Phyllo cups

This idea comes from the Food Network. These cups work well with both savory or sweet dishes.  Below are a few suggestions that I tried, each with a different filling. They can be a perfect bite size appetizer or can be a gourmet dessert cup. The cups can be made ahead of time.  

Method on how to make the cups is at the bottom of this post.

Corn Baskets:

I made the filling using onions, pepper, corn, tomatoes, jalapeno, olives, grated ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, & black pepper.  Just saute all the ingredients in a hot pan with some olive oil.
Top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh mint.

Citrus Cream & Fresh Fruits Baskets:

Citrus Cream:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 lemon, zested and 1 tsp of lemon juice*
1/2 lime, zested*
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat all the ingredients together until stiff peaks form (about 1 minute).  Place some of the mixture into a cup and top with blueberries, diced mango, strawberry and kiwi. 
*Use less lemon and lime zest if you don't like it too tart.

Ice cream served with nuts and mint

Channa Chaat Baskets:

Create a mix with boiled Channa, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, mangoes, serrano peppers, coriander leaves salt, pepper, chaat masala and lemon juice. 

Method to make cups:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside. 
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough (keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out). 
• Lightly coat phyllo sheet with cooking spray, top with another sheet of phyllo. Lightly coat with cooking spray. 
• Repeat layering with two more sheets of phyllo and the cooking spray, (using 4 sheets for one stack). 
• Cut each stack in half lengthwise. 
• Cut crosswise into 4. 
• There should be a total of 8 rectangles. 
• Press 1 rectangle into each prepared muffin cup, pleating phyllo as necessary to form a cup. 
• Bake in preheated oven about 8 minutes or until golden. 
• Cool for 5 minutes in pan. 
• Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.
• Fill with desired filling. (Cups may be filled up to 1 hour before serving.)

Vegetarian Chilli

This dish has a lot of flavors and textures.  The flavors come from the spices and the use of veggie stock - the stock also reduces the cooking time, making this a quick dish to put together.  The textures from the kidney beans and Morning Star meal starter make it an overall hearty dish.

 This recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

• 300g pack of MorningStar Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 425g can chopped tomatoes
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 425g can kidney beans, drained
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste 
• Freshly chopped coriander and red chillies to garnish
• Sour cream as a topping when serving - optional

Method:

• Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan. Fry the onion and garlic until soft and golden. Add the Morning Star starters crumble, spices and bay leaves and fry for an additional 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock and green peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the kidney beans and cook for 5 minutes
• In a small bowl, mix the cornflour and water to a smooth paste. Stir into the chilli to thicken the mixture. 
• Cook for a further 5 minutes. 
• Remove bay leaves and discard.
• Serve with bread or rice.

Thai Panang Curry

When my son was young, we would often have play dates with his friends and their moms/dads.  Whoever hosted the play date made lunch for the kids and parents. This dish is inspired by one of the play dates when one of my friends made it. It may sound like a complicated dish, but it is an easy recipe which I make all the time.

Ingredients:

• Grated Ginger (according to taste)
• 1 small onion, chopped to big pieces
• 2 small tomatoes, cut to big cubes
• 1/2 of each, small red & green bell peppers, cut to big pieces
• 1/2 can of baby corn
• Palm full of sugar snap peas
• 1/4 cup of pineapple chunks
• 1/4 cup broccoli, big florets
• 1 packet fried sponge tofu
• 3-4 tbsp Thai Panang curry paste (according to taste). I used Aroy D from 99 Ranch which doesn't have fish sauce or Shrimp Sauce in it.
• 2-3 tbsp brown sugar for sweetness (according to taste)
• Salt to taste
• Red chili powder if you want the curry to be more spicy
• 1 can coconut milk + 1 can of water. (I used the coconut milk and use the same can to measure out the water. Add more water or coconut milk if you want more gravy.
• About 10 large leaves of Thai basil -  half for cooking and half for garnish

Method:

• In a large pot or wok, heat up some oil and add the grated ginger, cook for a minute.
• Add onions, bell peppers, snap peas, baby corn and pineapple chunks
• Add half of the Thai basil cut into long strips
• Cook about 2 to 3 minutes on high flame. You want the veggies to remain crunchy for a nice texture.
• Set this vegetable mixture aside.  You can use the same pot/wok to make the curry.
• Heat up some oil in a wok
• Add in the Thai curry paste, stir and cook for 1 min. 
• Add coconut milk, water, brown sugar and some salt. Mix everything together and bring to a boil. 
• Add the sponge tofu and tomatoes and cook just till everything is well mixed Turn off the heat at this point and then add the vegetable mix.
• Taste and add more salt/brown sugar/chili powder to your taste. Garnish with Thai Basil 
• I like to serve the curry with brown rice.
• You can also add different vegetables - I have seen this dish with potatoes and carrots.

