Fried Rice with Hot and sour Tofu

The Other Half and I, are big fans of Chinese food.... Desi style.

A few years ago, we were discussing Chinese food, with a Chinese friend. She asked her what our favourites were. And we promptly said, "Gobi Manchurian."

She'd never heard of it, and asked what it was like. As I described how it was made, I could see the look of growing horror on her face. When I was done, she said, "But thats not Chinese food."

"Well, in India it is!" said I, trying not to laugh.

And I did invite her over once when I'd made some. She tried it, emphatically stated there was nothing like it in China. "Just because it's got soy sauce, it doesn't make it Chinese."

Well, authentic or not, we love it.

Whenever the OH sees fresh spring onions in the supermarket, the first question is always, "Chinese for dinner??" And I always ask, "With Gobi Manchurian?"

This time, however, we looked at our waistlines, unattractive as they were, and the OH said, "Maybe something that doesn't involve too much frying?"

Hmmm... "Stir fried vegetables?"
OH: "No, that's too dry. Something with some gravy.."

I told you, we only eat desi Chinese food.

In which case I wonder if we should call it Chinese at all.

Vegetable Fried Rice
Serves 2

3 cups cooked rice (cooled)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup spring onions (chopped fine)

1 small onion (chopped fine)
1 small onion (chopped fine)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets (chopped fine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp oil
Fresh ground pepper
salt to taste



Heat oil to smoking point.
Add ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add 3/4 cup spring onions, and other vegetables, and stir fry on high heat for about a minute, till cooked, but still crunchy.
Add soy sauce and vinegar and toss lightly.
Reduce heat and add rice, salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Toss until well mixed.
Garnish with reserved spring onions and serve.

Hot-n-Sour Tofu
serves 2

200 gms firm tofu (cut in 1" cubes)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
2 cups vegetable stock
1 green chilli (chopped fine)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped spring onions


Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet.
Lightly sear tofu and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add garlic and chilli and fry for a minute.
Add spring onion and cook a little.
Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Dissolve cornstarch in a little water.
Add cornstarch to the stock, and simmer for a few minutes till it thickens.
Add soy sauce and vinegar.
Add tofu and simmer for 2 minutes.
Serve with fried rice.

Roast Pepper and Pasta Salad

I'm a big fan of roast pepper. I love that burst of hot and sweet flavours that result from a well grilled/roasted/BBQ'd pepper. It's unbeatable. I love roast pepper in sandwiches, in soups, and by itself.

I always wanted to try roast pepper in a salad, but somehow never got it right. After a few failed experiments, this one turned out really well; hot, sweet, colourful peppers, cool pasta, and creamy dressing? And it was all polished off at dinnertime. What better complement than a meal sans leftovers??

Roast Pepper and Pasta Salad

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 green pepper
1 cup penne or macaroni
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste


Cook pasta al dente, or softer. Drain and cool.
Char the peppers over a gas flame (or in a broiler) until blackened on all sides.
Put in a paper bag and keep aside for 10 minutes. Peel the charred skin off the capsicums and deseed.
Cut into thin strips.
Toss pasta with half of pepper, sour cream, mayonnaise, basil and a little salt.
Garnish with remaining pepper strips and fresh ground black pepper.
Serve cold.

Mediterranean Brunch

I made this 3 months ago, took pics, uploaded them and forgot all about it!!! well, now is the time for updates.

When the bun was still in the oven, I had this craving for Mediterranean. My menu was simple, falafel-wraps, with lots of dips.

All I had to do was whip up lots of tahini, make some hummus, lebneh and baba-ganoush, fry up some falafels, slice some tomatoes and onions, and serve it all with some pita bread. Yes, it is as simple as it sounds.

Now that I'm finally writing it up, I want some! But most of the stuff in it isn't recommended for a post natal diet... ah well... later maybe....

Tahini

1/2 cup white sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tepid water

Blend everything to a fine paste in a blender and use as called for in recipe.

clockwise from top:
falafel, lebneh, hummus and baba ganoush

Lebneh

Baba Ganoush

1 large eggplant
3 tbsp tahini
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
salt to taste

Grill eggplant over gas flame (or broiler) till blackened all over. Peel away skin.
Blend with tahini and garlic to a smooth puree.
Adjust salt to season.
Serve with wedges of pita bread.

