Schezwan Fish

We love Chinese cuisine. Everyone in my family does. Hubby, who wasn't a fan of Chinese dishes earlier now adores them. Eating nutrient rich food does not mean sacrificing on taste. We are all looking on new ideas to eating healthy, home cooked meals, without going on a diet .Sea food has amazing nutritional value that can significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. It is protein rich, gives us strength and energy and has a good satiety factor. Off late, it has become our first choice for a value based meal. So, don’t hesitate to treat your family to the myriad sea food available and eat your way to longevity!

Boneless fish or fish fillets are so easily available in the market now without hefty price tags. They have replaced the usual fish fries that we would serve in parties as they are not as cumbersome as whole fish to eat. Besides this quality, they are soft and spongy thus making it an amazing starter for a party meal.

This Chinese type Schezwan fish is mildly flavored with a dipping sauce made at home. It is easy to prepare and can be called a meal in itself. Scrumptious and finger-licking is what I would call it.

INGREDIENTS:

200 gms boneless fish cut into finger shapes or strips or squares
1/4 cup All purpose flour
1/4 cup corn flour
2 green chillis
1 tsp coriander leaves
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ajinamotto
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste


For sauce:

1 tsp ginger chopped or powdered
1 p ginger chopped or powdered
1 tsp green chilli chopped
1 tsp coriander leaves
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp tomato sauce
2 tsp soya sauce (optional)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Marinate fish fillets in salt for 10-15 minutes.


2) Mix all the sauce ingredients together well and keep aside.


3) Prepare a batter out of batter ingredients. Use enough water if needed. The consistency of the batter should be of dipping consistency.. not too thick and nor too thin.


4)  Heat oil in a wok . Dip these fillets in the batter and deep fry them till golden brown.

5) Serve deep fried fish along with the sauce separately in a bowl.

Spicy fish curry

I am generally not someone who opts for spicy food. But sometimes I really do not mind it if it is a dish which my senses can tolerate. And then it's also getting cold here ... huh. At least now my complaints on the heat will rest for a while. The nights are pleasant and outdoors are so much fun.

To help warm up in this weather and keep things interesting, I’m looking for perfect recipes that suit the cold days, beat the winter blues and that which tickle your senses. This time of the year is perfect to nibble on hot, spicy fritters and fast foods with a perfect cup of warm tea to go with it. Don’t you agree?

This is another no fuss recipe. Your family will enjoy the balance of flavors and textures offered by this delicious, warm fish curry. Oh, and it's healthy too—total guilt free indulgence! I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did.
I used Kingfish as it is very popular here. But you can feel free to try this out with any fish of your choice.

INGREDIENTS:

400 gms Kingfish
2 tsp Chilli powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
5 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Coconut Oil (optional but it contributes heavily for that authentic flavor)
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp each Ginger and Garlic paste
12 Shallots finely chopped
1 cup thick coconut milk
10 curry leaves

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Mix chillli, coriander and turmeric powders with the coconut oil to make a paste.

2) Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pan. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

3) Add the prepared spice paste, season with salt and saute until oil begins to appear on the surface and the sides of the pan.

4) Add a little water to dilute the sauce slightly then add the fish. Sir gently to ensure that the fish is well coated.

5) Cover and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes or until the fish is cooked thorough and the sauce thickens. 

6) Serve with rice, breads etc.

 

Hassleback Garlic Cheesy Bread

Once the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to fall, most people gravitate towards soups and stews for cozying up and I am no different.  We’ve already had made soups an integral part of our menus now and the pleasant days ahead do demand more comfort foods.  Sometimes however, when afternoons turn warm and those vibrant fall leaves glisten in the sunlight, I crave a crisp autumn salad with some cheesy bread.

Sometime last year during blog-hopping, I came across these hassle back breads that I could not resist to try them out. The garlic flavor is so wonderful and I especially love the combination of it with butter and cheese.  I’ve been eating them after sprinkling them with some oregano for a more Italian flavor.  This version has become my favorite. You can toss up a quick green salad as a side and enjoy these breads. Sometimes I convert a readymade bread or baguette also into a hassle back cheesy version only to enjoy the flavors.

