Copycat Cane’s chicken

Chicken fingers

 

Paneer chaat sandwich

 So…it’s one of those days where whatever I have is not what I want for lunch. So I was looking g for sandwich recipes and I found a paneer sandwich but of course that as a base…I made my own paneer sandwich and yum yum yum …lunch 😊

Paneer Chaat Sandwich (Sourdough sandwich with spiced Indian cottage cheese )

Paneer Chaat sandwich

Ingredients 

1. 2 -3 tablespoons grated paneer
2. 1 tablespoon thick plain yogurt 
3. 2 tablespoons each of boiled sweet corn, boiled black beans
4. 1 tablespoon each of fresh cilantro and mint chopped fine, fresh squeezed lemon juice
5. 1 green chili finely chopped 
6. 1-2 teaspoons chaat masala
7. Salt to taste
8. Sour dough bread + butter to toasting bread 

Mix all the ingredients to become a homogeneous mix.

Heat a griddle and toast the bread with butter on one side.

Flip and toast with butter on the other side 

Pull the paneer mix on the bread and cut it into your favorite shape and enjoy

Chinese cookies

 Lightly sweetened cookies

Chinese cookies 

Ingredients

1. 2 cups all purpose flour
2. 4 tablespoons each of butter, cream cheese
3. 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
4. 1 large egg
5. pinch of salt

Mix the butter and cream cheese into a smooth batter and add sugar and mix until its melted. Add the egg and mix well. Add the salt and flour and mix for a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 15-18 parts and flatten them into 1/2 cm thick cookies.

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15- 17 minutes. Enjoy!!!

NOTE : Add chocolate chips to these cookies and make them into choc chip cookies :)

Sweet potato sticks

 Today has been one of those extremely cold days here and I wanted to eat some snacks but no snacks were available. I has sweet potatoes though…so I made easy sweet potato sticks

Sweet potato sticks ( Basked sweet potato snacks)

Sweet potato sticks

Ingredients 

1. 1 medium large sweet potato boiled for 20-22 minutes until soft.
2. 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
3. 4 tablespoons each of butter, cream cheese
4. 1 large egg
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 2 cups all purpose flour

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F

In a bowl mix together butter and cream cheese until well combined. All sugar and mix well. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and the egg and mix well. Add the flour and salt and mix with a spatula. The dough may be a bit sticky.

In a baking sheet spread the dough with a spatula until it’s 1/2 cm thick. 

Note: I cut the dough into square with the spatula before baking. After 15 minutes at 400 degrees, I cut them into sticks and baked at 300 for 10 more minutes

Bake for 10 minutes and flip and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy

Maat ki phalli fry

 Maat ki phalli fry ( stir fried clusters beans with coconut and peanuts)

Maat ki phalli fry

Ingredients 

1. 12 oz frozen clusters beans beans thawed or fresh ends cut and cut into 1-11/2 inch pieces
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1 medium onion chopped fine
4. 2 tablespoons each of besan and grated coconut, roasted peanut powder
5. 1 teaspoon each of coriander powder, chilli powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt (add more to taste), cumin powder, turmeric, mustard seeds
7. Few curry leaves

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and fry till they start to splutter. Add the onions and fry for 2 minutes, make the flame to be high and add the cluster beans and fry for 10 minutes covered. Stir occasionally.

Add all the spices and mix, reduce the heat to medium add the besan and rest of the ingredients and continue to cook for 5 more minutes . Add coconut and peanut powder stir to combine, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 5 minutes. Add the curry leaves fry for 2 more minutes and enjoy with white rice and dal

Badusha

 So...this was one of my fav. sweets but I have never known its easy to make. So again...this was one of the "shorts" I came across. It was pretty easy so I tried it and it turned out super easy and good .

Badusha (Fried wheat items in sweet syrup)

Badusha

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain yogurt
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 cup clarified butter/ghee
6. 1 teaspoon rose water or vanilla essence
7. oil for deep frying
8. 1-1.5 cups sugar + 1-1.5 cups water

Beat the yogurt with the baking soda and baking powder and set it aside for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add the salt and ghee to the flour and mix well.

Add the yogurt little by little and mix well. If needed, as 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

Make simple syrup with the sugar and water. Add either rose water or vanilla essence.

Divide the dough into 12-15 parts. Take a part of the dough and press it between your palm while move palms in circular motion in opposite directions. Press in the center to make a small dent in the center. Make the rest of the dough and set aside.

