Cholay Recipe

I have taken a very long break, but i m still busy as you cant even imagine.  I will be back soon when the kids are off to school, but until than enjoy the recipe below. 
so here it is online for everyone to see this will be my ramadan gift to all who want to feed their families something delicious during this blessed month
all i ask is your duas
2 Garbanzo cans(average size)
2 medium onions
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium potato
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp corriander powder
1 tsp garlic paste or powder (ummm what no ginger? you ask.  YUP no ginger)
1/8 tsp turmeric (optional)
1 cup tamarind juice ( you need to buy the tamarind and squeeze the juice out) or if you must  use  the nasty tamarind black paste (which i personally despise )(1 tsp)
curry leaves lots of it (if you need curry leaves ask your local hyderabadi aunty she will have a plant for sure)
1 Lime cut into quarters
whole bunch of cilantro chopped
green chillies as many as you like
BAGAR:
3 tblsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp corriander
2 dried red chillis
few specks of kalonji (if you dont know what it is just skip it)


step one
prepare bagar(which means infusing the oil) with all the ones above

then add one of the medium onions, cook until transparent
chop potato and add it in and just cook for a minute, if you coat the potatoes in hot oil it wont be too starchy (USEFUL TIP FOR USING POTATOES IN ANY CURRY RECIPE(your welcome) then add one of the tomatoes chopped, garbanzo beans rinsed, spices and tamarind juice
cook until it looks like the cholay consistency, potatoes should be done by then, add curry leaves stir and turn the stove off
remove the cholay into a dish while still hot garnish with cilantro,green chillis chopped, onion finely chopped and lime
make sure it looks pretty
enjoy

(if you put shaan chaat masala in the cooking process a little curry leaf will fall off and die)
You may use the chaat masala to sprinkle on top when you are eating.

Its been so long i forgot i had to cook

So, after a long and exciting break, i have decided to use my mind and do another blog. I have been so busy going to parties and eating and eating and more eating that i totally forgot about myslef.  My goodness i totally gained about 15 pounds and i cant stop eating. In that process i developed a total loss of my cooking skills.  I cannot think of any recipes... its like some sort of food amnesia, just eat dont create type of thing.
As, i sat here staring at the screen i decided to dig deep inside my brain to search for a very good recipe. Than i got an email from one of my good foody friend that she would like me to put some recipes that the whole family can enjoy and some good healthy recipes for the upcoming month ramadan.  I am devising a plan for that but i do need some time to develop a good meal plan for the 30 days, which this year we will have a very long period of fasting and a very short window of  eating...so Im thinking healthy, light and filling.

How about some  kabobs

1lb of ground meat
1tsp salt
1/2 onion finely finely chopped in a food process or
1/2 tsp chilli or ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of garam masala (see older recipes)
2 tblsp of dried parsley
1tsp dried mint
1 tsp garlic ginger paste


mix al ingredients together

shape into kabobs
grill on the bbq 10 minutes each side

enjoy with anything !

below is a recipe for a cheesecake

 simple easy peasy cheesy cheesecake recipe. (i got this off the philadelphia cream cheese box a long time ago and its a no fail recipe) Do try the variations and have fun with it.

What you need is 2 cups of finely ground graham crakers
1/4 cup butter
mixed well and press into a pie pan (if it crumbles add a bit more butter)

8 oz cream cheese (softened)
8 oz condensed milk
8 oz sour cream
mix well with stand mixer or hand mixer until smooth
pour into the crust

place in oven at 400 for 20 minutes remove from oven cool than refrigerate for atlease 4 hours

Top cheesecake with fresh berries or mangoes or peaches or any good fruit. To get a good glaze melt some good raspberry or strawberry jam (seedless) and brush on top

you can make several variations of toppings such as peanutbutter (slighty melted drizzle on top than drizzle with melted chocolate than drizzle with melted caramel and top with chopped peanuts . 
also try this
2 tblsp of butter melt in a pan add 2 tblsp of brown sugar a pinch of salt than when sugar is melting add sliced green apples toss than add 1 tsp of cinnamon. cool than top the cheesecake
use the above recipe with pears with nutmeg add some pecans, peaches even bananas (bananas foster )

the topping recipe above can be used to tope cakes, pancakes, crepes etc

go crazy make your own version of cheesecake and enjoy the process

you can make a mocha cheesecake by adding 1/4 cup of expresso or dissolve a 2tblsp of coffee crystals into 1/4 cup of hot water and add into the cheesecake mixture.

