Paneer Ghee Roast (Kerala Style)

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I love South indian preparations- in both dry and curry form. But the techniques are so tedious- scrape cocount, grind to paste, dry paste- so on and on and on. This is my version of a much quicker dry roast. The masala will not be as smooth as a blender-ground masala but the flavor is spot on and this dish will be ready in 30 minutes.

Prep:

Chop: 1/2 a large onion diced (about 1 cup), 4-6 cloves of garlic, 3-5 kadipatta leaves (chopped fine)

Masala: mix together 2 tsp of  ground red pepper  (I used the Korean Gochugaru but Kashmiri red chillies  will work), 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp ground fennel seeds and 1/8 tsp ground methi(fenugreek) seeds. ( I used a mortar and pestle to grind the fennel and methi  to add to the powders)

Other flavorings: 2 tbsp tamarind paste (which I always have frozen) and 1 tbsp ground jaggery

Cook:

Cube 1/2 lb of paneer and roast in 1 tbsp of ghee on a low flame till lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, add another 1 tbsp of ghee, add curry leaves and onion. Cook till onion starts turning translucent.

Add masalas and roast till fragrant (around 1-2 minutes) without burning any of the ingredients.

Add tamarind, jaggery, 2 tbsp of yogurt and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for a minute and add paneer.

Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 mintues.

Serve with dosa or rice or appam.

Tamago Sando (Japanese Egg Sandwich) and Japanese Milk Bread

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Every expat or immigrant knows that there are dishes you crave when you go back home. Apparently in Japan, it is these egg salad sandwiches- with the softest bread and the simplest of dressings (kewpie mayo, salt and pepper), it is a taste of home for the Japanese. I wouldn’t know- I’ve never been to Japan but I do like egg salad and this was a snowy weekend project.

This recipe is in 2 parts- part one is the egg salad and part 2 is the bread. I have no idea if any of this tasted like the real thing but it was pretty tasty to us.

Egg Salad:

Mayo: All the recipes specifically call for Kewpie Mayo which I could have ordered off amazon or boutht at the Asian store. But instead- I improvised and landed up with something quite delicious (though likely not at all accurate). To 5 tbsp of regular mayonnaise, add 1 tsp of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of nutritional yeast (in place of the dashi powder or MSG in most recipes), ½ tsp of granulated garlic and salt and pepper. Increase or decrease the quantities of the additives to your liking till the mayo becomes a delicious dip that  you repeatedly “taste” and then find a cracker to “taste” some more.

Boiled eggs: I love reading about boiling eggs. The serious eats encyclopedia entry on this is one of my favorite food articles. For hard boiled eggs- this works for me- start eggs in cold water and set timer for 15 minutes– the yolks are firm and a beautiful yellow wihtout being rubbery.

Combine chopped eggs with special mayo and 2-3 finely chopped scallions (because Japanese dish).

This is a delicious egg salad- good with any kind of bread but let’s now make the special super soft Japanese bread. Our old friend America’s test kitchen’s bread illustrated book will help us.

Fair warning- this is not a beginner bread, you need to have a fair idea of dough hydration and proofing times. But it isn’t croissants (laminated doughs hate me) –  you should try it. Bread flour is cheap- you can throw away your mistakes.

Start by bringing 3 tbsp of butter to room temperature (soft but not melted). The bread starts with a cooked flour and water paste (a Japanese roux) which leads to a very tender crumb. Whisk 3 tbsp of flour and 1/2 cup water will no lumps remain. Microwave covered, whisking every 20 seconds till the  mixture forms a stiff pudding.

Add the flour paste, 1/2 cup of cold milk and 1 large egg to your stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to blend till smooth (note to self- use blender next time).

Add 1.5 tsp of instant yeast and 11 oz (2 cups) of bread flour. Switch to the dough attachment and knead on low speed for 2-3 minutes till a sticky dough forms. Cover with cling film and rest for 15 minutes.

Add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1.5 tsp kosher salt to dough. Knead for 5 minutes, then add butter 1 tbsp at a time. Knead on medium speed for another 5 minutes till the dough leaves the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom.

Transfer to a floured surface using a bench scraper and form a smooth round ball lightly coated with flour and tuck all the seams under the dough ball. Proof in a lightly greased container for 1-2 hours till doubled in size.

Shaping dough: take dough out onto a large floured area on your countertop ( I use a very large silpat on my countertop for this). Shape into a 24×4 inch rectangle. Now divide the dough using your benchscraper lenghtwise to get 2 rectanges 24×2 inches in size. Start rolling the 2 dough strips into tight spirals and place both side by side into a greased 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan. Cover with cling film and proof for 1/2-1 hour till the bread rises to the lip of the pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes till the bread is a deep golden brown. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from pan and brush all over with  butter. Let bread cool for 2-3 hours before serving.

Slice and pile with egg salad above. Delicious with tomato soup.

Tofu and Cabbage Udon stir fry

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I like stir fries – they are a fun, easy way to experiment with new flavors and textures.