I was tempted to bake last weekend but I must admit that I still have not piled my refrigerator with the basic baking ingredients after my recent Haj trip only because I thought of saving this month's comfort food budget and living economically . But this is only for a while. When the new month knocks at us, I will be my usual self and will get back to my cooking habit. But then this recipe that I am posting today is from my drafts. Because I had made it at least twice before I left for my Haj break.

So its cheese and garlic again. Perfect for the autumn days and the aroma that it creates is divine. I keep wondering why people crib over cheese and call it rich in fat. Low fat cheese is widely available in most supermarkets and is a great substitute for the recipes that call for a wide varieties of cheese in them. And Garlic is a popular flavor now loved by everyone which produces a gourmet taste when combined with butter or Cheese. Most recipes these days call for garlic in them whether they are breads or pizzas or pasta or curries.

The recipe for Hassleback Garlic Cheesy Rolls is as below:


INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp Instant yeast 

1 tsp honey

1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Olive Oil, for Greasing Surfaces
1 cup White Cheddar, Or Any Other Cheese You Prefer
½ cups Garlic Butter
 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) In a large bowl, stir yeast, honey salt and the flour. Add warm water and mix it to form the dough. Knead well till soft but not sticky. Keep aside for the dough to rise - around 1 hour or so until doubled in size.

2) Punch down dough and knead with some more oil and then cut into two equal portions.

3) Form into two long baguettes the length of the cookie sheet. Give it some twists so that it keeps its length and doesn’t shrink. Cover with plastic wrap and rise 30 minutes.

4) Start to preheat oven to 400 degrees F and  put the bread into the oven and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

5) In the meantime, slice the cheese into thin slices and melt the butter.

6) Pull loaves of bread out of the oven after 20 minutes and brush with the melted garlic butter. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until bread begins to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.

7) Cut 1-inch slices 3/4′s of the way through the loaves. Brush garlic butter in between each slice and fill with a slice of cheese.

8) Bake another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Serve HOT after sprinkling some herbs on the tops.

 

Meat Lasagne

Hajj is one of Islam's five pillar's of faith and every Muslim who can afford it has been asked to visit the holy city of Mecca to perform this pilgrimage. After spending 20 days in devotion and reflection during our Haj pilgrimage, it feels wonderful to be back. 

For those of you who are curious about the happenings of the event, I could say that it was the most excellent form of worship that one could offer which has created a sense of renewal within oneself as it helps to provide diverse spiritual needs to us. In other words, it was a totally different world for us and an experience worth keeping.

The last 20 days have been no-cooking days for me. We were served ready food during our tour and also ate out occasionally. Sometimes I would remember and miss cooking. And sometimes I would feel that its great resting from cooking. Either way, we missed pastas, pizzas and so much because we never found their outlets around our vicinity. The most common things we ate were French fries and Shawarmas. We longed to eat our favorites somewhere, but finally got a chance to make and enjoy our homemade food after we returned. Pasta topped my "longing- to- eat" list. Lasagna was what I kept craving for and it was a pleasure digging in it.

If you have ever dreamed of settling in Italy, then lasagna is something that you should look forward to. It seems to be the most standardized form of pasta and when combined with all the meaty flavors decked with shredded cheese, it  produces a rich and wholesome dish which can be the most perfect example for a balanced meal.

It did not take me long to make this dish. I only had to spend time arranging the sheets and the meat in my baking dish. The rest was wonderfully carried out by my electric oven. The recipe is surely a keeper. The dish is a party classic and I promise that your guests will relish it.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meat sauce:

1/2 Kg minced beef or mutton
2 onions finely chopped
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning or Oregano                                                                                              
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Rosemary
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Béchamel Sauce:

1 tbsp. chopped butter
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp All-Purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp  each Oregano, basil and thyme
A generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or any cheese you have

For the Lasagne:

10 Lasagne sheets
2 cups shredded Mozarella Cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Parsley flakes or freshly chopped Parsley 

                                                                                                                                              

HOW TO MAKE:
 
The meat sauce:
 
1) Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till soft. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté.
 
