Week #51 Indian pizza- Palak Paneer Pizza

There is an awesome pizza parlor in Santa Clara,CA that serves the most delectable Indian pizzas. The best part of the menu were Bollywood movie names for pizzas Like Sholay for- chole pizza or Saagar for a Saag(Spinach in Hindi) pizza. The taste was absolutely amazing and it adds some oomph to regular pizza.

Palak Paneer pizza is so easy, and so are other options too. You can surely make chicken tikka pizza by using left over curry from a restuarant and turning it into a exciting pizza option. Kids maybe more keen to eat this rather than the usual fare.

Palak Paneer pizza
Ingredients :
3 cups- cooked spinach, drained
garlic and ginger- 2 tablespoons minced
onions- 1/3 cup minced
garam masala powder- 1 tablespoon
tomatoes- minced - 1/4 cup
green chillies- 1 tablespoon
paneer- 1/4 cup cubed
cream- 1/8 cup
salt as needed
Oil/butter- 2 tablespoons
1 pizza base( The base we get here is uncooked)

Method:
Preheat Oven to 450 degrees.Pour oil in wok and saute ginger/garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add garam masala powder, green chillies and tomatoes. Saute for 3-4 more minutes and add salt as needed. Add spinach and mix and combine and cook for another 3 minutes. Grind everything together and taste for seasoning. Add cream and let it heat for abt 2 minutes and then add the paneer. Now the palak paneer is ready. Make sure this is not too soggy. Take pizza base and heat it in oven for 3 minutes, so it starts to cook before u spread the palak paneer.Take base out of oven and Then spread the palak on top and bake for 13-18 minutes or until the sides are brown. Enjoy! You can sprinkle some mozareela cheese on top as well as cilantro. Here is a phto of paneer/chicken tikka pizza as well which can be made from curry that you already made. Enjoy!

Week #50 is a Thai fav Papaya Pok Pok

The name itself derives from using amortar and pestle to make this salad and hence Papaya Pok Pok. I had this dish when I was playing a tour event in a 5 star hotel in Pattaya. It was sour and spicy all at the same time and Thai chillies are really a different level of heat. You couldnt not eat this salad plain and it has to be eaten alongwith some fragrant Jasmine rice to cut down the heat. But it was so tasty and just a great low fat alternative. The traditonal dish contains dried shrimp and fish sauce, but I tweaked it a bit to remove those and added some of my own ingredients to add some ooopmh.

Ingredients :
Shredded papaya- 2 cups
Raw Mango shredded- 1 cup
Carrot shredded 1/2 cup
roasted peanuts crushed- 1/2 cup
lime juice- 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons
thai red chillies- minced- 1 tablespoon
soy sauce- 1 tablespoon
sugar- 1/2 tablespoon
Chinese long beans- cut into finger like pieces-handful
garlic- minced 1 tablespoon
cherry tomatoes- halved 1/4 cup

Method- Take a mortar and pestle and add papaya and crushed for a few minutes. Add Mango,carrots,long beans and cherry tomatoes and continue the "Pok POk". Add lime juice,garlic soy sauce, thai chillies and sugar. Mix well and add crushed peanuts generously on top and enjoy!!!!

Week #49 Scrambled Eggs with Cumin and Ginger- Akoori

I am going to dedicate this Parsi inspired Scrambled Egg recipe to my good friend and super journalist Gulu Ezekiel. I know Gulu from long time ago when he was at NDTV and I am sure he will have some cool memories to add to this.
I had this dish only a couple of years ago in a restaurant in Pune, Maharashtra.
Here is a little bi of history from the Parsi community who were origially from Iran. Their unique culture and food is so full of life and vibrant.
Parsi /ˈpɑrsiː/ (or Parsee) is one of two Zoroastrian communities (the other being Iranis) primarily located in South Asia. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan, Parsis migrated from Greater Iran to Gujarat and Sindh between the 8th and 10th century CE to avoid the persecution of Zoroastrians by Muslim invaders who conquered Iran.

