Hasselback potato chips

See, the jewelry at the top of the page, I made those but the app was supposed to be 2x2 inches box. And it is occupying a whole lot of page and spoiling the whole purpose of this blog. Google needs to fix it and I am so sorry because those jewelry pieces are soooo in your face :(

Anyway, this hassel back potatoes are so nice to look it but it is quite a bit of work and you have to serve it as immediately as possible after you bake it. Otherwise they become hard

The photo does not do any justice

Hasselback potato chips

Hassel back Potato Chips

Ingredients:

1. 3 or 4 russet potatoes scrubbed well
2. Handful of garlic peeled and sliced length wise into thin slices
3. 1 teaspoon of salt
4. Oil as needed
5. Pepper or any other seasoning you like

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices being careful to leave the bottom intact. Insert a slice of garlic between two slices of the potato. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle oil and sprinkle with salt pepper and any other spices you like. Bake for 50-70 minutes. Serve immediately with Ketchup or anyother dipping sauce like tzatziki

New year eve appetizers

Such an eventful year and it is at an end. I rise the bubbly to an year where many many things which took years in the making finally happened. Today is a day to celebrate and say good bye to a happy year and pray and hope the coming year would be equally, if not more successful. Happy new year to you

Egg stuffed chicken kabobs

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs ground chicken ( if you can use lamb, it is the best)

2. 8 eggs hard boiled, peeled and cut into quarters length wise

3.  1 teaspoon salt

4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chili flakes 

5. 1 teaspoon grated garlic

6. 1/4 cup very finely chopped onions

7. Oil for shallow frying

Mix all the ingredients and set aside until ready to use

Apply oil to both your palms. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Take a small egg sized meat mixture and flatten it. Put an egg quarter on it and roll the meat so that you cannot see any egg. Fry on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the kabobs every 4-5 minutes until you do not see any raw meat. Serve with tatziki or ketchup

Strawberry jelly roll

Today being Christmas eve I was searching for some cake recipes and whatever I found needed ingredients I didn't have at hand. And I don't want to go shopping today evening certainly. The shops are so super crowded.
           And finally I found the recipe here and this time around I followed it to the dot. I usually modify it in one way or other but today its not the case. And I am very happy with the results. It is so simple and easy to make and it can be made pretty fast too. Other than the 1 hr you need to wait for the cake to cool down

Strawberry Jelly Roll

Strawberry jelly roll

Ingredients:

1. 2 tsp. powdered sugar
2. 4 eggs
3. ¾ c. sugar
4. ¼ c. cold water
5. 1 tsp. vanilla
6. 1 c. flour
7. 1 tsp. baking powder
8. ¼ tsp. salt
9. ¾ c. strawberry jelly

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. (350 degrees if the baking tray is dark) Grease and lightly flour a 15” x 10” x 1” baking pan. Lay a clean kitchen towel on a flat surface and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes or until thick. Add sugar ¼ c. at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in water and vanilla.
3. With the mixer running on low speed, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Continue to mix until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. The cake is ready when it springs back after being lightly touched.
5. Remove baking pan from oven and run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen. Immediately invert on to the towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove pan.
6. Starting with the short side, roll up cake in towel and set on a wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
7. Unroll cake and remove towel. Spread cake with jelly and re-roll loosely to incorporate filling. Wrap in foil or wax paper and store in the refrigerator until serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving if desired.

Power balls

There has been a bounty of sweet potatoes at my super market and I have been making the sweet potato scones and I was searching for some other recipes for sweet potato. I found the recipe to make with protein rich nuts. The balls are super delicious and power house of protein. You can make it into squares or bars or any other shape which is convenient to you

Power Balls (Protein rich breakfast balls)

breakfast protein bars

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato 
2. 2 packets quaker quick oats with walnut and raisins
3. 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
4. 1/4 cup almonds
5. 2 tablespoons each of dates paste, peanut butter
6. 1 tablespoon honey or to taste
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds



Calorific info for the power balls

Pulse the oats, sunflower seeds and almonds till they become coarse. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse till it all comes together. Make into walnut sized balls and store it in the fridge. Enjoy your breakfast balls rich in protein

