieces (recipe to follow, or store bought is fine). In a big glass bowl start layering the following: cake pieces, raspberry jam, vanilla custard (recipe to follow), banana slices, strawberry slices, thinly sliced almonds. Repeat for two more layers. Decorate with strawberries and almonds. I didn't have heavy cream at home, but some whipped cream can be added too. The cake can also be drizzled with alcohol...but I tend to stay away from that. That's it...it's really that simple. Let it s