Baked Tandoori Fish

About

This is one of the most appetizing dishes that I have ever had. I was introduced to fish and seafood right from my early years. Luckily, I found a husband who is equally fond of seafood just as I am. This is my version of the baked pomfret just for my husband. The most suitable fish for this recipe is white or silver pomfret. It comes frozen and is available at Asian supermarkets weighed about 3/4 of a pound on an average. But you can use any other filet of fish if you prefer it without bones. In that case, filet of cod and swordfish are some of the other options. Of course if you are in India, you have the luxury of getting the fish cleaned by someone else. As for the fish, it be grilled directly on charcoal (insert skewers and grill for not more than 4-5 minutes each side or until browned), or baked in a Tandoor. I have baked the fish at 375 F in a conventional oven. This dish is delicious, but be careful of the tiny bones in the pomfret that could be hazardous and you could choke over the carcasses.

Ingredients

Whole Silver Pomfret- 2  

Lime juice of one lemon-2 tablespoons

Slices of lemon-2

Salt, to season

Mayonnaise- 2 tablespoons

Garlic paste- 1 teaspoon

Vinegar- ½ teaspoon

Whole Garlic, coarsely crushed- 4

Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon

Green Chilies paste- 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon

Tomato Ketchup- 1 teaspoon

Red Chili Powder- ½ teaspoon

Cumin powder- ½ teaspoon

Tandoori spice Mix- 1 teaspoon (I used MDH Tandoori Chicken Mix)

Egg- 1

Olive Oil or Butter- 1 tablespoon

Bell Peppers, cut in 1 inch squares-½ cup

Onions, cut in 1 inch squares-½ cup

Mint Leaves- ½ cup

Sliced Onions- ½ cup

Chat Masala- 1 teaspoon

Carom (Ajwain) seeds- ½ teaspoon 

Method

Cleaning the fish

Clean the fish by placing it in cold running water and scrubbing and scaling it with a knife. Cut off the fins. Make an incision vertically near the eyes. Wear surgical gloves (available in supermarkets) if you will, as this is fish has a very strong smell. Dig through the incision and clean the gills and try to clean all the viscous stuff inside the fish. Run through fresh cold water. Make sure not to cut the head completely to retain character for presentation. If the head bothers you, get rid of it and just bake the lower part. Wash with salt and turmeric. Make 3 slits vertically on each side of the fish with a sharp knife making sure not to cut through completely and retaining the tail and side fins. The idea is to maintain the fish as a whole.

Marinade

Prepare the marinade by mixing salt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chilies paste, coriander powder, vinegar, tomato ketchup, red chili powder, cumin power and tandoori spice mix. Beat one egg and add to this mix. This will allow to the fish to look glossy after it bakes. Rub the marinade over the fish and make sure it is stuffed inside the slits. Stuff the crushed garlic in the incisions made on the fish. Let it sit in the refrigerator for about 4 hours (if you have no time to marinate, you can bake it directly. But I recommend letting it sit for at least 30 to 45 minutes in the refrigerator).

Bake

Prepare a baking dish (I prefer using disposable baking dish because I don’t fancy cleaning the mess later :) ) and brush the bottom of the dish with a little oil. Carefully place the fish in the center of the dish. Drizzle with olive oil or butter. Now, at this stage, you can also skewer the fish through its mouth to its tail. But the choice is yours. You can place the fish directly on the rack of your oven. Be sure to place aluminum foil on the bottom to retain the juices oozing out of the fish. (I used the baking dish to bake the fish and later directly placed it on the rack). Pour any remaining marinade into the dish along with bell peppers and onions cut in squares. Garnish the fish with mint leaves and slices of lemon. Pre-heat the oven at 375 F and bake the fish for 20 minutes. Turn the setting to broiler and broil the fish directly on the rack for 2 minutes each side to darken the skin. Keep a watch on the fish because this may burn the fish very quickly. Carefully take the fish out of the oven, add lemon juice of half a lemon and garnish with mint, lemon and coriander leaves, sliced raw onions and chat masala. Serve over rice pilaf or with tandoori roti.

