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Spicy Taro Root

Taro roots are considered as one of the staples in many tropical areas of the world. But as with many other vegetables it also get ignored and is not used in daily cooking. Although taro root can be toxic in its raw state but these toxins are destroyed by cooking. So always cook them before using . They are commonly boiled or steamed. Taro's can be used as a perfect side dish or as a beautiful and complete main dish.

I love their texture and flavor, here I added roasted spices and fresh herbs to add some more flavor. Its a very simple and flavorful recipe with come together in minute's. Try it you wont be disappointed.

Ingredients

• Taro roots 8-10
• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Oil vegetable 2-3 Tbsp
• Cilantro finely chopped 1 Tbsp
• Mint finely chopped 1 Tbsp

Method

Wash taro roots and boil them with skin on till fork tender( I boil them in microwave it take around 12-13 minutes for 8-10 of them). Peel the skin off and cut them in half and keep aside. Heat a pan to roast powdered spices, once the pan is heated first add cumin powder as soon as it start to change color around 30-45 seconds add coriander powder followed by chili powder. These spices will only take about a minute and half to get roasted and smoky. Keep the roasted spices aside too.

Now heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds(mustard seeds are optional, if you don't want to use them skip this step). Once the seeds start to splatter add the boiled, peeled and halved taro root, keep tossing the pan to toss the taro's as soon as they start browning add turmeric powder and roasted spices with salt and toss them again(avoid using too much movement with help of spoon or spatula as boiled taro's are very soft and they can easily get broken). Let them cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes to get crispy on outside. Add chopped cilantro, mint and lemon juice. Serve hot. Enjoy......

Beef and Black Bean Chili.........A perfect winter indulgence.

I love when it starts to get cold and chilly outside, a perfect excuse to get lazy, stay cozy inside and of course watch movie which i hardly get time for. So today I decided to watch "Sex and the City" again. There is something about the character of Carrie Bradshaw( Sarah Jessica Parker) strong, sexy and witty which i really enjoy, not that i want to relate myself to her in any way. And of course the wardrobe which Mr.Big builds for her is to die for... Does such luxuries really happen and do men really built that kind of closet. Hmm just a thought......

OK we are not here to discuss movie that too some old one but actually this is what I did on a chilly winter day. Hey my story is not over yet, my biggest indulgence of the day has not been screened yet."Beef and Black Bean Chili" Taddaa...... Now thats what is a perfect chilly day indulgence for me. Totally comforting and a complete soul food. I am sure every household has their very own recipe, actually the way my mom made this is a very different and lengthy process(which I will share with you all soon) but I came up with this recipe not so time consuming and lengthy but very satisfying and comforting flavors.

Ingredients-

• Beef minced 1 lbs
• Tomato chopped 1 cup
• Canned diced tomato 1 can 15oz
• Tomato paste 2 Tbsp
• Onion chopped 1/2 cup and for garnish
• Garlic chopped 1 Tbsp
• Ginger chopped 1 Tbsp
• Serrano pepper 1
• Black bean 1 can 15oz(drained)
• Coriander powder 1 Tbsp
• Paprika 1 tsp
• Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt 1 tsp or as per taste
• Mustard 1 Tbsp
• Brown sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp
• Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp
• Cilantro chopped 2 Tbsp
• Chicken stock 1 cup
• water 1 cup
• Oil 2 Tbsp

Method-

Throughly wash the canned black beans and boil it with ginger, serrano chili, chicken stock and water for about 15- 20 minutes covered on medium low flame. Boiling the beans like this add lot of flavor to otherwise bland beans. Heat the oil in a pot and add onions, once they start to get translucent add the beef and garlic and cook till the beef get brown.

Now add the tomatoes both chopped and canned and tomato paste with coriander,cumin and paprika powder and cook for 4-5 mins till everything blends well. Keep stirring it while cooking to avoid anything sticking to the pot and getting burned. Add the boiled beans with mustard and Worcestershire sauce, salt and sugar to the beef mixture. Stir everything together cover the lid and cook it on simmer for another 15 minutes if it get too thick you can add little more water as per your desired thickness. Mash the beans with bean masher before serving. Add cilantro and serve with onion and chopped Serrano(if liked) on top as garnish. Enjoy both the Chilly weather and the yummy Chili.