Heat oil in a deep pan until it is slighly hot. Add the Badusha in it and fry on medium low flame for 2 minutes. Flip and fry for 2 more minutes. Flip and if need be fry for 1 more minute on each side. Drain and add it to the sugar syrup. Enjoy super delicious and easy Badusha

Dal Pitha

 Well...it happened again...I was watching some "shorts" on Youtube and I spent a whole 1-2 minutes watching someone cook something and boom...I keep getting more and more of those. Well...one of those videos was for a recipe from Jharkhand...a state in India and it looked interesting. I didn't even know what it was called.

I made it...relatively not too difficult to make and it was pretty delicious. So here is the recipe and also before I write it...I needed to know what it is called and it is called

Dal Pitha (Wheat dumplings stuffed with Bengal gram)

Dal Pitha

Dal pitha with Mint chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup yellow chana dal (bengal gram) soaked over night or atleast 4 hrs
2. 1 inch ginger, 1-2 green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 1 cup wheat floor
4. 1 tablespoon oil + 2 teaspoons oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, sesame seeds
7. 8-10 curry leaves
8. 2 dried chiilies (use these if you do not want to use green chillies in the dal...if you eat less spice)

Grind the soaked chana dal along with Ginger, green chillies if using...use no more than 1 tablespoon water. Add salt and mix well and set aside.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons oil in the wheat floor and mix well. Add water little by little and mix a dough and knead for a minute. Set aside for 10 minutes. Dive the dough into 4 parts and divide the dal mixture also into 4 parts.

Make a disk of about 5-6 inches diameter with the 1/4 part of dough . Spread 1/4 dal mixture on half of the "disk and flip the other half and press with fingers to close the dumpling.Repeat to make 4 of these dumplings.

Heat 2 inches water in a wide pan until it starts to boil. Add the stuffed dumplings and boil for 7-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cur each into 5-6 pieces.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and add the mustard seeds and cover and fry until they start poppoing. Add therest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Add the dumpling pieces and fry for 3-5 minutes on medium high flame until they crisp up. Enjoy with ketchup or mint chutney

Chicken and eggplant coconut curry

 Coco Chicken and eggplant (Eggplant and Chicken in a creamy coconut gravy)

Chicken eggplant coconut curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 can chicken breast drained (save the broth)
2. 2 cups peeled chopped American eggplant
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, tandoor masala (optional), garam masala
4. 1 teaspoon each of coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 medium small red onion sliced thin

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions until they start getting brown. Add the eggplant and cook for 10 more minutes on medium flame. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add the chicken all the spices and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Add some chicken broth to adjust the thickness to your liking. Enjoy with a naan or paratha or roti

Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

 So...I had this mocktail at one of the restaurants and it was not the best . So I came home and made my own Mock Watermelon Mojito since I has all the ingredients for it and it was so super delicious. I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did

Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

Mock Watermelon Mint Mojito

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 cups of either frozen water melon or a water water melon which was in the fridge (to make it cold)
2. 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves + more for garnish
3. 1/2 tablespoon or more agave or your sweetener of choice (You can increase or decrease the quantity depending on how sweet your water melon is)
4. a pinch of salt
5. 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
6. 2 slices of pickled jalapenos (if you want to make a spicy Mojito)

Take out the seeds from the water melon and crush it or grind it into juice along with the mint and salt and lime juice. In a glass crush the jalapenos if using. Add the sweetener liquid and add the watermelon juice and stir to combine. Garnish with mint and serve or if you want some fizz add a cup of lemon-lime soda. Enjoy on a hot summer day

Steamed vegetable manchurian

 Vegetable manchurian, gobi manchurian any type of manchurian is one of my favorite Indo-Chinese dishes. I think may be just the presence of Soya sauce in it makes it "chinese" because other than that there is nothing "Chinese" about it. Anyway, did I tell you it is one of my fav dishes?

But making it was always such a challenge. If you do not put enough flour in it and make it into balls with good amount of pressure, and if the oil for deep frying was not at the right temperature, they all dissolve into the oil :(

Then I found this dish online and gooshhhh its a game changer.  The "manchurian balls" now become squares and instead of deep frying them, these delicious veggie mancgurian squares are steamed and then shallow fried (or not) and then add them to a delicious silky sauce.