You can make a swirl cheesecake by melting any kind of jam or jelly .  After pouring the cheesecake mixture into the pie crust than plopping a few jelly or jam than swirling them into the pie.

Good luck and have fun with it.  This is an extremely easy recipe and a lot of fun to work with. 

Somethings Fishy ? how cliche

Teach a person to fish, he will hand it to you to cook it while he goes and takes a nap, teach him how  to cook and he will make you fish curry.  Does that even make sense?, who knows.  Subject of the day after returning back from a very busy 2 weeks.  Fish. Everyone should eat fish at least twice a week.  We meat eaters including myself have to make an effort to love fish but made right we foodies will jump at it. Fish is so versatile you can practically do anything to it. Quick meals done right and downright healthy. You can bake it, Fry it Grill it and currify it J.  The one great thing about fish is when you cook it in curry it still retains its nutrients which is awesome.  The Awesomeness of all awesome foods.  Check out the great benefits or just ignore it by scrolling down to the recipes.

Protein

• Fish is a very good source of protein. Our bodies are not equipped to store protein; therefore consuming fish daily helps you fulfill your daily requirement.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

• Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Our bodies don't manufacture this nutrient which helps protect against heart disease.

Low Fat

• Fish is a great staple of a low fat diet. The majority of fish contain low levels of saturated fats.

B Vitamins

• Fish contains B vitamins, which help to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. The B vitamins help your memory and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Vitamin A

• Vitamin A, which is found in fish, helps the body tissue mend and provides the mechanics for cell growth. Some other common ailments Vitamin A helps ward off are arthritis, acne and bronchitis.

Calcium

• Fish also contains calcium, which helps to maintain strong bones and teeth.

What kind of fish do you like? It all depends on how you cook it and prepare. It also depends on the textures. 

The texture can help you decide the proper techniques of cooking it.  When you are grilling fish, it would not be a good idea to grill the fragile fish as they will fall apart.  The more delicate fish you can grill but with the skin on or on a plank or a pan.  Most people buy specialty cedar planks to grill them on. Turn them and they will fall apart.  What fish would you choose for what type of cooking is purely up to you.  Depending on the flavors the darker the color the more intense the flavor and the whiter flesh fish tend to be more delicate and light. As for marinating; the lighter the fish the less marination is needed.  The more dense fish may dry out during the cooking process so a good oil marinate for 30 minutes or longer may result in a good buttery juicer cooked fish.  Tuna (yes it’s an actual fish that doesn’t come in a can and don’t even get me started on why it’s called the chicken of the sea.) I have had it in a few restaurants but I just did not like it in any which way and form. I guess the good old school days of having it from a can with loads of mayo just sets in to your taste buds and rejects any other form or version of that particular fish. But Tuna is very healthy for you so make your self a good grilled tuna steak slice and and serve it on a nice arugula mango and candied pecan salad with good goat cheese. But you can do that salad with any dense grilled fish. I prefer the salmon.

Digressing:

Basic ingredients for a good baked fish

Salt, Pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic

If you are using fish like salmon (pink fleshed fish) they are better off with butter as it compliments the fish much more than oil.

Butter is always better!

The alternative options for baked fish: coat with crushed or finely chopped parsley, dill .

Add a kick with some chilli powder coriander powder and cumin powder.

If you want a nice glaze on these while baking I would recommend concoctions of mustard olive oil and parsley. 

You can try pesto mixed with mayonnaise tomatoes and garlic with olive oil

Buy a good teriyaki sauce always yummy.  Make your own concoctions with peanut butter soy sauce some good ginger and olive oil salt and pepper to taste. Thai it (lol)

There are also  great toppers or crust you can make for baked fish.  All you need is bread crumbs(panko my favorite), you can make your own bread crumbs by getting two slices of bread and tossing it in a food processor until it crumbs up into well,  bread crumbs. Coconut is always good,   (served with good mango salsa: get some good almost ripe mangos cilantro, green chilis, and green onions and or yellow onions. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice some salt a pinch of sugar and pepper) The white fish go real well with the coconut and mango salsa. Ok digressing focus soooooo. Back to baking with crust…….

Basically you take the above ingredients in a bowl, add some olive oil or butter salt and garlic (opt) and mix it up and just sprinkle on time.  You can add to it crushed chilies, parsley, cheese sundried tomatoes olives basil etc.

