Dried Fruit Whole Grain Breakfast Bread

Everyone loves hearty, whole grain breakfast breads studded with dried fruit and spiced with freshly ground nutmeg. Sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top of the loaves before baking for a light crunch.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, (3 tablespoons melted and cooled and 1 tablespoon room temperature to grease the loaf pans)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup flax meal
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried blueberries or cranberries
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
timer

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Tools
2 loaf pans
mixing bowls
whisk
sieve
wire rack

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prep 2 loaf pans by greasing and flouring them.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the flours, sugar, flax meal, baking soda and powder with the salt and nutmeg. Reserve one or two tablespoons of this mixture to toss with the chopped dried fruit.

3. Stir together the cooled, melted butter, mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs and oil to a smooth paste. Fold into the dry ingredients and mix with 10 strokes; the batter will be lumpy with some spots of dry ingredients.

4. In a sieve, toss the dried fruits with the reserved flour mixture. Shake the excess back into the bowl of batter. Add in the dried fruits and seeds; stir to just combine--do not overmix.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans, lower the temperature to 350F and bake for a further 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from the loaf pans.

Lahore Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS:
600g chicken thighs cut into thirds
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
70g large split yellow lentils
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion (sliced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 cup fresh coriander (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onions over a moderate heat with the bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves for 5-7 minutes – until golden and soft.
Add the chicken pieces, garlic, cinnamon, salt, corriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric and fry for a further 5 minutes.
Add 400ml warm water, enough to cover the chicken well. Bring this to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes uncovered until the chicken is very tender and the liquid reduced.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, boil the lentils for 15 minutes then drain.
In the last 15 minutes of the curry cooking, add the lentils. Stir every couple of minutes to avoid them sticking. The sauce will gradually thicken, if the sauce becomes too thick add more water. Remove from the heat then stir in the tomatoes and coriander just before serving.

SERVING:
Serve with chapati or rice.

Burmese Chicken Curry

I’ve reposted my absolute favourite curry and one of the most popular on the site. This Burmese style curry is absolutely delicious. It’s so fragrant and inviting that I can barely hold myself back from eating half the pan while i’m waiting for it to cook. On the rare occasion of there being any leftovers, It freezes brilliantly and absolutely improves with age. It’s the ultimate curry – I urge you to try this – you’ll never want another curry ever again.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg chicken thighs (quartered)
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 onions (roughly chopped)
4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
1 heaped teaspoon grated ginger
2 tomatoes (chopped)
1-2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 stick of lemongrass (cut to about 15cm and the bulb end lightly pounded to release aroma)

DIRECTIONS:
Sprinkle curry powder, salt and turmeric over the chicken and set aside. In a blender or food processor mix onions, garlic, paprika, chilli powder and ginger into a thick paste.

Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the paste over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken and turn up the heat stirring for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir for a further 5 minutes. Add 400ml of warm water (enough to cover the chicken), the lemongrass and fish sauce. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Turn down the heat to low, partially cover the pan and very gently simmer for at least 45 minutes until the chicken is very tender. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes to reduce the sauce. Fish out the lemongrass – check for seasoning and serve!
SERVING:
Serve alongside some basmati rice or spoon the curry over some cooked vermicelli noodles.

Pakistani Chicken Biryani

It’s the ultimate all-in-one-pot dinner. Words cannot describe how fabulous the biryani is. It’s quite possibly the jewel in India’s crown. Tender meat, beautifully spiced with fluffy, fragrant rice. All cooked together in one pan. The best I ever tasted was in the Keralan city of Ernakulam near Kochin. I’m told it was cooked by a famous Hyderbadi chef, which would make sense as this is where the dish originates. It was absolutely amazing for many reasons. The chicken was moist, packed full of flavour and the rice fluffy and separated. The restaurant was obviously famous for its chicken biryani as it was the only thing on the menu. It’s easy to see why it’s become one of the favourite Indian dishes around the World. Try this yourself – it’s actually a really simple dish to make at home despite looking rather involved and tricky. The key to this dish is getting the rice right. Make sure you buy good quality basmati – and make sure you soak it first. It’s essential!

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:
1kg chicken pieces
1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
2 green chillies (roughly chopped)
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
3 pieces mace
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick (snapped in half)
½ cup fresh coriander (chopped)
½ cup fresh mint (chopped)
⅓ cup melted ghee (or vegetable oil)
3 cups natural yoghurt

Other Ingredients:
1 onion (thinly sliced)
1 1/2 cups basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes in lukewarm water)
2 tablespoons fresh coriander (chopped)
15-20 saffron threads
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a frying pan with half the oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until dark medium brown and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Mix the chicken with all the marinade ingredients. Stir in half the onions and set aside.

In a small bowl, pour 4 tablespoons of boiling water over the saffron and leave for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil and add the remaining oil and the salt. Drain the rice of its soaking water then tip into the pan and cook until HALF cooked (about 5-6 minutes). Drain the rice again and set aside.

Tip the chicken into a large, deep pan and flatten out. Cover with the rice then scatter over the remaining onion. Sprinkle with the saffron water and coriander. Place a tight fitting lid on top and cook over a medium/high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook for a further 10 minutes. Reduce the heat again to very low and cook for a final 15-20 minutes. Do not stir the mix at any time. Remove from the heat completely and leave for 10 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Either serve direct from the pan or portion onto plates or a platter. Serve with onion and chilli raita and/or some tamarind pulp and a hot and sour lime pickle.

Vietnamese Grilled Beef

Ingredients
1/2 tsp black pepper shopping list
11/2 tsp sugar shopping list
2 cloves garlic,minced shopping list
2 Tbs. oyster sauce shopping list
1 tsp Thai fish sauce shopping list
1 Tbs soy sauce shopping list
1 lb. sirloin tips,cut in cubes or strips shopping list

How to make it
In med. bowl,combine all ingredients,except beef,and whisk till well blended. Pour over beef and stir till beef well-coated. Marinate at least 2 hours
Place meat on grill(cubes can be put on skewers),turn with tongs . Grill to desired doneness.

