Another of my experimental dishes that turned out very well. I had two skinned catfish steaks and I used them to make this delicious slightly tangy gravy that goes well with steamed Thai hom mali rice.
Ingredients:
a small chunk of ginger peeled and scored (you can remove this after the dish is cooked)
tomatoes (I used two medium)
1/2 teaspoon kalo jeera seeds (kalonji)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 cup mushrooms (Swiss browns)/ snow peas/ potatoes (diced)
catfish cut into thick slices
unsweetened yogurt 1 tablespoon
Heat some olive oil; fry ginger; add kalonji, tumeric, salt and bay leaf. Mix well and add tomatoes, stir fry a couple of minutes and add vegetables and stir fry again a couple of minutes. Add the yogurt and stir very well. Add the fish and about 1 and a half cup warm water. Simmer on low heat about 15 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked.
Serve hot.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Picnic time!
It's beautiful weather time in Hong Kong right now and we are celebrating the glorious clear skies (a BIG thing in HK!) with weekend family picnics, of course it helps that we are on Lantau Island -- as unspoiled a paradise as you will ever get anywhere in the world.
The best part of our picnics -- other than watching my 2-year-old collect mud-covered stones -- is the food. I like packing light tasty and filling picnic-y things for us to eat. Like last week we had a small Gladware box full of soft white fluffy mini idlis, a quickly made coconut chutney to go with that and fried rice. For tomorrow's picnic I am planning on making pizzas and a small amount of udon. With homemade jam tarts for desert.
The good thing about homemade pizzas is that you can have fun with the toppings. I am planning on making one seafood and one 'veggie-yummy.' Look out for the pizza recipes next week!
I like making my udon with a thick peanut butter sauce. Here is the recipe:
Udon with peanut butter sauce (try using the organic peanut butter for a healthier less sodium filled taste)
Let udon rest in boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Cut up veggies you want to use in the noodles (tomatoes, mushroom, carrot, snow peas, green pepper, cabbage, spring onion etc in any combination)
In a little olive oil, lightly brown a garlic clove; add a beaten egg and stir quickly; add veggies and stir fry. After a few minutes add 1 teaspoon (or a little more than that according to taste) peanut butter and stir quickly, add soy sauce and a pinch of salt and then finally add the noodles and mix well. Remove from heat.
The best part of our picnics -- other than watching my 2-year-old collect mud-covered stones -- is the food. I like packing light tasty and filling picnic-y things for us to eat. Like last week we had a small Gladware box full of soft white fluffy mini idlis, a quickly made coconut chutney to go with that and fried rice. For tomorrow's picnic I am planning on making pizzas and a small amount of udon. With homemade jam tarts for desert.
The good thing about homemade pizzas is that you can have fun with the toppings. I am planning on making one seafood and one 'veggie-yummy.' Look out for the pizza recipes next week!
I like making my udon with a thick peanut butter sauce. Here is the recipe:
Udon with peanut butter sauce (try using the organic peanut butter for a healthier less sodium filled taste)
Let udon rest in boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Cut up veggies you want to use in the noodles (tomatoes, mushroom, carrot, snow peas, green pepper, cabbage, spring onion etc in any combination)
In a little olive oil, lightly brown a garlic clove; add a beaten egg and stir quickly; add veggies and stir fry. After a few minutes add 1 teaspoon (or a little more than that according to taste) peanut butter and stir quickly, add soy sauce and a pinch of salt and then finally add the noodles and mix well. Remove from heat.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Something nice, by mistake!
Now that I am officially a 'committed playdate mom' thinking up finger food and easy snacks for the 4pm-6pm playdate slot is an important occupation. I've got a few favorites: rocky road fudge (my version omits the marshmallows and nuts); vegetable slice (frittata by another name); fruit salad (anything goes into this as long as it is fruit!); sandwiches.
I made an especially yummy frittata the other day and it was largely by mistake as I was basically trying to give my day-old potato waffle batter a new lease of life.
The recipe:
one red onion (medium sized) chopped small
tomatoes diced (2 work fine)
a handful of brown mushrooms chopped
a carrot peeled and diced
about a cup of potato waffle batter (mine had potato/ flour/ a bit of oil/ eggs/ milk and seasoning mixed in)
a cup grated cheddar
a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
Lightly saute onions/ tomatoes/ mushrooms and carrot till soft. Remove from heat and mix in the waffle batter and cheese. Pour into a greased pie dish, season well and bake about 25 minutes in a moderate over till set.
Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature
I made an especially yummy frittata the other day and it was largely by mistake as I was basically trying to give my day-old potato waffle batter a new lease of life.