Sloppy Sandwiches

Christmas is right here, the tree is out and sparkling with lights and ornaments, stockings are monogrammed and hanging, gifts are wrapped to perfection, menu has been decided, in short everything is organised. Honestly apart from the tree nothing absolutely nothing is done, yes I am getting my panic attacks but still why on the earth its so hard for me to become picture perfect organised human around holidays. Don't get wrong ideas I am a pretty organised person in everyday life but for holidays I have to blame my holidays hormones, yes believe me we women have different hormones for every moment in our life. I don't care whether the whole medical fraternity totally prove me wrong on this, ask my husband he is living proof of my hormonal moments and will never argue on this with me.

Anyway among all this last moment craziness I still crave all kinds of favorite food of mine, yes the more crazier it gets the more favorites are added to my already enormously long list of food. So I decided to indulge in everyone favorite today " Sloppy Joe's", yummmmmmm. I added green to my beef and had it with whole wheat bread. Trust me these one are good not only to taste but also good for you and come together really fast.

Ingredients-

• Beef Minced 90% lean 1/2 lbs
• Diced Tomato 3/4 of 14.5 oz can
• Tomato Paste 1 Tbsp
• Onion Chopped 1 Cup
• Celery Chopped 1/2 Cup
• Spinach Chopped 3 cups
• Ginger Paste 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste 1 tsp
• Paprika 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder 2 tsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or as per taste
• Black Pepper 1 tsp
• Oil 2-3 Tbsp
• Whole Wheat bread ( you can use anything here.)
• Water 3-4 Tbsp
• Lime juice 1 tsp (optional)

Method-

Heat oil in a saute pan and add chopped onion, let the onion get little translucent then add celery and keep sauteing both till celery also start to get little pale. Add beef and let it cook with onion and celery till it start to get brown, add ginger and garlic paste, salt and cook everything on low medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Keep stirring the beef and make sure nothing stick to pan. Now add coriander powder, paprika and black pepper and stir everything for about 1 minute. Put diced tomatoes, tomato paste in the pan and cook everything stirring all the time for 2-3 mins. Finally add spinach and water, mix everything together and cook it on medium low heat covered for about 10 mins keep checking and stirring 2-3 times while its cooking to make sure nothing is sticking to bottom of pan and getting burned. When done the water will almost dry out, turn off the heat I like to sprinkle little lime juice but this is totally up to you. I like to eat it with whole wheat bread, I slightly toast my slices again this is also as per your choice, you can use burger buns, hot dog buns anything. Serve hot and Enjoy.

Flat Bread with Spicy Vegetable Topping

Fresh baked beauties are loved by all whether its cake or pizza, muffins or flat bread the list is endless and the admirers for these are infinite. Yes you all have guessed it right today the star of the show is my oven, upon whose performance my results are depending. So I decided to make a flat bread today, Simple flat bread with spicy vegetable topping. Traditionally these types of flat breads are baked in Clay Oven (Tandoor) in eastern countries. The temperature in these Tandoors can reach up to 900F making the food cook really fast because of such high temperature the surfaces cook really fast sealing all the moisture and juices inside the food keeping it moist and succulent. The food cook in these oven has unique flavors and aromas, once you taste them you will get hooked. Tandoori food can also be very healthy as they can cook with minimum fat and still remain juicy.

So I decided to challenge my trusted "Oven" to compete with the fiery hot Tandoor and produce if not more but almost same succulent and juicy creations with a taste of perfection in every bite. As always my very simple domestic oven, my faithful companion in the culinary world proved that it is capable to making almost any dish to its perfection. The main catch here was heating oven to highest temperature and maintaining the temperature. I started by preheating the oven to 525 on bake and after about 45-60 minutes, I switched to broil, why because in baking mode oven shuts down after reaching the temperature set but in broil mode the oven does not shut, so the heat source is constant which helps in controlling temperature fluctuation. Secondly when baking bread I use pizza stone as it retains the heat well, placing the stone on the lower most shell also helps it to heat up quickly and evenly.