Hummus

2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin powder
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Blend all ingredients (except) to a smooth puree.
Add salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped cilantro

Falafel

3 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Blend chickpeas, flour, cumin, garlic cloves and salt in processor until almost smooth.
Shape mixture into 1/4-inch-thick patties.
Heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add patties and cook until crisp and golden.
Drain over paper towels.

pita pockets stuffed with galafel, lebneh, tomato and onion slices

Open pita breads, slide in falafel patties, sliced tomato and onion into each.
Spoon in some lebneh.

Thai Curry

One of my favourite, simple to make, yet slightly fancy, foods is Thai curry.

The key ingredient to a good Thai curry is the curry paste. For those who don't mind a little fish sauce and shrimp paste, there are a lot of options available on the supermarket shelves. For vegetarians like us, that rules out buying readymade paste. After lots of experiments, I came up with a nice curry paste for tangy hot Thai curry.

As long there's some curry paste in the fridge, I don't even have to think about what to cook. I just raid the freezer, take out assorted frozen cut veggies, put them all together, make rice, and lo presto, a nice hot meal ready in less than 20 minutes.

It's really wonderful... especially on a lazy, cold winter day! Piping hot curry, the sweetness of coconut milk hits you first, lulling one into a false sense of complacency before the spice makes its presence known in no uncertain terms. Thats the ideal time to reach for iced tea (or a beer, as a certain self-proclaimed gourmet claims).

Thai Red Curry Paste

15 -20 dry red chillies (or to taste)
1 cup boiling water
10 shallots (peeled)
10 cloves garlic
3 inch piece of fresh ginger (galangal if you can get your hands on some)
6 stalks lemongrass
4 kaffir lime leaves, (or zest from 1 big lemon)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp Oil

Soak the red chilies in boiling water for 15 minutes (or till they are soft). Drain chilies and reserve water.
Finely chop tender part of lemongrass.
Grind chilies, shallots, ginger, garlic, lime leaves (or zest) and the tender portion of the lemongrass, coriander and pepper to a smooth paste, using reserved chili water, one tablespoon at a time, as required.
Transfer to a clean, dry bottle, with a tight fitting lid.
Heat oil and let it cool. Add to the curry paste and stir well.
Can be stored in fridge for about a week.

Notes:
1. Don't go by the colour of my paste as posted here. I used just 8 chilies as I wanted it slightly bland. The ideal colour is a fiery red!
2. For green curry, use 1 doz green chilies instead of the red. Also add well cleaned coriander roots, and coriander stems (about 1/2 cup) and more basil leaves (about 1/2 cup). No need to soak, chillies. Grind all ingredients to smooth paste as above.

Thai Curry
serves 4

5 tbsp Thai curry paste (or more, for spicier taste)
2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 cups mixed cut vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, french beans)
1 cup Soya chunks (optional)
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt to taste

Soak soya chunks in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water and keep aside.
Heat oil. Fry curry paste till it loses its raw smell.
Add vegetables, and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, salt and just enough water to cover vegetables.
Reserve some basil leaves for garnish and add the rest to the curry.
Cover pan and cook vegetables on low heat till done (about 10 minutes).
Add remaining coconut milk and cook on low heat till it starts to simmer.
Garnish with remaining basil leaves.
Serve hot with rice.

Notes:
1. Other vegetables like eggplants, squash, capsicums and sweet potato can be added to the curry. Go ahead and use any mix that sounds good to you!
2. As a rule of thumb (for one serving) use 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp curry paste, use 1 cup assorted mixed vegetables, and 1/2 cup coconut milk.

Mamma Mia!

Last month, I received the most wonderful hostess gift ever. A's collaborator from Italy was here on a visit, and he gifted me this generously large wedge of the most wonderful Parmigiano Reggiano... rind and all.... And the timing was so brilliant too. I'd been doing the rounds of assorted supermarkets here for a half decent Parmesan for some bread recipes that I wanted to try out.

So I sat with this block of lovely aromatic, pungent cheese in front of me, and between nibbles tried to figure out what to make with it. After a lot of browsing online, I decided on a simple Cream of Vegetable soup, Parmesan rolls and a light Risotto.