Tandoori chicken

OThe Omni present dish in all the indian restaurants in America is the red chicken- tandoori chicken . Which on the way to America from India lost its spicyness but gained the color to fake the spice. Anyway, it is one of the favorite dishes of one and all and I finally got it at home

Tandoori chicken

Ingredients

1. 6 chicken thigh+drumstick bone in or 1 lb chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces

2. 2/3 cup plain yogurt

3. 1/2 brown onion ground to paste

3. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4. 1/2 teaspoon each of red food color, salt, turmeric,

5.1 teaspoon coriander powder, red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste

5. 1 tablespoon oil

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the chicken for 12-24 hours. Or 30-60 minutes if you are in a hurry

Heat the oven to 425 degrees . Reduce heat to 400 degrees. Place the chicken on a grilling rack and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken and bake for 30 more minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving with pilaf and onion rings and lemon 

I also have a stove top grill. So when I do not want to use the oven, especially for chicken breast pieces, I use the stove top grill. 

Lay the chicken pieces in a single layer and grill 3-5 minutes. Then flip and grill 2-4 minutes further. Cover and let stay on the grill for 1-2 minutes. Enjoy as an appetizer or a side dish

Orange Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving dinner is in-complete if you do not have the cranberry sauce. My favorite part of the dinner is the cranberry sauce and the stuffing. Combining the salt, the sweet , the tart and the sour flavors is just amazing. Mmmm...making my mouth water just thinking about all the amazing flavors.

But the cranberry sauce straight from the can is so very boring. So I have been using the most amazing recipe ever since I started making thanksgiving dinners. It is super delicious. And you have to try it to believe it.

Orange Cranberry Sauce (Cranberry sauce jazzed up with citrus flavors)

Orange Cranberry sauce

Ingredients:

1. 1 can cranberry sauce with whole berries
2. 2 teaspoons or less sugar (depending on how sweet you like you sauce)
3. 1/2 cup juice freshly squeezed orange juice
4. 1 teaspoon orange rind

Bring to boil all the ingredients in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Let it cool before serving

Roasted Turkey

Unbelievably this is my 4th year of making the Thanksgiving Dinner. The main dish this year is ofcourse, the star of the Dinner, Roasted Turkey. It all started when my daughter started going to the preschool and she loooooved Turkey , so I decided to make Thanksgiving Turkey at home and from that year on, it has become a tradition at my house to make the Thanksgiving dinner.

I always try to find the smallest turkey possible. Which is usually about 11-12 lbs. By no means it is small, but compared to the 20-24 lb birds it is small.

Anyway, the whole preparation / getting ready for cooking the turkey starts about 3-4 days before the day of cooking. So...since Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, Monday and Tuesday are for thawing the turkey in the fridge and Wednesday or Tuesday night is better for brining it and Wednesday for marinating the Turkey. It will be the most flavorsome turkey you would ever eat. ITS A PRODUCT OF PATIENCE AND LOVE.

Roasted Turkey (Turkey roasted with Indian/American flavors)

Roasted Turkey

Ingredients for brine-ing:

1. 1 container large enough to fit the turkey (i use a 15 gallon bucket just for this purpose)
2. 1/4 cup salt
3. 2-3 stalks of rosemary
4. few stalks of thyme
5. few stalks of sage
6. 1 heaped teaspoon red pepper flakes
7. 3 garlic pods crushed

Ingredients for marinating:

1. 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, butter, grated garlic
2. 1 teaspoon each of salt, coriander powder, garlic powder
3. fresh juice from 1/2 lemon
4. 1 teaspoon each of rosemary, thyme, sage chopped fine

Ingredients for roasting:

1. 5 stalks of celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2. 1 onion, roughly chopped
3. 2.5 cups chicken broth
4. One 12-lb turkey
5. 1/2 cup olive oil (or melted butter)
6. 1 orange (juiced)
7. 1 lemon (1/2 juiced, and cut the other half in half.
8. 1 whole head of garlic (1/2 minced)
9. 1 bunch of sage (1/2 minced, 1/2 whole)
10. 1 bunch of rosemary (1/2 minced, 1/2 whole)
11. 1 bunch thyme (1/2 minced, 1/2 whole)
12. 1 tablespoon salt
13. 1/2 tablespoon crushed black pepper

On Tuesday night, mix the ingredients for brine in about 4-5 cups of water and put the turkey in it and leave the bucket in the fridge. On wednesday morning turn the turkey upside down.