This one needs a few speciality ingredients but I found all of them in my local Whole Foods

I tackle the stir fry prep first divided into veggies, protein, flavorings and garnish. This recipe is inspired from a Bon Appétit article

Veggies; half a small cabbage cut into big 2 inch or so cubes

Protein: Andrea Nguyen from Viet world kitchen talks up frozen tofu a lot – so I tried it. Freeze and defrost a block of firm tofu – it changes the texture amazingly – the water just drains out. Then crumble tofu into 1 inch or so jagged crumbles

Flavorings: 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp garlic, the whites of 6 scallions and 1 tsp vegetable oil

Garnish: the greens of 6 scallions and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Sauce: 1/3 cup mirin 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1 tsp (or more) of sambal olek , 1 tbsp sesame oil

Boil a pot of water- add udon (14 oz) and cook according to package directions but a minute or two less. Cool immediately and drain

In a very hot non stick pan- add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and cook the cabbage (tossing frequently) till charred in places and soft. Remove cabbage to udon bowl

In the same pan, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and add the crumbled tofu with 1 tbsp corn starch just shaken over it. Cook over high heat till tofu is browned

Make a hole in the center, add the flavorings. Cook for 30 sec and then toss with tofu

Add cabbage, udon and sauce- coat noodles with sauce

Add garnish and serve with additional sambal olek

This is fairly nutritious and made about 5 servings for us (dinner and lunch the next day)

Portugese Egg Custard Tarts

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When my favorite youtuber Babish released an egg tart video, I knew I had to make these. But unusually for me, I decided to go with the simpler approach of using store bought puff pastry rather than making my own puff (something I have tried and failed at in the past). These seemed to be delightful morsels of buttery crust with a jelly like custard interior and everyone online kept using superlatives to describe them. So instead of going to Portugal or actually finding a Portuguese bakery, we took these on as a snowy day weekend project inspired by this Melissa Clark NYT recipe. I also watched and re-watched cupcake Jemma make these, because she is lovely and soothing.  The trick seems to be keeping the pastry cold and using an extremely hot oven to develop a shatteringly crisp crust. These would be good with any filling – I plan to try lemon curd next.

Makes 24 small tarts- start 2 days before you actually wish to consume the pasteis de nata

Step 1: Buy some all butter puff pastry (I used Trader joes) and buy a mini muffin pan ( I used Sur La Table where I also spent an unnecessary amount of money buying cooking tchotchkes)

Step 2: Roll out half your puff pastry (about 7-8 oz) into a 13×13 inch square or an 18×9 inch rectangle. Start rolling into a log from the larger side- so you should have an 18 inch log about an inch in diameter. Wrap in parchment and chill for several hours (or overnight)

Step 3- divide pastry log into half and then quarters and then thirds to get 24 pieces, Press the flat discs down and then along the side of the mini muffin pan. Cover with cling film and chill

Step 4- make the custard

Step 4a: read the instructions multiple times so you don’t goof up and have to throw away your first 2 attempts- hey, eggs are cheap, it’s ok. In retrospect- I should have made this in the blender- notes for next time.

Step 4b: There are 3 parts to this custard- assemble the 3 parts first. A cinnamon syrup ( 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 a cinnamon stick and 1/3 cup water- heat till sugar dissolves- take off heat, discard cinnamon), 3 egg yolks and a flour paste (start with 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and 3 tbsp of milk- whisk in 1/2 cup of scalding whole milk-  heated till bubbles just form- this is tougher than it looks and requires quite a lot of upper body strength)

Step 4c: Add sugar syrup to the flour mixture and return to the heat- Whisk continuously for 5 minutes till mixture is thickened and paste like without any lumps

Step 4d: add some of the flour mixture to the egg yolks whisking continuously- then add more gradually till both are combined. If you do this correctly- you will NOT have scrambled eggs but a smooth custard. If any custard calls for straining- it is this one- strain it.

Step 5- You remembered to heat your oven to 500F right? and the cookie sheet is on the bottom 1/3rd- good!. Add custard to the tart shells and bake for 15-20 minutes till custard is puffed up and lovely with some char and the pastry is crisp

So this recipe is tough! I have made many custards from scratch and this one was difficult! Was it worth it? Yes! Did we finish 24 tarts in one sitting? Of course we did!

Marathi Ukad

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When a maharashtrian child is sick, mother makes ukad – it’s a spicy version of baby food and in the same class of comforting chewy rice flour dishes as mochi and rice balls and kadbu but simpler

Step 1: whisk 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup sour yogurt and 2 cups of water today

Step 2: to 1 tbsp of oil, sputter 1 tsp mustard seeds, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 2 pinches asaefoetida, 2-3 curry leaves and 1-2 dried red chilies

Step 3: add rice flour mixture, chopped cilantro and 1 chopped jalapeño

Cover and steam on low heat for 10-15 min

Bibimbap

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A rice dish that is mixed up with veggies and other protein – this dish feels so right to my Indian palate – as does most “vegan Korean” cuisine (I know that’s an oxymoron). But this is how I do bibimbap

Rice: in a non stick pan, heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 team sesame oil, add 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tbsp soy sauce- add cooked rice (made from 1 cup of uncooked rice). Mix well and then leave alone for 4-5 min till the bottom rice grains gets toasted