Anantas Beef Basil

so yeah thai
beef basil
get sliced beef
piyaj
capsicum
aar basil leaf
aar fish sauce
ageh mangsho tah bhajba
with ginger
11:56 AM piyaj
garllic
jokhon bhaja bhaja hoye jabe
tokhon add fish sauce and capsicum
500 gram beef e 3 table chamoch
then
add some chili flakes if u like
and add the basil
onek basil
11:57 AM and then fry it for 3-4 minutes
so that the spices are out
then eat it with rice

Tahmids ashol biye barir roast

first Murgi ta 800 gm +_ hote hobe
then make it 4 pieces

Tahmid: put some redish food color in the water for 10m
then take a pan put all the spices

Tahmid: jaifol joytree posto sajira ada rosun garam masala
holud red paper green chili doi tomato souce

Tahmid: onion paste and onion
tok doi mosla kosaite hobe

Tahmid: soabin and ghee te

Tahmid: ekta porjae jokhon mosla r tel alad hoe jabe
mane tel/ butter ta moslar upor e uthe asbe

Tahmid: then mangso ta chere die oi moslar tel e vajte hobe
ha ektu dome die hobe

Tahmid: dont put ani spoon or khunti
just shake the pan

Tahmid: na oi mosla niche thakbe r tel upore thakbe
oitatei mangso chere dite hobe

Tahmid: gae mosla lagbe r tele vaja hobe

Tahmid: sorry sugar dite hobe
and salt

Tahmid: mangso charar por dom e dite hoe and panta dhore hlaka shake
korte hobe ektu por pr dim ache


Tahmid: then uthanor ektu kismis chere dite hobe
and piaj er beresta

Tahmid: ektu keora dite paro shathe

Aachar Gosh

Ingredients:
Beef/Chicken 1-1½ kgs, small cubes
Ginger Paste 2 tablespoons
Garlic Paste 2 tablespoons
Green Chillies,large 10, slit lengthwise from one side
Lemon Juice 3-4 tablespoons /2 lemons
Tomatoes 6 medium, grind/make puree /500g
Yogurt, plain 2½ cups, whipped 500g
Ghee/Oil 1½ cup /175g-250g
Shan Achar Gosht one packet Spice Mix (use less for less heat)

1. Mix 2 tablespoons Shan Achar Gosht Spice Mix with lemon juice and fill it into the slitted green chillies.

2. Make the ghee/oil hot, add meat, garlic and fry for few minutes.

3. Then add yogurt, ginger, tomato puree, the remaining quantity of Shan Achar Gosht Spice Mix and 1-2 glasses of water.

4. Cover and cook on low heat until meat is tender.

5. Place the spice filled green chillies over the meat.

6. Cover and cook on low heat until ghee/oil is separates from the gravy.



SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve hot with Naans or Roti, Serves 6-8 persons.

Bulgogi!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional)
1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned (optional)
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped

Directions
1.In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, and MSG. Place beef, carrots, and onions in the bag; seal, and shake to coat the vegetables and beef with the sauce. Refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours. I prefer to marinate mine overnight.
Either:
2.Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Remove meat and vegetables from marinade, and place on a large sheet of aluminum foil; seal. Discard marinade.
3.Place on grill, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or to desired doneness.
Or
Stirfry with chilli and fresh onions.

Jeelapi

it turned out sooo well!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp of rapid rise yeast
2 tsp corn starch

mix together all of the above in a bowl.

now add:

1 tsp oil
1 tablespoon on yogurt
3/4 cup of lukewarm water

mix together so that there are no lumps -- the mixture will be slightly runny. keep aside covered for half an hour in a warm place and let it rise. (I actually only had time to let it rise for 15 mins and it still worked very well.)

In the meantime, make the syrup!

1.25 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/8 tsp saffron
1 tsp lemon juice

warm up the water and then add the sugar and the saffron. let it dissolve on medium heat to make sure the syrup doesnt burn. it should reach about 200F or 90C. after it has reached this temperature turn it off. I also added a lil bit of red yellow food coloring to give it the real look. once it has reached this temperature add the cardamom powder and lemon juice - this prevents it from crystallizing. the syrup will be relatively runny and sticky - and not super super sticky.

also, start heating up the oil. it should be about 3/4 of an inch of oil on a pan so that you can almost deep fry it. you know the oil is ready when you put a lil bit of the batter it in and it immediately starts fizzing, frying up and rising to the surface of the oil. you can add a little bit of ghee to the oil to make it yummier but i didnt have any.

the batter should be ready by now. you'll see that it has visibly risen. give it a final stir and pour it into a squeezy mustard or ketchup bottle with a nozzle.

squeeze the batter into jeelapi shapes on the oil now and fry them until they are golden yellow. pick them off the oil and onto a newspaper or blotting paper covered dish so that all the oil drains oil. collect them here until you have fried all of them.

once all of them are done, put all of them together into the syrup. let it sit in the syrup for 2 minutes or so and shake it up so that they are all covered with the syrup.

take them out on the serving tray and hold the extra syrup for the next time you need it coz it should be super soon. EAT! yummiest desserts ever.

Fried Chicken

Simple easy and sounds like it will work.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/08/03/dining/100000000956337/crispy-fried-chicken.html

Beef with Sesame Seeds

Beef is marinated in a honey and soy mixture, stir-fried with oyster sauce and topped with sesame seeds. If desired, toast the sesame seeds before serving.

Serves 2 to 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutesIngredients:
•1/2 pound flank steak
•1/2 red bell pepper
•1/2 green bell pepper
•1 cup mung bean sprouts
•1 stalk celery
•Marinade:
•4 teaspoons liquid honey
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•1 tablespoon water
•1 green onion, chopped
•2 teaspoons cornstarch
•Sauce:
•1 tablespoon oyster sauce
•1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
•1 teaspoon granulated sugar
•Other:
•1 clove garlic
•2 slices ginger
•1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water
•3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
•4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
Preparation:
Wash and drain the vegetables. Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers and cut into thin strips. Rinse and thoroughly drain the mung bean sprouts. String the celery and cut on the diagonal into thin strips.
Cut the flank steak across the grain into thin strips. Combine with the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the steak for 15 minutes.
Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat the wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated wok. When the oil is ready, add the beef. Brown briefly, then stir-fry until nearly cooked through. Remove from the wok. Clean out the wok if necessary.
Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the green pepper and the celery. Stir-fry briefly, and add the red pepper.
Push the vegetables up to the sides of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle of the wok. Heat briefly, then add the cornstarch and water slurry, stirring to thicken.
Add the steak back into the wok. Add the mung bean sprouts. Mix everything together. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Serves 2 or 4 (as part of a multicourse meal).

Kachchi Biriyani

Mutton/Goat/Lamb 2 kg
Basmati Rice 1 kg
Clarified Butter/Ghee 3/4 cups
Potatoes 3 large
2 onions sliced
Ginger paste 2 tablespoon
Garlic paste 2 teaspoon
Radhuni Biryani Masala Mix 1/2 pack
Ground Cumin 1 tablespoon
Crushed Red Peppers 6
Yogurt 1 cup
Red and Yellow Color slight
Rosewater 2 tablespoons
Kewra Water 2 tablespoons
Salt 2 tablespoon
Oil 1/2 cup

Wash meat, put salt and keep for 30minutes. Wash again.

