Chicken Momos

The other day we had a sudden craving for Chinese food. So we decided to dine at a good Chinese restaurant. I was quite excited imagining the momos and promised myself that I would have them for sure. Unfortunately, the restaurant menu did not include the momos. So momos remained as an unsatisfied craving for me.

Obviously I am not the type who will hunt down for momos further. Yes, I hunted them on the web and made them at home myself. My impression about preparing momos was a toiling task. But I realized that I was wrong after I made it. Less than an hour for fresh, steamed and hot momos. Oh boy... they were wonderful!!!

Momos are steamed dumplings with a filling inside. Basically it is a Tibetian dish, but widely found in Chinese menus. Now they are popular all over the world. Momos can also be fried or pan-fried for a more snacky version.

I loved that this recipe uses cooked chicken with stir fried veggies– it saves so much preparation time!  Use chicken breasts from a left over dinner, or buy rotisserie cooked chicken from your local deli.

INGREDIENTS:

For the momos cover:

 

1 cup all purpose flour

½ tsp oil

¼ tsp salt or as required

2 to 3 tbsp water for kneading or as required

 

For the stuffing:

 

1/2 cup shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups finely chopped vegetables (½ cup chopped cabbage, ½ cup chopped carrots, ⅓ cup chopped french beans and ¼ cup chopped capsicum)

2 small sized spring onions, finely chopped - reserve the greens to be added later

3 to 4 small garlic finely chopped

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp black pepper or as required

1 tbsp oil

Salt as required

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

The outer cover of the momos:

 

1) Take the all purpose flour/maida, salt and oil in a bowl and mix it. Add water slowly and knead it to form a dough. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

 

The Stuffing:

 

1)  Heat oil. add garlic. saute for 2-3 seconds.Add onions and saute for 10-15 seconds. Add the chicken and all the finely chopped vegetables.

 

2) Stir fry the vegetables on high heat for a minute.Add soy sauce, salt and pepper.

 

3) Add 1 to 2 tbsp of the spring onions greens and stir fry for a minute. Remove and keep aside.

 

Shaping and steaming the momos :

 

1) Divide the dough into equal small sized balls.

 

2) Roll each dough ball into a thin circle of about 2-3 inch diameter. Try to get the edges to be thin and the center to be thick.

 

3) Place 1 or 2 tsp of the stuffing in the center.Lift one side of the edge and start pleating.

 

4) Start folding and forming the pleats one by one. towards the end, join the pleats in the center.

 

5) Prepare all momos this way and steam them in a steamer or Idli steamer or a rice cooker or in a pressure cooker. If you do not have these, you can also steam them in any vessel with water filled below and the momos placed in a smaller dish on top of the water. The bigger dish with the water needs to be covered for steaming process.

 

6) Steam momos for 5-6 minutes. Momos are done when they have a transparent look and the dough is not sticky. If you overdo the steaming, then the dough becomes dense and dry.

 

7) Garnish momos with spring onion greens and serve them hot with a spicy sauce like schezwan sauce or tomato-chili sauce or chili sauce.

 

8) You can also deep fry them if you do not like steaming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir fry beans

This is clearly the most easiest stir fry I have ever made. I made it for my simple Indian lunch in the weekend.  For this meal, I opted to create a salad kind of a bowl with and to sop up the flavours and mellow the vegetal cooked greens. But then I changed my mind and thought of these stir fried beans. They served as a quick side dish with steamed rice and some Punjabhi yogurt Kadai (recipe will be put up soon). Perfect for the stomach.

INGREDIENTS:

15-20 French Green Beans or String Beans (cut into half or leave them long)
 2-3 Garlic cloves sliced or finely chopped
1 tsp Chiili flakes (optional)
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the garlic until crisp and light brown.

2) Add the chilli flakes and salt and stir for a few seconds.

3)  Add the beans and stir to cover evenly with the oil.  Cover the skillet with a lid and leave to cook, stirring occasionally.

4) The beans should still have a bite to them but no longer taste raw.

5) Serve with rice or as a side dish.

 

Misal Pav (Street food)

Another  tried and tested recipe of the weekend. We had it for dinner with some cozy dinner rolls. It surely is a comfort food. Even though I am from India, I had never had it earlier nor heard of it. While reading an article recently, I happened to come across this and then after some research on it, I made it at home. It surely was a protein bombshell and I was pleased that my little one also loved it.

You might think this is just a street food dish, with a lot of noticeable protein source. Potatoes itself contain a reasonable amount of starch but the protein superstar here is the bean sprouts. Two handfuls of bean sprouts wilt down to maybe a cup or so after pressure cooking, but it packs a serious punch of protein along with an abundance of  vitamins and nutrients .All that in one serving!