Veg Kebab in Spicy Garlic Sauce

 

I found this recipe online and it is a must try! It looks like there is a lot going on when you read the recipe but it's actually very simple.  I broke it down into many steps to make it more simple.

It has a lot different flavors and will remind you of Chinese food you get back in India.

 Ingredients for the szechuan sauce:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 3 tbsp red chili paste (details on how to make in notes below)
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion or spring onions/scallions
• 3-4 szechuan peppers, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped celery
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder or freshly crushed black pepper
• sugar & salt as required

For the veg Kebabs (makes approx. 9-10 balls):

• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion/scallion greens
• 1/2 tsp freshly crushed black pepper or black pepper powder or white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• salt to taste

For the hot garlic sauce:

• 4-5 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 inch finely chopped ginger
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped spring onions/scallions (reserve some greens for garnish)
• 1 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water
• 1.5 cups water (or for additional flavor, use vegetable stock)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp of the homemade szechuan sauce
• ground pepper & salt as required

Method:

Preparing the szechuan sauce:

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add the chopped garlic. fry for a minute.
• Add the chopped onion and fry till they become transparent.
• Now add the red chili paste, tomato sauce, soy sauce, celery and crushed szechuan pepper.
• Fry for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Season with salt, sugar and pepper.
• The sauce is ready.

Preparing the veg Kebab:

• Mix all the ingredients listed under veg kebab.
• Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
• Shape into small round balls and shallow fry or deep fry till golden brow on a medium hot oil.
• Drain on kitchen tissues and keep aside.

Preparing the hot garlic sauce:

• You can use the same oil used for frying the veg kebabs... about 2 tbsp of oil.
• Add the chopped spring onion and fry till they become transparent.
• Now add the ginger, garlic and green chilies. Fry them for a minute
• Add soy sauce, the szechuan sauce made earlier, salt and pepper.
• Cook again for a minute and mix the sauces well.
• Add vegetable stock or water and stir.
• When the mixture comes to a boil, add cornflour paste slowly and stir - this will thicken the mixture.
• Keep stirring to avoid lumps from forming.
• Let the gravy thicken and then add the fried veg Kebabs.
• Serve hot, garnished with spring onion greens.

Eggless Light n Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Play dates for kids means recipe exchange for the adults. We use to have a lot of play dates when my son was a baby. This recipe was shared by one of the mom's and a great friend who explores and experiments with recipes.  It was an instant hit with my son. I make it over and over again for my family! I mean who says NO to pancakes right?

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Unbleached all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar (you can use less)
• 1 1/2 cup warm milk
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Fresh blueberries
• Pinch of salt

Method:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
• Make a well in the center and pour the warm milk and melted butter and mix until smooth. You may need to add additional milk if the batter is too thick.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle/pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter using ~1/4 cup for each pancake.
• Put a few blueberries spread over the poured pancake.
• Let the cake bubble on the edges and center before flipping it over.
• Brown on both sides.
• serve hot with maple syrup.

Paneer Methi Malai

Growing up, Methi (Fenugreek) was used in my diet quite a lot. This is the dish I make over and over again. Its one you can never go wrong with. It taste as good as it looks! If you like methi, then this is a dish you must try. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup, or more, methi (fenugreek) leaves - washed and chopped
• 1 standard block of Paneer - cut into cubes
• 1 small onion - chopped finely
• 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tbsp cashew nuts paste (mix cashew powder with a bit of milk and puree)
• 1 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small can of tomato puree
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1 tsp tandoori masala
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp haldi powder
• salt - to taste
• Cilantro for garnishing
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Method:

• Lightly coat the paneer cubes with some corn starch.  Shallow fry the paneer cubes till they are very light brown on all sides, place them aside.
• In a pan, heat up some oil add cumin. After that starts to crackle, add onion and ginger-garlic paste, fry till onions are translucent. You can add the brown sugar and salt at this point. 
• Add the cashew paste and cook for a minute or two. 
• Add the tomato puree with all the masala, stir until everything is incorporated (just about half a minute or so).
• Add the chopped methi and stir until the methi has wilted.
• Add the paneer cubes and the heavy cream.  Mix and let it come to a boil.
• The dish should have a thick, gravy like consistency, like any other Punjabi gravy.
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs.
• Serve with naan or jeera rice.