Steamed Vegetable Manchurian (Steamed vegetable balls in a spicy Indo-Chinese sauce)

Steamed vegetable manchurian

Ingredients

1. 2 cups thinly sliced or grated cabbage
2. 1 medium large carrot grated
3. 2 tablespoon spoons canned black beans drained (optional)
4. 2 tablespoon grated spoons paneer (optional)
5. 1 big or 2 medium cauliflower florets grated
6. 1/2 each of teaspoon salt, chilli powder, baking soda, cumin, carom seeds
7. 1 teaspoon chat masala, lemon juice, sesame seeds
8. 1/4 cup corn starch
9. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
10. oil for applying to the baking dish
11. 2 stalks green onions (green parts only) chopped
12. handful of finely chopped coriander

Ingredients for sauce

1. 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions, bell pepper
2. 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3. 1 tablespoon each of chilli garlic sauce, soya sauce, white vinegar, oil
4. 1 stalk green onion + the white part from the stalk above chopped
5. 2 teaspoons corn starch +1 cup water

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to cabbage +carrots+ cauliflower mix and set aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze as much water from the vegetables as possible.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix is gentle. Heat about 1 -2 inches water in a wide pan. In a dish which will fit in the wide pan, apply some oil and add the vegetable mix and spread it evenly. Cover and steam on medium low flame for 15 minutes.

Take the dish out and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool and cut into bite size squares.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and fry for 3 more minutes. Add garlic and fry for 1 more minute. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir well and cook for 3 minutes. Add the manchurian pieces and mix well and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and enjoy

NOTE: the manchurian pieces and be eaten dry without the sauce also. They are super delicios

Spicy Mint Meat Vermicelli

 
Egg Vermicelli

Different kind of Lamb Vermicelli

This Semiyah or thin wheat noodles recipe can be made into a totally vegetarian recipe by just skipping the meat or it can be customized to add any kind of meat you like or scramble some eggs on the side and mix them up to make it into Anda Semiyah. But no matter what, try it...it is super delicious

And if you are wondering what Vermicelli or Semiyah is...here is a Link

Spicy Mint meat Vermicelli (Vermicelli with shaved steak and mint )

Spicy Mint Meat Semiyah

Ingredients for Vermicelli Upma:

1. 1 cup roasted semiyah
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin , mustard seeds, turmeric
3. 1 teaspoon urad dal
4. 0.5 table spoon oil
5. 1/4 cup onion sliced
6. Handful of mint leaves
7. light pack cup of cilantro
8. 2 green chillies or less depending on how spicy those chillies are (if using Serrano, use only 1)
9. Few curry leaves
10. 1-2 dried red chillies
11. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
12. 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste + 1/2 teaspoon 

Ingredients shaved steak

1. one medium small or half cup sliced onions
2. 1 lb shaved steak separated 
3. 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped garlic, garlic
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
7. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Make the meat first
In a pan heat the oil and add the onions and fry till tender. Add the ginger garlic and fry for a minutes. Now on high flame, add the separated meat and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add salt and pepper and garam masala if using, stir to combine and cook for 5 more minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Set it aside.

Make the upma.

Bring about 4 cups of water to boil in a pot along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the vermicelli when the water boils and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain .

Grind the mint+cilantro+green chilli + salt into a smooth paste. About 1 tablespoon water if needed.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and cover and let them cook until they crackle. Add the onions and cook till they become dark brown. Add urad dal and cumin and broken red chillies and curry leaves and fry for 30 more seconds. Add the drained vermicelli to the pan along with the mint cilantro paste. Stir to combine. Drizzle with lemon juice and enjoy

This is your vegetarian option.

If using meat...add the cooked meat to the pan and stir well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir well one more time and enjoy!!!

Mutton Marag

 Marag is one of those dishes that has a consistency somewhere between a stew and a soup. And it is super delicious on a cold night with a warm naan or on a night when you are trying to break a fast.

Mutton Marag (Bone in Lamb pieces in a yogurt and but based gravy)

Mutton Magas

Ingredients:

1. 2 lbs bone in lamb cut into about 2 inch pieces
2. 3 tablespoons oil
3. 1 medium onion sliced
4. 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 cup plain yogurt lightly beatean
6. 15 cashews and 12 almonds soaked in 1/3 cup milk
7. 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste) 
8. 2-3 green chillies ground to paste
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, black pepper
10. 1 teaspoon garam masala
11. 2 cardamom ,1 inch cinnamon bark, 4 cloves

Wash the meat multiple times and set aside.