2) Add the minced meat and fry it until the water in it evaporates.
 
3) Then add the tomatoes and the remaining spices and cook till it is thick. You can also add water and cook. The consistency should be a thick meaty sauce in the end.

Meat Sauce

 
The Béchamel Sauce:
 
1) Heat butter in a pan, add the all-purpose flour and sauté till light golden.
 
2)  Add milk and mix well so that no lumps are formed.
 
3) Add salt and the spices and mix well. Tip in the grated cheese.
 
4) The consistency should be thick and flowy. If not you can add more milk to maintain it that way.

 
The Lasagna:
 
1) Heat 4-5 cups water in a deep dish and bring it to boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook them as per the package instructions.
 
2) Drain out excess water and wash them under cold water so that they do not stick to each other. Keep them aside.
 
Assembly :
 
1) In a rectangle or square oven proof dish, pour some meat sauce as a thin layer. Then place 2-3 lasagna sheets on it .
 
2) On top of the lasagna sheets, pour some béchamel sauce and again some meat sauce. Sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese on this. This way one layer is completed.
 
3) Repeat these steps for up to 3 to 4 layers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top layer and cover with foil..

4) Bake this in a pre-heated oven (190 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes or until the cheese has got a slight golden color on top. Serve hot. 

 

 

Pineapple cake

I’ve been on a pound cake kick lately. Last weekend I made one with vanilla. One plain and another with tooti-fruities. They both turned out really yummy.


Then, this weekend I wanted to try my hand at a pineapple cake. You know … adorable, tiny layered cakes filled with fruit or frosting and covered in whipped cream icing.

Looking back, I decided that I should be posting this soon. Because vanilla is too simple and dropping in the fruits doesn't make them outstanding. But pineapple is something that we would love always. I should have just sliced 1-inch thick pieces from the pound cake loaf and then then cut out tiny cakes with a cutter. But no … that would be too easy. So I cubed them and decorated a few pieces with some whipped cream and cherries. Some with flaked almonds and some I left them plain after just slicing them. Hubby likes them that way.

On to the recipe now:

INGREDIENTS:

190g unsalted butter, plus a tablespoon extra for greasing the pan

190g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

3/4th cup pineapple pieces (chopped into small pieces) 

190g  sugar

3 large eggs

60g ground almonds or almond powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp plain yoghurt

1 full tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp pineapple essence

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Preheat the electric /convection oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

2) Butter a loaf pan and keep it ready.

3) Cream together the butter, sugar until soft and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat well until creamy. Use an electric whisk preferably for this process.

4)  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

5) Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Just fold them in. No need to beat them. Fold them until well mixed.

6) Add the yogurt, pineapple pieces, pineapple essence  and the vanilla essence and mix well.

7) Pour the batter in the buttered loaf pan.

8)  Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the sponge is firm on top and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

9) You can top it with some whipped cream and cherries if you like while you serve. Or else you can just cut it into slices n eat.

 

Cheesy Pull Apart Breads

Sometimes I wonder what it is to go and start living in countries like Iceland, the Scandinavian countries or Alaska. The sceneries are amazing and everything about them looks so peaceful and serene. How I wish that I was born and brought up in those lovely countries. I Google about them and just sit and watch the pictures as if I am in love with those places.  My heart longs to somehow migrate to those places and live there. The only problem I could face is home sickness for sure.

Snapping out of these dreams, lets talk about the present now. The weather is getting better with each passing day. And I am glad. But back to June. June was gross. Not as gross as July, but I still can’t  talk about the apocalyptic July we had, so let’s talk about August. The weather gods came out from behind the bushes, blew their giant weather-trumpets and apparently fanned our country. The heat started to ease down. And even the humidity. It was glorious, hot, sticky, like as if we are plopped right down inside a broiler for a few weeks. The lines grew longer at the Ice-cream Parlors and the Juice centers. And then came the surprise weekend shower. Now I feel human. At least I don't need to wipe the sweat out of my brow every 5 minutes. Its warm even now, but for this year the worst is over for sure.