Mix color and coat potato pieces with it. Then fry the potatoes till brownish in oil. Set aside.

In the potato fry oil, fry onions till brown in ghee and set it aside. Crush the fried onions when cool.

Take meat in the dish you will cook in, add ginger, garlic, onion, cumin, Radhuni spice, yogurt, rose and kewra water and mix well. Put potatoes on top of meat. Put the onion fry oil.

Wash and drain the rice. Boil 12 cups of water, add salt and add rice to it. As soon as rice starts boiling, pour the water in another pot and keep it. Take one cup of water from the rice water and put 0.5 cup of ghee in the water and put this in the meat and mix. Then spread the rice over the meat. Mix the rest of the ghee with the rice water and put the water in the pot so that the water is in level with rice, not below or above. Cover it with aluminum foil. Take the food color remaining from potatoes and put 4/5 spoonfuls of colored water in a scattered way.

Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit . Keep in the oven for 3 hours. Sometimes the rice near the top dries up too much. After 2 hours of cooking, I flipped rice on top with the rice below. Be careful not to mix up the meat layer though.

This makes for 8-10 people.

Biye barir roast

cut the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. marinate chicken with yogurt, chili, cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger and black pepper powder for 4-5 hrs. then fry chicken in oil. take out chicken. put in onion paste and fry till brown. then put in ginger garlic chili cumin coriander joyfol joyitri pastes. stir at high heat for about 10 mins. add ... See Morelittle water if too dry. then mix yogurt milk sugar salt and food color and put in pot. again stir at high heat abt 10 mins. then put in chicken and let cook about 20 mins aa medium heat. finally, add rose water and green chilis and stir at high heat. taste for salt sugar, add if needed. lower heat and let cook 10 mins more.

Kalojaam!!!!!

Kalojaan has been my favorite mishty since I can remember.

Kalojaam according to Deena Poonam's recipe:

1 cup nido/any milk powder
1/4 cup flour
3/4th teaspoon baking powder
heavy whipping cream
3 cups Sugar
4 cups Water

Mix the dry ingredients. Add teaspoons of heavy whipping cream and mix. Keep adding until it is a dough consistency.

Make balls with the dough and fry in oil. They will become inflated and brownish black.

Make simple syrup with water and sugar. Then soak the fried balls in the warm syrup for about 15-20mins.

Then roll the balls in milkpowder to coat.

Jhuri gosh

You can do this with leftover beef. i had some leftovers with no gravy. Take leftovers with no gravy. Add 3-4 tbsp of oil in the pan and add the meat. Break any large pieces of meat. Keep stirring on high heat and continue to break the meat with your spatula. Meat should get brown and softer. Add chopped onions and green chillies. Keep stirring until it tastes like you want it to. It should be somewhat dry- but f it starts getting too dry add few teaspoons of water (not too much). I like it a little charred- so cooked on high all the way. If you want it less burnt, reduce the heat.

Aneeqa's: http://aneeqaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/jhuri-mangsho-shredded-beef.html

Tehari!

Given today is the first day of Ramadan, here is something to try and make soon!

From: http://www.khanapakana.com/recipe/32640572-a997-4f07-834c-64f92d2efb9a/tehari

or folloew aneeqas:
It's Siddika Kabir's Tehari with some changes. Cut beef into small pieces. Put in onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili, coriander and cumin pastes and mix. Add salt. Put on stove with some water. I cooked it for about an hour to soften the meat.

In a large pot, fry onion slices. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves and cardamom. Add some cumin seeds and shahi jeera. Fry for a few minutes. Add the meat with the spices and stir at high heat. After koshano, pick out the meat pieces and set aside.

Take basmati or kalojeera rice. Wash and soak in water for about 10mins, then drain. Put the rice in the masala from the beef. Fry for a few minutes. Then add water (2cups for 1cup of rice). Add salt and rose/kewra water. When the water comes to a boil, add the meat and slivered green chilies. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 20mins.

Grilled lemonade

halve a couple lemons, dip them in sugar and pop them on the grill for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, make a simple syrup by combining sugar, honey and a few sprigs of rosemary – which can and should be heated on the grill.

Squeeze the charred lemons into a pitcher, add the syrup and dilute the juice with water to taste.

Of course you can always bring it to the next level by adding vodka, rum, gin or even bourbon.

Salt-Baked Branzino

3 cups fine sea salt (1 3/4 lb), preferably unrefined
2 to 4 large egg whites
2 (1-lb) whole branzini (European sea bass) or small sea bass, cleaned, heads and tails left intact
6 fresh parsley sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 lemon slices, halved


Special equipment: parchment paper



Place salt in a bowl and add egg whites 1 at a time, stirring, until mixture looks like wet sand (the number will vary).

Rinse fish and pat dry. Place fish on a parchment-lined large baking sheet and divide remaining ingredients between cavities of fish.

Firmly pat half of salt evenly over each fish to cover fish completely.

Bake fish in middle of oven until salt is just starting to turn golden at edges, 15 to 18 minutes (see cooks' note, below).

Crack salt away from fish and discard, then carefully lift fish from bones.

From: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salt-Baked-Branzino-105115

Whole Fish Baked in Salt

One whole fish weighing about 1 1/2 pounds, cleaned, head, tail, and scales left on
10 whole Tellicherry peppercorns
4 bay leaves
limes
2 pounds coarse salt (I recommend sea salt)
2 egg whites
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Chervil sprigs for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Rinse the fish with cold water, pat it dry and refrigerate until just before cooking.

(mix the two egg whites with the salt to make a mixture - this allows it to come off more easily)

3. Pour a fine layer of salt in the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish that is just slightly larger than the fish. Lay two bay leaves on the salt, then place the fish on the bay leaves. Place the peppercorns and lime inside the belly cavity of the fish, then top the fish with the remaining 2 bay leaves. Pour the remaining salt over the fish to cover it, leaving the tail fin exposed if necessary.

3. Place the fish on the middle rack in the center of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. You cannot test the fish for doneness — you simply have to trust the timing. Remove the fish from the oven and gently crack off the layer of salt, removing as much of it as you can. Most of the skin will come off the fish as well — what doesn't come off when you remove the salt you need to remove gently, using a sharp knife.

4. Remove the fillets divide the fish among four slightly warmed dinner plates. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the chervil, if desired.