I made Flat Bread with Spicy vegetable topping. If you want you can call it pizza as there isn't really a precise difference between flat bread and pizza and both seems to jump into each other boundaries. I baked my bread in 2 steps 1- On the pizza stone for about 3-4 minutes till the bottom was crisp and started getting brown spots. 2- I switch the oven to broiling mode from baking and broil the bread with topping for about 1 minute or so to get even browning on the top too. The dough rest in a warm place for about 1 hour after a good kneading of about 15-20 minutes and then I keep it in refrigerator for overnight after shaping dough into portion to rise again this time slowly, this process is called retarding and adds more complex and deep flavors to the final product. The topping is cooked before adding on the of the bread.

Ingredients--

Dough-

• 4 cups Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour
• 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup Milk warm(100-110 f)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1tsp Nigella seeds
• Water warm around 1-1/2 cup to knead dough
• Olive oil to be used at the time of baking

Topping-

• 1 Cup Red Onion( white/yellow can also be used) coarsely diced
• 1-1/2 Cup Eggplant coarsely diced
• 1 Cup Zucchini coarsely diced
• 2 Large Tomato chopped
• 2-3 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Mint finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt or as per taste
• 2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 4-6 olives per each bread

Method-

Dough-

• Mix yeast in milk and add sugar and set aside for 10-12 minutes to proof.
• Mix the dry ingredients for flour and add the milk and yeast mixture and start kneading the dough. Add warm water to help in kneading do this slowly and add enough to make a nice clean dough not hard and not too soft.
• If doing by mixer then too add water slowly as needed to make the dough with a clean bowl and dough leaving the side of the bowl clean after around 5-7 minutes of kneading.
• We need to knead the dough for 10-15 minutes, more time given to kneading will help in formation of gluten.
• Set the dough aside cover with damp kitchen towel for about 1 hour in warm place before dividing into portion and refrigerating. Divide the dough in 4 portion.
• Refrigerate the dough overnight loosely wrapped in plastic wrap for slow rising but in case you need to use dough same day then let the dough sit for another 1 hour after dividing to rise for second time.

Topping-

• Heat oil in the pan and add onion and garlic, saute it till the onion start to get translucent and add tomato,tomato paste, coriander powder, turmeric, paprika and salt and cook it on low till everything blends and oil start to separate from the tomato and onion mixture.
• Add chopped eggplant and zucchini and water and cover the pan, let it cook on low medium till both eggplant and zucchini are done and start to break down and blend with tomato mixture. Remove the lid and cook for little more on high to let any excess dry out and once again the oil separate from the vegetables. Make sure to keep stirring the vegetables while cooking and you can add more water if the water dry out before vegetables are done. If the heat is low medium the water will not dry out quickly and vegetables will be cooked.
• Add chopped cilantro and mint also add red pepper flakes stir and remove from heat. Topping is ready.

Assembling the flat bread-

• Take the dough out from the refrigerator and rest it in room temperature for 2 hours before making the bread.
• Preheat the oven on bake on the highest temperature, my oven goes up to 525F for about 45 minutes to an hour with the pizza stone. Adjust the 1 shelf to lower most for pizza stone and 1 to top most for broiling the bread later before preheating.
• Take 1 portion of the dough and place it on lightly dusted surface and start stretching it into a disc or oblong shape with 1/4 inch of thickness. Avoid using rolling pin and do it with fingers as over pressing the dough will harden the bread. Keep dipping your fingers in dry flour to help with streching aslo keep dusting the dough with little flour.
• Take a flat cookie sheet and sprinkle some semolina flour or corn flour and place the stretched dough on it.This will prevent the stretched dough from sticking on the sheet and easy sliding onto the stone.
• Sprinkle the streched dough with olive oil and slide it onto the pizza stone and bake it for 3-4 minutes till the bottom start to get golden brown spots. Take out.
• Add the desired amout of topping to the pre- bake falt bread, sprinkle chopped olives and put it back in the oven on the top most shelf switch the oven from bake to broil and broil the flat bread for 1-2 minute till the top is done.
• Take out sprinkle with little drizzle of olive oil if you like. Serve straight from oven. Enjoy

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Spinach and Tomato Sauce

I know you all must be thinking that i don't have anything else to do, all I do is cook, eat and post about it and of course before eating I click the photographs of my creations. Well yes I am doing this everyday but I was cooking and eating before too the only addition to my daily routine is photography and writing. And I am having a blast, but trust me this is not all what i do. Cooking is not only a hobby for me its my profession too yes I am a Chef and a mom of 2 toddlers and a wife of major foodie hubby and friends of all the wonderful people including you all my readers. So my life is pretty busy as you can see but this blog is becoming major love of my life, I love the way I can share things here by being myself and write my heart out without living in fear of being judge. I wait for comments as they encourage me to carry on, what else can be more satisfying tell me. And all this is possible because of you all my wonderful readers, Thank you all so much.And Thanks for being such a great listener (reader) to me.