Carrots: roast with olive oil, salt, pepper at 400 F for 10-15 min

Potato wedges: roast potato wedges with oil, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp of corn flour at 400F for 20-25 min

Onions, pepper and tomatoes: from the shakshuka recipe at brunch. Cook 1 diced onion and 1 diced pepper in oil with 1 tbsp cumin seeds till they get brown. Add a 14 oz can of tomatoes, 1 tsp each cumin and coriander powders and gochujang and 1 tsp soy sauce. Heat for 10 min or so and finish with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Protein: I used some spiced tofu nuggets that I fried up with a tiny bit of oil

Sauce: 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Another sauce (for your annoying 10 year old who doesn’t eat spice): 2 tbsp soy sauce,2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Top with chopped scallions, avocado, a fried egg if you wish and chopped vegan kimchi if you have it (I didn’t today)

Sauce recipes from this websitehttps://mykoreankitchen.com/bibimbap-sauce/

This one makes great leftovers too

Shakshuka dosa

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I combined my 2 favorite brunch items today and they were delicious together

Deconstructed shakshuka : this is how I like to make shakshuka – with a fried egg rather than poached (it’s easier and less messy and I like the crispy fried edges of the egg)

Sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil – add 1 tbsp cumin seeds and heat till they sputter and turn color. Add 1 diced onion and 1 diced red pepper. Cook over medium to high heat till onions brown. Add 1 14 oz can of tomatoes with 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1tbsp gochuang paste (not essential but delicious), 1 tsp soya sauce and cook for 10 min. Add salt and chilli powder to taste (about 1 tsp of each). Finish with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Top onion, tomato, pepper mixture with fried egg when ready to serve.

Serve with dosa in place of bread

Chickpea stew

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This is a really good Persian stew. Well possibly, I don’t know any Persian people but the flavor seems to be Persian , it’s got nearly a cup of parsley and dried lemon. In any case it is very very good. I got the dried lemon on amazon after ottolenghi praised it (of course)

Caramelize 1 onion with 1 tbsp cumin seeds and 2 dried red chilies and salt in 4 tbsp butter (yes the quantities are right- this will take 30 min on mild- mod heat)

Add 1-2 tbsp chopped garlic, chickpeas (1 cup dried- soaked overnight and pressure cooked for 15 min), 1 can of tomatoes puréed and 4 cups of veg broth (I used better than bouillon) and 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander powder and 1 dried lemon.

Simmer for 45 min

Add 1.5 cups pasta – cook for 12-15 min

Add about a cup of chopped parsley – fish out the lemon

Very delicious

Tomato Risotto with fire roasted corn

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I read a recent recipe for risotto with garlic broth, also I had some left over wine, which led to the development of this recipe. Adding flavor to the broth really appealed to me- so I decided to do a spicy tomato garlic broth- something delicious enough to drink as a soup and then make a risotto with it. I added some fire roasted corn – I used frozen (it is November in the mid west) but feel free to grill some corn and remove the kernels or regular boiled corn kernels would work as well but wihtout the smoky flavor that goes so well with the spicy broth. This is a superlative fall dish, the flavors are well developed and harmonious- a dish worthy of a thanksgiving table.

Broth: 1 tbsp of oil, add 7-8 cloves of garlic till they barely start getting color, add 1 small can of tomatoes (14 oz) blitzed through the blender with 4 cups of vegetable stock (I used better than boullion vegetable base). Add 1 tsp of dried thyme and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Taste and adjust flavorings if needed- it should be delicious enough to drink as a brothy soup.

Risotto: Meanwhile- to 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter- add half a large onion (about 1 cup diced) and some salt and pepper- cook till golden – about 5-6 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of arborio rice unrinsed. Cook in the fat and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of white wine, cook for 2-3 minutes till the wine is mostly evaporated. Add ladlefuls of hot broth and stir every 5 mintues. You can add a lot of broth at once- the stirring is unfortunately non-negotiable (the rice sticks to the botton of your pan if you don’t stir) . After 20-25 minutes, you should have risotto. Add the corn and 1 tbsp of butter on top. Season with salt- the broths often have a fair bit of salt, so wait till the end. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan and stir.

 

Cannellini beans with beurre blanc

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This post should be titled- an homage to brown food which is so delicious and so nourishing yet so un-instagrammable that it isn’t even funny 🙂

This is modified from a  recipe that Tejal Rao wrote about in the NYT from a brilliant English chef called Jack Monroe who has a ton of vegan recipes on his website.

Using a rich french sauce to liven up an everyday beans and pasta dish- it is brilliant

Boil 1 15 oz can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans with 4 and half cups of vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes (I used better than bouillon base) . Add 1.5 cups of any small pasta and cook till pasta is slightly more than al dente – this is comfort food, you don’t want super chewy pasta

Meanwhile- make the beurre blanc. Add half white wine and half white vinegar enough to make up 3/4 of a cup. Add to a small saucepan with 5 tbsp butter and 1/2 an onion diced fine (about 3/4 cup). Cook on gentle heat for 15 minutes or so till the onions have softened.

Add to beans, top with copious amounts of black pepper, red pepper flakes and parmesan. This ia comfort food at its finest