From: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whole-Fish-Baked-in-Salt-104118

Whiskey Peppercorn Steak

Ingredients:
3 tsp. fresh cracked black peppercorns
1 T. green peppercorns
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup favorite whiskey
Two 1- to 1-1/2 inch beef steaks of your choice
Directions:
1. Marinate steak with olive oil and press in kosher salt and cracked black
pepper and allow it to sit for one or more hours.
2. Heat a heavy skillet to a high temperature. Sear steak quickly (about 20
seconds) on each side to seal in the juices. Then place on the grill and
grill to desired doneness.
3. While steak is grilling, deglaze pan and add a little butter, add cracked
black pepper, green peppercorns, heavy cream and whiskey. Cook over
medium heat until reduced by half. At this time the steak should be done.
Your sauce will be clear at this point.
4. Place steak on serving dish and pour pepper sauce over steak, or serve
the sauce in a small ramekin on the side.
5. This recipe yields about 1/4 cup of sauce or enough for two 8 ounce
steaks.

Red Velvet Cake (a.k.a. Waldorf Astoria Cake)

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it will fizz! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Recipe Notes: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions. Wear an apron and be careful with the red food coloring–no matter how hard I try, I always end up staining something! As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Recipe Notes: If you prefer a sweeter and/or stiffer frosting, more powdered sugar can be added (up to four cups). But remember, the more sugar you add, the less you’ll be able to taste the tangy cream cheese!

Watermelon Mint Salad

Ingredients
1 (5-pound) watermelon
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
6 whole mint sprigs
Directions
Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel and slice the onion into rings.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.

In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.

To serve, divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

Fresh Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad

Ingridients:

12 oz. torn fresh spinach (about 10 cups)
3 c. halved or sliced fresh strawberries
1/3 c. slice green onion
1/3 c. salad oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. broken walnuts
2 tbsp. toasted seasame seed (opt.)

In a bowl place torn spinach, strawberries, and green onions. Cover and chill up to 2 hours. For citrus dressing, measure salad oil, add lemon juice. Seal, shake well, chill. Shake citrus dressing again and pour over the spinach, strawberry mixture. Top with walnuts and optional toasted seasame seed. Toss salad lightly to coat. Serve immediately. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Panda Express Chicken

Ingridients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon gingerroot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red chili pepper
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil


Orange Sauce for Stir Fry
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons white vinegar
1 orange, zest of
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

1 Place chicken pieces in large bowl.
2 Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.
3 Stir cornstarch and flour together.
4 Mix flour mixture and egg mixture.
5 Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
6 Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees.
7 Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp.
8 (Do not overcook chicken).
9 Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.
10 Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.
11 Add 1 tablespoon oil.
12 Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds.
13 Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions.
14 Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.
15 Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil.
16 Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
17 Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken.
18 Heat until sauce is thickned.
19 Stir in sesame oil and orange zest if desired.
20 Serve over jasmine rice.

Dry-Fried Chicken

All credits to: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/dry-fried-chicken-recipe.html

Ingredientsserves 4 people, active time 30 minutes, total time 15 minutes

Ingridients:

2 celery stalks, outer stems peeled
1 pound boneless chicken, chopped into 1-inch chunks
3 scallions, ends trimmed
¼ cup peanut oil
8 dried hot red chiles (preferably Sichuan chiles)
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
1 ½ tablespoons chili bean paste
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Salt
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Procedures

1
Slice celery at steep angle into ½-inch slices. Set aside and toss with pinch of salt. Slice scallions at steep angle into ½-inch slices. Transfer to same bowl as celery.

2
Pour oil into large wok set over high heat. When smoking, add chicken. Stir-fry until chicken has lost much of its water, about 5 minutes.

3
Reduce heat to medium, and add chiles and Sichuan pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add chili bean paste, and stir well. Cook until it stains the oil red, about 10 seconds. Add rice wine, dark soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until chicken looks dry and is very fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes.

4
Add celery and scallions, and stir-fry until just tender, one to two minutes. Turn off heat, pour in sesame oil, and season with salt to taste. Stir well, and serve with white rice.

Maple Crème Brûlée

2 cups (500 mL) heavy whipping cream
½ cup (125 mL) maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped
¼ cup (50 mL) maple sugar or packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels and put the ramekins in the pan. Fill a kettle with water and bring water to a boil.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat cream with syrup and scraped vanilla bean. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove immediately from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in a bit of the hot cream mixture to temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the remaining cream mixture.

Skim any foam off the top of the mixture. Pour mixture into six 2/3-cup ramekins. Carefully place the baking pan into the oven. Then pour enough hot water from the kettle into the baking pan so that water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the centers are firm but jiggle slightly. Remove ramekins from pan and let cool. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or longer.

To serve: Sprinkle sugar evenly over top of cooked and cooled custards. Using a torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins until the sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly. As it cools, it hardens.

Profiteroles

(Yields: 28 cream puffs.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
½ tsp. Kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 cup chopped chocolate (I used bittersweet)
½ cup heavy cream
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil to melt butter; add all of the flour at once, beating vigorously with a spoon until dough pulls away from the pan. Stir and cook over low heat about 30 seconds or until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, until dough is shiny and not pasty. (If it is too thick, stir in a little milk to loosen it slightly.) Spoon dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 375˚ oven about 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and evenly golden (you’ll know they’re done when the cracks that form are golden, too, and no longer pale). Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make sauce, gently heat chocolate, heavy cream and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Warm until chocolate is melted and a shiny sauce forms. Split cooled cream puffs, sandwich them with ice cream, and serve with sauce.

Individual Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream

from MarthaStewart.com by Ralph Rucci

Serves 2

Ingredients: Cake

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

cocoa powder, for dusting molds

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp all-purpose flour

Confectioners sugar, if desired for dusting finished cake

Ingredients: Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbls sugar

Directions: Cake

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter the 2 – 4 ounce ramekins and lightly dust the inside of each with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Heat butter and chocolate in heat proof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water until chocolate is almost completely melted. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and thick. Slowly add butter mixture to mixer, add flour and mix until combined. Divide batter between ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Cook for 7 – 10 minutes – sides should be set and center soft.

Direction: Whipped Cream

Take whipping cream and whip it using an electric mixer until firm and creating peaks. Add the sugar and beat again.

Serve whipped cream aside the warm cake – dust cake with confectioners sugar if desired.

Tiramisu by Ramsey!