Yes, my 3 year old helped too. She saw me kneading the dough for the Parmesan rolls. After the rolls had risen well, I'd kept them aside before putting them in the oven. Next thing I know, she's telling me how she's cooking like me. That did set the alarm bells ringing. I went to the table, and there she was, busy punching down the rolls for her dear Amma. The bread tasted real good, but it was a tad hard and crusty. Next time I make some, I plan to let it rise on a very high surface. Maybe on top of the refrigerator!

A looked rather skeptical while dinner was cooking. And even he loved the end results. He insisted that since his daughter helped with the bread, it tasted great.... so what if it was a challenge to his teeth.

Nothing beats a really great cheese to make a simple dinner something out of the ordinary.

Thanks, Sandro... this is the best gift ever!

There's still a generous chunk of the cheese sitting tight in my refrigerator. I'm waiting for some more inspiration to strike. Suggestions, anyone??

Parmigiano-Reggiano Rolls
makes 6

2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano)

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Keep aside for 7-10 minutes till it turns foamy. Stir in olive oil.
In a large bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups flour with salt and grated cheese. Stir in yeast mixture.
On a well floured surface, knead the dough adding more of the flour as required till the dough loses its stickiness (about 7-8 minutes) and is smooth and pliable.
Divide dough into 6 equal balls, and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to rise till double in volume (1 1/2 hours)
Preaheat oven to 200 deg C.
Bake rolls in the middle of the oven till golden brown.

Notes: A dash of oregano and black pepper gives these rolls a lovely flavour. After dividing dough into rolls, lightly coat each roll with a few drops of olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano and black pepper.

Cream of Vegetable Soup
serves 4


1/4 cup cabbage (finely chopped)
1/4 cup cauliflower (finely chopped)
1 small carrot (peeled and finely chopped)
1 potato (peeled and finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (thawed)
1 cup warm milk
2 +1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt to taste

Make roux:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Keep stirring over low flame ensuring there are no lumps.
When mix starts to bubble, add warm milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 1 minute.
Add white pepper and keep aside.

Heat remaining butter in saucepan.
Saute onions till onions start to turn transparent.
Add remaining vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes more.
Add stock and simmer for about 5 minutes till vegetables are soft.
Add roux and garlic powder. Mix well.
Add water, if required (a little at a time), to adjust consistency.
Simmer till well combined. Adjust salt to taste.
Sprinkle dried oregano.
Serve hot.

Risotto
serves 2


1 cup long grained rice
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 small red capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1 small green capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1/4 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1 small onion (chopped fine)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
3 cups vegetable broth/stock
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings for garnish

Melt butter. (or Heat oil)
Saute onion and garlic till transparent.
Add capsicums, corn and peas and saute till capsicums are slightly soft.
Add rice and saute for one minute. (Make sure rice doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan)
Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Cover and simmer till it's fully absorbed.
Repeat till all broth is used, and rice is fully cooked. Stir in grated cheese.
Serve hot, topped with cheese shavings.

Notes:
I left out any mention of salt in this recipe. If the vegetable broth/stock is not salty enough for your taste buds, do add some salt with the last addition of broth/stock to the Risotto. This is generally not required.

Fiesta!

What's a vegetarian to do when she's got a bad craving for a nice Mexican dinner? Cook it herself of course. I'd planned to post this one weeks ago, but somehow never got around to it.

It was an awesome dinner. Tacos, Mexican style rice and (unfortunately) virgin coladas!

I'm so thankful that I was able to get my hands on taco shells. I certainly wasn't looking forward to making tortillas from scratch. Tacos were to be filled with (clockwise from top left) store-bought taco sauce, shredded lettuce, beans, and grated cheddar cheese.


Bean filling
makes 4 cups


1 can refried beans (I used El Mariachi)
1 big onion (sliced)
1 tomato (diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
2 jalapenos (minced)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Heat oil.
Saute onions and garlic till the onions start to brown. Add tomato, jalapenos and crushed red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add refried beans. Adjust salt to taste.
Stir till well combined. Simmer for 3 minutes.
It's now ready to serve.