On Wednesday evening, mix the ingredients for marinade and rub them on the turkey well. Leave it in the fridge overnight. 2 hours before you start roasting. If you have any more marinade left rub it on the turkey again. 

1/2 hour before you start cooking, place a bag of ice on the turkey breasts (this will help the turkey breasts not dry out when the dark meat is getting cooked)

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients for roasting an add it to the roasting pan. Place the turkey on the roasting rack. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast for 3.5-4 hours. Baste the turkey with the liquid in the pan every 45 minutes. This will give the turkey a gorgeous dark brown color.

Enjoy your turkey dinner with side 

1. Rosemary corn bread 
2. Stuffing
3. Sourcream Mashed potato
4. English Pea Salad
5. Brown Gravy
6. Roasted Vegetables

And ofcourse you can't forget the dessert

Sweet Potato Pie

Pumpkin Pie

zappy English Pea Salad

Today this is one of my side dishes for the turkey day. It turned out to be super delicious with some zapp to it

Zappy English pea salad 

English Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup frozen peas thawed or canned peas drained
2. 1 hard-boiled eggs, whites chopped and yolks crumbled
3.  1/4 cup red or yellow or any other color bell pepper, finely chopped
4. 2 ounce(s) (1/2 cup) Cheddar cheese, shredded
5. 2 teaspoons each of  mayonnaise and sour cream
6. 1 teaspoon dried basil
7. 1-2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped red onion
8. 2 teaspoon(s) chopped pimiento
9. 1 teaspoon(s) apple-cider vinegar
10. 1 teaspoon(s) sugar
11. 1 teaspoon(s) soul-food seasoning or seasoned salt
12. 1 teaspoon(s) granulated garlic
13. 1 teaspoon Boar's head mustard with white wine (I love this one) (If you don't have it, use any mustard but not the regular yellow mustard) (or just skip it)

Mix all the ingredients together except the peas. Stir in the peas and mix to combine. Leave it in the fridge for atleast 2 hours. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature.

Fish biryani

Fish Biryani is something which feels weird but its super delicious to eat. Especially hen the weather is cold and you want to eat something hot.

I called it biryani but it is actually fish Pulao, because it is not cooked in the over for the second half.  I am making the whole dish on stove top

Fish biryani ( rice cooked with lightly fried fish)

Fish biryani/ fish pulao

Ingredients for marinade

1. 12 oz of your fav white fish cut into 1-1.5 inch wide pieces (I used Swai)
2. 2 tablespoons each of corn starch, lemon juice
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, garlic powder

Ingredients

1. 2 cups basmati rice
2. 3 tablespoons oil divided
3. 1 medium large onion sliced thin
4. 1 medium large tomato sliced thin
5. 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
6. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, dried fenugreek leaves
8. 2 dried red chillies or 2 green chillies slit
9. 1/2 cup plain yogurt beaten

marinate the fish with the marinade ingredients for 1-2 hours.

In a  pan heat 2 tablespoons oil and fry the fish 4 minutes on each side . drain and set aside. Add the remaining oil add the cumin and dried red chillies (if using) and fry till cumin splutter. Add onions and fry till they become dark brown. Drain and reserve some onions. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies if using and fry for a minute. Add the spices and mix well. Add tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Add the beaten yogurt and 4.5 cups of water (normally the ratio is 1:1.5 cups of rice: water. But this basmati I am using is taking more water hence I am adding 2:4.5 cups rice:water). Stir well. add half of your fried fish pieces and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until almost done. Spread the saved fried onions and the remaining fish and lemon juice. Simmer further for 7-8 minutes. Serve hot with cucumber, carrot and onion rings. 

I served it with my tri-color carrots I got from Trader joes today

Tri colored carrot

Chinese Chicken with Mushroom

The place we moved to, from Los Angeles has very less choices for Chinese Restaurants and and whatever are there their version of Chinese tastes different from what me and my family are used to. Unbelievable how ethnic food tastes get modified to the tastes of the local population.