Cauliflower In szechuan Sauce

I love indo-chinese  food. Mixing the sauces and spices and flavoring the vegetable with the mixture, seems like a fun chemistry experiment!

I usually use tofu or paneer to mix with the sauce but this time around I thought of using cauliflower and I must say it turned out delicious. Try it, I am sure you will like it as well.

Ingredients

•  2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• oil for deep-frying

  The following ingredients are for making a batter to fry the florets

• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tbsp oil
• a little water
• salt to taste

Other Ingredients

•  1/2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginge
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onions whites
• 3 to 4 tbsp szechuan sauce (you can use any store bought szechuan sauce)
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped spring onion greens - for garnishing

Method

1. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry over a medium flame  until crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan on a high flame. Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and stir-fry over a high flame for a minute.
3. Add the spring onion whites and saute on a high flame for another minute or so.
4. Add the schezuan sauce, fried cauliflower florets and salt and mix well.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with the spring onion greens.

Fried Rice (Asian)

This is one of my favorite side dishes that can go with any Indo-Chinese dish (pair with cauliflower in szechuan sauce). The flavor is mild but it still holds a lot of depth and could be very filling on it's own  too. The recipe also works best with left over rice. Here is my version of making it, hope you have fun making it too.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Cooked rice (I use Basmati rice)
• 1 small thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 of each; red and green peppers thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 celery, julienned
• hand full of sprouts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 spoon ginger, minced
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• thinly sliced spring onions for garnish

Method:

Heat up a wok with some peanut oil, add onions, garlic and ginger. Cook on high flame for two minutes then add all the other vegetables except the sprouts & cabbage. Cook for another minute or two. add all the sauces and toss the cooked rice and mix everything well. At this point the rice should absorb all the sauces. At last, mix the cabbage and sprouts and turn off the heat.
Mix everything well and adjust the seasoning.
Garnish with thinly sliced spring onions before serving.

Cheese & Coriander Paratha

My kids Love cheese! One day, while sitting around and looking at different paratha recipes, I thought of making cheese paratha.  I put that thought to work and here is what the result looks like. The thing I loved about this paratha was the texture; a soft but hearty texture with a bite, sort of like the hard part of a Parmesan cheese block but softer. This is because of the cheese combination I used. My 4 year old ended up eating three parathas and said "mom, I love your food!" Nothing beats the feeling of that comment. I decided to serve the paratha with a creamy tomato soup.

For the dough:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 tsp oil

Mix the above ingredients to make a dough and make about 1 1/2 inch diameter balls. Place aside.
 

For the cheese filling:

• 1 1/4 cup grated cheese (I used a combination of pepper jack, Parmesan and cheddar but any kind that you like should be fine)
• 1 1/2 tsp chat masala powder (I used Everest brand)
• 2 green chilies,finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 sp red chili powder
• Salt, black pepper and paprika to taste

Mix the above ingredients and make 1 inch diameter balls.

Method:

• Very lightly flour a rolling board, or clean counter surface, and roll each wheat flour ball into a 5" circle. Now take a cheese ball and place it into the center of the circle you just made. Slowly lift the edges of the flour round and bring together in the center to form a pouch. Press the ends together tightly to close the pouch. Once sealed, press down gently to flatten so that you have a flattened pouch.
• Lightly flour your rolling surface and roll this pouch into a 7-8" circle
• Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Note: mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and make round balls and keep in the fridge for 3-4 hours prior to making parathas.

you can also chill the dough for few hours so that it's firm and doesn't tear and is easy to work with.

Cilantro Lentil Stew

Lentils have been part of the human diet since the aceramic (pottery nonproducing) times, being one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East.
Lentil colors range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black. Lentils also vary in size (e.g. Masoor lentils, shown in photos here), and are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split. There are various traditional Indian ways of cooking lentils. I wanted to try something different, so got onto Google and searched for recipes.  This one stood out and I ended up trying it out.  It came out delicious.
 This recipe makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried lentils
• 8 cups filtered water
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili in adobo sauce - just use one chilli and a little adobo sauce
• 3 carrots - chopped into small cubes
• 3 celery stalks - diced medium
• 1 onion - diced small
• 3 tomatoes - diced small
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 10 small cloves of garlic -  yes, you read correctly 10 small cloves of garlic!