In a cooker heat the oil and add all the whole spices and fry for 30 seconds. Add the onions and fry until they start getting brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the meat and fry on high flame for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water salt and turmeric and cook for 4-5 whistles. 
Let all the steam escape and reduce the heat and add the beaten yogurt.
Grind the nuts with the milk and add it to the pot. Add the ground green chillies and black peppers.

Simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if you want it more soupy. Enjoy with naan

Mushroom Chickpeas curry

 I am getting sucked into the world of "shorts" lately on youtube. I know, I know...I am old enough to not get sucked up in there but sometimes when you don't want to do what you are supposed to do, and you just want to waste your time...thats the place to be...why TikTok is so popular.

This is one of the recipes I found on those shorts but with my own touches

Mushroom Chickpeas curry (Chickpeas and Mushrooms cooked in Indian spices)

Mushroom Chickpeas curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 can chickpeas drained
2. 8 oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced thick
3. 3-4 tomatoes depending on how big those are halved or quartered
4. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, chole masala
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, 
6. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
9. 2 green chillies sliced, 1 teaspoon ginger slicked into thin match sticks.
10. Handful of fresh coriander

In a pan add the tomato quarters or half and 1/2 cup water and cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Peel the skin off and mash with a potato masher. Add all the spices and ginger garlic paste and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add beaten yogurt and chickpeas and stir to combine and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stor to combine and cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with sliced chillies, ginger and coriander and enjoy with Zeera rice or roti

The same recipe like a Pirate would talk...written by GPT

Ahoy, me hearties! Gather 'round for a tale of culinary plunder, a recipe fit for a scurvy dog (in a good way, of course)! We're makin' a dish so flavorful, it'll make ye swab the deck with yer tongue!

First, ye'll grab yer pan, see? Toss in them tomato quarters, or halves if they be monstrous big, and a half cup of water, mind ye. Cover that treasure chest and let it simmer for five or six minutes, until them tomatoes be soft as a cabin boy's backside.

Once they're good and mushy, peel off their skins like ye're shuckin' oysters. Then, grab yer trusty potato masher and mash 'em 'til they're smoother than a mermaid's tail.

Now comes the spice rum! Sprinkle in all yer spices – the hotter the better, says I! – and a dollop of ginger-garlic paste. Cover the pan again and let it cook for five minutes, until the aromas be fillin' the air like a sea shanty.

Lower the heat, me mateys, to a gentle simmer. Add in yer beaten yogurt – none of that fancy stuff, just a good ol' dollop – and them chickpeas, the heart of this dish. Stir it all together like ye're mixin' a grog. Cover it up and let it simmer for another five minutes, until the flavors have a chance to mingle like pirates at a tavern.

Next, toss in them mushrooms, plump and juicy like treasure chests. Stir 'em in with a hearty "Yo ho ho!" and cover the pan once more. Let it cook for five more minutes, until the mushrooms be tender and soaked in all that flavor.

Finally, the grand finale! Garnish with sliced chillies, ginger, and coriander – the jewels of this culinary crown! And then, me hearties, serve it up with Zeera rice or roti, fit for a king… or a pirate captain! Enjoy yer bounty! Arrr!

Beetroot Dal

 So I have been trying to find different dal recipes because I am kind of getting bored with the "usual". If you have read my blog a few times..."getting bored" is a recurring theme with me. The food I cook tastes pretty good but sometimes (more times than not) I miss my mom's hand cooked food. My daadi ammi...my paternal grandma was also a super awesome cook. But her recipes were very traditional.

My mom was the experimenter. But everything she touched/cooked turned super delicious. Someimtes I think how she might have got the recipes for things she cooked, which now I know have nothing do do with Indian cuisine. She was just awesome in so many ways.