Anyway, I wanted to make chicken with chinese flavors and the only vegetable I had on hand was mushrooms. And I made the chicken with mushrooms Chinese flavored and I served with with Black and white rice. What is Black and White rice??? I cup regular white rice and 1 cup black rice (I found them in Costco) cooked together

Chinese Chicken and Mushroom curry

Chinese Chicken and Mushroom Curry

Ingredients for Marinate

1. 1 tablespoon each of oyster sauce, soya sauce, white vinegar, sesame oil
2. 2 tablespoons corn starch
3. 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

Ingredients

1. 2 chicken breasts cut into 1/4 inch thick slices about 1-2 inches long
2. 8-12 oz mushrooms wiped clean and quartered
3. 1 medium onion chopped into 1 inch pieces
4. 1 teaspoon each of grated ginger, garlic
5. 2 tablespoons oil
6. Salt and pepper to taste

marinate the chicken pieces in the marinate ingredients for atleast 30 minutes. Heat oil in a wok or pan (don't use non stick) until its very hot. Add the chicken and fry stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add one more tablespoon of oil if needed. Add the onions and fry for 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and the mushrooms and stir regularly and fry for 10 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot. Add 1/2 cup water and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper and garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with steamed black and white rice or white rice or brown rice with some siracha on the side

Sweet potato scones

I got this beautiful orange sweet potato some time ago and I left it on the counter so that I won't forget about it. I have been meaning to cook it for almost a week and finally I got to it yesterday. I decided I wanted some breakfast item with it and my search lead to sweet potato scones. It is so simple and so delicious .

The recipe called for 2 cup of mashed sweet potato and mine yielded 2 cups so I have enough for one more batch of scones. Yum yum

Sweet potato scones

Sweet potato Scones

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup mashed boiled sweet potato

2. 1 tablespoon butter

3. 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, baking soda, cinnamon , all spice and nutmeg

5. 2 teaspoons baking powder

6. 1-2 teaspoons plain yogurt

7. 1 egg beaten

8. 2 cups all purpose flour

Beat the egg with salt and sugar . Add butter and sweet potato at room temperature and mix well. Sift the flour with baking powder and baking soda and  the rest of the spices. Mix the egg mixture and knead the dough for about 10 times. If it is too sticky add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll it into a circle 3/4 inch thick. Cut it into 8 wedges and lay them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack and serve with fresh butter or strawberry cream cheese like I did 

Pidata kinda pappu

So... It was Saturday and I went shopping for some essentials at the indian stores. I need the poha for Muharram and when I was buying that I found my old friend the puffed rice or muramuralu there

       It's been ages that I got that, so I got it- a not so very big bag for $2.5 . I remember those day back in India when we would get a small glass of puffed rice for 10 paisa which is less than 2 cents. I felt sad thinking how much those muri walas might have made per day

Anyway, wiping my tears I started to think what I can make with it and my thoughts travelled to the Vizag beach where the pidata kinda pappu would be sold. That used to be so super spicy and got me all salivating. So I made and ate it. All by myself and inside a cold lonely home

Pidata kinda pappu ( spicy mixture of puffed rice and peanuts)

Ingredients

1. 3 cups puffed rice

2.1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions and tomato and cilantro

3.1/4 cup or less as per taste lemon juice

4. 1-2 table spoons peanuts slow roasted

5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

6. 1/2 teaspoon aamchur powder ( optional)

Mix all the ingredients together till well blended. Enjoy with friends 

Chili

I used to make chili on a regular basis but I don't know what happened that made me stop. When I was making chili today I realized I haven't made chili in atleast an year.

Anyway it was nice making the chili. It was like meeting. Long lost friend

Chili (meat and bean stew)

Ingredients

• 1)1 lb ground lamb or beef
• 2)1 can diced tomatoes
• 3)1 can tomato sauce
• 4)1/4 cup water
• 5)1 teaspoon salt, cayenne cumin, ground coriander
• 6)1 medium large finely chopped onions, chopped green bell pepper
• 7)2 big or 4 small garlic pods grated
• 8)2 tablespoon oil
• 9)1 can northern beans or kidney beans

In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil and add cumin and fry for a minute. fry the onions till tender. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add ground meat and fry for 5-7 minutes Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for 50-60 minutes. Garnish with cilantro , onions and if preferred grated cheddar cheese and serve with grilled french bread

Anda dal tadka

So, this is one of the recipes which sounds weird...until you taste it. It is super delicious served with either plain rice or roti. Try it and decide for yourself

Anda dal tadka ( egg and lentils curry)

Ingredients

1. 2 eggs

2. 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions, tomato

3. 1/4 cup each of chana dal and green masoor dal soaked in water for 30-60 minutes

4. 2 tablespoons oil divided

5. 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger-garlic paste, cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt , butter and asoefitida.

