Asian -style Fish cake

Ingredients required:

- 1lb any white fish fillet(fresh).
- 6 cloves of peeled garlic.
- 2 tbs of mayonnaise.
- 3 kefir lime leaves(finely chopped).You will get lime leaves in any Asian grocery store.
- a handful of fresh thai basil leaves(finely chopped)
- 2 tsp of malaysian or thai curry powder.
- juice of one whole lime 2tbs white vinegar.
- 1/2 cup thinly chopped fresh green onions.
- 2 tsp fish sauce.
- salt to taste.
- 1 cup of bread crumbs.
- 2tbs cornflour.
- Vegetable oil for deep frying.
- Bunch of lettuce leaves garnish.

- How to prepare:
Chop the fish fillet into tiny cubes.Do not put it in the food processor.
Mix the chopped fish with all the above ingredients.
Remember, do not put salt until you have tasted the mixture.The fish sauce contains plenty of salt.
- If the mixture is too soft put some more bread crumbs and bring it to right consistency.
- divide the mixture into 10 balls(size of a golf ball).
- Flatten the top and bottom of each ball slightly so that it will be easier to pan fry.
- Heat oil in a pan, put in the cakes,four pieces at a time.
- Do not crowd the pan.
- Each side should be golden brown in color.
- Layer the lettuce leaves on a platter and arrange the fish cakes on top of it.
- Serve hot.
- I served it with french fries.

Ham Croquette

Ingredients:

2 cups of minced ham.
Green bell pepper (chopped).
1 whole onion (chopped).
1 tbsp chopped garlic.
1 tsp minced green chili.
Salt and pepper for taste.
Lemon juice (half a lemon).
1 tbsp dijon mustard.
2 tbsp parsley.
1 stick of unsalted butter.
2 tbsp all purpose flour.
1 cup of milk.
1 egg, beaten.
Bread crumbs.
Oil for frying.

To make the white sauce mixture: Heat a skillet and melt some butter and saute the chopped bell pepper and the onions until it looks soft. Saute the flour together with the onion mixture. Cook it for a while, then gradually pour the milk and stir it until the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat, and add some salt and pepper for taste.
Allow the mixture to cool. Stir in the chopped ham, mustard and the lemon juice with the cooled sauce mixture and refrigerate for a few hours.
To make the croquettes, take a spoonful of the mixture and shape it oblong in your palm, dip it in the beaten egg, then roll it in the bread crumbs and deep fry. Serve hot with salad.














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Goat meat goulash

You will need:

- About 3-4 lbs goat meat (stewed cut).
- 3-4 whole onions sliced.
- About 10 cloves of garlic chopped.
- Black pepper.
- 6 ounce can tomato paste.
- 2 tbps Hungarian sweet paprika.
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper. (Optional).
- 1 bay leaf.

Marinate the meat with paprika, pepper and salt.
Coat the meat with a little all purpose flour. Dust out the extra.
Heat veg. oil in a deep pot and saute the sliced onions until they are light brown in color. Take the onions out from the pot. In the same pot throw in the bay leaf and flour coated meat.
Stir the meat until it is brown in color.
Put the rest of the ingredients in the pot .
Put salt to taste .
Pour about two cups of water, lower the heat and allowing it to simmer for about 2 hours. Stir it periodically.
Take it off the heat when the meat is tender and the gravy is thick.
Serve it hot with butter noodles or with rice.

Chicken A La King

You need:

- 2 cups cooked, shredded boneless chicken (thigh meat preferred).
- Sour cream.
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock.
- A little all purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Unsalted butter.
- Half a cup pimento or roasted red bell pepper (stripped).

To serve 2 persons, boil two cups of uncooked chicken and reserve the liquid - which can be used as chicken stock.
Put 2 tbs of butter in a heated skillet. As it melts, put in 1 1/2 tbs all purpose flour. Stir it for a while then put in the cooked chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the chicken stock, stir it, and allow it to thicken. Once it thickens, turn off the the heat and put in 2 tbs sour cream and the pimento. Mix it with the chicken. Serve hot with egg noodles or buttered steam rice.

Peanut Satay Sauce

You need:

- 2 tbs creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tbs coconut milk
- A little sugar
- A little lime juice
- A pinch of garlic powder.

Mix them up together, garnish with a little chopped green onion.

Serve it with Korean BBQ Pork (Click here)

Korean BBQ Pork with Peanut Satay Sauce.

Serves 4 persons.

Ingredients:

- 4 Boneless Pork chops.
- For the marinade:
- Half a cup light soya Sauce.
- 1 tbs brown sugar.
- 2 tbs minced garlic-ginger.
- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar.
- 1 tbs corn starch.
- 1 whole stalk minced green onion.
- 1 tbs hot sauce.
- A pinch of black pepper.
- A quarter cup veg oil.

To prepare:

Mix all the above ingredients and marinate the pork chops for a few hours.

Heat a griddle till it is hot and generously brush it with some veg oil. Place the pork chops on the hot griddle and cook each side for 3-4 mins. Take them off the heat and cover them for some time.

Then slice them thin and serve hot with rice and salad. I served them with Peanut Satay sauce (click here).

VEG) Sauteed Snap Peas

Ingredients:

- 1 cup washed, peeled and cleaned Snap Peas.
- 1 tbs butter.
- Salt for taste.
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional).
- 1/2 tsp sugar.