Chef’s Tip

Prepare the marinade in a zip lock bag as this allows all the flavors to mix in well and marinade the fish evenly without becoming messy. You can directly place the zip lock in the refrigerator without worrying about washing after. 

Happy Cooking!!

Chicken Biryani

                                  

About

Biryani is a rice based dish made with spices and herbs.  It was believed to have been invented in the kitchen of Mughal Emperors. It is very popular in the Indian subcontinent and is a key element of the South Asian cuisine.Hyderabad, Malabar, Delhi/Agra, Kashmir, Kolkata, Lucknow and Lahore, are the main centres of biryani cuisine. To find more about this delicious dish, you can go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biryani. This is a version of the Hyderabad Dum Biryani. It was baked in the oven to add the "dum" factor. Dum means to ‘breathe in’ and pukht to 'cook' which is basically ‘roasting’ and ‘maturing’ of a prepared dish. One of the many variations of Biryani is Chicken Biryani. In this recipe, Chicken and rice were cooked separately and then layered in a Dutch oven, sealed and baked to perfection in a preheated oven. The difference that you will notice in this version is that mint and cilantro are generously used to flavor the chicken.  You can use boneless skinless chicken breast or whole chicken cut into medium cubes with the bones. This dish brings back old memories as a child. My mum is a master of Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. This is my tribute to my mum. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as I do. 

Ingredients

Chicken: 

Skinless boneless chicken 1 to 1½" pieces- 1 pound

Yogurt- 1 cup

Garlic paste- 1 teaspoon

Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon

Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon

Chili powder: 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon

Biryani Masala- 1 tablespoon (I used Shan Chicken Biryani Mix)

Serrano Chilies, halfed lengthwise and remove seeds and white membrane- 1 (Add more if you would like to increase the heat)

Salt: ¼ teaspoon

EVOO: 2 tablespoon

Onions, thinly sliced- 2 cups

Cinnamon sticks, 3" x¼" broken in half- 1

Black peppercorn- 5-6

Cloves- 5

Mint leaves- 1 bunch

Cilantro leaves- 1 bunch

Water- 1 Cup

Saffron Mint Rice:

Basmati Rice- 1 cup (I used Kohinoor platinum aged rice)

Saffron- ¼ teaspoon (Any good quality saffron)

Salt- ¼ teaspoon

Cinnamon sticks-1

EVOO- ½ Tablespoon

Mint leaves- ½ cup

Water- 3 cups

Juice of half a lemon

Other Ingredients: 

EVOO- 1 Tablespoon

Boiled eggs, cut in half-3

Bay leaf- 6-7

Onions thinly sliced vertically and fried: ½ Cup

Almonds skinned and sliced-2 Tablespoons

Cashews halves: 2 Tablespoons

Milk- ½ Cup

Cardamom powder- ½ teaspoon

Saffron strands, crushed- 6

Rose essence- ¼ teaspoon

Sliced Lemon- ½

Lemon Juice- of ½ lemon

Method

Chicken:

Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Stir in chicken. Make sure chicken pieces are full coated. Let it rest 4 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. Heat EVOO in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add cinnamon sticks and black cardamom. Fry for a minute. Add onions, sauté till onions are ready to turn brown about 6 minutes. Add cloves and black peppercorn. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the marinated chicken. Cook on low to medium heat and fry until the chicken starts to turn brown on all sides and the marinade releases oil. Blend mint leaves and cilantro in a blender with ½ tablespoon water. Add this to the stock pot with the chicken. Sauté until chicken releases the oil and all the flavors are blended in. Add 1 cup of water. Once this starts to boil, cover and cook on medium heat till chicken is tender for about 25 minutes. If required add another cup of water until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Take the lid off and pan fry until the gravy is thick.

Rice:

Wash and rinse the rice a couple of times. Soak the rice in water for about 30 minutes. Drain. In a rice cooker (if you don’t have a rice cooker, then use a pot), add the rice, add water, saffron strands, cinnamon sticks, salt and bring it Bring it to a boil. Add lemon juice. This will prevent the rice from sticking together. Simmer and cook for 12 minutes with the lid on. The idea is to half-cook the rice. Transfer to a colander and let all the excess water drip off. Check by tasting the rice. If required, season with some more salt to adjust the taste.