Pressure cook the dal for 2 whistles and set aside. In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and make scrambled eggs with little salt. Drain and set aside

In a pan heat the remaining oil and add cumin, mustard seeds and urad dal and 2 dried chillies and fry till they start to splutter. Add onions and fry for 5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and all the powder ingredients and stir well. Add the pressure cooked dal and scrambled eggs and stir well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with coriander and enjoy

Laal Paneer

Today being Sunday evening, I wanted to make something fast and easy because we had a looooong day. I wanted to make something with beet root. I always make beet root fry which is super fast and super delicious but today since I was in mood for a curry I.e something with some gravy. I made beet root with paneer and the paneer take on the nice pink hue from the beet root hence the name Laal ( red ) paneer

Laal paneer ( indian cottage cheese and bet root curry)

Ingredients

1. 1/2 slab of paneer about 200-250 gms cut into thin strips

2. 1 can shoe string beet root drained

3. 1 medium small tomato chopped fine

4. 1-2 cup finely chopped onions

5. 2 tablespoons oil divided

6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the paneer pieces for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add the remaining oil and add the cumin and fry for a minute. Add onions and fry till they start to change color. Add tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and all the other powders and stir to combine. Add drained beet root and paneer and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or paratha

Home made Khamman Dhokla

Today is Sunday and I woke up before everybody else. So I had a little bit of time to sit and decide what will be for breakfast. And better than that I had some time for waiting for the batter to get ready.
Do today's breakfast is Khamman Dhokla without Eno- the fruit salt most of the dhokla recipes call for.

Khaman Dhokla wihout Eno (Steam cooked spiced chickpea cake)
Ingredients:

1. 11/2 cup chick pea flour (besan)
2. 1/2 cup warm water
3. 1/4 cup well beaten plain yogurt
4. 2 teaspoons sugar
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of citric acid, baking soda, turmeric
7. 1 tablespoon oil + oil for applying to the pan
8. 1 tablespoon fineley chopped cilantro and 1 green chillie finely chopped

For tempering:

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing)
3. 2 dried red chillies broken
4. few curry leaves

Mix the besan with sugar, salt, citric acid and baking soda. Add the well beaten yogurt and warm water and mix well until the batter is the consistency of pancake batter. Set it aside for 20 minutes. Add the chillies and cilantro and turmeric and mix well.

Boil some water in a wide pan. Put a base plate like a small plate or an omelette rind. Apply some oil to an 8 inch pie pan. When the water boils put the pan inside the big pan with boiling water and add the batter. Cover it and simmer for 25 minutes.

In a pan heat the oil and add the items for tempering. When they start to splutter add the hing and add this oil to the dhokla which has been overturned onto a plate. Cut it into cubes and enjoy

Bell pepper Rice

There has been a change in the circumstances at home, because of which I am cooking twice a day instead of just once. Today, I was not expecting company so didn't plan anything. But I had company, so had to make something quick.

I made Red Capsicum pulao and mmm yum yum. It was super declicious. I just fried up the Salmon patty you get in costco to go with it. So in no time (as long as it takes to cook rice in the rice cooker) and a little bit more lunch was ready.

Bell Pepper Pilaf (Rice mixed with spices and bell pepper)

Bell Pepper rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice cooked and cooled a bit
2. 1 capsicum/bell pepper/ shimla mirch cut into medium chunks (I used red)
3. 1 medium small onion chopped fine
4. 1 large tomato chopped fine
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, turmeric
7. 1 tablespoon vanghi bath powder or Sambar powder
8. small marble sized tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup water or lemon juice from half a lemon

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin till they start to splatter. Add the onions and cook till they start to change color. Add tomato and capsicum . Add salt and turmeric mix well and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add tamarind juice if using and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Add sambar powder and mix well. Add rice and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. If tamarind juice was not used, now is the time to add lemon juice and stir and simmer for 2 more minutes. Serve 