Mexican rice
serves 4

1.5 cups long grained rice (I used basmati)
4 cups tomato puree
1 big onion (chopped fine)
6 cloves minced garlic
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp jalapenos (minced)
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable stock
salt to taste

Heat oil in a wok.
Add onions and garlic and saute till onions are transparent.
Add rice, and saute for just 1 minute on a very low flame.
Add tomato puree, cumin powder, crushed jalapenos, vegetable stock.
Stir gently to combine, and ensure that rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Adjust salt to taste, and simmer for 25 minutes, or till almost done.
Stir in chopped cilantro. Cover wok until rice is fully cooked.


Pina Colada (virgin)
makes 2

There are quite a few recipes for this mocktail online, but this one best replicates the one I liked best, as served at Margarita's, my favourite Mexican restaurant in Singapore.


3 cups pineapple juice
1 cup coconut milk
2 scoops Ice-cream
Pineapple wedges for garnishing

Blend in a food processor and pour into serving glasses.
Top with whipped cream, and a slice of pineapple.

Notes:
The ice-cream - I prefer using pineapple sorbet, or if I can find it, any store bought coconut or pineapple ice cream. Vanilla works perfectly. If using vanilla ice cream, do add a drop of pineapple essence before blending. That brings out the pineapple flavour.

Ratatouille & Pasta

I was browsing Epicurious in my usual hunt for something new, something different, and I came across this gem.

Lacking access to all the basil and thyme called for, I thought 'why not use what I can get?'

And it was quite a success. No leftovers!!!

Initially I was quite skeptical of whether the resident gourmets would like the combination of eggplant and pumpkin, but decided to follow the recipe to that extent anyway. And it worked out real well. The combination of oregano, crushed red chilli and fresh ground black pepper was really awesome!

So here's my version of that lovely ratatouille.

Ratatouille with pasta
serves 4


2 eggplants (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 cups yellow pumpkin (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
1 red capsicum (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1 green capsicum (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp (minced) garlic cloves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tsp crushed red chillis
3 cups penne
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 180C.
Toss together eggplants, onions, 1/4 cup oil, and salt in a large roasting pan.
Roast mixture in oven for 15 minutes.
Toss in squash, bell peppers, 2 tbsp oil, and more salt and roast mixture, until bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
Simmer tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and remaining oil in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
Add roasted vegetables, crushed chilli and adjust salt to taste.
Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente and drain.
Toss pasta with 1/3 of ratatouille and serve topped with remainder.

Garnish with grated parmesan, if desired.

Poll:
Does adding crushed red chilli make this less 'authentic'?? Do tell...
Next time I want to add more veggies to this. Any suggestions?

A recipe and a contest

First of all, I need to find a name for this wonderful concoction. So do try making it, name it and the winner gets my special fruit-cake recipe. Fruitcake? Did that sound a little pedestrian? My special fruitcake takes ages to make.... you see, the fruits are soaked in rum for 3 weeks...

I'm sure that just caught your interest!

I used to eat something similar at this little continental restaurant in Bangalore. I'm sure Golly remembers the place and what this thing used to be called! I suddenly developed an absolutely craving for it, and decided to recreate it from scratch, and from memory too. The result was fantastic! Arun had seconds, thirds and fourths!! That surely means it tastes great!

So all I need now is to think up a nice name for this one..

Whatchamacallit
serves 4


1 big onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 big potato
1 cup cauliflower florets
12-15 french beans
1/2 cup peas
1 carrot
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 capsicum
4+2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1+1 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 cup vegetable stock (or 1 soup cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
4-6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Make roux:
Warm one cup milk.
Melt 2 tbsp butter over a very low flame.
Add flour, and stir well ensuring there are no lumps.
When mixture starts to bubble stir in warm milk, stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.
Simmer for 2 minutes.
Keep aside

Peel, wash and cut all vegetables into small pieces (I suggest 5mm as optimum size)
Melt 4 tbsp butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add bay leaf.
Add onions, garlic and saute till transparent.
Add all other vegetables, stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame.
Add vegetable stock and 1 cup milk and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more, or till vegetables are cooked, and retain a little crunchiness.
Add roux, and stir well so there are no lumps.
Season with salt and pepper.
Let is simmer till well combined. (about 10 minutes)
Serve hot with rice.

A fairly decent copy....