Layer the Chicken and Rice:

In a pan, add about 1 tablespoon of EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add almonds and cashews. Fry till almonds and cashews turn brown. Transfer to a bowl with paper towel to drain the excess oil. To the same pan, add 1 cup of sliced onions and fry till crisp and brown. Transfer to a bowl with paper towel to drain excess oil. Next, in the bottom of a Dutch oven (or any heavy bottomed pot), drizzle some oil. Place 6-7 bay leaves. Put half of the rice on the bottom of a Dutch oven. Put Chicken gravy on top of the Rice. Put the remaining rice on top of the Chicken gravy. Carefully place the eggs facing down on the rice and Sprinkle onions, mint leaves, almonds and cashews on top of rice. Prepare a mixture of warm milk, saffron, cardamom and rose essence. Add to the layered rice and chicken slowly in a circular fashion. Cover the Ditch oven with Aluminum foil. Place the lid on the Aluminum foil to help making a tight seal so that the flavors are blended together. Place the Dutch oven in a preheated oven to 400°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the Dutch oven stand on the rack for an additional 20 minutes. Carefully open the seal. Add a dash of lemon juice. Garnish with sliced lemon and serve hot with mint raita.  

Happy Cooking!! 

Pan Fried Rice

About

This recipe is my interpretation of the original fried rice. This interpretation is a slight deviation from the typical indo-chinese recipes found online. I have used classic ingredients but adjusted amounts. The method is formulated to conform with typical Indian cooking. Critical to the success of this dish is the rice. I will explain how you could make rice that does not stick together. I prefer using Basmati Rice because of its texture and its overall result with flavors. 

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 3 cups (process explained in Step 1)

Assorted vegetables- 1 cup (I Used Birds Eye frozen Mixed Vegetable- sweet corn, peas, carrots, soy beans, French beans)

Spring onions, chopped fine- 1 bunch 

Green, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, chopped- 1/2 cup

Serrano Chilies, halfed lengthwise and remove seeds and white membrane- 1

Button Mushrooms, sliced-1/2 cup (optional)

Soy sauce- 2 tablespoons

Green chili sauce- 1 teaspoon (I used Ching’s)

Hot sauce- 1 teaspoon (optional)

Freshly minced ginger + garlic - 1 tablespoon

Onions, chopped- 1

Freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Ground white pepper- 1 teaspoon 

EVOO- 1 tablespoon (Any good quality light olive oil)

Eggs- 3

For cooked rice

Basmati rice, 1 cup

Water, 3 cups

EVOO, 1 teaspoon

Salt, 1 teaspoon

Method

Step 1 - Rice

Wash and soak the rice in enough water to cover it for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, drain the water completely, add 2 cups of fresh water (or enough to cover the rice by 2 inches) in a heavy bottomed pan on medium flame. Add salt and EVOO and bring it to a boil. Cover and let it come to a boil. Next, once the water is boiling, lower flame and let the rice cook for about 10-12 minutes. Check if the rice is soft and not mushy. Even if water has not completely evaporated, that’s ok. Once the rice is cooked, immediately transfer the rice to colander and run cold water over. As a result of this, the rice will be separated not stick to one another. 

Step 2 - Eggs

In a separate bowl, crack the eggs (it is best to crack your eggs one at a time in a bowl or a cup (this will keep spoiled ones from getting mixed in). Put them into a glass or plastic bowl. After breaking the eggs, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly to prevent salmonella poisoning. Beat the eggs until they are completely mixed (the yolks and the whites). You can either use a fork, or wire whisk to mix/beat your eggs. Add salt and black pepper and whisk together. Keep aside.

In a wok or flat pan, add half teaspoon EVOO. Put the heat on low to medium heat, and pour on the eggs, spreading them evenly with a spatula just as you were to make an omelet. Once the omelet starts to cook, run your spatula through it to scramble it. Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.