Lets get back to food, today i was craving a complete food. Yes i wanted it to be tasty and also healthy, comforting and also quick. I wanted my meat but also wanted my greens . Not difficult combination but somehow our palate has become such that satisfying all these demands in one dish sound little difficult. So i decided to add a little twist on my favorite food " Meatballs and Spaghetti".

Spicy Herb'ed Meatballs in Spinach and Tomato Sauce, meat, greens and pasta all together now thats what is called WOW. Spinach is not only a very healthy vegetable but also an excellent source of Folate and other vitamins and minerals.It is very tasty and versatile, I add spinach to many of my dishes, it really blends well with meat, poultry, vegetables, fish and lentils/beans. As a puree or sauce its flavors come out to a different level. I used only beef for meatballs and added fresh chopped herbs and spices. I also added a slice of white bread which was soaked in milk to make the meatballs more tender and juicy( I got this trick from Tyler Florence show, he is such an amazing cook, an absolute charmer). All in all the dish came out really well, the sauce which is tomato and spinach puree cooked with spices in olive oil is delicate but has so much layers of texture. I added boiled spaghetti and my kids loved it an ate without that face which they make for veges, I am sure u all know that face.Try it it wont be a disappointment.

Ingredients- servings 4-6

Meatballs -- Makes 16-18 Meatballs

Minced beef ( I use 90% lean) 1 lbs

Garlic 1/2 tsp fine paste

Ginger 1/2 tsp fine paste

Jalapeño 1 medium( optional )

Cilantro 2 Tbsp finely chopped

Parsley 2 Tbsp finely chopped

Spring onions 2 both green and white part finely diced

Cumin powder 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Paprika powder 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp or as per taste

Eggs 2

White bread 1 slice soaked in milk for 5-6 minutes

Oil for frying meatballs 2-3 TBSP

Sauce

Spinach 4 cups loosely packed

Tomatoes 2 medium size

Garlic 3 cloves

Tomato paste 1 TBSP

Bay leaf 1 leaf

Cinnamon 1 inch piece

Paprika 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder 1/4 tsp

Ketchup 1 TBSP

Sugar 1 TBSP

Salt 1/2 tsp or as per taste

Finely chopped Cilantro and Parsley 2 TBSP

Olive oil 2-3 TBSP ( can be drizzled over sauce more once sauce is made )

Spaghetti 1/2 packet ( will make 4 servings) cooked as per instruction on box

Garnish

Finely chopped Cilantro and Parsley 2 TBSP

Parmesan cheese some sprinkle

Red pepper flakes again as per choice

Method--

• Mix all the ingredients for meatballs except bread and eggs. soak the bread in milk, beat the egg in separate bowl and mix it with the meat mixture. Now take the slice of bread out from the milk and slightly press it between palms to take out excess milk and add it to the meat mixture. Mix everything throughly cover and refrigerate for minimum 15- 20 mins to let everything blend together. Refrigerating will also help the meat in absorbing all the flavors.We can make meat mixture ahead and refrigerate it for day also. Let it sit in room temperature for 5-10 minutes before frying it. Never leave it in room temperature for more than 30 mins, remember it has raw egg and beef, we don't want nasty Salmonella, E Coli or any other bad bad food borne disease getting us.
• Now we can get started with the sauce.

1. Boil water in a large stock pot add spinach and cook it only for 3-4 minute we just need to blanch them. Take them out in a colander and rinse throughly with cold tap water just to stop cooking process. Add them to the blender and puree them and keep them aside.
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pot and add diced tomatoes, garlic and tomato paste, cook it on medium high till the tomatoes are tender.Add them to blender and puree them too.Add little water if needed when pureeing the tomatoes
3. Add little drizzle of oil to the same sauce pan in which we cooked tomato and add bay leaf, cinnamon,tomato puree, spinach puree, paprika, coriander powder, black pepper powder, ketchup, sugar, salt, 1/2 cup of water and let it cook on low simmer for 15-20 mins.
4. Check for the seasoning and once the sauce is done to required consistency adjust the flame to minimum heat and let it slowly simmer.Its an old saying the longer the simmer the tastier the sauce.