Lamb chops with pilaf

Long time ago I got lamb chops from one if the halal markets and I made them. Boy! Did they fly

After that I never got them again because they were so expensive . This time I went to get the meat and there were lamb chops pre packaged, expensive of course but I got them. And man do they taste good

To serve them I made a simple salad and Mediterranean pilaf with about 1/4 cup wheat. Those wheat gave the pilaf anice chewy   texture. Loved it. So here is the recipes

Lamb chops

Ingredients

• 1. 2 lbs lamb chops (about 12)
• 2.1 table spoon plain yogurt
• 3. 2 table spoons oil
• 4. 1 teaspoon salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste
• 5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, garam masala

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together except oil and marinate the chops 1 hr to overnight. In a cooker heat one table spoon oil, add the chops and 1/8 cup water and cook for three whistles. Let the steam escape and open the cooker.  

This is to make the chops a little less tough because I am serving them to kids with loose teeth.

Heat the remaining oil in a flat pan and dump all the contents of the cooker to it. Fry the chops till the water evaporates and then they become dark in color. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy

Tuna buns

The trip to Hawaii was a memorable one. It was one of the most relaxing vacations we have taken in a very long time. The sunrise was awesome, but I didn't get to see the sunset. One of the things on my bucket list is, to see sunrise from the water and the sunset into the water on the same day. That didn't happen on this trip.

Anyway, on one of those days on Oahu, we went to get breakfast and there were these tuna filled buns which I had to try. I am not a big fan of fish and fish for breakfast was just weird. But I had to try it cause I wasn't sure we will be back at that place again.

I have never eaten something so good. The bun was super soft and the tuna salad inside was delicious. So I made it and they turned out great. My kids loved it...which shows the success of any recipe.

The original recipe is from Cucumbertown.com

Tuna buns

Tuna Buns (Fresh baked buns with Tuna filling inside)

Tuna stuffed bun

Ingredients:

1. 1 package dry yeast
2. 1/2 cup warm water
3. 1/2 cup each of milk, oil, sugar
4. 3 cups all purpose flour
5. 1 egg beaten 

Tuna Filling Ingredients:

1. 2 can tuna drained
2. 1/4 cup each of sweet relish, mayonnaise
3. 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients for the tuna filling and set aside until ready to use

Add the yeast to the warm water and 2 teaspoon sugar and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the milk to warm and add sugar oil and salt and mix till sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup all purpose flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the beaten egg and yeast mixture and the remaining flour and mix well with your hands. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Oil and bowl and leave the kneaded dough in it covered with a kitchen towel in a warm place for about and hour or until the dough doubles.

Once it doubles punch the dough down and divide it into 12 equal parts. Flatten them into about 5 inch discs, add a heaped teaspoon of tuna filling and reshape them into balls. (My tuna filling was enough for 8 buns) (The rest I filled it up with a teaspoon each of strawberry jam in 2 and peach jam in 2). Leave the buns aside for 20 minutes

Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes brush the buns with white egg wash and sprinkle with dried oregano and bake for 2-3 more minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for atleast 5 minutes before serving

Strawberry jam filled bun

Egg Salad Sandwich

The other day there was this news on Yahoo.com about the most favorite sandwiches depending on the searches. The third most popular was the egg salad sandwich. Since I had most of the ingredients at hand I made it for dinner. And it was yum yum yum all the way

Egg Salad Sandwich (Egg salad on toasted bread

Egg salad sandwich

Ingredients:

1. 2 eggs hard boiled, peeled and chopped
2. 1 tablespoon mayo
3. 1 tablespoon relish
4. 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
5. 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
6. 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper (or salt and pepper to taste)

For the sandwich

1. 1 cup finely sliced lettuce
2. 2 slices of your favorite bread toasted (I used Sour dough)
3. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (if you want)

Mix all the ingredients for the salad and store in the fridge until ready to be used

Toast the bread. Add the lettuce on top, topped with the egg salad. Spread the dijon mustard on the top bread slice, cut it into half. Serve with potato chips and a spear of pickle of you like. Enjoy

Soya pilaf with Trinidad chicken curry

Today being the weekend it's time for the special lunch. Today's menu is soya chunk pilaf with coconut flavoring served with spicy Trinidad chicken curry. It is from one of the programs on the food network