 

The outdoors have started beckoning us. Evening walks are a pleasant affair now, the parks are filling back with life, the trees look greener and the birds are adding to the joy. Once October arrives, the next six months offer the best weather. And gradually the energy to cook scrumptious meals will stock up. But before all that, I have a recipe to share for hot and cheesy pull apart breads. No we are not making breads here, but we are transforming a bread into a more interesting and a sinfully delicious concept that your guests will love it like hell. Surely a keeper and I would recommend it for a party also.

 

Here I have 2 types of Pull apart breads. One with Onions and the other with Mushrooms.

When these are combined with Cheese, they form such interesting pairs and  make these pull apart breads so delicious you won't be able to stop picking at it!

Cheesy Mushroom Pull Apart Bread

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the Mushrooms

1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme/rosemary

For the Bread

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread (You can use a French Boule)
2 cups cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (I used a full pack of readymade cheese slices available in the market)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds/sesame seeds

HOW TO MAKE:
 

For the Mushrooms

 

1) Heat butter in a pan. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes until they start to sweat.

2) Add the thyme and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes. Set mushrooms aside and allow to cool.

For the Bread

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust.

2) Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Pour the mushrooms between the cuts. Use your fingers to push the mushrooms down into the loaf.

3) Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread.

4) Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Cheese and Onion pull apart bread

1 loaf Sourdough bread (I used a French Boule)

2 cups cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (I used a full pack of readymade cheese slices available in the market)

1/2 cup Butter (You can also a mix of garlic butter and salted butter)

1/4 cup Green/ spring onions roughly chopped

2 tsp Poppy seeds/sesame seeds

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust.

2) Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts.

3) Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread.

4) Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

5) Serve hot.
 

 

Mac & Cheese

Its a beautiful and a fresh summer morning with golden streaks of sunlight streaming through my window. Summer has a few more days left in it and the thermostat numbers are still tilting towards the higher side. The flip flops, the sunglasses, the beach pools ,the grill kits and the picnic baskets are helping us enjoy the summer in a zillion ways.

Last weekend was an overwhelming one. Post our Friday lunch,we noticed that the sky darkened swiftly and a storm stared hard at us. And when it started to pour, it was like a dream come true as we had just started to experience a heavy downpour after several months. This happens very rarely in Muscat. Most of the time our clouds disperse into the interiors of the country and we never get to see rainfall.

So we had enjoyed watching the rain and thank God it was the weekend. The weather called for a good hot meal after which our body could go into hibernation. The heat had disappeared and the weather was heavenly. The evening was tailor-made for a peaceful outing. An ideal weekend deserved an ideal meal. I chose the easiest and I call it Mac & Cheese.

The recipe for it is worth noting down.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/4-1/2 cup  milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp Oregano and Rosemary each


HOW TO MAKE:
 

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2) Stir alfredo sauce into the cooked pasta with the three cheeses and enough milk.  This is so your mac and cheese doesn't dry out while it's staying cool.

3) Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the Oregano & Rosemary if you have.

3) Pour this into a baking dish  and top with some butter.

4) Preheat an electric Oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake it till golden brown. for 20 minutes.

Note:  Homemade Alfredo sauce can be made with 2 tbsp butter, 1 cup whipping cream, 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Just mix the butter and the whipping cream together and bring it to boil, stirring well until thick for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from  heat and continue stirring adding the grated Parmesan cheese and the salt cum pepper. Mix well and use it for your Pasta.

 

Four Cheese Pepperoni Pizza Knots

 

So another month of dreadful heat to face and then we are well on the way to welcome autumn . I’m sitting here trying to think of good things about winter and the only thing I can come up with is food. Pleasant windy days? I guess so. Cold nights? Yup !!!

 

But then you still need to go out to enjoy the winter walks? Yeah, no. A winter walk in the evenings and on the beach side during the weekends. The most amazing way to break-free from the ho-hum days with great vigor. Splendid imagination... but its still a long way from now and instead of all this dreaming around, I think its time I come to today's recipe.