In a pan pour in half cup of water and throw in the snap peas. Allow it to boil for few minutes making sure it retains the green color. Throw away the excess water once the peas are parboiled.
Shock the snap peas with very cold water. Heat butter in a pan, throw in the peas, salt and sugar. Saute it until the snap peas look shiny and buttery. Sprinkle it with the garlic powder and serve it with grilled fish. (Or, as in the picture, I had served it with potato and fontina cheese bake).

(VEG) Snow Peas Pilaff with Fried Paneer (rice dish)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of Basmati Rice (you can cook it with brown Basmati Rice too), washed and dried.
- 1 cup of washed snow peas, with tips cut off .
- 1 cup of fried Paneer.
- Salt and sugar for taste.
- A pinch of saffron soaked in about 2 tbs of warm milk.
- 2 cups of water for cooking the rice.
- 2 whole cardamom (big).
- 11/2 tsp garam masala (small cardamom, cinnamon and cloves powdered together).
- 1 whole bay leaf.
- 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter).
- 1 tbs raisins (optional).

Heat some vegetable oil in a wok, put in the bay leaf, ghee and the whole big cardamom. Put the washed rice in the wok and stir it with the oil. Put salt and 1-1/2 tsp sugar, mix it with the rice.
When the rice looks fried enough, pour in two cups of water. Make sure the water level is one inch above the level of the rice. As the water starts to boil, lower the heat and cover. When the rice is parboiled, throw in the snowpeas, paneer and ground garam masala. Leave the cover on until the water has fully dried and the rice is cooked. It should be "al dente". Take the wok off the heat and fluff the rice gently with a spatula. Then sprinkle the saffron soaked milk and the raisins over the rice. Mix it gently with the rice. Serve hot.

(FISH) Malaysian Style Crab Roll

This recipe is entirely created by me.

Ingredients:

- Tin of lump crab meat.
- 3 tbs mayonnaise.
- 3 tbs coconut milk.
- 1 tbs madras curry paste.
- 2 Kaffir lime leaves (minced).
- Fresh lime juice of half lemon.
- 2 tbs small cubed unsalted butter.
- Salt.
- 1 tbs chopped green onion.
- 1 tsp shrimp paste.
- 1 tbs chopped fresh garlic.

Pour the crab meat from the tin into a bowl - making sure there are no shells in it. Mix lemon juice with it.
Except for the salt and the crab mix all the ingredients and keep it aside. Taste and adjust the salt.
Meanwhile heat the oven 400F.

To prepare the roll ingredients needed:
- 10 slices of fresh white bread with their sides cut off.
- Crab meat marinated in lemon juice.
- Prepared mayonnaise mixture.
- 1 egg beaten.

Take a slice of bread and roll it out. Put some crab meat along one end of the slice, not too much.
With a spoon put a little mayonnaise spread over the crab meat.
Holding the two ends of the slice, start rolling, and while doing so, keep brushing the beaten egg so that it acts as glue.
Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet and brush oil on each of them. Put the baking sheet in the center rack and bake it until it turns golden brown.
Take them out, allow to cool down, then with a serrated knife cut each roll at an angle and serve it with some hot sauce and salad.

(VEG) Sweet Basil Pesto and Glazed Carrots

How to prepare Basil Pesto:

Ingredients:

- Bunch of fresh basil leaves.
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Dash of Balsamic vinegar (about 2 tbs).
- A handful of pine nuts.
- About 1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil.

Except for the oil, put everything in a food processor and grind together. Then slowly drizzle the oil while the machine is on until the mixture thickens. Taste to see if the salt is OK and it should taste creamy.
Pour it in a bowl, and drizzle a little oil on the pesto, which helps to retain its green color.


Glazed Carrots - how to prepare:

For ingredients:
- 1 bunch of fresh baby carrots (washed, heads cut off).
- 1 tsp sugar.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tsp garlic powder or fresh clove of garlic chopped (optional).
- 1 tsp butter.
In a skillet put 1/2 cup of water and the carrots on a medium high heat. Put some salt and sugar, allow it to simmer until the carrots are tender and the water has evaporated. Put it in a serving dish and mix the butter with it. Serve hot.

(FISH) New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

I loved this dish, ate it in New Orleans and I made sure I tried it out at home. Of course it is not the exact version - I cooked with all the ingredients I had at home and it tasted equally good!

Ingredients: Cooking time about 20 mins under broiler or grill in the oven.
- 1 lb fresh water shrimps with heads attached.
- 4 tbs Worchestershire sauce.
- 2 tbs Soya sauce.
- 2 tbs vinegar.
- Cracked black pepper.
- 1 tsp minced ginger.
- 2 tbs minced white onion.
- 1 tsp allspice powder.
- 1 tbs hot sauce.
- 1 tsp cayenne powder.
- 1/4 cup veg.oil.

To prepare:

- Mix all the ingredients listed above and marinate the shrimps in a bowl, cover it, refrigerate for an hour and then cook.

How to cook:

- You need 6 cloves of garlic, sliced.
- Also 4 tbs unsalted room temp.butter.
- In an oven proof skillet, melt the butter over low heat .
- Put the sliced garlic in the butter, making sure either of the ingredients does not get brown.
- Take the skillet off the heat and pour the marinated shrimp and the marinade over the heated butter.
- Then put the skillet below a broiler or a grill on high until the shrimps tend to turn lightly brown and the marinade begins to sizzle.
- Take it out from the oven and pour it in a serving dish. Sprinkle some dried thyme or rosemary.
- Serve it with warm garlic bread.