Step 3- Preparing for the concoction

In the same pan, add the remaining EVOO and wait until it starts to smoke. Carefully add the onions. Fry until light golden brown. Add minced ginger and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables/ mushrooms and bell peppers. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables cook through, making sure they do not turn mushy. Add soy sauce, hot sauce, and green chili sauce. Reduce flame to medium-high, stirring constantly. Continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs. Add the cooked rice and mix carefully from the sides ensuring not to break the rice. Add salt, white and black pepper. Toss to mix well. Serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!

Shrimp Jalfrezi

About

Jalfrezi is a type of curry which involves frying marinated pieces of meat or vegetables in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. As the dish includes green chilies, a jalfrezi can range in heat from a medium dish to a very hot one. This mouth watering recipe is made with shrimp or prawns and stir-fried with curry spices. If you are not a big seafood fan or are vegetarian, replace the shrimp with vegetarian alternatives like paneer/tofu or assorted vegetables. Alternatively, you can replace the shrimp with eggs to make an equally amazing egg curry. For Chicken or meat, I will post a detailed recipe because they require marination and further preparation. Traditionally, bell peppers are added to jalfrezi, you may or may not add them. If you choose to, cut into ½" squares and add just after adding shrimp.  

Ingredients

Prawn-1 Pound 

Minced Garlic- 1 tablespoon

Ginger Finely chopped: 2 tablespoons

Salt, to taste

Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon

Garlic Paste- 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon

Chili Powder- 1 teaspoon (I used MDH Deghi Mirch)

Ground Cumin-1 teaspoon

Ground Coriander- 1 teaspoon

Dry mango powder- 1/2 teaspoon (I used MDH Amchoor Powder)

Cinnamon sticks- 1-2

Ground Cloves- 1/4 teaspoon

Ground black pepper- 1/4 teaspoon 

EVOO- 2 tablespoons (Any good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Onions, finely chopped- 1 (cut a quarter into  ½" squares)

Green Chills, halfed lengthwise- 2 (use one and remove seeds and white membrane  to control the heat)

Roma Tomatoes, finely chopped- 2 

Cilantro, chopped-  ¼ cup

Juice of half a lemon

Method

Mix Shrimp, minced garlic, chopped ginger, and salt. Add turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/4 teaspoon dry mango powder to the shrimp and let it stand for 15 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon  EVOO in a heavy bottom pan. Add the shrimp and fry until half cooked. You will notice that the shrimp releases water and that's ok. Just cook for about 2 minutes and immediately transfer the shrimp into a bowl. 

Now, add the remaining EVOO to the same pan. Add cinnamon sticks and ground cloves and fry for a second. Add green chilies, ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a second. Be careful as this will splutter. Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes on medium heat or until golden brown. Add ground black pepper, remaining chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and dry mango power. Add tablespoon of water to the pan mix the spices. Fry for a second. You will see that this masala starts to release oil. 

Add Tomatoes and fry until it releases oil. Add the shrimp. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add half  a cup of water. Cover, simmer on low and let it cook for about 12 minutes. Add lemon juice. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. 

Happy Cooking! 

Gobi Manchurian

 

About

This delicious mouth watering indo-chinese dish is a favorite among both meat eaters and vegetarians. So, I was out of corn starch and I used Rice Flour which worked just as well. I made this without any MSG or extra oil.

Ingredients

• Cauliflower, separated into florets- 500 grams

• Cornflour/ corn starch- 8 tablespoons or Rice Flour- 10 tablespoons

• Green chillies, minced-2 (can go up to increase the heat)

• Chilli sauce (as per taste)

• Food Color, pinch (if you fancy a nice bright maroon color)

• Salt, to taste

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1 tablespoon

• Light Olive Oil to deep fry the battered florets

• Chat Masala (I used MDH)

• Garlic paste-1/2 teaspoon

• Ginger paste-1/2 teaspoon

• Green capsicum, cut in cubes-1 medium

• Garlic, coarsely chopped 3-4

• Slice of Ginger, cut in julienne

• Onion, cut in cubes 1 medium

• Soy sauce-3 tablespoons (I used low sodium)

• Chili Vinegar-2 tablespoons

• Parsley, finely chopped

• Sugar-1/4 teaspoon

Method

Wash and drain cauliflower florets. Steam the florets in the microwave with a little water for about a minute. Make a batter of rice flour, green chillies, chilli sauce, sugar and food color, adding salt to taste.