The recipe:
one red onion (medium sized) chopped small
tomatoes diced (2 work fine)
a handful of brown mushrooms chopped
a carrot peeled and diced
about a cup of potato waffle batter (mine had potato/ flour/ a bit of oil/ eggs/ milk and seasoning mixed in)
a cup grated cheddar
a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
Lightly saute onions/ tomatoes/ mushrooms and carrot till soft. Remove from heat and mix in the waffle batter and cheese. Pour into a greased pie dish, season well and bake about 25 minutes in a moderate over till set.
Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Easy prawns and broccolli
This is an easy quick delicious prawn curry. Use deveined frozen prawns if possible.
Ingredients:
broccoli
1 packet frozen deveined tiger prawns (thawed)
a couple of french beans chopped into pieces
a cup of peas
2 potatoes in skins
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
tomatoes
dhania-jeera powder 1 tsp
haldi powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
mustard seeds 1 tsp
Method:
Mix prawns with tumeric and a little salt and keep aside for a few minutes while you cut the broccoli into small florets; cube potatoes and cut tomatoes into quarters.
Splutter mustard seeds in oil and then fry prawns in the same oil till they turn a nice reddish color. Add the brocolli, beans, peas, potatoes and tomatoes. Fry well. Add tumeric, dhania-jeera, salt and fry well. Add about a cup of water and simmer on low heat till vegetables are cooked through.
Add coconut milk, check salt and simmer another few minutes. Serve hot with white rice.
Ingredients:
broccoli
1 packet frozen deveined tiger prawns (thawed)
a couple of french beans chopped into pieces
a cup of peas
2 potatoes in skins
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
tomatoes
dhania-jeera powder 1 tsp
haldi powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
mustard seeds 1 tsp
Method:
Mix prawns with tumeric and a little salt and keep aside for a few minutes while you cut the broccoli into small florets; cube potatoes and cut tomatoes into quarters.
Splutter mustard seeds in oil and then fry prawns in the same oil till they turn a nice reddish color. Add the brocolli, beans, peas, potatoes and tomatoes. Fry well. Add tumeric, dhania-jeera, salt and fry well. Add about a cup of water and simmer on low heat till vegetables are cooked through.
Add coconut milk, check salt and simmer another few minutes. Serve hot with white rice.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Food notes
Dosa is a staple breafast food in India's four southern states. My mother-in-law makes a crispy light dosa with a batter that is not over-fermented so it is nicely tangy without being too sour. My dosa batter is tangy too, but while my husband eats his Saturday morning dosas with 'gunpowder' (a fiery mix of coarsely blended dry red chillies, Bengal gram dhal, whole pepper corns, salt and 'hing') yogurt and unsalted butter; I make more adventurous dosas for myself (my toddler daughter loves these!)
A favorite is adding a spoonful of batter on the very hot 'tawa' and then breaking an egg into the bubbling batter and adding a pinch of salt. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for a couple of minutes on a low flame (the lid traps the steam helping to firm the egg yolk) then add a little more oil and flip over and cook on the other side. The end result is a crisp fried egg buried into a fluffy dosa. Yummy!
A favorite is adding a spoonful of batter on the very hot 'tawa' and then breaking an egg into the bubbling batter and adding a pinch of salt. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for a couple of minutes on a low flame (the lid traps the steam helping to firm the egg yolk) then add a little more oil and flip over and cook on the other side. The end result is a crisp fried egg buried into a fluffy dosa. Yummy!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A one-pot rice dish
Rice is a staple food for us. I usually cook basmati rice at home, at times I use the short grained Calrose (Australian) rice to make dishes like risotto and mixed rice. This recipe is another of my 'improvised' quick meals that actually works quite well as a complete one-pot dish.
The Recipe
Soak half a cup of black eyed beans overnight. The next morning pressure cook the beans with some cloves of garlic.
Other Ingredients
one tomato
vegetable or chicken stock (2-3 cups)
1 cup basmati rice
half cup chopped greens like kale, baby spinach, green spring onion bottoms
salt to taste
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Put the rice, tomato and pressure cooked beans in a thick bottomed pan. Add the stock and bring to a boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes or till rice is done (add more stock as needed). Add the greens and cook another 6 minutes or so; add the cheese and salt as needed. Serve hot.
The Recipe
Soak half a cup of black eyed beans overnight. The next morning pressure cook the beans with some cloves of garlic.
Other Ingredients
one tomato
vegetable or chicken stock (2-3 cups)
1 cup basmati rice
half cup chopped greens like kale, baby spinach, green spring onion bottoms
salt to taste
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Put the rice, tomato and pressure cooked beans in a thick bottomed pan. Add the stock and bring to a boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes or till rice is done (add more stock as needed). Add the greens and cook another 6 minutes or so; add the cheese and salt as needed. Serve hot.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Favorite rice noodles
Rice noodles are delicious and can be prepared very quickly with any number of variations. I buy the house brand rice noodles from the local supermarket though the recipe that follows will adapt easily to any kind of rice noodles.