Bake at 400 for 8 minutes per inch of thickness, if you have a good amount of crust bake for an extra 10 to 15 minutes depending of the ingredients piled on.

Grilling  is pretty basic.  There is the typical American style with salt and pepper and garlic.  You want to make it desi, well just add on some chili powder some coriander and cumin powder some ginger. When marinating the denser fish just add lots of Olive oil and soy sauce with ginger garlic and spices such coriander powder, chili powder and cumin powder. Sometime you can marinate the more dense fish like mahi mahi in Oil and soy sauce and garlic and salt than before grilling.  Throw it in some crushed black pepper. Make a good pepper crusted mahi mahi

Curry Fish:

Basic curry recipe

I make a few curry fish recipes depending on the time I have. The quick one I make is a basic onions,  spices and tomatoes.

Quick fish:

1 lb of fish

1 onion

2 tomatoes

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chili

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp coriander powder (optional)

Optional variation: add in 3 tbslp of coconut milk to make it creamier and richer.

Sauté onion until slightly brown, add in tomatoes and rest ingredients cook for at least 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add in fish and cook until done. Do not violently stir the pot while the fish is in there (not a good idea). Resist your inner desiness to Bhoon the fish. Nothing tstes nastier than overcooked fish.

A more fancier fish recipe with a lot more ingredients and would be better with the more firmer fishes such as mahi mahi, tuna, salmon, trout etc and cod(I don’t like cod only because it is completely bland, no smell and no flavor…its better off fried like in fish and chips).

Anyways

2 lbs good flavorful fish like trout, salmon, mahi mahi and maybe tuna

2 medium onions chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp turmeric

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

6 tablespoon cumin powder roasted and ground

4 tablespoon coconut powder roasted and ground

A few kalonji seeds a pinch 7 or 8 seeds

A pinch of methi (fenugreek) seeds

Tamarind pulp (don’t buy the concentrated version its gross)

Curry leaves

3 whole green chilis

cilantro

In a good size wide pot pour in 3 tbsp oil toss in the kalonji seeds and methi seeds.  Toss in onions and cook until brown. In a grinder ground the coconut powder and cumin powder until it turns into a paste.  In another blender add in the cooled sautéed onions the paste mixture the rest of the ingredients except the tamarind and blend until ummm blended.  Pour it back into the pot with 2 tblsp oil. If the mixture is too thick add some water and blend again. Cook in pan until the curry is thick and when the spoons sweeps through the bottom of the pan it leaves a clear trail.  Add the watery tamarind pulp into the mixture and cook until the consistency of the curry resembles a thick soup not dense. If it becomes too thick than add more water or tamarind pulp juice. Gently add in the fish and cook on low medium heat covered for a good 20 minutes.  Add in some coriander leaves curry leaves and 3 whole green chilies and turn off stove. It would also be a good enhancement if you brown the more thicker denser fish in another pan like sort of sear it..than gently just place into the curry.  Instead of stirring the pot after you add the fish just simply pick up the pot with the handle andd jsut gently swirl the pot around to move the curry around.

Always always taste for salt.  Some fish are very sweet and you may want to add a little bit more salt to balance you can also add a little bit of fish sauce for the more lighter sweeter fish like cod and orange roughy.

Enjoy with good rice and dal

Or just naan

GUESS WHAT: you can use the same ingredients to make seafood curry, just add shrimps, crabs lobster or you can make them all individually as well. When you make it with all the seafood just add in a cup of coconut milk.

BBQ chicken

Its been a while since i last wrote. Extremely busy, kids school coming to an end, friends having way too many parties, kids graduating, husbands graduating, birthdays, akikas, community events and for no reason lunch days.  Talk about stay at home mom no longer being called that.  How about stay in van mom that's more like it.  My family has been complaining that i make way too much desi foods and everything is super spicy and so decided that may be i should make some good bbq chicken.So Isra says:   "mama no please you always put too much spices and it gets all dry and sometimes we have the chicken at other peoples homes and its red and spicy. Can you please not make it please". Sheesh talk about trauma.  So, i had to conjure up something, i went on the Internet and did a little research.  All i found was vinegar, chicken seasoning and garlic. Or vinegar and tandoori masala, or chicken tikka masala or chiken bhun masala (what the heck is that)?
So, basically even when i went to those independent blog spaces i read you need vinegar and some sort of spice mix.  Why is that i wonder.  I am totally against spice mixes i just cant get myself to get them, i have tried and tested them but they are too salty or too "flavorful" cant describe  it like eating a bag of flavored chips. I dont know so yeah  i decided to experiment. Common ingredient being vinegar ( must be to tenderize the meat) salt,garlic,  (one cannot conjure up a concoction without it). No chili but maybe a little bit black pepper....