Spicy Trinidad chicken curry (Chicken curry in a spicy sauce)

Spicy Trinidad Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast cut into bite size pieces

For marinade

1. 1 half of a medium chicken
2. 1 medium tomato
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 jalapeño or 2 thai chillies
5. 2 big or 3 medium garlic pods
6. Handful cilantro

For cooking

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1/2 of the above chicken chopped
3. 1 heaped teaspoon garam masala
4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
5. 1/2 teaspoon mustard paste
6. Few methi seeds
7. More salt if needed

Gring the ingredients of the marinade into a smooth paste and marinade the chicken for atleast 2 hrs 

In a pan roast the methi seeds for a minute. Add the oil and add the mustard paste. Mix the garam masala and turmeric in half cup water and add it to the pan. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped onions and fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken and stir and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add about 1-11/2 cup water bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until oil separates. Enjoy the spicy Trinidad chicken curry hot with hot white rice or any pilaf

Soya Pilaf with Coconut flavor

Soya pilaf with Coconut

Ingredients

1 cup soya chunks

2 cups rice cooked to about 4 cups

1 teaspoon salt divided

1/2 teaspoon cumin, urad dal , chana dal soaked in water for 10 minutes, coriander. Powder

2-3 green chillies sliced

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup coconut flakes

Soak the soya chunks in 2 cups of hot water with 1/2 teaspoon salt for about 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze the excess water and set aside

In a pan heat the oil and add the cumin, urad dal and chana dal and green chillies and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add coriander and stir well. Add coconut milk and flakes and add rice and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Mix well once again and add cilantro and enjoy

sweetened condensed milk

I have more than half a gallon of milk in my fridge which I need to use quickly before it expires and I have to pay my condolences to it. So I decided to make sweetened condensed milk with it and gobble it up

It takes up some time but otherwise it's soooo easy to make and you know home made foods are always better than the store bought things

Sweetened condensed milk

Sweetened Condensed milk

Ingredients

5-6 cups whole milk

1/2 cup white sugar

Add the sugar to the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it be on gentle boil for about 45-60 minutes or until you get the creamy light brown colored condensed milk look. Cool and store it in a glass container for upto 2 weeks

Churro bites

I needed to make some sweet dish but I was bored with the usual Indian sweets that are made to offer during prayers. When I was searching I came across this recipe of Churros and I tried it. It is easy and the churros came out great.
                      Only thing is, next time I will modify the way I pipe the dough into the oil because I did not have a pastry bag, I used a ziplock as one of the comments suggested, but mine tore midway. So I just rolled it into a rope and cut it into bite size churros. Perfect for the little hands at home

Churro Bites (Fried dough rolled in Cinnamon sugar)

Churro bites

Cinnamon sugar

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup each of water and all purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon each of sugar and oil
3. 1/3 teaspoon salt
4. Oil for deep frying
5. 1/3-1/2 up sugar
6. 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

In a pan over medium high heat, mix the water with salt and sugar and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add the flour and mix 30-60 seconds until it becomes a ball. Heat oil in a frying pan and pipe the dough into 3-4 inch long fingers or bite size pieces , as you prefer, fry till golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Mix the sugar with cinnamon and roll the churros in it. Enjoy warm

Soft Pretzels

The other day, we were watching some cartoon and the show was about saving snacks at the cinema theater from bad guys. And one of the snack items was soft pretzel. Those soft pretzels are so super expensive and I don't think they cost about 50% of it to the stores. Its all the labor that is involved.

Anyway, I made these super delicious soft pretzels today and they are flying off my kitchen counter faster than hot buns. The original recipe is by Alton brown but I made some small changes to the recipe

Home made Soft Pretzel

Home made Soft Pretzel

Ingredients

1. 1 -1 1/4 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4. 1 package active dry yeast
5. 3 1/2 cups + about 1/2-1 cup extra
6. 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
7. Vegetable oil, for pan
8. 10 cups water
9. 1/2 cup baking soda
10. 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
11. Pretzel salt