• Getting back to meatballs make around 16-18 meatballs and heat around 2-3 tbsp in a pan and shallow fry these meatballs. Keep shaking the pan slowly while the meatballs are frying to prevent them from getting too dark on one side. It will will take approx. 10-15 mins for the meat balls to get get throughly cooked in 2-3 batches. These meatballs will also simmer in the sauce for 10-15 minutes, so they will be cooked throughly.
• Once the meatballs are fried add them to the simmering sauce and let it simmer in sauce for another 10-15 mins, add water if the sauce is too thick but only so the sauce get to desired consistency.
• Add the cooked spaghetti to the simmering pot of meatballs and sauce. You can add little bit pasta water just a spoon full if only the sauce is thick and also drizzle olive oil if u prefer. Before anything check the seasoning, Yummooo right. Shave some Parmesan and sprinkle chopped cilantro and parsley and some red pepper flakes.Serve hot and Enjoy

Mung Bean Pilaf

We all know the goodness of whole food, it has become a new hot trend today. Everyone wants to eat the whole natural food, preservatives and additives are becoming big NO. But with all this awareness and knowledge there is also a fear attach about cooking them. Being born and raised in Southern Asia I was lucky enough to grow eating the authentic all natural, organic and whole food that too home cooked, but somehow food always meant delicious and these big term were never used to define food. After moving to US, I was exposed to different cultures and their cuisine, same goodness of homecooked meals which were delicious to eat, but along this also came an option to choose between natural food and artificially preserved foods. The later being easy and quick is an option for anyone to choose, but its not a healthy option. There is nothing wrong in indulgence once in a while but making healthy choices is not only good for us but can also be fun. With just little planning we can make delicious meals.

For lunch today I made Mung Bean Pilaf, it is a very delicious and easy recipe. Mung Beans should to be soaked in water preferably overnight or for 4-6 hours before cooking for easy cooking, this is where the most time is consumed when cooking with beans. If the beans are not soaked overnight or for 4-6 hours before cooking we can soak them in hot water for 1 hour before cooking them and they will be good to use. Soaking the beans is common procedure with any kind of raw beans to help them in cooking.In the end I would say Natural and Whole food is the way to go.

Ingredients-

Mung beans 1 cup

Rice( i used Basmati but any long grain rice can be used) 1 1/2 cup

Green Cardamom 2

Cinnamon stick 1 inch piece

Onion thinly sliced 1/4 cup

Garlic finely chopped 1 tsp

Salt to taste 1/2 tsp( when adding salt to rice dish add little extra then what used otherwise)

Water 4 cups

Oil 2 + 1 TBSP

Cilantro chopped 1 TBSP

Method-

Soak Mung beans in water for 4-6 hours preferably overnight, this is crucial as it will help the beans with cooking. Before starting to cook the pilaf drain the water off the beans and boil beans in fresh water for 5-7 minutes till the beans just start to get tender. Drain the beans again and keep aside.

Heat oil in a sauce pot and add green cardamom and cinnamon stick to it, after 30 seconds add garlic and stir it for another minute. Now add rice and the partially boiled beans and fry them in oil for 2-3 minutes. Once the rice start to get little translucent add salt and water. Bring to boil on high heat and cover pot, lower the heat immediately. Let it cook covered on low simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1TBSP of oil( in India clarified butter Ghee is used to brown the onion) in small fry pan and fry the sliced onion in it till they turn dark brown but they should not burn. Drain the oil from onion if u don't want to add extra oil, although this oil is full of flavor. Take the pilaf out in serving dish and sprinkle the brown onion and cilantro. Serve hot and Enjoy......

Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes....

I had to share this recipe with you all right away. I made Brussels sprout and potatoes for dinner, its so simple and delicious.Brussels sprouts belong to the family of Cabbage but are little bland in taste as compared to raw Cabbage. So i was thinking how to cook them, most common methods used to cook these are steaming, boiling and roasting but i decided to play a little different with them. I cooked them with potatoes by sauteing them with spices to add a little Indian flavors to it and they turned out amazingly delicious.Potatoes paired really well with Brussels sprouts, i also added a dash of lime juice for that fresh tangy flavor and the rest was history.