Anyway...this dal is just an experiment on my side and it turned out super delicious and more importantly the hubby loved it. Hope you enjoy it too 

Beetroot Dal (Split Pigeon peas cooked in Indian spices along with Beetroot)

Beet root dal

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup split pigeon peas toasted (toor dal)
2. 1 can beet root drained, chopped into small pieces (or 1-11/2 cup of fresh beet root peeled and chopped)
3. 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 green chillies, 2 red chillies
5. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, chole masala (or amchur powder)
6. 1 teaspoon each of chopped garlic and chopped ginger, cumin powder, chilli powder, cumin, mustard seeds
7. 1/2 tablespoon oil
8. few curry leaves
9. handful of coriander leaves

In a pressure cooker add the toasted dal and beetroot and cook it for 4 whistles with 2 cups of water. Let the steam escape and open the cooker.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustad seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin and curry leaves and dried chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they start turning brown. Add the green chillies, gralic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the cooked dal and all the spices and 2 more cups of hot water and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

More Beetroot recipes

Indian beans and Beetroot fry

Simple Beetroot fry

Indian Beetroot bread
Yummy Beetroot rice

I got onto the Generative AI band wagon and asked the GPT to write the above recipe in a funny way. And here is what it wrote

Okay, here we go, get ready for some dramatic recipe reading!

"Alright, buckle up, buttercup, because we're about to embark on a culinary adventure so thrilling, so beetroot-y, it'll make your tastebuds do the tango!

First, you're gonna grab your pressure cooker – you know, that magical metal pot that can turn a humble lentil into a superhero of flavor? Toss in your toasted dal (because toasting makes everything fancier, duh!) and those ruby-red beets – the earth's little jewels. Now, add two cups of water. Don't be stingy! These guys need a good bath. Clamp that lid on tight and let 'er rip! Four whistles, people! That's the magic number. (Or is it? Maybe it's five. Just kidding! It's four. I think.)

Once the steam escapes (because we don't want any exploding pressure cookers, thank you very much!), carefully open the lid. Behold! Your dal and beets are now best friends, swimming in a crimson sea.

Next, grab a pan. Any pan will do, as long as it's not the one you use to bake socks in. Heat up some oil – just enough to make the mustard seeds do their happy dance. When they start popping like tiny firecrackers, toss in the cumin seeds. They're like the cool, calm cousins of the mustard seeds. Then, add the curry leaves. They're the fragrant superstars of this dish. Don't forget the dried chillies! They're the spice ninjas, adding a kick to the party. Fry this aromatic crew for a minute, until they're all mingling and smelling amazing.

Now, throw in the onions. They're the life of the party, always bringing the flavor. Cook them until they start turning a lovely shade of brown. Then, add the green chillies, garlic, and ginger. This trio is the flavor powerhouse of the dish. Stir it all together for a minute, letting the magic happen.

Pour in the cooked dal and beets. They're the stars of the show, remember? Add all the spices – because spices are like fairy dust for food. And don't forget two more cups of hot water. Hot water is like a warm hug for your dal. Let it all simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until it's reached peak deliciousness.

Finally, garnish with cilantro – the confetti of the culinary world! And then… EAT! Enjoy your beetroot dal masterpiece! You're a culinary genius! (Or at least you will be after this.)"

Hyderabadi lamb curry

 The lamb curry I made today is super delicious and would be great with paratha or Zeera Rice

Hyderabadi lamb curry (Lamb cooked in spicy nutty gravy)

Hyderabadi Lamb Curry

Marinade Ingredients :

1. 1 lb lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 1 teaspoon each of ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, ghee (clarified butter)
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, garam masala powder
4. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
5. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
6. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1 tablespoon each of fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves chopped

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons oil

Paste Ingredients :

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1 medium small onion sliced (and fried)
3. 1 tablespoon each of almonds, cashew
4. 2 tablespoon frozen or fresh grated coconut (thawed)
5. 2 garlic cloves
6. 1 inch ginger piece peeled (about an inch thick)

Wash the lamb pieces and marinate it with all the ingredients in the marinade list and set aside for 30-60 minutes.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they become dark brown.

Soak the almonds and cashews in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes.

Grind all the ingredients in the paste ingredients list and set aside

In a pressure cooker heat the oil and add the lamb and fry on high flame for 5 minutes. Stir a couple of times. Close the cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Cut the heat and let all the steam escape. Add the paste and another 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 minutes. if the gravy becomes too thick add some water and stir well.