(FISH) OR (VEG) Mixed Veg. and Shrimps in Coconut sauce (check this recipe)

(Vegetarians: please see below for how to make a vegetarian version of this dish).

I was amazed to find how vegetables like raw banana, red pumpkin and white radish can taste so good in coconut milk.
Well I had some of these leftover fresh vegetables which I did not know what to do. I thought I will just saute them together and serve. Then as I began sauteing them, I thought of the Kaffir lime leaves in my fridge. I immediately took leaves out, cut them into strips, julienned some fresh ginger and put a tsp of garlic powder with the vegetables. Then I poured a little coconut milk, salt, one small green chilli chopped, and frozen shrimps. Then I covered it and let it simmer until the vegetables were tender and the sauce thickened.
I served it with sprinkled green onion and cilantro on cooked Basmati rice. I was surprised, it tasted really good!!!
Vegetarians - you can omit the shrimps it will taste equally good! You can use any leftover uncooked veg.

Tip: if you do not have the lime leaves you can grate the outer green layer of a green lime, making sure the white layer is not scraped. The white layer of the lime will give a bitter taste.

(MEAT) Asparagus-Pork in Ginger Garlic sauce

For the recipe we need:

- Fresh Asparagus 1 bunch.
- Pork tenderloin cut into strips (2 cups)
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour.
- 1 tbs oyster sauce.
- 1 tbs hoisin sauce.
- 1 tbs soya sauce.
- 2 tbs chopped fresh ginger-garlic.
- Ground fresh pepper.

To prepare:

- Marinate the pork with half of fresh chopped ginger-garlic, little oil, pepper, cornflour and all the sauces mentioned above.
- Wash the asparagus and only the tender parts cut into 1 inch in size.
- Heat oil in a wok or a pan over high heat and saute the Asparagus and quickly take it out making sure it does not lose the green color.
- In the same wok or pan put some oil and immediately put the rest of the ginger-garlic. Stir it in the hot oil but do not burn. Then immediately put in the marinated pork and saute it over high heat.
- The sauce should look sticky and brown in color. The meat should be tender and white. Turn the heat off and mix the asparagus. Immediately serve with some steamed rice.

(VEG) Vegetable Drumsticks and fried Paneer cooked in Mustard sauce

Drumsticks (called 'sarakwa' in Hindi and 'danta' in Bengali) look like long,thin green colored sticks. The outer layer is a little tough and should be scraped off with a knife. You can also buy them frozen which saves the trouble of cleaning. You can get them in any Indian grocery store.

How to prepare:

I used the frozen sticks - this allowed me to cook the amount I wanted.
- 1 cup of fried paneer cubes (you can buy paneer from any Indian grocery store. It is sold in small blocks.
Cut the block into tiny cubes and pan fry as much much you want - refrigerate the rest.
- 3 tbs white poppy seeds.
- 3 tbs yellow mustard seeds.
- 1 tsp "Panch phoron" seeds (mixture of 5 seeds: fennel, cumin, fenugreek, Kalonji and black mustard). If you do not have Panch phoron just use little fennel seeds.
- 3 whole green chillies.
- 1 tbs mustard oil or half tsp ghee (optional).
- Quarter cup coriander leaves chopped.
- Pinch of turmeric powder.
- Oil for cooking.
- Small can of coconut milk.
- Salt to taste.

How to cook:

Dry grind the poppy seeds and mustard seeds in a coffee grinder. Then in a blender wet grind
the ground poppy and mustard seeds together with 2 green chillies and turmeric powder, turning it into paste.

Heat about 2 tbs veg. oil in a pan, put in the Panch phoron (or the fennel seeds) and as it sputters, put in the drumsticks and the fried paneer, and stir them for some time. Put salt and the paste and mix well with the vegetables, pour in a cup of water, lower the heat and cover. Allow it to simmer until the sauce thickens. Pour quarter cup of coconut milk and let it cook for few seconds. Turn off the heat and drizzle the ghee or the mustard oil over the cooked vegetable.
Pour it in a serving dish, sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and slitted green chilly and serve it with hot steamed rice.

(VEG) Bengali Green Peas Kachori (Puri stuffed with green peas)

I make the stuffing with frozen green peas .

For ingredients we need:

- 1 small packet frozen green peas, defrosted.
- 1 tbs garam masala powder (cumin seeds,coriander seed, clove, cinnamon and cardamom, lightly roasted and ground)
- 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter.
- 2 green chilli and 1 inch fresh ginger, ground together into paste.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional).

How to prepare:

- Grind the defrosted peas in a food processor. Don't add water while grinding, and make sure the peas are not turned into fine paste.

- Heat 2 tbs veg. oil in a frying pan on a medium hot stove. Nonstick pan is "welcome". Put the ground green peas in the oil and continuously stir them until they are dry and do not stick to the pan. Add salt, garam masala, ghee, and the ginger-chilli paste, and make sure they are mixed well with the peas. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool thoroughly. If the stuffing is too pasty add some chick peas powder or all purpose flour - this dries out the stuffing and prevents it from oozing out while frying the puris.

- To prepare the dough for the puris, I have the recipe written in another post - check out how to make puris (luchis) by clicking here. Once you prepare the dough and divide it into small balls, take each ball, flatten it against your palm and put a little stuffing in the center of the dough. Then roll it into a ball.