The Recipe
rice noodles
thinly sliced snow peas/ oyster mushrooms/ green cabbage/ spring onion bottoms/ carrots (all the vegetables together should be about a cup for 3 squares of noodles
1 egg beaten
2 cloves of garlic
oil for frying
salt to taste
soy chilli sauce (or any good soy sauce)
Cook noodles according to instructions, drain and keep aside
Heat the oil, saute garlic, then add egg and stir around quickly; add vegetables and stir-fry briskly for a few minutes. Finally add the noodles and seasoning and toss well. Serve hot.
Add and subtract vegetables according to taste; add shredded cooked chicken or pork if you want a non-vegetarian version; add tofu or shrimp if you prefer. Like I said the variations are endless.
The Recipe
rice noodles
thinly sliced snow peas/ oyster mushrooms/ green cabbage/ spring onion bottoms/ carrots (all the vegetables together should be about a cup for 3 squares of noodles
1 egg beaten
2 cloves of garlic
oil for frying
salt to taste
soy chilli sauce (or any good soy sauce)
Cook noodles according to instructions, drain and keep aside
Heat the oil, saute garlic, then add egg and stir around quickly; add vegetables and stir-fry briskly for a few minutes. Finally add the noodles and seasoning and toss well. Serve hot.
Add and subtract vegetables according to taste; add shredded cooked chicken or pork if you want a non-vegetarian version; add tofu or shrimp if you prefer. Like I said the variations are endless.
Friday, March 20, 2009
A nice dhal
Cooking elaborate Indian meals with a toddler and no help can be very challenging. But because I enjoy the taste of traditional Bangla ranna and my husband enjoys his traditional Tamilian food, I often end up making meals I like to describe as 'adapated Indian'.
An example of one such dish was the black eyed peas (barbati beans) dhal I made the other day. The final dish tasted delicious and my daughter loved it though it isn't proper Indian it has all the elements of basic traditional cooking. And the best thing about the dish is that it took just a couple of minutes of actual preparation.
The Recipe:
soak a cup of black eyed peas dhal overnight
pressure cook this with a couple cloves of garlic and a small red onion the next morning
other ingredients:
paneer cubes
haldi powder
dhania-jeera powder
tomatoes (1 big or 2 medium)
salt to taste
curry leaves
Add salt, the masala powders, tomatoes to the pressure cooked dhal. Let it boil, then simmer for a while (till tomatoes are cooked through); finally add the paneer and curry leaves and cook for about 10-12 minutes more.
serve with hot steamed white rice
variations: you can vary this recipe in a number of ways: add potatoes during the pressure cooking stage; add spinach with the paneer or omit the paneer and add only the spinach; add a fresh green chilli while simmering the dhal; add a jeera/ kashmiri chilli tarka at the end
An example of one such dish was the black eyed peas (barbati beans) dhal I made the other day. The final dish tasted delicious and my daughter loved it though it isn't proper Indian it has all the elements of basic traditional cooking. And the best thing about the dish is that it took just a couple of minutes of actual preparation.
The Recipe:
soak a cup of black eyed peas dhal overnight
pressure cook this with a couple cloves of garlic and a small red onion the next morning
other ingredients:
paneer cubes
haldi powder
dhania-jeera powder
tomatoes (1 big or 2 medium)
salt to taste
curry leaves
Add salt, the masala powders, tomatoes to the pressure cooked dhal. Let it boil, then simmer for a while (till tomatoes are cooked through); finally add the paneer and curry leaves and cook for about 10-12 minutes more.
serve with hot steamed white rice
variations: you can vary this recipe in a number of ways: add potatoes during the pressure cooking stage; add spinach with the paneer or omit the paneer and add only the spinach; add a fresh green chilli while simmering the dhal; add a jeera/ kashmiri chilli tarka at the end
Friday, January 30, 2009
Make a quick risotto:
Calrose Australian rice (or regular risotto rice) 1 cup
Stock -- 1 and a half cups
garlic -- two cloves
spinach -- 2 cups washed and chopped
cheddar cheese grated - 1 cup
small knob of butter
salt to taste
Melt butter, add garlic.
Add rice and spinach, stir well. Pour in stock. Stir well and let rice cook (you may need to add more stock, you can also add a half glass of white wine here) ; add salt to taste. When rice is well cooked add cheese, stir in well. Serve hot and creamy.
Calrose Australian rice (or regular risotto rice) 1 cup
Stock -- 1 and a half cups
garlic -- two cloves
spinach -- 2 cups washed and chopped
cheddar cheese grated - 1 cup
small knob of butter
salt to taste
Melt butter, add garlic.
Add rice and spinach, stir well. Pour in stock. Stir well and let rice cook (you may need to add more stock, you can also add a half glass of white wine here) ; add salt to taste. When rice is well cooked add cheese, stir in well. Serve hot and creamy.
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