Heat sufficient oil in a flat bottomed pan. Dip each cauliflower floret in the prepared batter and deep fry till golden brown. Remove and drain onto an absorbent paper. Season with sprinkled chat masala.

In a separate frying pan or wok, heat one tablespoon of EVOO  and gently fry the garlic paste and the ginger paste. Add cut garlic and ginger. Fry for a a few seconds.

Add the chopped capsicum and onion. Stir in the soy sauce and chilli sauce. Reduce heat, add cauliflower and stir fry adding a little water so the sauces mix into the florets. Add the vinegar and salt if required.

Mix well to coat and cook for two minutes more. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Happy Cooking!

Spices and herbs are one of the most conspicuous ingredients of Indian cuisine. Without these essential ingredients, Indian food would have no meaning. Perhaps we owe to the popularity of Indian cuisines across the globe to these spices and herbs. Its fragrant and exciting flavor will not only bring the best in the food you are making, but also the best in you. Once you understand how each of these spices and herbs work, you are well on your way to becoming the self proclaimed chef that you intend to be. 

There are a lot of herbs and spices that could be found in India, however, you need not know all of them. There are just some spices that you'll need more often than others in cooking Indian recipes. We will be using certain ingredients and techniques throughout our explanation that have been further defined below: 

Bhuna - Bhuna is a method of cooking Indian spices, particularly cooking in hot oil. This process is used to release and preserve the flavors of the spices while removing the raw feel of them. Its name literally means cooking in oil and used for cooking Indian food, especially curry.

Curry - Curry comes from the Indian word kari, means vegetables soaked in spices and is therefore a good recipe to resemble the Indian spices. The traditional Indian curry is made up of fenugreek, turmeric, red pepper, black pepper, as well as cloves, coriander and a bunch of other spices.

Tadka - Tadka is a process of cooking spices which is similar to Bhuna. However, the difference is that Tadka is used for whole spices only to temper so that the spices released in the oil blend into the dish.

Masala - Masala is a term in India which means mixture of spices cooked in oil. Its most popular version is the Garam Masala which is used in preparing many Indian food recipes like curry. This mixture of spices is usually used as garnish for food. Further to add, Masala also means the concoction of bhuna pyaz (onions) and tomatoes. This is an essential step before majority of dishes in Indian cooking. 

Haldi - Haldi is also known as Turmeric. Its yellowish powder is derived from dried roots. This particular spice is known not only in India, but also in other Asian countries because of its aroma and color. It is also known to have anti oxidants and aids in treating leukemia.

Jeera - This spice is famous and important in many Ayurvedic cooking. It is found to have digestive attributes and is used to flavor food such as curry and vegetables.

Tandoori - Tandoori is like a large oven made up of clay and heated with charcoal. It is used to cook various foods in spices including meat and chicken.

A full list of spices can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_spices

While this list may initially seem scary, as and when you indulge these into your cooking, you will realize that they are not really difficult to deal with. In fact, some may be familiar to you in some or other way. 

Again, its simplicity meeting innovation with the right amount of spices. 

Happy Cooking!

Hello Readers!

I am elated to start this food blog which I intended to for the longest time. So finally I am ready to share my insights and inputs to what can bring out the innovative chef in you!

Unleash the creative side in you and craft innovative yet ridiculously easy dishes.

This blog will guide you to the most popular dishes in South Asian Cooking.

So where is South Asia on the World Map?

South Asia or Southern Asia or Indian Subcontinent is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities, also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as the Indian subcontinent south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land (clockwise, from west) by West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.Different sources vary in their statements of which nations are part of the region. For example, according to the United Nations geographical region classification,[2] Southern Asia comprises the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

                                           

Source: Wikipedia

Further to this, there is an interesting read about South Asian cuisine which I found quite fascinating:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_cuisine

Essentially, this blog will largely explore the Indian sub-continent cuisine and its counter parts. There may be alternative additions and discussions of other cuisines as we go. We will talk about spices and herbs and how to use them most efficiently in your cooking. Hopefully, together we will be able to figure out "how much is more".

Happy Cooking!