Serve with paratha or Zeera rice

Bottle gourd shrimp curry

 I was looking for something new for dinner and I stumbled upon this Bengali recipe with some gourd and shrimp and it looked super delicious and I improvised it with bottle gourd and it turned out to be spectacular. So here you go

Bottle gourd shrimp curry (Spicy curry with bottle gourd and shrimp)

Bottle gourd shrimp curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium to large bottle gourd peeled, cored and cut into quarters length wise and sliced into 1/2 inch thick 1-1.5 inch ling strips (quarter circles)
2. 12-16 oz medium small shrimp peeled and deveined
3. 1 medium small onion sliced
4. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 teaspoon of salt divided
7. 1 teaspoon each of chilli powder, coriander powder, onion seeds (kalonji)
8. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
9. Cilantro for garnishing

Clean the shrimp and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and turmeric, mix and set aside for 10 minutes

In a pan heat the oil and fry the drained shrimp for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add the onion seeds (add 1/2 tablespoon more oil if needed) and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they start becoming dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and try and fry for a minute. Add the bottle gourd pieces and add salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Add all the spices and cook on medium high flame for 5-7 minutes until the curry is semi dry. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with white rice and dal

Cabbage Kheer

 Kheer is nothing but a milk based sweet pudding dish with either rice or vermicelli traditionally. It is not as thick as pudding but thin in consistency. But as we have come to know to cook with more varieties of grains, the kheer has also evolved. Below are a couple of Kheer recipes.

Sabudaana seviyah kheer

Quinoa Kheer

The Kheer is made today is mainly made with Cabbage a little bit of vermicelli. Because there was vermicelli...the picky eaters in my family had no clue they were eating cabbage >:)

Cabbage Kheer (Cabbage cooked in sweet milk)

Cabbage Vermicelli kheer

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
2. 1 cup fine vermicelli (optional)
3. 1 tablespoon each of cashews, raisins, almonds
4. 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
5. 3 cups milk
6. 2/3-1 cup milk
7. 2 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter
8. 1 teaspoon rose essence or 2 cardamom crushed

Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan add fry all the dry fruits, drain and set aside.

In the same pan add the cabbage and fry for 5 minutes. Add the milk and cook for 15 -20 minutes until the cabbage becomes tender. Add the sugar and cook further for 10 minutes. Add the rose water or cardamom and add the fine vermicelli if using. Give it a stir. Sprinkle with the dry fruits and poppy seeds and enjoy hot kheer on a cold winter day

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

 Its new year and inevitable every year there is always an article about what foods are eaten on Jan 1st for good luck. And in the South of the USA, Black Eyed Peas are eaten.

I have a couple of Black Eyed recipes from before

Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage

Turkey Sausage with Black Eyed Peas

But this time I made with the roasted eggplants and yum yum yum is all I have to say

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas (Black eyed peas cooked with roasted eggplant with Indian Spices)

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium eggplant horizontally sliced and drizzled with a bit of an oil and roasted on an open flame for 5 minutes on each side ( I roast them on my stove top flame)
2. 1 can black eyed peas drained or 1 cup dried black eyed peas soaked over night and cooked in a cooker for 3 whistles with 2 cups of water
3. 1 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, red chilli powder
4. 2 teaspoon coriander powder
5. 1 medium onion chopped fine
6. 1 teaspoon graded ginger
7. chopped fresh coriander/cilantro  for garnish
8. 1 tablespoon oil

Leave the roasted eggplant covered in a plate for 5- 10 minutes. Scrape the meat out of the skin and mash it so that there is are no big pieces or long strands of flesh.

In an pan heat the oil and add the chopped onions and fry until they start becoming brown. Add the ginger and give it a quick stir. Add the roasted eggplant and all the spices and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the drained black eyed peas and 1 cup water or the contents of the cooker. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy on a New Year's day with Roti or Rice

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

 There is this Chinese grocery store in Alabama which has the Thai curry pastes. The last time we visited this place, we got all the three colored curry pastes...the Yellow, Green and Red. 

Yesterday for dinner, I made a creamy egg curry with the yellow curry paste. It was very delicious. I served it with Roti...the Indian wheat bread

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry (Beaten eggs cooked in Thai yellow curry gravy)

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
2. 1/3 cup frozen grated coconut thawed and ground to paste with 1/2 cup water
3. 4 oz fully cooked salad shrimp thawed (optional)
4. 4 eggs lightly beaten
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. salt as needed
7. 1 medium small onion finely chopped
8. 1 medium tomato finely chopped

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions until they start becoming brown. Add the Thai yellow curry paste and the tomotos and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and the coconut paste and stir to combine and cook for 5 more minutes. Raise the flame to high and let the curry come to a rolling boil. Add the beaten egg to the pot and cover and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and stir to combine. Let the curry boil further for 3-5 more minutes.

Give it a taste test and add salt if desired. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy with rice or roti