- Once you finish stuffing the peas into the dough, heat vegetable oil (not olive oil) in a deep pot or a small wok. Allow it to heat properly on a medium heat stove. In the meantime roll out the dough on a wooden surface. (Dusting a little all purpose flour on the surface while rolling it helps the dough to not stick to the board). Do not roll the dough too thin or put pressure while rolling as those would allow the stuffing to ooze out from the side. (Should it still happen, just dab some flour over it and continue to roll).

-Take each rolled out puri, one at a time and put it in the hot oil, slightly pressing the center with a slotted spoon. That helps the puri to puff up. Once the lower side is lightly done turn it over, not allowing it to lose the green color. Take it out and drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Serve it with curried potatoes ('Aloo Dum'). The cauliflower recipe which I have in another post (click here) will go well with it.

(FISH) Chilli Fish

This recipe calls for any fish fillet (or steak like cut). I used fresh Perch which has less bones to deal with.

Ingredients we need:

- 1-2 lbs fish of your choice. Depending upon the number of persons, cut them medium sized and clean. Salt and pepper and keep it aside.

For marinating the fish:

- Light and low sodium soya sauce (about half cup).
- Half cup orange juice.
- 2 1/2 tsp brown sugar.
- Ginger-garlic paste.
- Cornflour.
- 5-6 green chilli, slitted.
- Half cup chopped green onion.
- 2 tsp sesame oil.

Reserve half of ginger-garlic paste and chopped green onion and the rest should be used for marinade.

- Except for the green chillies mix the rest of the ingredients and form a marinade.
- Pour the marinade over the cut fish, cover it with a cling wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a pan and pan fry the fish until they are golden brown and reserve the marinade.
- Lay the fried fish in a serving dish and keep them warm.
- Put the slitted green chillies in the oil and take them out immediately. They should not lose their green color. Keep them aside.
- Discard extra oil from the pan (just leaving about 2 tbs.oil in the pan) and put in the previously reserved ginger-garlic paste. When it looks translucent, pour the marinade in the oil and allow it to reduce. As it thickens drizzle it over the fish like a sauce. Don't cover the fish with the sauce entirely. (Make sure the sauce is not salty. If it is then pour a little orange juice and dilute it).
- Sprinkle the fried green chillies and green onion. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

(MEAT) Ground goat croquette with sauteed vegetables

(Measurement makes 15 croquettes).

For ingredients we need:

- About 2lbs ground goat meat.
- 1 large red onion chopped.
- 2 tbs ground fresh ginger-garlic paste
- 1 chopped green chili (optional).
- 2 tbs white vinegar.
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (cinnamon, clove and cardamom).
- 1 tsp ground roasted cumin powder.
- Salt to taste.
- Quarter cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.

To prepare:

Heat oil and saute the chopped onion until it is caramelized. Put the ground ginger- garlic paste together with the other ingredients. When the oil leaves the fried masala, pour in the meat and mix with the masala. The meat should look well sauteed. Make sure the salt is right. Take the meat mixture off the heat and allow it to cool.

The ingredients for preparing the croquettes:

- 6 medium sized boiled potatoes (peeled and mashed). Add salt to taste and a pinch of garam masala.
- Divide the mashed potato into 15 portions turning them into tiny balls (each the size of a golf ball).
- Beat an egg with a little milk and salt and keep it in a bowl.
- Bread crumbs for the crust, keep it in another bowl.
- A little all purpose flour in the third bowl.
- A deep pot, and vegetable oil for frying.

- While you are forming the croquette put the vegetable oil for heating on a medium high heat.
- Take each potato ball , press it against your palm till it looks like a thin patty. (If it sticks, rub some oil on your palm before pressing the potato ball against it).
- Put some meat stuffing in the center of the patty (not too much) and roll it up like a ball with the meat inside the potato.
- Roll the filled ball, first in the flour (making sure to shake off the excess), THEN in the beaten egg, and FINALLY, in the breadcrumbs. The crumbs should coat evenly. (You can shape the croquettes either round or oval).

After you finish forming the croquettes test the oil to see if it it hot enough.
To test the temperature of the oil insert a wooden spoon and if you see tiny bubbles then the oil is ready to be used.
According to how big your pot is, put in the croquettes for frying. Do not crowd the pot.
The temperature of the oil should be constant throughout the frying process. The croquettes should look golden brown in color. Lay them on a paper towel to drain out excess oil.

Serve hot with some salad or sauteed vegetables.

(FISH) Grilled chilli garlic pomfret topped with red chilli-cilantro butter

Buy fresh white pomfret fish from the market,not too big in size.

- Make sure the fins are cut and stomach is cleaned up.
- Leave the fish whole and make two slits on either side with a knife.

Ingredients we need for the marinade: Measurement is for a single Pomphret fish.

- 2 tbs chinese garlic chili paste.
- Half tsp chopped fresh ginger.
- 2 tbs light soya sauce.
- 1 tsp brown sugar.
- 1 tsp sesame oil.
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar.
- 1 tsp cornflour.

Put all the above ingredients together and marinate the fish with the paste. Allow it to marinate for an hour or two. In the meantime, make the compound butter as follows:

The ingredients for the red chili cilantro compound butter:

- Half stick or 4 tbs unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Half cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tsp good paprika powder
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste.
- 1 chopped green chili.
- 1 tsp sugar or honey.
- Juice of one green lime.

