Coffee rubbed fish

I wished to try the combination of coffee and fish. The flavors were partly influenced by Mexican cuisine and hence the choice of spices. The caramelized coffee gave a touch of bitterness to the fishes, which was well complemented by the other spices. Coupled with the ‘Eggplant avocado salsa’, it was a good dish. 

 
 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

2 fillet of Nile Perch

4tbsp of ground coffee

1sp cumin powder

1/2sp mustard powder

2sp red chili flakes

1sp Mexican oregano

1sp all spice

1/2sp turmeric powder

Salt, oil

METHOD:

1.      Clean and dry the fish fillets.

2.      Mix all the dry spices and ground coffee together. Rub generously on the fish.

3.      Pan-fry the fish fillets on medium heat, a couple of minutes for each side.

Turkey - vegetable 'cake'

I wished to cook something that will be easy to carry in my lunch box. Something with meat and vegetables together to have the balance of both protein and carbohydrates. I had some minced turkey in the fridge. From the fresh market, I had bought some random vegetables without much of a plan in mind. Everything is so fresh and tempting that I feel like buying everything and usually end up buying more than planned. Anyway, back on thinking what to cook for my lunch box. Should I make turkey koftas with vegetables? In the end, I just decided to put everything together in a baking try and put it in the oven. I wished to keep it very simple, and hence only added the basic cumin, coriander. The provolone piccante cheese was diced instead of grated. I very much enjoyed the bite into those spicy cheesy bits that dotted the baked cake. And the red chili powder gave the perfect heat. It was a play of textures. Each vegetable had its own texture and it was a surprise of textures and flavors with each bite. I named it ‘cake’ simply because it looks like one. It tasted very good with clean flavors. And satisfied my hunger perfectly during the busy day at work.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

2 large carrots

2 turnip cabbage

200g broccoli

250g spinach

500g minced turkey

100 provolone piccante cheese

3tbsp sour cream

3 dry red chilies

1tbsp cumin powder

1tbsp coriander powder

1sp ground black pepper

Salt, olive oil

METHOD:

1.      Dice the carrots and turnip cabbages. Break the broccoli into florets. Wash all the vegetables and spinach.

2.      Roast the dry red chilies and crush them. Dice the cheese into small cubes.

3.      Heat the oil in a wok. Add the vegetables and spinach. Add the cumin, coriander powder and season. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are half-cooked and the moisture left by the vegetables dry. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.

4.      In a large bowl, add the ground turkey and the vegetables. Add sour cream, cheese, seasoning, crushed chilies, and black pepper. With a gentle hand, mix everything uniformly.

5.      Grease a 20 cm round springform pan. Add the turkey-vegetables and press into a uniform layer.

6.      Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until it gets a golden brown color on top.

 

Masoor murgh

I was thinking of making chicken with lentils, but not exactly Dal murgh, and thus came up with this preparation. I used the very basic massor dal (red lentils) from everyday Bengali cuisine. However, I decided to the whole lentils instead of the split one, to give a bit of texture and bite. The split lentils tend to melt more easily and can easily form mushy gravy.  The rest I kept simple with basic onion, garlic, ginger. The ginger was julienned so that it is more prominent in the bites. I generally like chicken with the aromatic spices, but this time only coriander powder was chosen. The chilies gave the nice heat and spiciness along with the ginger, exactly as I imagined it to be. It was an interesting chicken dish and yummy!

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 3)

400g chicken

3/4cup whole masoor (red lentils)

1big onion

1.5inch ginger

4 cloves garlic

4-5 green chilies

1sp coriander powder

Oil, salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.      Finely chop the onion, garlic, chilies. Julienne the ginger.

2.      Boil the lentils in 1.5-2cups of water with a little bit of salt. Boil the lentils just enough so that it does not turn mushy but remain whole. Drain the water

3.      Heat oil in a pan. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, chilies.

4.      Fry on medium-high heat until it is golden brown, and starts leaving oil.

5.      Add the chicken. Cook on medium heat until the chicken lightly browns.

6.      Add the boiled lentils. Garnish with salt, sugar.

7.      Cook for a couple of minutes more on high heat.

Rasha methi alu

The plan was to make some spicy dum alu. But then, I changed my mind, and wished it to be something more subtle, fragrant, sweetish. And thus came this recipe. I decided to go with boiled potatoes in gravy of onion ginger. The onion would add the sweetish taste and ginger would give a spicy hint.  I had a handful of raisins remaining in my box, and recently I was a bit into using raisins in cooking. Therefore, went in those. Milk gives a rich flavor to these kinds of preparations, and I love using milk more than water in cooking. Finally, I added a handful of dried fenugreek leaves in the end to give a delicate aroma and flavor to the dish. It turned out really well, and I could hardly resist the temptation of finishing everything in the bowl. It will definitely be one of those dishes I will look up to when I need some delicious yet subtle side dish to serve alongside a savory main course.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