10 pieces of chicken (legs, thighs, breast pieces)
1 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup of oil
2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp of turmeric
2 tsp of black pepper powder
1 tsp cardamon powder
3 tsp of garam masala -
(1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp corriander seeds,1/4 tsp black cumin, 1 tsp of black pepper, a few cardamom pods 5-6, cloves 3-4: roast them on a hot pan and grind them in a coffee grinder)
1/4 cup of dried mint
4 tsp of garlic powder
(i know the rule is not too many spices but please no spices no flavor and besides most of the ingredients burn off into the bbq anyways)

marinade the chicken for at least an hour or preferably overnight)

brush the grill with oil than place the pieces on the grill turning it only when its half way done so you get the cool grill marks on the chicken ;)

Remove the chicken when it is done.  The chicken has to be juicy and not dry.


Here is the chicken and the spices i threw on and yes that is a knife, its a very real family practice of ours that instead of scoring each individual piece of chicken, we violently stab all the pieces at once several times.  Its strangely therapeutic. Ive seen my sister in law do it and she scares me sometimes (lol). However she does make the best bbq chicken marinade might i add.




Here it is all mixed up

So, sorry i couldnt take the picture of the finished product, it was mercilessly devoured by my family.



Options

• You can eat with potatoes, by itself, rice whatever.  Tonight i just removed the chicken off the bone than i added some good BBQ sauce and some mayonnaise.  Mixed it up and put in a hamburger bun. 
• You can also add sumac on it before serving
• Brush it with some good BBQ sauce before removing it from the grill 
• Make BBQ pizza by getting some good pizza bread spread some BBQ sauce add chicken and some good cheese melt it and eat it. (maybe add mushrooms, bell pepper onions go crazy its your pizza)
• Get some romaine lettuce chop it fine, add some grilled corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, chopped red onions and BBQ chicken with BBQ sauce. Than dress it with good ranch dressing. BBQ chicken salad!!!

Hope this was to your liking. Please enjoy and use good manners.

Kadhahi gosht

As per requested by  one of my bachelor cousins I have decided to do one more indigestion causing dish that we  all love and order at the Indian restaurant.  I guess after you serve this dish you can always pass around a small dish of Tums as after dinner mints.  They have mint flavored Tums too.  Kadahi Gosht is a very popular dish, it is of course made in a karahi (which is a type of Wok) and is usually served in those cute little woks with a very round bottom. I know I should be posting more healthy dishes but I do what I can to help the ones in need.  Plus I do enjoy making these recipes because after all it’s all about the flavors the food and the enjoyment of it all.  I as many of my friends follow the moderation diet where we eat well but only in moderation. 

Kadahi Gosht

1lb lamb meat 

1 ½ tsp salt (or to your desire)

1 tsp red chili powder (again you can add more)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala

¼ tsp fennel seed or 1 star anise

1 tblsp methi or fenugreek leaves

2 onions chopped fine 

3 tblsp yogurt

2 large tomatoes

1 bell pepper

Marinate the meat in all the spices

In a wok (or if you don’t have a wok don’t panic you can use a pot)

Add in oil then onions, sauté them until they are brown.  Add in the tomatoes and the marinated meat.  Add in the fennel seeds or 1 star anise.  Add in ¼ cup water, cover and cook until meat is tender about half hour or you can do it in a pressure cooker.  Then after the meat is tender you can transfer it into a wok or pot.   The curry should start getting some color and it should have thick gravy.  If it looks too watery then you should set the wok on high heat and try to evaporate out the water dont leave the stove no matter what, unless the house is on fire or if someone is having a severe medical emergency.  Try real hard not to overcook the meat or it will just turn into kadahi mush.  I prefer to make this dish without the pressure cooker as I can control the consistency and keep the meat in its form.  if you are not cooking in a pressure cooker and the meat is not yet done and the water has completely evaporated feel free to add in another 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes on low heat... So, after the meat is tender and the gravy looks like gravy and the oil seems to have separated itself from the gravy like on top, then I add in the bell pepper chopped about ¼ inch .  I also add in 2 sliced green chilies and a bunch of chopped cilantro for garnish. Stir fry on medium high for  1 minute turn off the stove and cover and keep it covered until it’s time to eat.  Enjoy with naan or rice. To prevent from getting heartburn you can also serve your guests some yogurt lassi.  All you need is a blender 1/2 cup of ice, 1 cup of yogurt and a bit of sugar to taste or honey  blend it well and drink it up; all the live cultures and bacteria from the yogurt will keep your stomach at ease. :). some people like to make the lassi unsweetened and add salt instead but to me thats just not gonna happen.. You can add a few slices of mango , some studies show that mango might help with acid reflux so who knows, maybe thats why people in india enjoy such amazingly delicious spiced up foods and not end up getting heartburn their entire lifetime.  They eat mangoes!!!! Happy Eating.