At the time of the Muslim conquest of Persia, the dominant religion of the region (which was ruled by the Sasanian Empire) was Zoroastrianism. Iranians rebelled against Arab invaders for almost 200 years; in Iran this period is now known as the "Two Centuries of Silence" or "Period of Silence".[12] During this time many Iranians who are now called Parsi rejected both options and instead chose to take refuge by fleeing from Iran to India.
The word پارسیان "Parsi" in the Persian language literally means Persian.[14] Persian is the official language of modern Iran, which was formerly known as Persia, and the Persian language's endonym is Farsi, a variation of the word Parsi.
Here is my recipe for Akoori. The usual scrambled eggs or Indian Bhurji is made even more delicious by addign ginger and cumin powder.

Ingredients :

Onions- minced 1/4 cup
tomatoes- minced 1/4 cup
ginger - minced 1 teaspoon
cumin powder- 1 teaspoon
turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon
green chillies minced- 1 teaspoon
chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
cilantro- 1 tablespoon
milk 1/4 cup
eggs- 4
ghee- 1 tablespoon
salt- as needed
pepper- 1 teaspoon

Method :
Break eggs in a bowl and add the milk and salt. Whisk them together and add chilli powder. Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add onions. Once they turn slightly brown, add the green chillies, turmeric powder and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cumin powder and some salt as needed. Cook this for abt 2 minutes Add the egg mixture and cook in low to medium flame for abt 5 minutes. You dont want the eggs to totally dry out. Then finish up with chopped cilantro and black pepper and serve with toast! Enjoy!!

Dumplings- Indian style on #week 48

Dumplings exist in almost every cuisine and though there are so many different variations, this recipe is very special. One of the reasons is that it is not exactly a dish you can make everyday. It takes some time and effort to bring this together. So, its usually for semi-special occasions.. This kofta or dumpling is made from bottle gourd that is grated and mixed with spices and fried. Then it is dunked in some spicy onion gravy...

Lauki Ki Kofta
Grated Bottle gourd- 1.5 cups
Ginger- - grated- 1 tablespoon
chilli powder- as needed
salt as needed
turmeric powder- 1 tblspoon
Besan- 3/4 cup
Oil for frying

Mix the above ingredients and make small balls and deep fry. Make a small batch and taste before frying them all, so
you can adjust the seasonings if needed. Drain in paper towels.



For the curry :
Onions - 2 sliced
Tomatoes- 2
garlic and ginger- 2 tablespoons chopped
Kasmiri Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Green chillies- as needed.
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder,garam masala powder and chilli powder-1 tablespoon each
Cilantro andoil as needed


Grind the above together in a mixer. Add 3 tablespoonsoil in a wok and add cumin seeds. When they turn black, add the ground paste and saute for about 6-8 minutes for medium to high flame until oil separates from the masala. Now add the powders and salt and add 1/2 cup water and cook on medium flame for another 6-8 minutes. Add cilantro and the Kofta balls in the curry and enjoy with hot rotis or rice.

Eggplant Extravaganza- continuation Week #47

Bhaingan Bhartha- A beautiful melange of roasted broiled eggplant with spices and vegetables is how I would describe this dish. I like all my dishes rustic and slightly crunchy with the veggies. In retaurants, they might sometimes compeltely mush up the veggies too, but I like to see the veggies that go into the dish.

The most important part in these dishes is the roasting and broiling the eggplants. Those who have gas can keep the gas on low to medium flame and roast their eggplants till the skin is scarred and its cooked through and through on the inside. This might take about 30=40 minutes and is fairly laborious as you have to keep an eye on it the whole time. Since I dont have a gas stove, I broil the eggplants in the oven for about 30 minutes, but I keep turning them every 7-8 minutes till they r slightly burnt on the outside. Then I cut the eggplants halfwise and bake them for about 1 hr in 400F oven. These times may vary depending ont he size of the egplants. In India, they tend to be smaller and cook faster. Here it US, they are fairly big, so it takes time. One thing abt eggplant is, they hae to be super well done. After they have cooled, scrape the flesh away from the skins and set aside

Ingredients :
Cooked eggplant pulp: 2 cups
Onions- 1 cup minced
Garlic, ginger- 1/4 cup each
green and red bell pepper- 1/2 cup
green peas-1/2 cup
tomatoes- 3/4 cup diced
garam masala powder and coriander powder- 1 tablespoon each
Green chillies- minced 1 tabelspoon
red chilli powder- 1 tablespoon
Dried fenugreek leaves- Optional (1 tablespoon)
Oil- 1/2 cup
Cilantro- 1/2 cup
lemon or lime juice- 1/4 cup
turmeric powder- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds- 1 tablespoon
salt- as needed