4-5 medium sized potatoes
1 big onion
1 inch ginger
Handful raisins
2tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup milk
Salt
Sugar
Oil

METHOD:

1. Wash and boil the potatoes until almost done.
2. Peel and cut the boiled potatoes in quarters.
3. Finely chop the onion and grate the ginger.
4. Heat oil in a wok, and add the onion ginger. Cook on medium heat until soft and starting to get color.
5. Add the boiled potatoes and raisins. Mix well.
6. Season with salt, and a pinch of sugar. Cook for a 3-4 mins.
7. Add the milk and cook for 3-4 mins until the potatoes are well cooked.
8. Stir in the dried fenugreek leaves and cook for another minute.

Malai raisin chicken

I cooked this on the special occasion of Diwali. I was thinking of doing something in similar line to malai chicken. But then, I made quite some modifications that resulted in an exquisite misture of aroma and flavors. The subtle aroma of juniper berries and the sweet aroma of saffron complemented the hint of sweetish taste coming from raisins. Whereas, cayenne pepper added a hint of spiciness to it. I have this habit of imagining the exact taste I want before I start cooking something new, and this dish perfectly satisfied my buds. This sweetish creamy chicken dish was soon savored with the naans.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 4)

750g chicken breast
180g sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2cup golden raisins
1 small onion
1 inch ginger
2 colves garlic
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Nutmeg powder
A few strands of saffron
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Dry whole spices:
1-2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom
3-4 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
4-5 juniper berries
5-6 whole black pepper

METHOD:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces, marinate with salt, pinch of sugar and cayenne pepper for 30mins.
2. Soak the raisins in warm water for 30mins, and then chop coarsely.
3. Soak the saffron strands in a little warm milk.
4. Chop the onion and coarsely grate the ginger garlic.
5. Heat oil in a wok and add the dry whole spices.
6. As the spices crackle and a nice aroma comes out, add the chopped onion and ginger, garlic.
7. Cook on medium heat until onion turns transparent and soft.
8. Add the marinated chicken and chopped raisins.
9. Cook on medium to high heat until the chicken is almost done.
10. In the meantime, beat the sour cream in a bowl with milk. Season it with salt, a dash of nutmeg powder and a bit of cayenne pepper.
11. Add the beaten cream to the chicken, mix well, and cook on low-medium heat for 3-4mins.
12. Remove from heat and place it in a serving bowl.
13. Garnish with the saffron milk before serving.

Pepper ham wrap

A breakfast with fresh and crunchy vegetables is always delightful. And this pepper ham wrap is a quick and healthy way to start the day. The crunchiness of the colorful pepper added with the salty cheesy taste wrapped in tortillas is just what is perfect for a Sunday breakfast. I was aiming to realize this idea for quite some time, and finally made it a few weekends ago. Now, I cannot wait to try it again and try out some other variations.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)

4 tortillas
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small carrot
100g ham
1 cup grated cheese
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Thinly slice the bell peppers and coarsely grate the carrot.
2. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and lemon juice according to taste.
3. Chop the ham.
4. Load a tortilla with vegetables and ham, leaving the edge.
5. Generously cover half of the tortilla with cheese.
6. Fold the tortilla in half and press gently on the edge.
7. Heat a pan and carefully place the tortilla in it.
8. Cook on medium-high heat for a few minutes pressing the edge gently with the spatula until the cheese melts sealing the edge.
9. Turn over the wrap gently and do the other side for a couple of minutes.

NOTE:
Use bigger tortillas, it is easier to handle.
Any cheese can be used as long as it is easy to melt and seal. I used general light cheese in this recipe.

Mung zucchini

The initial plan was to cook a zucchini from the garden for lunch. Accompanied by some lentils, it would make a simple and good lunch with rice. To fetch ‘masoor’ lentils from the utility, I saw a packet of green mung beans that is there for quite some time now. Why do not I combine these green mung with the zucchini into a single preparation? As I thought, I went ahead with mixing the lentils, zucchini, and spices. And out came this simple and tasty dish.

INGREDIENTS:

500g zucchini
250g green mung (green soy)
1 small onion
1/2sp turmeric
1sp red chili powder
1tbsp mustard powder or seeds
1/2sp garam masala
Salt
Sugar
Oil

METHODS:

1. Boil the mung lentils with a bit of salt and sugar. Take care that it is not over boiled. Remove from heat when the beans are soft and starting to split but still separate. Drain and keep aside.
2. Make a paste of the mustard powder if you are using powder. If you are using seeds, make a fresh paste of the seeds. Do not use the Dijon or similar mustard sauce.
3. Peel and cut the zucchini into medium sized long pieces, and finely chop the onion.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the zucchini pieces.
5. Fry them on medium to high with minimum stirring until they are a bit soft.
6. Add mustard paste, salt, sugar and chili powder.
7. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.
8. Heat oil in a separate pan.
9. Add the chopped onion and fry until it turns brownish.
10. Add the boiled mung and fry on high heat for 4-5mins.
11. Next, add the fried zucchini.
12. Add the garam masala.
13. Stir gently. Cook for 3-4mins.
14. Serve with rice.