Ingredients
250 g mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons Marsala brandy or Tia Maria
150 ml strong Coffee or espresso, cooled to room temperature
150 ml Single Cream
4 tablespoons icing sugar
16 savoiardi biscuits sponge fingers
Frozen bar of 70% Chocolate
cocoa powder

Method
Whisk the mascarpone with the vanilla and Marsala and 50ml coffee, until everything is thoroughly mixed together.
Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until smooth, then fold in the mascarpone mix.
Pour the remaining coffee into a bowl (sweeten with more icing sugar if you like).
Take one sponge finger at a time and dip it in to the coffee. Set it to one side and continue with the remaining biscuits.
Line 4 serving glasses with 4 sponge fingers, breaking them in half if you need to.
Spoon the mascarpone mix in until you reach the top of the glass. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
Remove the Tiramisu from the fridge.
Take the frozen chocolate bar and grate a little chocolate over the top of each Tiramisu.
Finally, dust with sifted cocoa powder to serve.

© Gordon Ramsay

Kacha Morich Fish Curry, Pohela Boishak 2011

I cooked this last night for the Bengali New Year, and it totally turned out better than I expected - and I'm not even a fish person :). To be tried with Ilish the next time I hope :)!

Serves 2 people:
One large whole fish
4 Onions
4 Tomatoes
1Tbsp Mustard seeds
Turmeric Powder
Chilli Powder
Some Fish Curry Spice Mix
Lemon
Corriander

Took me about an hour to cook this, minus prep time the night before.

Not having access to Ilish in Stockholm, I used one big Telapia - but choose you fish to be whatever you want it to be I suppose :).

Scale and gut the fish if doesn't already come dressed.

If you buy a frozen one like I did, thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Mix turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, MDH Fish Curry mix. Add about the same or 1.5 times of the amount of spice of vegetable oil to make it into a paste.

Cover the entire fish with this paste. The layer of the spice should be quite thick and noticable.

Seal with fish in an airtight plastic bag and marinate for as long as you can. I marinated my frozen fish and left it in the freezer over night. In many ways its easier if the fish is frozen because the oil solidifies and holds on to the fish.

In a deep pan (I used a wok) heat about a cup (2 dl) of oil and fry the fish at low heat first to make sure it cooks through and the on high heat to make sure the outside is crunchy. It took me about half an hour to do this but I was super careful :). Try not to flip the fish too many times because it might break.

Once it has fried, place it on the serving dish.

In the same oil add about 4 large onions, sliced the round way. Fry until transparent.

Add 2 table spoons of the MDH Fish Curry Sprice.

Add about 4 tomatoes, diced in large cubes. Cook for about 6-10 minutes or until the tomatoes have started to soften. Add about a table spoon of mustard seeds and stir. Add split and deseeded (if you dont want it to be super spicey!) green chilles (I used about a cup of them but you can adjust this to our taste). Stir and let it mix in for about 2/3 minutes. Pour this sauce off on the fried fish just before serving.

Spray some lemon on the fish.

Garnish with lemon rounds and fresh corriander.

Paneer!

Half gallon Whole Milk and one lime is all you need. Bring the milk to a boil, then simmer down and add the juice of lime while stirring. You will see the milk part separating from water. Strain it and let it stand in the strainer for an hour or hour and a half.

Now, dump the Paneer from the strainer onto a cutting board and cut small cubes out of it.

All credits to: http://sutapa.com/

Hilsa with mustard smoked in banana leaves

Hilsha is almost next to impossible to find in Sweden, and so I shall try with other fishes very soon.

Ingredients:
7-8 pieces of hilsa.
1 1/2 tablespoons of mustard paste very finely ground., 1/2 tablespoon turmeric paste.,
1/2 teaspoon chili paste., 100 grams of mustard oil.
4-5 green chilies, washed and slit., 4-5 banana leaves, halved.

Steps:
place the fish pieces in a flat dish. Add masala pastes and salt.
mix the fish and masala pastes together.
add mustard oil and green chilies and mix again.
on the tawa or iron griddle place, 2-3 banana leaves one on top of the other and another 2-3 leaves crosswise over the first ones.
now carefully place the masala coated fishes in the center of the leaves.
pour the extra oil and masala on the top.
fold the banana leaves like a packet and tie it with a string.
place the tawa or the girdle on hot fire and cook for 20-25 mins.
remove from tawa and place the packet on a large platter.
untie it carefully and serve hot with rice.

Microwave method:-
follow the same recipe but make individual packets and place it in a flat dish and cook for 15-20 mins in medium heat.

Chicken 65

Cube 4 chicken thighs. Add ginger powder, garlic powder, black pepper powder, cornstarch, salt and an egg. Fry in oil... take a little at a time or it will clump together. Once fried and cooked through, set aside.

In pan put some oil, cumin seeds, chopped garlic and ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry for some time. Add chili powder, cumin powder, ginger and garlic paste, Asian chili paste, very little salt, pinch of fenugreek, and red food color. Stir fry for a little bit and add very little water. Add the fried chicken to the sauce. Cok for some time. Add some more curry leaves and chopped jalopenos. Stir and serve.

This is Aneeqs adaptation of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZEaYngbp4w.

Fresh Grapefruit Cheesecake with Berries

Serves 12

Ingredients

15 pc digestive biscuits
75 g butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Filling:
1 pink grapefruit
200 g cream cheese
3 egg yolks
2 dl granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
2.5 dl whipping cream

Garnish:
1 pink grapefruit
250 g raspberries
250 g blackberries
caramelized rose petals


1. Mix the biscuits in a food processor and add butter, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Spread the crumbs in 12 muffin cups. Flatten the crumbs into the molds.
3. Wash grapefruit thoroughly in lukewarm water. Grate peel and squeeze out the juice, measure about 1 1 / 2 dl.
4. Beat together cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar. Stir in the grapefruit peel and juice.
5. Whip cream and fold it into the batter. Spread the batter into molds and freeze 4-5 hours.
6. Peel and cut wedges from the grapefruit.
7. Top the cheesecake with grapefruit, berries and any candied rose petals.

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

Serves 4

2 dl raspberries, (goes well with frozen)
2 dl whipping cream
200 g dark chocolate, 70%
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp brown sugar
possibly a dash of rum


1. Mash raspberries with a fork (Save a few nice raspberries for garnish.). Mix with sugar.
2 Break the chocolate into a bowl and melt it in a water bath. I usually microwave it for 3 minutes on medium or low.
3. Whip cream until stiff and mix in the mashed raspberries.
4. Stir in egg yolks one at a time into the melted chocolate.
5. Stir in raspberry cream into the chocolate batter
6. Pour out the mousse into four cups or glasses.
7. Let stand one hour in refrigerator.
8. Before serving garnish with raspberries and maybe a few leaves of mint if you have it.