Ingredients--

• Brussels sprouts 2 cup (slit in halves)
• Potatoes 2 medium size cubed
• Nigella seeds 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric 1/4 tsp
• Red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp
• oil 2-3 tbsp
• Cilantro 1/2 tsp
• Lime juice 1 tbsp
• Salt as per taste

Method--

Heat the oil in a saute pan and add nigella seeds, once the seeds start to splatter in a minute or so

add Brussels sprouts and potatoes. Stir them all together and add turmeric and salt, stir it once again and cover the pan, let them cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes till both sprouts and potatoes are done.Make sure u keep stirring the pan time to time while its cooking to prevent them sticking to pan or getting burned.Lower the heat if needed, these will be cooking in the steam so no need to add any water. While its cooking, heat another pan and roast cumin seeds in they will roast really fast so keep an eye and make sure they get deep brown but don't burn. Make a coarse powder of cumin by crushing them roughly. Once the sprouts and potatoes are done sprinkle the cumin powder, red pepper flakes and lime juice.As always check for the seasoning and add chopped cilantro. Serve hot Enjoy

Chicken Soup... same old comfort with new flavors

I don't know about you all but i can find 1001 or even more reason why i love food, OK i got little carried away with numbers here but i can totally find lots of reason why i love food. The most precious of all is the memories which food brings along with it.

Chicken Soup is one such food which has one of the most beautiful memory of my life attach to it. Yes it was the first thing i had holding my newborn baby in my arm.Trust me the Soup in the hospital was not the greatest work in culinary field and neither my labor was easy. After an extremely long and painful labor, my baby was born(Thanks to my wonderful Doctor and Nurses, I knew i was in safe hands). Exhausted and hungry, the completely bland Chicken Soup did tasted like a masterpiece. But what made it so special was the fact that i had my baby in my arms and i was a MOMMY now. Even now whenever i have Chicken Soup i re-live the day my elder son was born. Now i am a mommy of two toddlers who run my life, sometime my days are crazy and everything gets upside down, but i wont trade my life for anything else.

I add few Asian ingredients to the pot of Chicken and Vegetable simmering together making it even more satisfying and delicious bowl of soup.

Ingredients-

Chicken Breast 2 diced in small cubes

Carrots 2 medium sliced

Celery Stalk 3 medium sliced

Chicken Stock 2 cups

Garlic 2 cloves finely chopped

Ginger 1" finely sliced

Coconut milk 1 cup
Cilantro finely chopped 2 tbsp

Fish Sauce 2 tbsp

Soy Sauce 1 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Black pepper 1/4 tsp

Lime Juice 1tbsp

Water 1 cup

Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp

Method--

Heat oil in a large pot, add ginger and garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add Chicken and cook it by stirring it for 2-3 minutes on high heat till it start to get little color but don't let the Chicken get brown. Add Celery and Carrots and cook them for few seconds, keep on stirring everything so all flavors blend well. Now add soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, pepper, lime juice, chicken stock and water, cover and let it simmer on slow for 10-15 minutes till the Chicken is completely cooked and vegetable get tender.

Add coconut milk to the pot with cilantro and let the soup simmer on very low for another 5 minutes. Check the seasoning, if needed add more salt or lime juice as per taste. Serve hot.

Leftover feast..... Turkey Salad Sandwich

Time is flying away really fast.Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is around the corner. 2009 is ready to say Adios ,whether we are ready for it or not. But before i could drown myself into all these thoughts and start planning, i had leftovers from thanksgiving dinner waiting to be used in some creative manner.But in no way i was ready to plan a trip to grocery store and neither i was planning to re-live the long cooking drill of thanksgiving preparation but yes i wanted to enjoy food. So the plan was to fix a Fast and Easy meal with plenty of flavor

Turkey Salad Sandwich yes i know there is nothing new to it but what else can be so quick and so much flavorful,all i did was chopped an apple and a stalk of celery mix with mayo, sour cream some seasoning made a quick Turkey Salad and spread it on toast with lettuce. Now thats what for me is perfect use of turkey with no added efforts and time. I am sure you will enjoy too....