Put the ingredients together and mixed butter in a cling wrap (see the picture accompanying this post) and roll it up, tightly securing the both ends by tying up. Put it in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

To grill the fish:

- Take a Grilling Pan and layer the fish.
- Spray oil on either side of the fish and keep it under a hot broiler or on a grill for few minutes until the fish looks crispy and brown.
- Turn it over and do the same on the other side.

Serve it hot topped with a slice of that compound butter we have made earlier, along with some salad.

(VEG) Cauliflower and mushroom roasted in coconut and cheese sauce

For ingredients we need:

- 1 medium sized cauliflower (use the flowerets, discarding the hard stem in the bottom).
- 1 cup grated mild white cheddar or any cheese which is mild in flavor. (You can also use non-diary cheese if you want).
- 1 cup coconut milk.
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour.
- 1 cup diced button mushroom.
- 1 tsp grated ginger.
- 1 green chilli, chopped.
- 1 tsp cumin powder(optional).
- Half tsp cayenne pepper.
- Salt to taste
- Preheated oven at 350F.

To prepare:

- Heat a little vegetable oil in a skillet on a medium high heat.
- Put the flour in the oil and stir it - making sure not to burn it.
- Put in the cauliflower, ginger, mushroom, green chilli, cumin powder, a little salt and cayenne pepper.
- Saute together, then pour in the coconut milk. As the gravy slightly thickens, take the skillet off the heat. If it looks too thick add water to dilute it. The texture should be creamy.
- Pour the vegetable in a baking dish and bake it until the cauliflower caramelizes.
- Garnish it with the reserved grated cheese. If you want, you can also add little chopped cilantro for color.
- Mix the grated cheese with the vegetable, reserve a little for garnish.
- Pour the vegetable in a baking dish.
- Serve hot with good bread or steamed rice.

(VEG) Cabbage Raita

Ingredients:

- Shredded green cabbage (quantity depends on the number of persons).
- Good yogurt.
- A pinch of black mustard seeds.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tsp mango pickle in oil or mustard paste (optional).
- A little sugar for the yogurt.
- 1 tsp ground roasted cumin powder or chaat masala.

To prepare:

In a skillet heat oil and put in the mustard seeds. When it sputters, put in the shredded cabbage and stir. When the oil coats the cabbage evenly then turn off the heat and put salt. Allow it to cool.

Beat the yogurt smooth. Put salt and sugar for taste. Mix the cabbage with the yogurt.

Pour it in a serving bowl and garnish it with pickle and roasted cumin powder or chaat masala. Serve it with hot stuffed paratha.

(VEG) Cilantro-SourCream dip

For ingredients:

- One bunch cilantro (coriander) leaves.
- Half cup sour cream (you can use non-fat or low fat sour cream).
- Half cup grated coconut.
- 2 green chillies (de-seeded).
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tsp sugar (I use brown sugar).
- 1 clove garlic.
- Juice of half a lemon.
- 1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil.

To make the cilantro pesto, combine all the ingredients, except for the sour cream.

It should be ground into a fine paste, not too thick. Taste to see if the sweetness and sourness is OK by you, and if not, then adjust it according to your taste.

Pour out the mixture in a bowl and mix the sour cream evenly. Serve it with shrimp pancake (click here) or use it as a dip.

(FISH) Shrimp Pancake with sour cream cilantro dip (recipe is great , especially for those watching their Carb intake)

For the pancake we need:

- 2 cups de-veined and shelled shrimps.
- 1/3 cup fine rice flour.
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour.
- 1 tbs chopped ginger.
- 1 tbs chopped garlic.
- 2 small Thai green chillies minced.
- 2 tbs chopped green onion.
- 1 tbs chopped Kaffir lime leaves (optional).
- The juice of half a lime.
- 2 tsp fish sauce (if you do not have fish sauce then use soya sauce).
- 1 cup coconut milk.
- Salt to taste (not too much; remember that fish sauce has salt in it).
- 1 egg.
- 1/2 cup water.
- Oil or melted butter for brushing.

Make sure you prepare it on medium heat and not on high.

To prepare the pancakes:

Except for the oil, combine all the ingredients listed above and form a batter. The consistency should be just right, not too thin or thick (Check out my previous recipe on Pancake - click here. It gives you the method of preparing). Serve hot with Cilantro-SourCream Dip - click here).

(VEG) Okra and red pumpkin saute (my mom's recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup diced okra (wash okra before cutting then wipe them with a clean kitchen towel). Okra is also known as "ladies fingers" and as "gumbo".
- 1 cup diced red pumpkin (small sized)
- Pinch of mustard seeds
- 2 green chillies (slit them)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbs grated coconut for garnish (optional)

To prepare:

- Heat 2 tbs veg. oil in a skillet.
- Gently throw the mustard seeds in the oil. Allow them to sputter.
- First put the diced pumpkin in the skillet and saute over medium high heat.
- As it turns lightly brown put the okra in the skillet and saute it with the pumpkin.
- Allow it to turn lightly brown too and it will become less slimy.
- Salt the vegetables and cover it over reduced heat, stirring it periodically
- The vegetables should be soft and dry but not mushy.
- Drizzle a little oil over the prepared veg before putting it in the serving dish.
- Garnish it with slitted green chilli and grated coconut. Serve it with hot tortilla or with roti.

(VEG) Stir-Fried Zucchini in Coconut and Mustard Paste (Bengali)

This Bengali recipe is traditionally cooked with vegetables like small eggplant or cauliflower or even okra. We also cook fish in coconut and mustard paste wrapped in Banana leaves and baked in an oven. I use zucchini because it is available where I live. Well! This will be my next recipe.