The final Misal Pav

INGREDIENTS:

For the sprouts curry:

3 cups moth mean sprouts or bean sprouts or green gram sprouts 

2 small to medium potatoes, cubed

1 large or medium onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 green chilies, chopped

3 to 4 garlic/lahsun + 1 inch ginger/adrak - crushed in a mortar-pestle to a fine paste

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

10 to 12 curry leaves

1 to 1.5 tbsp goda masala

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1.5 tsp seedless tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water

¾ to 1 cup water or as required

3 tbsp oil

A pinch of black salt

Salt as required

 

Dried Moth bean

For Serving:

8 to 10 dinner rolls or bread buns or bread slices

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (optional)

1 cup thick snack mixture

1 lemon, quartered or diced

⅓ cup coriander leaves

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

For the Bean sprouts curry:

1) Pressure cook the sprouts, cubed potatoes, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt for 2 to 3 whistles only.


Moth Bean sprouts


2) Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Then add the chopped onions and the curry leaves and sauté till onion is translucent.

3) Add the ginger-garlic paste and the green chillies. Saute for a minute.

4) Add the remaining ¼ tsp turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and goda masala. If you do not have goda masala, you can replace it with garam masala.

5) Add the tamarind water and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

6) Add the sprouts and the potatoes, salt and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes . Garnish with coriander leaves.
 

Serving the Misal Pav:

1)  Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.

2) Take the steaming usal in 4 to 5 bowls and in each bowl of usal, first add the chopped onions and tomatoes. Then top usal with chopped coriander leaves. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. Then top it with the snack mixture.

3) Serve the misal bowl in a plate with pav buns and slices of lemon, chopped onion and mixture.

 

Yemeni chicken mandi rice

It is terrifying how time flies. I can hardly believe that its mid-April now. The most positive note is that the holy month of Ramadhan is nearing and there is a lot to do before that.

I am just back after an eventful weekend with the kitchen. In every meal I saw to it that I tried to make something new. Friday was pure Middle eastern food while Saturday saw a comfortable & simple Indian meal. And then there was also some baking done for easy healthy evening snacks. Keep checking out this space for these recipes.

Whenever we dine in Arabic restaurants, our usual choice is the popular Mandi Rice.  Do you know that Mandi is the National and traditional dish of Yemen?  It is widely eaten in all other Arab countries. When cooked in the traditional style, Mandi ingredients are usually gathered together and then placed in a hole underground which is designed like a tandoor (made of clay).  The rice and the meat get cooked on their own due to the underground heat and the flavours from the spices  get absorbed by them.  Quite Interesting.

But don’t worry. This is generally not possible for all of us with our style of Kitchens . Homemade Mandi is still possible with the recipe as below. I made it last Friday for our weekend lunch and it was scrumptious .  This is something that all meat lovers should try. The flavours you get are purely Arabic and you will love it with every bite. I promise !!!

The main ingredient among the spices is the Mandi spice mix. It is this powder that imparts that authentic mandi flavor to this dish.  I made it at home using the recipe as described below.

INGREDIENTS: 

 

Ingredients A –  Mandy Spice Mix
 

2 tablespoons cardamom pods
2 tablespoons cloves
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 whole nutmeg
1 tablespoon ginger
4 bay leaves
 

Ingredients B – For Chicken
 

1 chicken cut into 4  pieces
4 teaspoons Mandy spice mix
1 teaspoon salt – to taste
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon turmeric/saffron
2 cubes or 2 tablespoon chicken stock
 

Ingredients C – Rice
 

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon butter/margarine
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped and removes all the seed
4 whole cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
3 cups chicken stock (or just enough that about an inch is above the rice)


HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)      Finely blend all the ingredients under “ A “ - Mandi spice mix. Keep the blended powder aside.

2)      Now its time to marinate the chicken.  Rub all ingredients of  “B” onto the chicken (use only 4 tbsp  Mandi spice mix and the rest can be stored in a clean bottle for future use)

3)      Put this marinated chicken in a dish and cover it or in a zip lock bag and refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours.

4)      After marinating of the chicken is done, place the chicken in an open pan and cook it uncovered until it is soft and tender and browned evenly. No need to add any water or oil as the chicken will release it itself and cook in its own water. This way the flavors get blended  and the chicken is very tasty. This process takes almost 20-30 minutes. It is important that you cook the chicken on low heat for effective results.

5)      Alternatively, you can transfer the chicken after this step in a preheated oven and bake it for 20-30 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.

6)      The stock drips from the chicken need to be collected as they will be used while making the rice. These drips should be collected even if you are cooking the chicken only on the pan and not using the electric oven. Cook until the chicken is tender. It should not break.

7)      Now let us make the rice: Heat oil/butter in a cooking dish and add the onions and sauté until lightly browned. Then add all the crushed whole spices. 