Ingredients---

1 cup Chopped Turkey

1 stalk of Celery chopped finely

1/2 cup Apple chopped finely

1 tbsp Mayonnaise

2 tbsp Sour cream

2-3 tbsp Milk

2 tsp Mustard

1/2 tsp Black pepper

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Lettuce as desired

2 Slice of whole wheat bread

NOTE--

This turkey salad will make spread for 2-3 servings(of 2 slices each),but you can increase or decrease the filling as per your taste.I used light Mayonnaise and light Sour cream but again it totally up to your taste.Since its just such easy no fuss recipe play with it.You can add grapes to the salad or may be add slice of tomato in your sandwich.Create and enjoy just the way u like it.

Method--

In a bowl mix Mayonnaise, Sour cream, Mustard and Milk(i add milk to keep the salad little moist). Seasoned it with salt and pepper, add chopped Turkey, Celery and Apples. Toast the bread slices, put lettuce on the toast and spread the salad.Enjoy

Cannoli's

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele ofParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book

What a challenge,it was so much fun and was easy ,i made few changes in the recipe of shell and filling was simple heavy cream whipped with icing sugar and rose essence.the end result YUMMOOOOOOO

Ingredients-

Shell--

All purpose flour 1cup

Apple cider vinegar 2tbsp(any vinegar can be used)

Butter 2tbsp

Sugar 1tbsp

Baking powder 1tsp

Chilled water 4tbsp

Filling--

2 cup Heavy Cream

3/4 cup icing sugar

Rose Essence few drops

Pistachio for sprinkle

VEG OIL for frying the shells

METHOD------

Mix dry ingredients of shell recipe add butter and mix it,add vinegar and water and mix losely till all comes together.From here we follow the steps given in challenge for chilling the dough and finally frying the shells for cannoli's.

Once u fry the Cannoli's,let them cool and in the mean time whip heavy cream with sugar and add few drops of rose essence, fill Cannoli's and sprinkle chopped pistachio.

This is what i call simple and elegant desserts.

Thanks Daring Baker and Lisa Michele for this wonderful challenge

MAHI MAHI IN SPICY COCONUT SAUCE

Art of using spices is all it take to make millions and millions of unforgettable flavours.They can be used in both sweet and savory preparations, it can be little intimidating at first but once u start playing with them u cant stop.Play with them they are fun. Ok i agree easier said than done, i had my share of mishappenings, my hubby was on fire and not in a good way because i made this absolutely sensuous curry for him but at least i tried and learned my lesson along the way(Sorry Honey) that not all spices can be fun if not used in right proportion.

This Spicy Coconut Sauce has great depth and flavors and can be use for many preparations like Chicken or Vegetables as their base sauce.Heat can be adjusted to personal preference.Fish used here is Mahi Mahi, i like the delicate flavor of this fish but u can use any white fish.

Ingredients

• Mahi Mahi 1lb(cut in pieces)
• Onion 1medium
• Tomato's 2-3medium
• Ginger 1inch piece
• Garlic 4 cloves small
• Jalapeno 1(remove seeds for less heat)
• Tomato paste 2tbsp
• Coconut milk 2cups
• Mustard seeds 1tsp
• Coriander seeds 1tbsp
• Cumin seeds 1tsp
• Black peppercorns 1tsp
• Turmeric 1/2tsp
• Paprika 1/2 tsp
• Salt according to taste
• Oil 2tbsp

Method

Heat a non-stick pan and add Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds and Black peppercorns and roast them for 2-3 Min's or till they start turning brown and releasing their aroma, this process happens really fast so keep an eye or they will burn.Make coarse powder of these roasted seeds in coffee grinder or in mortar.Make puree of Onion, Tomato, Ginger and Garlic and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet, add Mustard seeds and wait for a minute. Once they start splattering add the puree u made with 1/4 cup of water. Cook for 4-5 minutes, once the water start drying out and oil start separating from the puree add Turmeric, Paprika, Salt and Tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds till all blend together. Now add 1cup of water and Fish and cover and cook for 10 minutes on low simmer till the fish is done.

Once the fish is cooked check for the thickness of curry if too thick add water for desired consistency, remember we will be adding Coconut milk so don't add too much water. Add Coconut milk, Cilantro and Jalapeno and let all cook again on low simmer for another 5 minutes till everything blend together.