 

Something interesting here and again we are knocking at the gates of Italy. A twisty tale of the Pizzas. A rich combination of cheese and pepperoni. A luscious meal for the most elite guests. It is decadent, it is awesome, it is rich and sinfully scrumptious in every bite. With the cheese oozing out as you dig in and the pepperoni imparting its abundant flavors, enjoying these yummy pizza knots is as good as being transported to the seventh heaven. They are a joy to look out and evermore so delicious to eat.  

 

Now onto the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

 2 balls pizza dough (see for the recipe here)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (see for the recipe here)
2 cups grated Italian four cheese blend ( I combined grated mozzarella, grated cheddar and grated parmesan only)
1/4 cup pepperoni slices
Italian seasoning or oregano
 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat and set aside.
 
2) Roll pizza dough out into large rectangle, about 16x20 {but doesn't have to be perfect}.
 
3) Spread pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni onto half of the pizza dough, leaving a small edge border untouched. Fold the other half of dough overtop of the pepperoni and cheese and press around edges to seal.

4) Cut into 8 even strips. Twist each strip, then tie into a knot. Top with any grated cheese that fell out while tying and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
 
5) Bake 8-10 minutes or until browned and cheese is oozing. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
 
 

 

Murgh Kali Mirch

There are so many festivities this time of the year, I realize I haven’t posted anything simple, or laid-back, for a while now.

High on my list of comfort food would be something pretty traditional from our home country - India . And Chicken is our first choice for a decent meal on a weekend or a party or a get together. It makes me smile in reminiscence of my childhood days when we would gather around for a traditional family meal with our grandparents and feast on the simple dishes that were prepared and chatter around through the meal. It is a different scenario these days when a table is laid and we are silently rushing in with the food because there is a lot to catch upon everyday and mealtimes are restricted to short spans. Life has changed so much over the last decade and the simplicity has been fading away at a fast pace.

 

This chicken curry is a classic dish. Yes,I call it Gourmet standard. Something that you can find in the 5-star menus. This earthy, soup-like rich curry is robustly flavored with creamy buttermilk, and basted with tomatoes. Aromatics like fresh black peppercorns, chili, turmeric, ginger, garlic and curry leaves are the base of the gravy cooked in a traditional earthern pot made from red clay. The key ingredients that impart a unique flavor are the crushed peppercorns and the curry leaves. All these ingredients when cooked together create a highly satisfying result, and the cooking vessel—clay pot—uplifts the flavors.

 

But I did not make it in a clay-pot. I cooked it in a normal vessel. Outcome? Something rich, pungent and totally delicious.. mmm.

 
 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 Kg Chicken cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk

 2/3 cup Oil
1 tbs whole black peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 cardamoms cracked
1 tsp asafetida
5 chopped onions
18 fresh curry leaves
1 tbs crushed black peppercorns

 2½ tbs fresh ginger, crushed
2½ tbs garlic, crushed
3–4 tsp chilli powder2½ tbs coriander seeds, ground
4 tsp ground turmeric

Salt to taste

8 tomatoes, chopped

1 tbs Oil

1 tbs black peppercorns, ground, extra

1 tbs garlic flakes or 2 garlic cloves,crushed, extra

1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

HOW TO MAKE:

1) In a bowl, combine the chicken and buttermilk and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to marinate.

2)  In a large saucepan, heat oil and add whole peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, and cook until fragrant.

3) Then immediately stir in asafoetida, add onions and 8 of the curry leaves  and the crushed pepper. Cook onions until dark golden-brown.

4) Stir in ginger and garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add chili, coriander, turmeric, and salt, and stir for 1 minute.

5)  Add tomatoes and cook, until they soften. Stir in chicken mixture and cook, until chicken is cooked through.

6) Mix oil with pepper, garlic and remaining curry leaves. Keep aside.

7) Just before serving, add pepper mixture and coriander and mix well. Serve immediately with rice.