You need

- 3 cups diced zucchini
- 1 crushed clove of garlic (optional)
- A pinch of fennel seeds (optional)
- 3 tbs of grated coconut
- 2 tbs of powdered yellow mustard.
- 2 medium sized green chili (de-seeded)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbs olive oil or mustard oil

Except for the zucchini and the fennel seeds put rest of the ingredients together in a food processor and grind. Grind it with little water until the paste is smooth, like pesto.
- In a skillet, heat oil ,put fennel seeds and then throw in the diced zucchini. Stir fry on high heat until the zucchini is light brown in color, then add salt.
After the zucchini is salted you will notice some liquid in the skillet. Put the mustard paste in the skillet and reduce the heat.Gently mix the paste with the vegetable not to be stirred too often. The zucchini should be slightly crunchy in texture. Cook until the oil leaves the mixture and the zucchini looks well coated with the paste.
Garnish it with little chopped cilantro and served with hot basmati rice.
(I added some roasted peanuts and dried cranberries with the garnish).

(VEG) Turnip Pancake (NO eggs, NO diary products)

To prepare (Serves 2 persons)
- 1 cup of shredded turnip
- 1/3 cup fine rice flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 tsp ginger green chilli paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste (optional)
- Half tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp roasted ground cumin (optional)
- Half cup coconut milk
- About 1 cup water(the consistency should be like regular pancake batter)

Heat a griddle. (You can make the pancakes in a frying pan too). Keep cooking oil or melted butter in a bowl on one side.
-Mix all the ingredients together and form a batter.
-Sprinkle some water on the hot griddle if it makes a sizzling sound then the griddle is ready to be used.
-Spray oil on the griddle and with help of a ladle or deep serving spoon. Spoon out some of the batter and pour it on the griddle. Lightly spread it out with the back of the ladle or spoon in a circular motion. (You should be fast). It should look like a crepe. Brush some oil or butter generously on the uncooked side and then flip it over with a spatula. Allow it to brown and become crunchy on the edges. Serve hot with some prepared chutney or spread. You can have some savory filling with cheese, vegetables or shrimps.
You can replace turnips with shredded potatoes, sweet potatoes,carrots or cabbage. Onions are great too. This is a good way of serving vegetables to anyone.

(FISH) Tandoori Prawns

The ingredients which are going to be mentioned can also be used for making Tandoori Prawns, Tandoori Paneer, Tandoori chicken and Tandoori Fish.
Tandoori Chicken should be marinated overnight or minimum 6-8hrs. The rest can be marinated for an hour.

- Marinade for Prawns: (We need reasonably big sized fresh prawns - 12 pieces serving 4 persons)
- 1 1/2 cup whipped plain yogurt - not thick.
- Lemon juice of 4 whole lemons
- Vegetable oil half cup
- Tandoori powder mix 1 packet
- 3 tbsp garlic, ginger, green chilly paste.

Mix all the ingredients together.
Butterfly the prawns and leave the shells on. It will retain its softness when serving.
Coat the prawns with the mixture and allow it to marinate in a refrigerator for an hour or two.
Prepare the broiler or the grill. It should be on high heat.
-Discard the extra liquid collected on the prawns and arrange them on a grilling pan.
-Keep little oil or melted ghee in a small bowl mixed with little tandoori powder.
-Grill or broil the prawns in a hot oven. As soon as it turns brown on one side turn it over and lightly brown the other side. (Prawns do not take much time to cook so remain alert!) Don't leave it in the heat for long. The prawns will turn rubbery.
Brush it with the oil mixture on the hot prawns and immediately serve with lemon wedges on the side and green salad. I have served vegetable pilaf and cucumber on the side.

I barbeque the chicken pieces the same way. I usually marinate the drumsticks and the thigh pieces. The skin should be taken off. Marinate for 6-8hrs, then discard the extra liquid and grill them in an oven or over a hot fire.
Similarly Tandoori paneer and fish can be prepared too. It takes less time to cook than chicken.

(MEAT) Easy meat balls

This recipe is suited for the students. It is easy and quick.
- For ingredients we need 1 packet of fresh uncooked sweet, mild hot Italian sausages. (4 sausages in a packet)
- 1 tbsp oil for browning the meatballs
- 2 cups creamy tomato soup from local supermarket
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Quarter cup grated parmesan cheese


Take each sausage and squeeze it out from its casing bit by bit forming tiny meat balls. Brown the balls in a skillet over medium heat. You will notice that the meat balls are releasing their fat too. In the same skillet pour in 2 cups of prepared creamy tomato soup. (You can buy it from local grocery stores).
Let the meatballs cook for sometimes until the sauce thickens. Serve hot sprinkling dried oregano leaves, extra virgin olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.
I mixed some pasta with the sauce. You can eat it with garlic bread too.

NOTE the prepared meat balls can be used for making (hearty!) sandwiches. Or throw some noodles into chicken stock and combine the meatballs turning them into meatball noodle soup.

(FISH) Seafood Sausage Salad (exotic)

I bought these great looking uncooked seafood sausages from my local grocery shop. To serve 4 persons I had 5 sausages,sliced (half inch in thickness) ready to be cooked.
In a nonstick pan I heated 2 tbs any light oil. I sauteed them over medium high heat until they were light brown in color then took them off the heat. For the dressing: I mixed 2 tbsp mayonaisse (you can use low caloried), half tsp garlic powder, a pinch of chili powder, half tsp honey, pinch of salt,juice of half lemon and 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
Arrange the sausages on a bed of greens.
Drizzle the dressing over it. If you want you can add sliced onions and green apple. Its yummy!!!
I have mixed diced red tomato with the greens.