Shrimp in Ginger Chilli Sauce

Aneeqs recipe to try tonight!

Ingredients
Shrimp:
Cornstarch
Salt
Raw shrimp
Cayenne Pepper

Sauce:
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1.5 tablespoon chinese chile paste (the jar with the green lid)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup very finely diced onion
1/4 cup slivered green chilies
1/4 cup green bell peppers

Shell, devein and wash uncooked shrimp. Dry with paper towels. Coat shrimp in cornstarch and season with some salt and cayenne pepper.

Heat oil in pan and fry shrimp until cooked and set aside.

In the same oil, saute the onion and garlic until slightly brown. Add ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the other ingredients and stir. Finally, add the shrimp and toss to heat through and coat with sauce. Add the chilies and bell pepper and stir for a few more minutes.

Dhonepatar chaatney

So much of my childhood tastes of this :).

Ingredients:
1 Big bunch of fresh coriander
1 Onion
3-4 Green chillies(depending on how spicy you want it)
1 Lemon juice
4-5 Garlic cloves
7-8 Pudina leaves
1/4 cup of tamarind
2 tsp mustard oil
salt to taste
Method:
Soak tamarind in water till it is tender, take out the seeds and make a paste. Add all the ingredients (excpet oil and salt) into a blender and blend to make a smooth paste. and finally add the mustard oil (this will preserve the green colour).

Spicy Variations of Sushi

Since I like everything spicy:

credits to: http://worldofsushi.blogspot.com/2007/08/spicy-sushi.html

Spicy Tuna Mix
1⁄2 lb sashimi grade tuna, chopped
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon scallions, finely cut
1 1⁄2 tablespoon mayo
1⁄4 teaspoon Japanese 7 spice powder, or cayenne pepper
orange zest, about 1⁄2 teaspoon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. To assemble rolls, follow method for inside out or thick rolls. Use approx. 3 tablespoons of mix per roll topped with cucumber sticks. Makes 4-5 rolls.

Hot Variations
Crunchy Spicy Salmon Rolls- Substitute minced fresh salmon for tuna. When assembling inside out rolls, add about 1⁄4 cup tempura crispies to the outside of the roll. (See crunchy shrimp roll recipe for tempura crispies recipe.)

Crunchy Spicy Crab- Substitute lump crab meat for tuna. When assembling inside out rolls, add about 1⁄4 cup tempura crispies to the outside of the roll. Top with spicy mayo if desired.

Spicy Shrimp- Substitute chopped cooked shrimp for tuna. Add a thin stick of pineapple or mango, and cream cheese if desired.

Crunchy Spicy Crawfish- Substitute well drained, roughly chopped crawfish tail meat for tuna. For inside out rolls, assemble with pickled okra, cooked bacon and cream cheese if desired. Add about 1/4 cup tempura crispies to the outside of the roll. Top with spicy mayo if desired.

Crunchy Shrimp Rolls

Of late I have been going through a making sushi phase. heres one that sounds delish and will try out asap.

credits to: http://worldofsushi.blogspot.com/2007/08/crunchy-sushi.html

about 1⁄4 cup of tempura crispies.
3 cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, tails entact
cucumber sticks
avocado
spicy mayo
finely chopped green onions

Begin with an inside out roll set up. Before flipping nori over, evenly spread tempura crispies over the surface of the rice. Flip nori over. Pipe a thin line of spicy mayo horizontally across the surface of the nori, then add other fillings. Make sure that the tails of the shrimp extend from the sides of the roll. Discard tail from shrimp in the middle of the roll. Roll the nori according to the inside out method.

Spicy Mayo
2 cups heavy mayo
1⁄4 cup Sriracha Chili sauce
2 tablespoon masago roe or red sushi caviar
Stir together Sriracha Chili sauce, mayo and roe.

Tempura Crispies
1 egg
1 cup ice water + ice
1 cup all purpose flour
Beat egg in a bowl. Add ice water (including ice) in the bowl. Add flour in the bowl and mix lightly. Do not overmix the batter.In a frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil to about 325 degrees F. Dip a fork or whisk into the tempura batter and drizzle batter over the oil being careful not to drop ice into the hot oil. Allow to fry until golden brown. Remove with a fry strainer and drain on paper towels. Cool completely before use.

Jonnas Chocolate cake

150g butter
200g dark chocolate (blockchoklad)
1 msk coffee
3 eggs
2 dl sugar
1 ½ dl chopped almonds/hazelnuts
1 dl wheat flour

Butter an oven proof dish and put bread crums in it to avoid the cake from sticking. Whisk eggs and sugar. Melt the butter and then melt the chocolate into it while stirring. Pour coffee, the chocolate-butter-mix, the chopped almonds and the flour into the egg-sugar-mix and mix it all together. Pour the batter into the dish and bake it for 25-30 min in 125-200˚C.

Pigs in a blanket

Will make and store this weekend.

Ingredients:
Yield:
24 24 24-30 Servings Size

Little Smokies sausage
crescent roll
parmesan cheese
garlic salt

1 Preheat oven according to directions on crescent roll package.
2 Unroll but leave intact 2 triangles of crescent rolls.
3 Pinch seam together and cut lengthwise into 5 strips and then cross-wise to make 10 strips.
4 Roll each strip around one sausage and place in baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking oil.
5 Sprinkle each pig with parmesan and garlic salt.
6 Bake according to crescent roll package directions.

Basic Breakfast Waffles

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1/2 cup milk

1 Heat a waffle iron.
2 Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar using a whisk to combine well.
3 Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave.
4 Beat the egg yolk with a fork till fluffy, then add the milk and butter to mix.
5 Combine the milk mixture with the dry ingredients.
6 Using a hand mixer, beat the egg white to stiff peaks.
7 Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter (a plastic scraper works well for this).
8 Cook immediately on hot iron.

At home Sushi (rice)!

Ive made california rolls several times at home and the only thing hard about it is getting the rice perfect. So heres my favorite minimalist Mark Bittman's recipe for it:
Time: 30 to 40 minutes, plus at least 2 hours’ resting

1 cup rice vinegar

3/8 cup sugar

2 tablespoons salt, plus a pinch

1 piece konbu (kelp), about 3 or 4 inches square

2 cups short-grain white rice

1 teaspoon sake, optional.



1. Combine vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons salt in a container and shake or stir until dissolved. Add konbu and let sit about 30 minutes before removing konbu and covering container. Let sit for at least 2 hours and up to several days. (Room temperature is fine.)

2. Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Combine with sake, a pinch of salt, and 2 1/2 cups water (if you’re using a rice cooker) or 3 cups water (if you’re cooking it on stovetop). Cook until water is absorbed, 38 minutes in a rice cooker, about 25 minutes in a covered pot over medium-low heat.

3. Turn rice into a large bowl, preferably wooden, and let cool for 15 minutes.

4. Using a rubber spatula, a wooden paddle or spoon, gently fold sweetened vinegar into rice, a little at a time. You will probably need about 1/2 cup for this amount of rice, but a little bit less or more is fine. Rice should be glistening and moist but not wet, and sweet but not overly so. Use immediately with sushi toppings of your choice.

Yield: Enough rice for 4 generous or 6 small portions of sushi.

and then go creative with it, but heres some direction:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/dining/05mini.html

Heres a slideshow (very helpful) of how to go about making sushi:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/04/dining/20100505-sushi-slideshow.html

Baked Meat-Filled Empanadas (Empanadas al Horno)!!

How I have ALWAYS wanted to make baked ones!

Dough
Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling


3 1/2 ounces lard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups flour, more for work surface.


1. Melt lard in a small saucepan over low heat. Immediately mix with salt and 2/3 cup very warm water. Place flour in a food processor. Turn machine on and pour half the liquid through feed tube. Stop machine, turn it to pulse and add half the remaining liquid. Keep pulsing and add rest of liquid.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly until smooth, form into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cool, at least 30 minutes.

Yield: Dough for 10 6-inch or 24 3-inch empanadas.


Baking Directions:
Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Time: 1 hour


1 1/2 tablespoons lard

1 cup fine-chopped onion

1/2 pound lean beef, minced

Salt and fresh black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste

Empanada dough (see recipe)

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

12 pitted cured black olives, sliced

30 raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water.



1. Melt lard in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add onion and sauté on medium until it barely starts to color. Add beef. Cook until ingredients are lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste, cumin, paprika and hot sauce. Set aside. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll dough as thin as possible. Cut 6-inch circles. Scraps can be re-rolled one time. Place some meat mixture on one half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border around filling. Top with a slice of egg, some olive pieces and a few raisins. Brush egg on empty side of circle, fold dough over to make a half-circle and crimp edges. Traditional squared empanadas can be made by folding an inch or so of each of the pointed ends of the half-circle over to make straight sides, then folding up the rounded bottom to square off the empanada.

3. Arrange empanadas on a baking sheet. Squared empanadas should be placed with folded side down. Bake 10 minutes. Turn empanadas over, bake 5 minutes longer, until lightly browned on both sides. Allow to cool briefly before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 large empanadas.

Scallion Meatballs With Soy-Ginger Glaze

Time: 1 hour


FOR THE SAUCE:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium

1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), or 1/2 cup sake with 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

4 whole black peppercorns

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1 pound ground turkey

4 large or 6 small scallions, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil.


1. Make sauce: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

2. Make meatballs: mix turkey, scallions, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce and several grindings of pepper in a bowl. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls.

3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, generously cover bottom of pan with vegetable oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and cook, turning, until browned all over and cooked inside, about 8 minutes per batch. Arrange on a heated platter, spoon a little sauce over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks. If desired, keep warm in a 200-degree oven until ready to serve.

Yield: About two dozen.

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, vol. 3, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Small Latkes, Large Toppings

To make party-size latkes, use your favorite recipe but fry them in 1 1/2-inch cakes (use a heaping tablespoon of potato). Drain on paper towels or a paper bag. When cool enough to handle, top with any of the following:

CRÉME FRAÎCHE, BLACK PEPPER AND PEAR BUTTER Add a dollop of crème fraîche, grind some pepper and top with a spoonful of pear butter — store-bought or put up. Pumpkin and apple butter work well here, too.

SMOKED SALMON CREAM CHEESE AND SALMON CAVIAR Spoon the cream cheese over the latke, topping with beads of salmon caviar.

SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE Whip some heavy cream until peaks form, and fold in horseradish, chopped chives and black pepper. Then stir in flaked pieces of smoked trout.

GORGONZOLA AND BRANDIED FIGS Cover chopped figs with just enough brandy to reach halfway up the sides of a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring and tossing the fruit, then turn off the heat and cover the pot; let sit for an hour. Drain figs and use them to garnish gorgonzola-sprinkled latkes.

POMEGRANATE SEEDS AND GREEK YOGURT Whisk thick Greek yogurt with a little honey. Spoon atop the latke, crowning with pomegranate seeds.

Savory Cheddar Biscotti

Time: About 1 hour

2 eggs

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste.



1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the eggs and cheese in a food processor and process until yellow and thick, about a minute. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne and pulse three or four times, just to integrate the dry ingredients; you don’t want to overwork the gluten in the flour.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it until it holds together — it may be a bit crumbly at first. Shape the dough into an 8- to 10-inch log, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten.

3. Bake until the log begins to color and is firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes, then cut on the bias into half-inch slices. Lay the biscotti flat on the baking sheet and bake until crisp and toasted, 15 minutes; turn and toast the second side for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: About 16 biscotti.

101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less

photo slideshow:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/12/18/dining/1219-MINI_index.html

Read it from here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dining/19mini.html

Shrimp and Cilantro Shu Mai

I've already made this (see my dumplings recipe) but here is a more formalized recipe.

Time: About 30 minutes


1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup roughly chopped scallions, white parts only

10 to 12 round dumpling skins

Juice of 1 lime.



1. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and ginger in a bowl. Put half the shrimp, half the cilantro and all the scallions in a food processor and pulse; add just enough of the soy mixture to create a smooth paste, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a bowl. Roughly chop the remaining shrimp and cilantro, add them to the bowl and stir to combine.

2. Place a dumpling skin on a work surface, moisten the edges with water, and put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center. Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, squeezing gently, to pleat the sides; some of the filling should remain exposed. Repeat with the remaining dumpling skins and filling, keeping the dumpling wrappers and dumplings covered with damp towels while you work.

3. Rig a steamer in a large pot over an inch of water; bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, add the lime juice to the remaining soy mixture to make a dipping sauce.

4. Put as many dumplings in the steamer as you can fit in a single layer and cover the pot. Cook until the exposed filling turns pink and the wrappers are tender, 4 to 6 minutes, then transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Yield: 10 to 12 dumplings.

Queso Fundido With Chorizo, Jalapeño and Cilantro

Time: 25 minutes


7 ounces dried chorizo, diced small

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Sliced bread, if serving as sandwiches

Extra virgin olive oil, if serving as sandwiches

Tortilla chips, if serving as dip

Lime wedges, if serving as dip.