Method:

In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp evoo over medium heat, add the chopped carrots, onions and celery. After 2-3 minutes, add all the spices and the tomatoes and cook on low heat for 10-20 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil, once boiling add the lentils. Bring to a boil again and then drain the liquid. Add more water and bring to a boil again and again drain the liquid.  Add cooked lentils to mixture in the dutch oven.

In a food processor, add 1 bunch of cilantro, 10 garlic cloves and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix until finely chopped, add to dutch oven.

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly, then add ~8 cups of water.

Bring to a boil and lower heat. simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy with crusty bread. I like to have the lentils with toasted sourdough bread.

Pearl Couscous Salad with Fresh Mango, Pine nuts & Cilantro

This is a hearty salad that can substitute as a whole meal.  This recipe is inspired by giada de laurentiis from www.foodnetwork.com. She has inspired a lot of recipes I have experimented with. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger 
• 1tbsp garlic & chili diced
• 2 shallots, minced
• Red and Green pepper diced
• Corn kernels
• Carrots diced
• Peas 

Seasoning:

• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika
• Clove and Cinnamon sticks
• Fennel seed
• Saffron threads
• Bay leaf

Garnish:

• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 1 cup fresh mango diced (about 2 average sized mangoes)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Toasted Pine nuts

Method:

1. Cook the Pearl Couscous (follow cooking instructions on package).
2. In a large wok heat up some oil and add the bay leaf, cloves & cinnamon sticks until the mix is fragrant. Add the fennel seeds, saffron & stir well.  
3. Add all the vegetables along with the garlic, ginger & chilies. Saute for few minutes, then add the salt, pepper, curry powder & paprika.
4. Don't over cook the vegetables they should be  crunchy.
5. Mix in the cooked couscous. 
6. Just before serving, toss in the cucumber, mango, pine nuts & cilantro.
• This salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

Chilli Idli

Once when talking to my aunt from London, she mentioned she just had chilli idli at some restaurant.  She explained what the dish comprised of, and this is what I came up with.  It is a good, quick meal to make with leftover idli, or make it a meal on its own!
Idli is savory cake of south Indian origin popular throughout India. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are more readily metabolized by the body

Ingredients:

• 5-6 idlis (cut into quarters)
• 1 tsp ginger (chopped)
• 1 tsp garlic (chopped)
• 1 tsp green chilli (chopped)
• 1 onion (square pieces - 1/2 inch.)
• 1 green shimla mirch (square pieces)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp tomato sauce
• 2 tsp chilli sauce (Sambal Oelek - a.k.a kukda sauce ;p )
• 1/2 tsp Ajinomoto
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In a pan, heat the oil.
2. Add ginger, garlic & green chilli. Saute for a minute.
3. Add onion & shimla mirch and fry for two minutes.
4. Now add the soy sauce, tomato sauce, & chilli sauce.
5. Add the Ajinomoto & salt.
6. Now whisk in the corn flour, and mix until the flour is well blended
7. Toss in the idli; make sure the sauce is well spread over the idli.

Saffron Cardamom kulfi

On a hot summer day at work one day, my Indian coworker and I decided to go to an Indian restaurant for lunch. Next to the restaurant was an Indian grocery store so we decided to pay a visit and ended up buying a kulfi each for desert. Kulfi has similarities to ice cream (as popularly understood) in appearance and taste, but is denser and creamier, It comes in various flavors, including cream (malai), raspberry, rose, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar), and pistachio, the more traditional flavours, as well as newer variations like apple, orange, strawberry, peanut, and avocado. Unlike Western ice creams, kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert similar to traditional custard based ice-cream. While indulging the kulfi, I decided to make some at home per my taste, and here is the result.

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. - Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 12 oz. - Evaporated Milk
• 16 oz. - Heavy Whipping Cream
• 16 oz. - Cool Whip Whipped Topping
• 1 big pinch Saffron
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 big pinch Ground Cardamom
• Slivered Almond & golden raisin to garnish (optional)

Method:

• With a mortar and pestal, grind together Sugar, cardamom and Saffron.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine Sweetened Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk, Heavy Whipping Cream and Cool Whip.
• Using an electric hand blender (or by hand), gently mix all ingredients together.
• Add in Saffron, cardamom and sugar mixture. Mix well.
• Pour mixture into small dixie style plastic cups. Cover cups with foil. You can insert a wooden popsicle stick into the center. In my case. i used muffin tins.
• Freeze Kulfi for at least 4 – 6 hours, preferably overnight.
• Before serving you can sprinkle the slivered almond and golden raisin.