8)      Then add the chicken stock, the stock drips from the chicken, tomatoes, salt and the rice. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes. Do not break the rice. Add enough water and bring it to boil.

9)      Cover and cook on low flame until the rice is long and cooked (but not overcooked).

10)   Transfer the chicken pieces on top of the cooked rice and keep it closed to keep the aromas intact.

11)   Serve hot with Salsa and a cucumber salad.

Note:

a)      You can also make this in an oven. After pan frying the chicken, keep it aside. Then make the rice until step 8. And after bringing it to boil on the stove, place this cooking dish in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Place a grill rack on top of the rice dish and place the pan fried chicken on the grill rack in such a way that the chicken drips fall into the rice pot during baking. This baking process takes 45 minutes to one hour also.

 

 

b)      Mandi rice flavor comes from the chicken stock collected from the chicken drips during baking or pan frying. So make sure you use it.

c)       You can also make Mandi with Muttom (Lamb). During marination, just add 2 tbsp of raw papaya paste. This will tenderize the mutton and the mutton doesn’t need to be pressure cooked. The rest of the procedure is the same.

d)      Chicken or Mutton pieces should be cut big. I bought a small chicken cut only in 4 pieces. This way I got chunky pieces. That’s the actual way the Arabs eat. And it is so tasty.

e)      Some people make it with a whole chicken cleaned inside and not cut. Even this taste awesome. Just that you should watch it while cooking. It has to brown evenly.

f)       Smoky flavor is important for an authentic mandi. I have not mentioned in the recipe. But you can easily get it by placing a small bowl of 1 tbsp butter and  a burning charcoal in it. Just place that bowl in the cooking dish after baking is done (remove from the oven ) . Then keep the dish closed for ten minutes before serving and then this flavor is imparted in the dish slowly.

g)      You can add some turmeric or food color for a yellowish tinge in the rice. It looks  more appetizing.  

 

Mini Greek Pizza Muffins

The heart of Greek cooking comes from Kalamata Olives, its spicy blend of herbs and chiles, as well as the feta cheese and their use of olive oil. Once you have those ingredients, you are off to the races for quick, tasty Greek food.

But when I mix them with eggs and milk, then I’ve hit my mojo. And these mini muffins are perfect for a big time healthy breakfast. A bird's eye-view of the ingredients will surely shout that it is a thoroughly balanced meal. These muffins are extremely easy to whip up for a quick and healthy breakfast.

And there is more to it. You can also be bold and add more ingredients like sausage and pepperoni to the egg mixture. Vegetarians can add more colorful vegetables to this and enjoy these savories .

 
Makes 2 dozen mini muffins
 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives


HOW TO MAKE:

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

3) Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, oregano, sugar, garlic powder and salt in a medium bowl.

4) Stir milk, feta, egg, tomato paste and olives into the onion mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups two-thirds full.

5) Bake the muffins until lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Curried Chickpeas

Here’s to more Chickpeas.

How can we say no to a spicy chickpea recipe with potatoes and crushed spices on the ingredient list? Plus it takes a mere 10 minutes to prepare – perfect for a quick snack or an easy weekend picnic dish after a day of spring fun!

INGREDIENTS:
 
250 gm chickpeas washed and soaked overnight.
3 medium sized boiled potatoes
3 tbsp oil.
Pinch of mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp of roasted and crushed spices (whole red chili, cumin seeds and coriander seeds)
Juice of one and half lime
1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint leaves
2 – 3 green chilies chopped
Pinch of garam masala powder
Tomatoes, Onions and raw mangoes finely chopped (optional)
 
HOW TO MAKE:
 
1) After soaking the chickpeas overnight, boil them till tender in a pressure cooker for about half an hour. Drain and keep aside.
 
2) Boil the potatoes, peel and chop them in small pieces, keep aside.
 
3) Heat oil in a vessel, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and the crushed spice mix.
 
4) Stir fry the masala for a minute or two. Add in the chickpeas, potatoes, chopped coriander and mint leaves, lime juice, garam masala and mix well.
 
5) Stir for a minute or two. Remove from heat and add in the chopped tomatoes, onions, along with raw mangoes.

 

Bhopali Ghost korma

I've got a lovely week ahead, with a trip to the exhibitions and the beachside in the weekend. And then catching up with old friends on one of the weekdays for a quick lunch, and calling a friend home for a demo of her culinary skills while I sit and watch , learn and we cook together. Expect to see lots of food photos, for a change. Any free time this week will be spent frantically catching up on food reviews and getting them scheduled in before the influx of next posts that will need to be written.

Another luscious meat gravy is presented here with a solid combination of spices. It is paired with wilted sweet spinach, tender crisp red pepper along with some toasted almonds all combined together for a salad side dish.  While I adore leafy greens, I also love them to be a regular part of our dinners besides these rich gravies paired with breads or parathas.