(This is a quick lunch for non-veg. lovers. You can use cooked shrimp too).

Vegetarians:

You can replace sausages with fried paneer or soya nuggets (Nutrela).
For ingredients you need:
- Sausages or soya nuggets
- Oil
- Fresh greens ("salad leaves").
- For dressing: mayonaisse, garlic powder, chilli powder, honey, salt, half a lemon, extra virgin olive oil. (Measurements are listed above).
- Tomato, sliced red onion and green apple for garnishing (optional).

(VEG or MEAT) Open faced grilled Pita sandwich(great quicklunch which can be packed to go)

Ingredients (serves 2 persons):

- 2 wholewheat pita bread. You can also use whole wheat tortilla or chappati
- 1 cup of raw ground meat of our choice
- (Or, for vegetarians: 1cup of diced firm tofu)
- 1 whole chopped onion
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped
- 1 tsp tomato paste or 2tbs ketchup
- 1 tsp chilli powder or any hot sauce
- S pinch of crushed cardamom or any dried herb of your choice. (I like the flavor of cardamom)
- Salt and sugar. (I generally use raw brown sugar or natural cane sugar)
- 2tbsp light soysauce and hot sauce
- 6 medium sized cabbage leaves washed

To prepare:

- Heat veg. oil (1 tbsp) and saute the cabbage leaves on high heat (don't burn them). They should be caramelized and kept aside.
- Grill the pita bread and keep on a serving dish
- Saute the chopped onion and the minced garlic in a skillet until it is light brown in color.
- Throw in the meat (or tofu), salt and sugar, tomato paste (or ketchup), chilli powder and the herb or the cardamom powder.
- Stir all the ingredients together until the mixture looks well cooked. It should be dry.

- Arrange the cabbage leaves on the pita bread.
- Sprinkle the soya sauce and the hot sauce over it.
- Scoop the meat or the tofu mixture and layer over the arranged cabbage leaves.
- Garnish it sliced red onion and greens.

Serve it with fruits or pack it to go.

This is an excellent light lunch, low caloried and tasty. To make it somewhat exotic, you can sprinkle low caloried cheese or any cheese of your choice.

(VEG) Begun Bhaja (Oven Fried Eggplant)

This recipe is best for those who are watching their calorie intake and also great way of introducing vegetables to the kids, because through past experience, I have noticed that kids love to eat vegetables prepared this way.

The traditional Bengali version of this dish is deep fried. But this one is cooked in the oven. (As a matter of fact most of my vegetable dishes are oven fried - including cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bitter gourd...)

Take an eggplant, make sure it is not full of seeds.

Tip the best way of judging a good eggplant - it should be light, shiny, and firm. (I learnt this from a seller at a Farmer's Market).

Cut the eggplant into half inch thick circles, brush it with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt on both sides of the cut pieces. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. arrange the eggplant pieces. Preheat oven to about 500 F (140 C). Put the baking sheet in the center shelf of the oven and let it bake until you see the top part brown in color. (Make it brown according to your choice. Note that the side in contact with the sheet gets brown earlier so keep an eye on it and turn it over if needed. In my oven it takes six to seven minutes to get to the degree of brownness that I prefer).

You may like to serve it with luchi. (I have shown how to make luchi here )
Tip bake multiple vegetables together that includes zucchini, bell peppers, potatoes and onions and you can prepare lovely grilled vegetable sandwiches.

(VEG) Pasta Penne One Two Three!

There is a traditional way of cooking pasta and there is my way!

To cook pasta

- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup uncooked penne pasta
- 2 cups of prepared creamy tomato soup
- 1 large red tomato diced
- 2 tsp sundried tomato julienne
- 3 tbs good extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Boil about 3 cups of water.Pour 1 cup of uncooked penne pasta into the boiled water and salt(about 11/2 tsp ).
Cook pasta until "al dente" ("firm but not hard"). Do not remove the pasta from the pan. There should be about quarter cup of water in the pan with the pasta. Turn the heat low and pour in the soup. Let the pasta cook in the soup for some time. When the soup is reduced, turn off the heat. Pour the pasta in a serving bowl and mix the chopped tomatoes and the olives with the hot pasta. Then sprinkle the sundried tomato, olive oil and top it with the grated parmesan cheese and rosemary. Serve hot.

(MEAT) Shepherd's Pie

Traditionally Shepherd's Pie is cooked ground meat layered with mashed potatoes and brushed with egg wash, then baked in a hot oven.

I baked my pie with frozen hash brown potatoes because I did not have mashed potatoes at home. But it actually tasted better.

-To prepare(3 persons)

- 1 lb (about 500gms) ground meat (I used ground pork)
- 1 big onion chopped fine
- 3 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- Quarter cup ketchup
- Half tsp garam masala (cinnamon,cloves and cardamom ground) optional.
- Half tsp dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
- Half tsp chilli powder (optional)
- Oil for cooking
- 1 beaten egg
- Half cup of grated cheddar cheese (optional)


Heat oven (400F.or 200C)
Heat 2 tbs. veg oil. Throw in chopped onions and garlic. Saute until it turns light brown. Put the tomato paste and the dried herb.
Throw in the meat, salt and pepper to taste, garam masala if you have and ketchup. Stir it together. Cover it up on a low heat let the meat cook in its juice. When the liquid absolutely reduces mix the cream cheese and sprinkle with chili powder. Turn off heat, pour meat in a baking dish.
Soften the frozen hash browns in a microwave oven. Take them out, break them into pieces and brush beaten egg over the pieces.
Bake it in the oven for about 25 mins or until it looks brown and bubbly.
Turn the heat and spread the cheese over, allow it to melt. Serve hot with some good bread.
If you want to replace hash browns with mashed potatoes, you are most welcome.