Combine the sugar and water and add yeast and mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes or until frothy. Add the salt and melted butter and mix well. Add the flour and mix and knead for 5-7 minutes. Apply oil to your palm and roll the dough ball and also apply oil to a bowl. Cover and set aside for 1 hr until the dough doubles in volume.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll it into 14-18 in long rope. Make a "U" shape  and holding the ends cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U shape and a Pretzel is made

After getting a baking soda water dip

Fresh baked Pretzel

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Raw Jack fruit Fry

Long long time ago, when my grand ma was alive , she used to own some farm land. Once or twice an year my father and some of our relatives would go to this little village which was closest to this farm land, and meet the farmer who would be tending our farms. On one of those trips my dad took me along and on that trip, the farmer's wife served us lunch. And that was my first taste of this amazing curry-the raw jack fruit fry.

There was nothing I had tasted before that tasted like this. It was amazing. And most of my elderly relatives also didn't know what it was. Everyone was surprised. But after that day I never had it ever again.

But today when I went to the Indian store, I found a small raw jack fruit. It was close to 2 lbs. Very small compared to how big a jack fruit can grow. But I got it and to tell you the truth I had no idea as to how to cut and cook it. But a little searching on the international-network gave me some answers.

This is a simple fry but it tastes divine I served it along with some Khatti Dal and white rice. Super yummy delicious nostalgic dinner ready

Raw Jack Fruit Poriyal (Simple raw jack fruit fry)

Raw jack fruit fry

Ingredients:

1. 1.5 to 2 lbs raw jack fruit
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric
3. 2 red chillies broken
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, hing
5. few curry leaves
6. 2-3 tablespoons oil 

Cut the rack fruit into half. Apply oil to your palms and a sharp knife. Slice through the spiky skin of the jack fruit.

Jack fruit half

Peeled raw jack fruit

Cut the jack fruit into quarters. Cut the middle part of the jack fruit and discard.

Raw jack fruit quarters

Grate the quarters. For me a mandolin worked best. But be very careful with your hands, as to not cut them

Grated jack fruit raw

In a pan heat the oil and add the cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Fry till they start to splutter. Add hing and fry for 30 seconds. Add the grated jack fruit and mix well. Cover and fry on medium low for 20-30 minutes till jack fruit becomes tender. Enjoy

Turkey Leg Sandwich

So, there has been a huge gap in blogging my recipes here. Many things have been happening around here. Nonetheless I am back and hopefully I would be adding more recipes here.

Today I made a pulled turkey sandwich and as the name suggests, comes from the turkey leg. And I think the dark meat makes the turkey taste the way it does. Super delicious. The actual recipe I think is a bit different. It is actually from a restaurant called Henry Public in Brooklyn . This was featured in unique eats program .

Turkey Leg Sandwich (Slow cooked turkey leg meat sandwich)

Turkey Leg Sandwich

Turkey leg Sandwich with home made french fried onions

Ingredients

1. 3 Turkey Legs/drumsticks (1 package)
2. 1 large yellow onion sliced into half/quarter circles
3. 2 super large or 4 regular whole garlic cloves
4. 1/2 tsp. thyme
5. 1 tablespoon. parsley
6. 1 cups plain yogurt
7. 2 cups whole milk
8. 1 tsp. black pepper
9. 1 tsp. salt
10. 1 tsp. paprika
11. 6 oz. bag of French Fried Onions
12. pickles to serve
13. Thick sliced Butter Bread or any other thick bread

Start by seasoning the turkey legs with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper and paprika. Brown the turkey legs on sides and then remove from the pan.  Next, add the onions, whole garlic cloves, thyme and parsley inside of the same pan and cook until onions are ‘sweated’.  Now place the turkey legs back into the pan.  Mix the milk, yogurt, 2 tsp. black pepper and remaining salt.  Pour this mixture over the turkey legs and onions.  Cover and allow to cook in a slow cooker for 3 hours

After the turkey legs have cooked through, remove from the pan and begin to coarsely shred the meat.  Meanwhile reduce the liquid mixture and then add the shredded meat back into the liquid. Allow the meat to thoroughly soak up the liquid.  Toast the slices of butter bread and then top with a generous portion of the shredded turkey. Top the turkey with a handful of French fried onions and remaining slice of toasted bread. Serve with a pickle on the side and fries or chips

PS: This time around, I made my own french fried onions but they didn't come out right. Because I forgot to but French's fried onions.