Butter chicken

As I was on spring break I received a few phone calls on how to cook Indian foods.  Indian recipes for curries and rice and stuff. So I have decided to post some very simple everyday curries that people can make every day.  Healthy alternatives to your typical Indian restaurants meals and for those who are already Indian and may not know a few basics, you will realize that the stuff you eat at “dawats” or parties is not everyday food, You are not required to have 2 inches of oil, You don’t have to have those whole spices floating around, you don’t cook the onions for half hour until they turn brown and stink up your house you hair and give you acne ….and you don’t have to cook it for hours.  I will post one recipe a day to make it simple, and help you progress into an awesome amazing Indian somewhat Hyderabadi cook.

Basic ingredients shopping list: (Indian store would be perfect)

Salt

Chili powder

Turmeric powder

Cumin seeds

Black cumin seeds

Coriander seeds

Garlic and ginger paste

Cinnamon sticks

Cardamom

Whole black pepper

Whole red chili dried or red chili flakes

Onions, yogurt and Tomatoes are a must have for an Indian cook.

Cilantro, mint and green chilies would be good to have around

*did you know that chicken tikka masala is not even an authentic Indian dish.   Ironically  Britain’s true national dish. How what when who?  You ask? Well.  A British walks into an Indian restaurant (true story) and orders chicken, he gets small pieces of grilled chicken marinated Indian style.  Heis not satisfied (go figure) so  he demands the dish needs more curry so the chef takes in the chicken opens up a can of Campbell soup and adds in a dollop of yogurt and a few more spices and VOILA!  An official dish has been born.  Even though it’s been how you say ummm illegitimately been conceived by the idea of the ever so delicious Punjabi dish Butter chicken. The concept is the same but a quick thinking chef created the most important, most consumed Indian curry dish on the planet.  So, who would have thunk it!!!

Seriously?  I love chicken tikka masala and I refuse to even cook this dish...Why? well because when I go to an Indian restaurant I would like to try something that is authentically a restaurant dish like the waldorf salad or that horrid red velvet cake not somethin that is homemade.  I can do homemade all by myself. 

Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
juice of 1 lemon
salt and red chili powder, to taste
1 cup yogurt
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garlic
1 1/2 tbs tandoori masala
3 tbs butter
2 cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
4 medium ripe tomatoes, blended
1 tbs tomato paste

½ cup cashews toasted and grinded into a paste in a food processor or a coffee grinder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbs dried fenugreek (methi) leaves (the secret ingredient muahahahha)
16 oz thick cream
extra butter or coriander to garnish

Method:

Marinate the chicken cubes in lemon juice, salt, chili powder, yogurt, ginger, garlic and tandoori powder for at least half an hour. Overnight is best. Preheat the oven to the highest grill setting. Place the chicken on a baking tray closest to the grill and grill for at least 10 minutes on each side or until cooked. Allow the chicken to cook until it JUST starts to char. Or BBQ it!

To prepare the gravy, heat and melt the butter. Add to it the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Stir fry for a minute before adding the cashew paste tomatoes and tomato paste, Let this simmer on low to medium heat, half covered, for about 15-20 minutes. You will notice the gravy thicken and the oil will form a film on top. If the gravy is too thick, you can add a small amount of water. Add the rest of the ingredients (cream and fenugreek) as well as the grilled chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with butter or coriander.

Enjoy with rice or Naan

This dish is only recommended for people who do not have high cholesterol, who run at least 5 miles a day and enjoy dancing to bhangra music at least 3 times a day for at least 20 minutes.  Or for people who enjoy their foods in moderation.