Now off to the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

For masala paste:

2 onions - chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mace (javitri)
4-5 cloves
1/2 inch of cinnamon
4 green cardamoms
2 brown cardamoms
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups of curd
A pinch of nutmeg - grated

For the gravy: 

1/2 kg mutton
3 Tbsp oil
2-3 cups of water
2 tsp chilli powder
2 1/2 tsp ginger - chopped
1 tsp garlic - chopped
2 tsp screw pine (kewra) water
1-2 jalapenos chopped
Salt to taste

For the garnish:

Ginger juliennes - for garnishing

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Boil the mutton in water and salt till almost cooked. Reserve the water to use as stock.

2)  Grind all the ingredients for masala paste together. To this paste add red chilli powder. Mix well.

3)  Heat the oil and lightly brown the ginger. Add the boiled mutton and cook till it turns golden brown.

4) Add the masala paste and the stock coating the meat well to form a thick gravy.

5) Sprinkle the salt, garlic and the kewra water. Add the chopped Jalapenos. 

6)  Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with ginger juliennes and serve.

 

Chickpea soup with herbs

Middle east has been regularly plagued with dust storms recently. Even though it has not been very severe in Oman, its been very dusty here and the weather is gloomy since a week. There has also been a direct impact on our health and most of us are suffering from allergies and flus.

So in the last weekend, I decided to try out a healthy soup which would soothe our throats and also provide us with strong protein reserves. Chickpea soup was my choice. Something that would help our health in a million ways.

One of the best things about soups is the multitude of toppings you can choose from: cheese, more cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, roasted  garlic bread and herbs.  The danger is that piling on all those toppings can turn that healthy soup into a vehicle for less-healthy add-ons.  Here is a recipe for soup that is super healthy and light and will keep you on track.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves finely chopped
Fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ kg pre-cooked chickpeas
4 cups chicken or veg broth
Salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
 

HOW TO MAKE: 

1)  Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic, chilli flakes and rosemary in it.

2) Cook chickpeas in it for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3) Cool it and puree it in a blender.

4) Return it to the saucepan and stir in the lemon juice and salt to taste.

5) Garnish with fresh rosemary sprig or some olive oil.

 

Easy Beef Chilli

How can we say no to a chili recipe with beef on the ingredient list?  Plus it takes a mere 25 minutes to prepare – perfect for a quick weekday dinner or an easy weekend supper after a day of weekend fun!

Chili is a popular Mexican spicy stew also called as Chili Con Carne. Its main ingredients are the chili peppers , the meat and the kidney beans. They taste great in hot dogs, as a dip with tortilla chips, on Mexican rice, as a topping with breads etc.

 I have a balanced chili recipe here which packs a punch, finding heat with chili powder.  That spice is balanced out with a touch of garlic powder that adds a complex, smoky sharpness to the beef chili.  More interest is added with Mexican Oregano, cumin, and just a touch of cinnamon and cloves.  The result is a chili that warms you from the inside out and satisfies every taste bud!

Also beef can be replaced with chicken or mutton. Vegetarians can also make this dish with potatoes or kidney beans for a vegetarian version.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion chopped
½ kg stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
½ kg pre-cooked kidney beans
1 ½ cups water
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Seasoning (little oregano, 1 tsp cumin powder)
 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Sauté beef and onion until browned in a large saucepan.

2) Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and water.

3) Season with a pinch of salt, garlic powder, chilli powder and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

4) Add the seasoning and cook for another ten minutes.

5) Serve hot.

 

Warm Chocolate pudding

The crackly top. The steaming center. Melty chocolate inside. And the crumbly texture. You know you need a brownie or a cake. But not necessary. Because, here I have a gorgeous pudding with these features.

Warm Chocolate pudding recipe lives up to its name and can be made in a jiff. Definitely a keeper. It looks cuter than a cupcake and easier than pie and is nothing but a few bites of pure delight when it is set. You can mix and match chocolate flavors and decorations for a masterpiece that's truly your own!

So get set this weekend for a warm chocolate pudding as you watch the vibrant spring garden blooms.


INGREDIENTS:

1 egg

2 ¼ cups low fat milk

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla extract
 

 HOW TO MAKE:

1) Beat the egg lightly with a fork.

2) Combine 1 ½ cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat stirring occasionally.

3) Whisk remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the remaining ¾ cup milk until well blended. Add the simmering milk mixture unti into the cocoa mix.

4) Pour whole mixture back into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

5) Whisk a cup of the hot cocoa mixture into the beaten egg.

6) Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook over medium low heat without boiling. Whisk constantly until thickened for about 2 minutes. Whisk in vanilla.

7) Serve warm.