From Umami Girl :
Sauce:Mix 1 shallot minced, 1 tsp ginger,1 tsp garlic, 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp shallots, 1 tsp sriracha, 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Add to 1 lb of spaghetti boiled in salted water.
Top with 3 sliced scallions and protein (I did egg)
my quickest indian tomato curry recipe: Heat 1 tbsp ghee or butter- add 2 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 1 inch stick of cinnamon and 6-10 whole peppercorns. Add 1 tsp of grated ginger and 1 tsp of grated garlic. Cook for 15 -30 seconds, add a small 14 oz can of tomatoes (I puree whole tomatoes), Add 1 tbsp of honey and 1 tsp of degi mirch (chilli powdwer found in indian store with a lot of color)- cook for 20 minutes and add some water if needed (1/4 cup or so). Finish off with 3 tbsp of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 tsp of garam masal and 1 tsp of crushed kasoori methi (fenugreek seeds). Can be doubled and frozen before adding cream.
So this is my easiest cookie recipe! Takes about 5 minutes prep time and 15 minutes bake time and it is delicious. Dip it in chocolate for an even more decadent treat.
Heat oven to 350F. Beat 3 large whites in a stand mixer with 1 cup sugar till frothy. Add 3 cups of shredded unsweetened dried coconut (which is one 7 oz bag), 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix till all coconut is moistened.
Make balls using 1-2 tsp of coconut mixture- around 24 in all. Bake at 350 F till golden brown (15-18 minutes). Eat!
I love shakshuka but weekend mornings are lazy mornings for us and I hate the idea of turning my oven on
Here is my very quick deconstructed shakshuka- ish recipe. Dare I say – I like the crispy eggs better than the baked ones?
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil, add 1 tbsp cumin seeds and 1 tbsp fennel seeds. Add one small diced onion and 1 small diced red pepper. Fry till charred in spots – add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 1 tsp Tabasco sauce.
Fry egg: I like to fry it in a little butter with a lid on top so the whites are crispy and cooked and the yolk is still runny.
Plate: pepper-onions on bottom, egg on top. Garnish with feta or cilantro or anything else
I served this with Stella Parks shelf stable cardamom and saffron pancakes but that is a story for another day
Here is a Gen Tso Tofu recipe that works. It’s modified from a purple carrot recipe. Gen Tso is not healthy (it has 1/4 cup of sugar) but it is delicious and divided into 4 portions- it is fine for an occasional treat. I served this on white rice
Step 1: Make crispy tofu: You can dredge pressed or dried tofu in cornstarch and fry or use my airfried tofu recipe
Step 2: Make sauce: Mix 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic and 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger. Add 1-2 jalapenos sliced in half with the seeds removed
Step 3: heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, add the tofu, add 3 scallions cut in half and chopped into large chunks (2-3 inches). Once the scallions wilt a little, add sauce, stir for 2-3 minutes till tofu becomes sticky. Serve on rice.
This was a very fun and very delicious recipe. Plus- these refried beans are the bomb. I modified this Bon Appetit recipe a little bit- the video in the recipe is very helpful if you are making these for the first time
Pupusas are Salvadorean treats- made from the same masa as tortillas- they are the Salvadorean equivalents of the Indian Kachori- in fact, the refried beans will taste great as a filling for a kachori or a parantha (note to self)
Step1: Make refried beans. Heat 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add quarters of 1 onion wiht the petals all seperated- char them well at screaming high heat so that almost all the onion petals have some black char on them. Blend the onions and 1 can of pinto beans (14 oz) well. Add 1 tbsp of cumin seeds to the oil and ad the bean mixture back to pan and stir for 10-15 minutes till thickned – cool and then add 1 cup of grated whole milk low moisture mozarella.
Step 2: Make masa: In a stand mixer, mix 3 cups of masa harina (I used the Bob’s Red mill one) with 2 3/4 cup scalding hot water and 2 tsp kosher salt. Be careful with the speed, the water will splash. Make sure all the masa is hydrated and then rest for 20 minutes or so. Divide into 12 portions and cover with a damp towel
Step 3: Make pupusa: Keep a little oil to lubricate your hands, take some masa- flatten it, add 1-2 tbsp of filling, cover the filling, flatten the pupusas. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Step 4: Cook pupusas: On a very hot pan, cook on either side till browned (takes about 3-4 minutes per side)
Step 5: Serve with salsa (store bought in my case) and coleslaw (my old tried and true recipe is 1/2 cup yogurt and 2-3 tbsp of hot mufaletta pickle- mix and add cabbage- this doesn’t in any way resemble the traditional curdito or any real coleslaw recipe, but it is creamy and tangy and delicious)
Press tofu for 20 min
Cut into half inch pieces
Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp sesame oil
Toss with 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
Airfry at 400 F for 25 minutes
Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 dried red chillies
Add 1/2 an onion, sauté till softened, add 2-3 minced garlic cloves, add a large can of tomatoes puréed
Cook for 20 min, add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas
Toss with pasta, red pepper flakes and feta crumbles 
Nebraska has a 2-3 month growing season and when the basil grows high- it is time to make pesto! I like a mixture of basil and parsley in my pesto- I like the “greener” taste that parsley gives to the pesto.
Nothing goes better with pesto than fresh pasta. Today we made handkerchief pasta (Fazzoletti) -simple,silky and delicious. It is essentially ravioli sheets cut into squares. My pasta machine makes this very very easy but here Mark Bittman shows how you can use a rolling pin to achieve the same effect (https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/dining/12mini.html)
Pesto: 2 cups basil leaves, 1 cup parsley leaves, 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan reggiano, 1/2 cup olive oil: Use food processor to make a fine paste. Stores in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
Pasta: 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 tsp salt. Make a fairly dry dough using the absolute minimum amount of water needed ( I used 2 tbsp today). It takes me 4-5 minutes using my kitchen aid stand mixer
Rolling pasta: I used the pasta attachment to my kitchen aid. Start on the first setting- run the dough through thrice (folding into an envelope each time). Decrease the setting by 1 in each subsequent run all the way to the thinnest setting (8). Use flour liberally to prevent the pasta sticking. Cut into large 4 inch squares. Cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes or so (add the squares one at a time- they tend to stick)
Thin pesto with pasta cooking water, toss with pasta and enjoy the taste of spring.
Quick wonton soup recipe
Broth: Boil for 15-20 minutes: 1 quart vegetable stock ( I used better than bouillon), 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp ginger chopped fine, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp sambal olek
Toppings:
Tofu: 1 14 oz package- stir fried till brown all around
Wontons: I used prepared potstickers (shitake and vegeatable dumplings)
Greens: wilted spinach
Herbs: cilantro, scallions
Chinkiang vinegar (or seasoned rice wine vinegar) with chopped chilies for heat
Noodles: Boiled rice noodles
Mix all together, add a squeeze of lime and some peanuts for crunch with extra sriracha if you wish
Delhi Girl Meets Food 