(VEG) Luchi ("Poori")

Traditionally pooris are made out of whole wheat flour and luchis (pronounced loo-chees) are made out of all purpose flour. But I will be making luchi with mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour.

To prepare for 4 persons

- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour
- Pinch of salt
- Half of veg,oil or 3 tbsp clarified butter(ghee)
- Water for kneading

Incorporate the oil with the flour. It should be evenly mixed.
Pour water little by little until it turns into dough, knead the dough until it does not stick and feels smooth.
Form small balls, size of little smaller than golf balls.

To fry

- 1 1/2 cups of veg.oil(not olive oil)
- Deep pot to fry in or small wok

The oil should be hot. As the oil is heating, roll out each luchi on a wooden board. (This is done by flattening each small ball into a flat disk - usually with a wooden roller). If it sticks dust some flour and then roll. Once the oil heats up (to test the temperature of the oil, insert the back of a wooden spoon and if you see tiny bubbles circling it then the oil is hot enough) put each rolled out luchi in the oil and press it lightly with a slotted spoon. You will notice the luchi will puff up. If it does not that means oil has not reached right temp - or the dough rolled out is too thin.
Serve hot with prepared veg. or meat.

(VEG) Dhokar Dalna (Bengali dish) - Yellow Split Peas Cake in Tomato gravy

For dhokar dalna you need

- 1 cup of yellow split peas( chana dal)
- About 4 tbsp of ground ginger
- Ground garam masala (cloves, cinnamon and cardamom)
- 2 whole tomatoes diced
- Salt and sugar to taste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Half tsp asafoetida powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
- Half tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter(optional)
-2tbs yogurt
-1 bay leaf(optional)

To prepare Dhoka

Wash the dal (yellow split peas) and soak overnight. Grind it .
In a skillet heat oil put the cumin seeds and pinch of asafoetida. When the seeds splatters, put the ground dal and stir it on low heat until it looks pasty and does not stick to the skillet. It should not dry out. Nonstick pan is advisable.
Once the paste looks cooked, spread it out evenly in a well greased baking pan. It should be half inch in thickness. Once it cools down cut it into squares (not too big or small). Then pan-fry the squares and keep aside.

To prepare the sauce:

Heat oil in a skillet, throw in the diced tomatoes and bayleaf. Once the tomatoes look cooked and do not have the raw smell, throw in rest of the ingredients except for the ghee (clarified butter). The whole mixture should look well cooked. Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer. Once the sauce slightly thickens put the dhoka pieces. Keep them on low heat for few seconds then remove the skillet from the heat. Pour the clarified butter, cover it until it cools down slightly. Pour it in a serving dish and serve. I served it with puris, you can also serve it with rice or chappati.

TIP: If the sauce gets entirely soaked up, add a little water and gently shake the skillet before pouring it in the serving dish.

Note: The "luchis" (fried Indian bread pieces) shown in the picture are described in my post: http://pinkysrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/luchi-poori.html

(VEG) Palak Paneer with a twist

 This is not a traditional Palak Paneer. We don't steam the Palak (spinach).

For ingredients we need

- Around four squeezed handfuls of fresh spinach (Baby Spinach is preferable). It needs to be thoroughly washed.
- Half cup of sunflower seeds
 - Paneer cut into cubes. Note: If you cannot get Paneer, use button mushrooms.
- Chopped onions, amount depends on the amount of spinach and Paneer.
- Half inch ginger piece and 5 cloves of garlic.
- Two green chillies and one cup of chopped cilantro (coriander) washed.
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste.
- 1/2 tsp Cummin seeds.
- 1 tsp Turmeric.
- 1 tsp Garam Masala (powdered mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom).
- 1/2 cup of olive oil.
- 1 tbsp of dried fenugreek leaves (optional).
- Lime juice (squeeze the juice of half a lime).

Wash the fresh spinach.

Put hot water on the washed spinach

Put it in a cold water bath. Squeeze the water out from the spinach.

Put it in a blender.

Throw in the ginger/garlic. Salt to taste. Powder the sunflower seeds and add cilantro, fenugreek,  leaves (optional), line juice and about half cup of olive oil. It forms into a pesto. Taste to see if the salt is OK. Keep aside.

At this point you can also serve the pesto with crackers or flat bread or garlic bread.

Heat oil in a skillet. Put pinch of cummin seeds and dried red chilli cut into pieces. Put in the Paneer cubes and fry them until they are light brown in color. Put the chopped onions, tomato paste, turmeric, Garam Masala, salt and sugar to taste. Mix them together until the mixture looks fried and a little oily. Pour in a half cup of water and let it simmer for some time until the liquid reduces. Turn off the heat.

Pour the spinach pesto. Turn off the heat and incorporate the pesto with the Paneer mixture till the color is uniformly green. The consistency should be creamy. Pour it into a serving dish and top it with 2 tsp of butter (which will melt eventually with the heat).