Today I decided that I didn't want to eat desi food. I thought for ages about what to make, and for some odd reason, decided on the Pho Laksa I love at Indinine (Singapore).

Laksa is a famous Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) noodle soup from Malaysia and Singapore. Cooked noodles in a spicy curry-like gravy. The gravy could be sour or could have a coconut milk base. My favourite is the one made with coconut milk.

I trawled the net for laksa recipes, but soon realised that I didn't have access to a decent number of the ingredients they asked for. So I sat down, put on my thinking cap, looked at what I had, thought about what I'd eaten, trying to remember every nuance of that delicious dish, and I came up a fairly decent tasting version of my own.

Purists might argue that this is not the real Laksa. Keep in mind that I live in a corner of the woods where most groceries that I used to take for granted in Singy are not easily found. It still tastes real good. In fact, Arun really enjoyed it. And getting Arun to try something new is always an adventure in itself.

So, here we go!

My stripped-down-to-the-bare-basics Laksa
Serves 4

The curry-gravy base
6 -8 dry red chillis (or to taste)
1 cup boiling water
1 large onion
6 cloves garlic
2 inch piece of fresh ginger (galangal if you can get your hands on some)
4 stalks lemongrass
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp pepper
salt to taste
Oil for frying (I prefer gingelly/til oil)
1 cup water

Basil leaves (optional)
1 cup Coconut milk

Vegetables
1 bunch spring onions
1 small carrot
1 each of red and green pepper (capsicum)
1 small onion
8 French beans

1 packet rice or egg noodles (the flat mid-length ones are my favourite)

Cut vegetables in juliennes.
Heat oil in a wok, stirfry vegetables on a high flame and keep aside.
Soak the red chillis in boiling water for 15 minutes (or till they are soft). Drain chillis and reserve water.
Grind chillis, onion, ginger, garlic and the tender portion of the lemongrass, coriander and pepper to a smooth paste.
Heat oil. Add the curry paste and fry till it loses its raw smell (about 5 minutes).
Add water. If you'd like your curry really hot, add the reserved water from the chillis.
Add salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Add the stirfried vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Add Coconut milk and take the wok off the flame.
To serve, divide the cooked noodles into four serving bowls, and top with the curry soup. Garnish with basil if required.
Serve hot.

Somehow I never manage to get pics of the stuff I dish up... I really should. Makes for a boring food-blog otherwise!

Simple dips 1

I finally discovered how simple and delicious some of these middle-eastern dips are. And leftover dips are great as a spread for sandwiches too!

I tried a lebneh with a few simple twists and it turned out rather well.

So here goes.

250 grams fresh yogurt
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 tbsp tahini
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

Drain yogurt in a paper-towel or cloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 4 hours.

Mix the drained curd with the remained ingredients, and serve with pita bread wedges and assorted crudites!

As for tahini, it's quite easy to make at home.

Grind 2 tbsp sesame seeds, with 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 4-5 tbsp of tepid water to a really smooth paste. Add salt to taste. This gives close to 1/4 cup of tahini.

A simple, delicious and filling snack!

Pasta with citrus accents!

With all the pasta we seem to be eating recently, I just have to post this particular recipe!

4 large tomatoes (riper the better)
2 onions (cut in thin wedges)
4-5 cloves garlic
8 Asparagus (cut in 1" pieces)
4-6 baby carrots (cut in juliennes)
1 cup peppers (red, green and yellow) cut in 1" strips
Extra virgin olive oil
1 orange juiced (reserve zest)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Penne or Fusili cooked al dente

Cut tomaoes into wedges. arrange tomatoes and onions on baking tray so they dont overlap. brush lightly with oil and grill in an oven (at 230 C)for about 30 minutes. Onions tend to char sooner. So watch out for that.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and the other vegetables and saute till the carrots are cooked, but still crunchy.

When the onions start to char, take the tray out of the oven. Gently stir the tomaotes and onions together. Add to the vegetables in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper as required. Pour the orange juice into the baking tray, and use the liquid to rinse scrape off any bits stuck there. Add the juice to the sauce in the skillet, along with the orange zest. Let sauce simmer for a minute.

Toss in the pasta. Serve hot.

Add parmesan shavings if desired!

Bon Appetit!