Brown Sambar Rice

 Sambar brown rice or Brown sambar rice!!! thats a very big question....what to call this recipe. This is Sambar rice but made with Brown rice. Its super duper delicious.

Brown Sambar Rice (Brown cooked with spices)

Sambar brown rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup brown rice
2. 1/2 cup masoor dal or lentils
3. Juice from a small golf ball sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water
4. 1 tablespoon ghee
5. 1 medium small potato cubed into 1 cm cubes
6. 1 medium carrot cubed into 1 cm cubes
7. 1/4 cup chopped green beans
8. 1 teaspoon each of salt mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin, 2 dried red chillies, few curry leaves, grated ginger

Ingredients for Sambar Powder:

1. 1 tablespoons each of chana dal, toor dal, moong dal
2. 1 teaspoon cumin

Soak the rice and lentils in water for 30 min to 2 hrs. Cook the rice and dal with 2 cups of water + tamarind juice + salt

Toast the ingredients for sambar powder and grind them into powder.

In a pan heat the gheet and add the mustard seeds. Cover and let splutter. Add all the other ingredients in # 9 (except salt) fry for a minute. Add the vegetables and fry for 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the cooked rice and dal and Sprinkle the sambar powder and mix to combine. Simmer covered for 2 minutes. Enjoy with appadam, pickle and Scrambled egg

Chicken Stir fry Indian Style

I love making stir fries which are quick and easy and have some meet and a ton of vegetables in it. When I started searching for the recipes all I could find are Chinese...ofcourse Stir Fry is all Chinese I know (roll eyes)

   but but but...I like stir fry and I do not always want to eat Chinese.

So I made my own...Chicken stir fry with Indian spices and boy oh boy it was yummy

Chicken Stir fry Indian Style

Chicken Stir Fry with Indian spices

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken cut into 1 inch cubes but only 1/4 inch thick.
2. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, 
3. 1 teaspoon cumin powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
6. 1 teaspoon dried mango powder (optional) (substitute fresh squeezed lemon juice)
7. 2 tablespoons oil
8. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
9. Your choice of vegetables (I used mushrooms cut into thick slices, onions, bell pepper) (Can also include Zucchini and Squash

Marinate the chicken with salt, chilli powder and ginger garlic paste and lemon juice for 30 mins.

In a pan heat 1/2 the oil and add the mushroom and fry on high for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and fry for 5-10 minutes. Drain.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan and add the chicken and fry for 10 minutes until its cooked through. Add the vegetables back and add the spices and add salt according to taste.

Garnish with hand full of cilantro and enjoy with white or brown rice

Chicken Quinoa Rice

All kinds of grains are getting popular these days. Quinoa is one of them. But you need to know how to cook it else it will taste bitter. The quinoa and rice is one of the sachet foods you can get at Costco these days.
It is so easy to make, that you do not need to buy a prepared packet. You can make it hot and fresh in less than 30 minutes.

Chicken Quinoa Rice

Chicken Quinoa Rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup each of quinoa, white rice rinsed under cold running water
2. 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken shredded or 2 cans chicken breasts
3. 1 chicken bouillion

Check how long your rice and quinoa will cook. My rice takes 20 minutes and quinoa 15 minutes to cook. So I made them in the same pot.

In a pan add the rice and 2 cups water and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 more cups of water and quinoa and cook for 15 more minutes along with the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and simmer on very low flame for 5 more minutes. Enjoy

You can add any veggies you want to this pot in the last 10 minutes.

Tamale Pie

Tamales' are great if made well. And Los Angeles has some of the best Tamale makers outside Mexico.

It is very hard work to make Tamale and you need to have banana leaves and many other things. So I made the next best thing...Tamale Pie

Tamale Pie (Meat with corn bread crust)

Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb ground beef
2. 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions, canned drained black beans, thawed or canned corn, bell pepper (your fav color...I used orange), Mexican three cheese blend, salsa (whatever level heat you can handle...I used hot)
3. 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
4. 1/4 cup each of (green beans cut into 1/2 cm pieces), zucchini, carrot (These are all optional)
5. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, oregano
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, paprika
7. 1 box jiffy corn muffin mix mixed as the directions on the box

Heat a pan and cook the ground meat with all the spices for 5-6 minutes. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add all the vegetables EXCEPT CORN if using and fry for 5 minutes. Add salsa and mix well and cut the heat.

Mix the corn muffin mix with cheese and corn .

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

(9 inch pie pan was a bit small for me...so 11 inch circular pan or 11x9 or a 9x9 pan will be just right.

Add the meat mixture and top if off with the corn muffin mix and bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy

Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes

This Spring we have been having a bounty of Asparagus in the super market I shop. So, every week I have been getting a bunch of asparagus and the asparagus I got this time were super fresh.

So, the dinner for today is one pan baked salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes and I also baked some broccoli

Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes (All baked in one pan)

Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes

Ingredients:

1. 3 -4 salmon fillets (about a lb)
2. 2-3 medium large potatoes (Boiled for 10 minutes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces)
3. 1 bunch asparagus
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
6. 1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray with cooking spray and spread the potatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 salt and bake for 15 minutes. Don't touch them.

Move the potatoes to one side of the pan, add the asparagus in the middle of the pan and the salmon on the other side. drizzle with oil all over and sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper and bake for 10-12 minutes more. Serve

Also here are a few more ways to serve a salmon fillet

Salmon dinner

Glazed carrot and waxed beans

Salmon curry