NOTE:
Take care that the mung beans are not over boiled.

Chicken with Mangold

It is Sunday, and the morning saw me waking up without a mood for doing anything at all. It was lazy, and I was lazy to cook even. I was even thinking of ordering a pizza for lunch. But somehow with even less than half the wish, I decided to cook the lunch. There was only mangold (Chard or Spinach Beet) and some chicken breasts to cook. Yesterday I somehow thought I will cook the chicken into some sauce and make mangold separately. But today I was too lazy to think of what kind of preparations to make and was rather wishing for a short cut. So, the easiest way was to cook the chicken with mangold in some sauce. And I put in it randomly some spices I got hold of, both Indian and European. I didn’t much think of how it will turn out, but the end result was quite satisfying. It had an interesting and unusual taste, some kind of spices saltiness, which I liked. And it was quite good with hot Basmati. I am really pleased and happy with how it turned out. And it lifted up my mood too. At the end, on a day when I had no mood for cooking, I cooked something that was good, something that I will like to cook again, and even for guests!!!

INGREDIENTS:

300gm chicken breasts (2-3 pieces)
200gm mangold leaf
1 small onion
2 big cloves of garlic
1 bayleaf
1sp whole black pepper
1sp Mediterranean spice mix
1/2sp ground black pepper
1/2sp ground coriander
1/2sp ground Indian cumin
Sea salt
Salt
Sugar
Oil

METHOD:
1. Wash and coarsely chop the mangold leaves (I didn’t use the stem).
2. Pat dry the chicken breasts and fork them lightly. Rub each with Mediterranean spice mix, ground black pepper and sea salt.
3. Chop the small onion and crush the garlic cloves.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. And when it is hot, add the whole pepper and bayleaf.
5. When it crackles, add the onion and garlic.
6. Wait until they turn pinkish brown and add the coriander and cumin. Stir for half a minute.
7. Add the chicken breasts. Put it to medium heating/flame.
8. Fry them until both sides turn golden brown and the meat turns soft.
9. Next add the chopped mangold leaves. Stir, and cook it covered for around 10-12mins on medium heat/flame.
10. When the leaves wilt and the chicken is tender, uncover and cook for another minute to evaporate a bit of the water that the mangold had left.
11. Serve hot with plain rice.

NOTE:
One can use spinach or any other similar leaves instead of mangold.
The Mediterranean spice mix had the usual thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, pepper, salt etc. One can also use some spice mixes for grill/tandoor to have similar effect and taste.

Methi Palak Prawn

I made this dish first time for the Durga Puja this year. I planned to cook prawn. It is a fish available here easily, and also simple to cook. Moreover, I really like prawns. My wish was to cook a not common preparation of prawn, and was thinking of making up something on my own. Spinach I thought was a good choice to make the gravy with, something similar to palak (spinach) paneer, a popular Indian dish. However I did not like the idea of using the usual whole cumin seeds. Though I like the flavor of cumin very much and like to put it in almost everything possible, it was puja and I was in mood of trying some new flavors and combinations. Therefore, I decided for fenugreek seeds. It is a seed used in Bengali vegetarian cuisine sometimes along with a few other whole spices or alone. I don’t use it too often and so thought why not give it a try with prawns. I must admit the result was quite surprising. The rich aroma of fenugreek seeds blended perfectly well with the taste of prawns and spinach. A lot of fenugreek and a bunch of spinach worked wonders with the prawns!! It turned out as some unconventional dish that can be cooked when guests are invited.

INGREDIENTS:
500gm prawn
1 bunch spinach (palak) - coarsely chopped
2tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 big tomato - chopped
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Oil

METHOD:
1. Heat oil in pan, enough for both frying prawns and cooking.
2. Fry the prawns until they turn gentle golden, and set aside.
3. In the same oil put fenugreek seeds. When they turn black, take them out.
4. Now in the oil put tomato and spinach together.
5. Add salt, sugar and pepper.
6. Cook in low heat for 5-10 mins so the tomato and spinach get cooked and form gravy like consistency. No water is required.
7. Now add the prawns, mix well and add a few table spoons of water. Cook for another couple of minutes.


NOTE:
This preparation goes well with rice.
Fry the prawns and cook in the same oil, this will give the flavor of the prawn in the preparation.
The fenugreek seeds are taken out after frying, as if left behind it will give a bitter taste when chewed. If you take the seeds out, it gave the flavor without the bitterness, and you can use it in large quantity.
You can add a bunch of fresh fenugreek leaves along with spinch.