Curry is ready, Serve with steam rice. Enjoy.....

Kisses !!!!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Loved the challenge so easy and quick but some how my batter was runny ,so the macarons could not keep the shape but they were delicious.

For filling I used Nutella and jelly.

Another Daring Bakers Delicacy......

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Its was a last minute run for me ,but worth every bite......, a Hungarian speciality absolute peice of heaven in mouth.

Thanks Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella and Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar, for such a wonderful challenge.

I followed recipe given in the challenge, can be found on Lorraine (Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella ) and Angele (Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar) website.

Only change i made was mine cake is small petitie size and seven layer.

The May Daring Bakers’ Challenge.....

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

What a challenge,this was my first Daring Baker challenge and i had so much fun doing it.I followed the original recipe for the dough which was posted by Courtney of Coco Cooks and Linda of make life sweeter!.I made variations for the filling.My sweet strudel has a Cherry Ricotta filling and the savory one has filling made of Chicken Kebab.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge" recipe of Apple Strudel can be found on the website of Courtney of Coco Cooks and Linda of make life sweeter.

The key to making good strudel is in stretching the dough,it should be so thin that it become practically transparent and we can see the pattern beneath it,little tricky but not difficult.

The recipe for fillings i used are posted below,once again thanks to Courtney and Linda.Happy Struddling to all.........



CHERRY RICOTTA STRUDEL-

INGREDIENTS:-

1/2 pounds fresh Ricotta Cheese, drained overnight
3/4 cups Sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon Lemon peel, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 large Eggs
12-ounce package of frozen dark sweet pitted Cherries,thawed, drained
1/2 cup Sugar

METHOD:-

Line large strainer with cheesecloth; set over deep bowl. Place Ricotta Cheese in the strainer to drain excess liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and let its stand for minimum 3-4 hrs. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, discarding liquid.

In an electric mixer, mix drained Ricotta, Sugar, Butter,Lemon peel and Vanilla. Mix about 4 minutes until smooth. Slowly add the Egg. Then, increase speed of mixer and beat about 4 minutes until light and foamy. Refrigerate to thicken.

In a bowl, mix drained Cherries,3/4 cup sugar and Lemon juice. Marinate for at least one hour. Drain the Cherry mixture.Spread out the Cherries on layers of paper towels to dry for filling;

For dough i followed the instruction given by Courtney and Linda in "The May Daring Bakers’ challenge" recipe of Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus.

Once the dough was stretched to desired thickness, i applied the melted Butter on it with my hand and spread out the Ricotta mixture, then on top of it i spread the drained marinated Cherries and topped it with another layer of Ricotta mixture.

I baked Cherry strudel at 400 degree F for 30 Min's.






CHICKEN KEBAB STRUDEL-

INGREDIENTS:-

1 cup Chicken breast cut into fine strips
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Garlic paste
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Coriander powder
1 teaspoon Red chili powder
2 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1/2 cup Onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon of fresh Cilantro finely chopped

METHOD:-

Mix Chicken strips with Ginger paste,Garlic paste,Cumin powder,Coriander powder,red Chili powder,Lemon juice and Salt.Add 1 tablespoon of oil and marinate Chicken for at least for 2-3 hours.

Heat griddle or fry pan add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil and grill the Chicken till it get good golden brown and cook well it will take 7-8 Min's keep stirring it.Chicken will cook fast as it has been cut into fine strips.Add sliced Onion cook for another 2-3 Min's stirring it,add Cilantro and remove from the griddle/fry pan and let it cool completely.Make sure not to pick any oil visible from the griddle so the Chicken filling remain as dry as possible.

Once the dough is stretched to desired thickness,apply the melted Butter on it and spread cooled Chicken filling.Fold the dough,apply Butter on top and bake at 400 degree.My Chicken strudel was done in 22 Min's.

NOTE:-


I used exactly same recipe for the dough as given in the challenge recipe and divided the dough in 2 portion using half for Cherry Ricotta strudel and another half for Chicken strudel.



I folded the dough following the instruction in the link to a strudel making video given by Courtney and Linda,it helped a lot.









I baked my strudel exactly as told in the original recipe given by Courtney and Linda,
in fact except filling every thing is same.