Method:
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a wok. add cumin seeds and let crackle. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add turmeric powder and the green/red pepper and peas and keep cooking in high heat for 2-3 more minutes. Now add tomatoes,green chillies, coriander powder, and garam masala and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the eggplant pulp and cook still on high heat for another 7-8 minutes. Add the remaining oil and thefenugreek leaves, cilantro and lime juice. Mix well and switch off the heat. Enjoy with hot rotis or naan!

Eggplant Extravaganza! Week #46

This week on Week #46 and next week's #47 I am combining 2 dishes with one main ingredient: Eggplant. The prepping for these dishes are almost the same, so it makes sense to make an appetizer and a main dish with Eggplant. I have to be honest, it isnt one of my favorite vegetables. Eggplant is one of those things, you either love it or hate it. But both these dishes have found a way into my kitchen and my palate.... so its that good :)
The process is slightly long, but well worth it.

The 2 dishes I am making are Baba Ganouj and Baingan Bharta. Baba Ganouj is a popular Middle Eastern dip that has some sesame paste called Tahini in it while the Bahrta is a sumptous and very earthy side dish from the North India. Baba Ganouj is something I just experimented and there are many many versions of this dish. The Bhartha recipe with follow this one!
Prepping :

The most important part in these dishes is the roasting and broiling the eggplants. Those who have gas can keep the gas on low to medium flame and roast their eggplants till the skin is scarred and its cooked through and through on the inside. This might take about 30=40 minutes and is fairly laborious as you have to keep an eye on it the whole time. Since I dont have a gas stove, I broil the eggplants in the oven for about 30 minutes, but I keep turning them every 7-8 minutes till they r slightly burnt on the outside. Then I cut the eggplants halfwise and bake them for about 1 hr in 400F oven. These times may vary depending ont he size of the egplants. In India, they tend to be smaller and cook faster. Here it US, they are fairly big, so it takes time. One thing abt eggplant is, they hae to be super well done. After they have cooled, scrape the flesh away from the skins and set aside.

Baba Ganouj :
Ingredients :
Lemon juice- 1/4 cup
salt and pepper to taste-
minced garlic- 1 teaspoon
tahini-1.5 teaspoons
parsley- minced 1 tablespoon
paprika and cumin powder- 1 teaspoon each
Extra Virgin Olive oil- 1/2 cup

Using a hand blender- mush up the eggplant pulp, add the rest fo the ingedients except the Olive oil and paprika. Keeping a fork in hand, add the Olive Oil and keep mixing. Top it with Paprika and enjoy with Pita bread or pita chips!

Week #45 Wild mushroom orzo pilaf

Orzo is actually a kind of pasta ,but when cooked, it resembles long grai rice. But the taste is surely more on the lines of pasta, so its an interesting ingredient to cook with. That alongwith the porcini, shitake and crimini mushrooms give this dish a unique and distinct flavor. I topped it off with some goat cheese crumbles that gives it a tart and creamy flavor...

Ingredients :
Orzo- 2 cups cooked as per package instructions
Crimini mushrooms- 1/2 cup sliced
dried porcini and shitake- washed and soaked in hot water for 30 min
garlic- 1 tablespoon minced
shallots- 3 tablespoons minced
parsley- 2 tablespoons minced
butter- 2 tablespooons
goat cheese crumbles-3 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil- 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper as needed

Method:
Melt the butter in a pan. Add garlic and the shallots and let it slightly brown. Then add crimini mushrooms, salt and let cook. Take the soaked porcini and shitakes. Dont throw away the soaking liquid-that has a lot of flavor.Cut the dried porcini and shitake into smaller bits and add to the pan and cook on high heat for abt 3-4 minutes. Add the soaked liquid a bit at a time until all the mushrooms are well cooked. Now add the orzo and mix well. Add more salt and pepper as needed. Finally add the parsley and goat cheese crumbles and mix well. Add olive oil to top off and enjoy!