Kashmiri style lamb curry

I was looking for something new to cook because I have been getting bored by cooking the chicken and lamb in the same way. And I stumbled upon Kashmiri style dishes. Those dishes from Kashmir usually have apple and dry fruits as ingredients in them.

There is the dish Bom Chount Wangan which is eggplant and apples curry and I mixed in lamb in it and it is deeeeelicious. It tastes sweet and spicy at the same time. You need to eat it to believe it

Lamb with Eggplant and apple curry 

Lamb with eggplant and apples

Ingredients:

1. 2 green apples cubed into 1 inch cubes
2. 1 big american eggplant cut into 3 inch strips about 1 inch thick
3. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4. 1 teaspoon each of red chilly powder, fennel powder, garam masala, cumin powder
5. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1/2-1 table spoon salt.
7. 2 tablespoons oil divided

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and fry the eggplant and apple for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and add all the powders. add ginger garlic paste and stir to combine and fry for a minute. Add the meat and stir and add 1 cup water and cover and cook for 30-45 minutes until the meat becomes soft. Add the eggplant and apples back to the pot and mix well and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with steamed rice

Tandoori paneer

Long time ago when we were in India we got a portable tandoor for Rs 2000 which was a big amount at that time. So a person from that company came to my house and showed me how to make some dishes using that tandoor. One of the items he made was tandoori paneer. It was yummy and super spicy

So finally after so many years I got back to that recipe and boy oh boy all the people in my household just devoured it. Since I did not have any red food color I added a little bit more turmeric and turned it really yellow and I served it with pink rice. It was nice to look at the plate too

Tandoori chicken (. Marinated grilled indian cottage cheese)

Tandoori paneer

Ingredients
1. 1 package paneer about 400gms cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 1/2 large yellow or red bell pepper
3. 1/2 cup red onion chopped big
For marinade
1. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2. 1 heaped tablespoon plain yogurt
3. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and marinade the paneer pieces for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam and lay the paneer pices in a single layer. Mix the onion and bell pepper in the remaining marinade in the dish and lay them in the baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Turn the paneer pieces and serve warm with  Pink rice

Here is another version of the Tandoori paneer

Glazed carrot and wax beans

This is one of my favorite sides for baked salmon. The other best side dishes for baked salmon are glazed fire roasted corn, roasted sweet potato with or without carrots, steamed broccoli 

Glazed carrots and wax beans

Ingredients 

1. 2 large carrots cut into 1 inch long pieces and quartered( to make them equal in thickness to green beans)

3. 1/2 lb green or waxed beans or a can drained. Cut the fresh beans into 1 inch pieces

4. 1/2 cup chicken broth

5. 1 teaspoon sugar

6. 1 tablespoon butter

Boil water in a pan with 1/2 teaspoon salt and add the carrots to it. Let boil for 2 minutes. If using fresh beans add them to the boiling water and let boil for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside

In a wide pan bring the chicken broth, salt and butter to a boil. Add carrots and beans and let boil till there is about 2 tablespoons liquid. Serve as an yummy side

Sem Phalli Baingan Jhinge

Semphalli or Sem ki phalli or Indian broad beans or Chikkudu kaaya in Telugu is one of my favourites and when it has plump seeds in it they are much better. But anyway here in the US of A whatever you find you would have to use.

So, I made this curry with the broad beans and eggplant and shrimp. For a vegetarian version you can just skip the shrimp. Here is the original Sem Phalli and Baingan recipe

Sem Phalli Baingan aur Jhinge (Indian broad beans with eggplant and Shrimp)

Shrimp with Indian broad beans

Ingredients:

1. 1/2-1 lb shrimp peeled and de-veined
2. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3. The ingredients for the original recipe

Cook the shrimp as it says in Original recipe. Heat the shrimp with the shrimp until they all turn pink. Add the curry to the shrimp and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with cilantro and server

Baked salmon dinner

Today was the fish day. I made baked salmon and a whole lot of different sides. It was delicious. Everyone loved it

Baked salmon

Ingredients

1. 6 6-9 inch salmon filets

2. 1 teaspoon each of grated garlic, salt, dried basil, parsley

3. 1/2 teaspoon each of fresh ground black pepper, coriander (optional)

4. 2 tablespoons each of fresh lemon juice and olive oil

Marinade the fish for about 1 hr. Preheat oven to 375 degrees . Put the fish in a glass baking dish along with the marinade and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cover with a foil to keep warm until ready to serve . For the sides I made glaced carrots, buttered fire roasted corn, pickled beet root, black and brown rice, roasted sweet potato and carrots

Tzatziki sauce

There are a few things I like about going to a middle Eastern restaurant. Mostly the meats and then the sauce...the Tzatziki sauce. It is soooo simple to make and sooo delicious to eat

Tzatziki sauce (Yogurt sauce with cucumber)

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 medium cucumber peeled
2. 1 garlic clove
3. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 
4. 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
5. 1  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6. 1 tablespoon olive oil
7. ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8. Fresh ground blak pepper

Grate the cucumber using a box grater, then place the shreds in a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Sprinkle with kosher salt, then let stand for at least 10 minutes to drain any remaining water. Squeeze once more to drain.
Mince 1 clove garlic and chop 1 tablespoon fresh dill.
Mix cucumber, garlic, dill,  yogurt, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt,  fresh ground black pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours so the flavors can marry. Serve with pita, crackers, or vegetables or with kofta kababs

Chinese okra soup

Call it the resolution fever or just going with the flow with so many people getting into the diet mode at the beginning of the year, I am deciding to eat/drink more soup . So this is my first soup of the year.

U heard about this soup a long long time ago when I was shopping for Chinese Okra or as it is called in India Ridge gourd. In India most of the recipes with ridge gourd call for cooking it till most/all of the water is evaporated. It is super delicious because of the concentrated flavor, but if you ask me , a bad way to cook a vegetable which has high water content. 

Anyway I made this brothy soup and yum yum even my kids loves it

Ridge gourd soup

Chinese Okra Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 okra peeled and washed. Cut into 1/8 inch thick semi circles
2. 1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3. 1 big or 2 small garlic cloves grated
4. 2 tablespoons finely sliced onion
5. 2 cups chicken broth or water
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. Cilantro for garnishing

In a pan heat the oil or butter and fry the onions till translucent. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add ridge gourd or chinese okra and fry for about 10 minutes until they lose their raw color. Add the broth/ water salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot

NOTE: If you want enhanced flavor add a tablespoon of cooked chicken or lamb or shrimp finely chopped