1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the jalapeño, cilantro, scallions and salt. Add the cheese and toss well.

3. If serving as dip, skip to Step 4. If serving as sandwiches: drizzle slices of bread with oil and brown in a toaster oven. Top with chorizo, then the cheese mixture. Return to toaster oven and toast until bubbling.

4. If serving as dip: heat the broiler. Combine the chorizo and cheese mixture and pour into a shallow baking or gratin dish. Broil until melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the chips and lime wedges on the side.

Yield: 4 sandwiches or 8 hors d’oeuvres servings.

Cheese Straws With Pimentón

Time: About 30 minutes


1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 sheets puff pastry (preferably all butter), defrosted but not unfolded

1/2 teaspoon pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika, hot or sweet).



1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese on a clean work surface. Place pastry on top and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about

1/8-inch thick, dusting with more cheese if necessary.

2. Using tip of a sharp knife, cut pastry into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Lift up one end, twist a few times, and transfer to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese. Dust twists with pimentón.

3. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before peeling off paper. Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Yield: About 36.

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, vol. 2, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Appetizers Unlimited

If you havent noticed already, I am a HUGE fan of appetizers :) - and so when I saw this:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/12/10/dining/20101210-dips-slideshow.html

on NYTimes today, I just had to make sure to save it. ALL the recipes are simple, appropriate and not at all time consuming so I'll have to make sure to take the time to try them sometime soon. I'm quite scared though that they will take away the link sometime and so I'll try to jaut down some of the extra special ones in the next few posts.

Crispy Banana Waffles

For breakfast todayy!

with whipped cream and maple syrup :))

(4 servings)

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs - separated
1 cup milk
1 cup banana - mashed
6 Tablespoons butter - softened
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the milk.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fold in the mashed banana and melted butter. Mix well.

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the batter.

Bake according to waffle maker instructions.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls!

6 sheets rice paper
2 large leaves of green lettuce, cut into small pieces
3 ounces rice vermicelli, cooked
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
12 mint leaves
9 large shrimps, cooked, peeled, deveined and cut in halfs
(Be creative, you can add more protein to your diet by using boiled pork, crab, or any other meat you have in mind)

For the Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3/4 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (Chirashi)
2 3/4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

•Leave in rice vermiccilli in warm water for a few minutes until limp, drain and store in drige.
•Dip the rice paper in a large bow of warm water so it will become soft (10 seconds in near boiling water)
•Place the rice paper on a flat area, then stack small amount of lettuce, rice noddles, cilantro, mint leaves, and 3 haft shrimps
•Roll the rice paper

•In a small bow, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce together. Another bow, mix hoisin sauce, peanuts, and chilli sauce. Serve the rolls with these two sauce.
•Good luck and have fun while cooking

All i have to say is, nom nom nom.

Sesame Shrimp with Cilantro-Lime Sauce Recipe

24 medium uncooked shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
24 small metal skewers or wooden toothpicks (if using toothpicks, soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don’t burn in the oven)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon light sesame oil
2 scallions, cleaned and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss shrimp with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Dip one side of each shrimp in toasted sesame seeds. Skewer with a toothpick. When oven is heated, place skewered shrimp (sesame seeds on top) on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes, until shrimp are firm to the touch.
For the dipping sauce, put remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the warm shrimp.


Will try it this weekend and upload photos :D.

Tea Smoked Salmon

Ingredients
Smoking mix:
2 cups (250g) soft brown sugar shopping list
2 cups (250g) long grain rice shopping list
2 cups (85g) jasmine tea leaves shopping list
vegetable oil shopping list
4 salmon fillets, skin on
salt, to season

Put the sugar, rice and tea leaves into a bowl and mix together. Line a deep pan or wok with silver foil and pour in the mixture. Fit a trivet or rack on top.
Place onto the hob to heat up.
Season the salmon with salt
Then once smoking a little, add the salmon to the trivet or rack.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave to smoke on the hob for 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the fish.
Tips
Tea-smoking generates a lot of smoke. Be sure that you open the windows and get as much ventilation as you can.
You can use any tea or any herbs for the mix.

I am thinking this weekend :D.

Hunan Style Lemon Chicken

Super easy, will try this weekend!

3 large chicken breasts, boned and
skinned, cut in half
1/4 c. flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. canola (or other vegetable) oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce

Mix flour, egg, baking soda, cornstarch, oil, salt and soy sauce. Dip chicken into batter and fry until golden. Drain. Cut chicken crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. Arrange on a heated platter. Keep warm. Pour Lemon Sauce over and garnish with lemon slices.

Lemon Sauce
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp. catsup
1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water

Heat water, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, catsup, chicken bouillon, salt and garlic to boiling. Mix cornstarch and water and stir in. Cook and stir for 30 seconds or until thickened.

(Shrimp) Dumplings! With Love From China

I returned from a trip to Beijing last week. The entire experience was exhilarating, but the food experience completely blew me away :D. Upon my return I of course had to do quickly try out some recipes before I forgot how wonderful it all tasted. First in line was dumplings!

Super easy!

I made about 6/7 dumplings.

Buy spring roll wrap thats available everywhere if you dont want to go through the trouble of making the dough and cut into relatively small squares.

Take some shrimps / chicken / minced meat (or a mixture of them).

Add soy sauce to taste.

Add sambal oelek (hot sauce with whole chile flakes in it still) to taste. This is the south asian in me, to make it taste more like a Nepali momo.

Add fresh cilantros.

Little bit of onion if you like, very small amount.

And a little bit of garlic.

Put all of this into the food processor (moshla machine I call it) and pulse it untill its all mixed and everything is in small tiny pieces. Its better if it isnt a total paste because the consistency I feel is better if its smaller pieces than a paste.

All done in 50 seconds!

Then take one table spoon of this mix and place it at the centre of the square spring roll wrap. If you want a thicker skin you can make it with 2/3 wraps if you like.

Pick up 2 diagonal corners and fold them in. This is somewhat like you how make paper fans or in case of South Asian girls, how you do the front kuchi of the saree.

Youll need your fingers wet to make it all stick and stay.

Put them all in the steamer now and its ready in 10 minutes! I used the regular bamboo steamer bought from a Chinese grocery here in Stockholm.

Heres the photo. Dumpling away. Its soo good.

Next in line, Hunan tea oil chicken - but I have to find tea oil first for that :D, Xinjian BBQ lamb and chicken wings - I have all the materials for the marinade for this already :D!

And I just found a recipe online right now for lemon Hunan chicken that will also be tried soon.