ravenously

more recipes from Rahul’s mom

Chicken Curry
2 chopped onions

1 small can of tomato paste (6 oz)

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (or 1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger minced)

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1 stick cinnamon

4 cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 tbsp butter or oil

small can of coconut milk (4 oz? 6 oz?)

salt

Powder all the spices in a blender. Fry onions in butter or oil until brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Add tomato paste. Cook on low heat until tomato paste is very well fried (at least 5 minutes). Add powdered spices, fry some more (5 minutes). Add chicken and salt to taste. And cook on low heat until tender (may take about 30 minutes). After chicken is almost done, add coconut milk. Heat for 5 more minutes.

Potato Bhaji
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp urad dal (optional)
~10 curry leaves (optional)
2 chopped onions lengthwise
4 green chilis
4 red potatoes, boiled, peeled, and quartered
lemon juice
cilantro

heat oil and add mustard seeds. after spattering, add everything except potatoes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add potatoes. Add salt to taste until cooked (about 10 minutes). Add some lemon juice to taste. Add chopped cilantro.

Masala Dosa
1/2 cup urad dal
1 1/4 cup white long-grain rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1 tsp fenugreek seed
salt

Soak everything for 2 hours, blend into batter. Keep overnight. Salt to taste.

Chutney
1 cup dessicated coconut
4 green chilis fried in oil
3 whole red chilis fried in oil
some asaeofetida
salt to taste
mustard seeds
curry leaves

blend in blender. season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

from Cook’s Illustrated Sept/Oct 2007… haven’t tried it yet, but I want to, so I’m saving the recipe here for future reference:

Chicken Tikka:

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp table salt

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp)

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Masala sauce:

3 Tbsp veg oil

1 medium onion, diced fine (about 1.25 c)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 serrano chile, minced (ribs/seeds removed)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp garam masala

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp table salt

2/3 c. heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. For the chicken: combine spices and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mix adheres. Put on plate, cover w/plastic wrap, refrigerate 30-60 mins. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger, and set aside.

2. For sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until light golden (8-10 mins). Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala. Cook ~3 mins till fragrant (stir frequently). Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover, and simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to about 6 inches from heating element (upper middle rack). Preheat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture to cover with thick layer, and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken till thickest parts are 160 degrees and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10-18 mins, flipping halfway through.

4. Let chicken rest 5 mins, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce–do not simmer chicken in sauce. Stir in cilantro, adjust salt, and serve.

Also, ricotta gnocchi:

1 15 or 16-oz container whole-milk ricotta

2 large slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into quarters

1 large egg

2 Tbsp minced fresh basil

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 oz. Parmesan, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Sauce:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 small shallot, minced

2 tsp minced fresh sage

1 tsp juice from 1 lemon

1/8 tsp salt

For gnocchi: Drain in a strainer lined w/3 layers coffee filters or paper towels for 1 hr.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Process bread in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Spread on baking sheet and toast till dry and just golden, about 10 mins, stirring once. Let cool to room temp. Should be about 1/2 cup crumbs.

Transfer drained ricotta to food processor and pulse till curds break down to fine, grainy consistency, about 8 1-sec pulses.

Using rubber spatula, combine ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add flour, Parmesan, and bread crumbs. Stir till well combined, Refrigerate for 15 mins. Check texture of dough (should turn into a ball, not too sticky) and add more flour if needed.

Lightly dust work surface w/flour. With floured hands, roll lemon-sized piece of dough into 3/4″ rope, rolling from center outwards. Cut into 3/4″ long pieces and transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

For sauce: melt butter in 12-inch skillet over med-high heat, about 90 seconds, till butter is browned. Off heat, add shallot and sage, stirring till shallot is fragrant, about 1 min. Stir in lemon juice and salt.

To cook gnocchi: Bring 4 quarts water to boil, add 1 Tbsp salt, reduce heat till water is simmering, gently drop 1/2 of gnocchi into water and cook till all pieces float to surface. Continue to simmer another 2 mins or so, till gnocchi are cooked through. Remove using slotted spoon, repeat w/remaining gnocchi.

Or, tomato cream sauce:

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, pureed until smooth

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

2 Tbsp heavy cream

Cook garlic first, then tomatoes, salt and sugar, simmer 5-6 mins till thickened. Remove from heat and add basil and cream.

In a small skillet, fry a Tbsp of ginger-garlic paste in a little oil until fragrant. Add a spoonful of sesame seeds, cover, and toast. Turn off the heat.

In a larger skillet, saute vegetables:

• 1/2 onion, sliced into half-moons
• Mixed red, green, and yellow bell peppers cut into strips (I used Trader Joe’s Pepper Medley)
• 2 shredded carrots
• 1/2 shredded zucchini

Scramble 2 eggs, add soy sauce, black pepper, and sugar and pan-fry the eggs and cut them into strips. Mix with the veggies.

Make sauce: mix the sesame seed/garlic/ginger mixture with 3 Tbsp peanut butter, some turkey broth (I used 1 frozen broth cube from our cache in the freezer, melted in the microwave), a drizzle of sesame oil, soy sauce, water, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Mix the peanut sauce with the veggies and garnish with cilantro and green onions.

very good with the cornmeal muffins:
1 can crabmeat from TJ’s
1 rib celery, chopped
lots of paprika
salt
cracked pepper
most of a container of light whipped cream cheese
2 green onions, snipped

mix everything together.

Chicken thighs in blood orange-soy sauce
I made a marinade from:
freshly squeezed juice and zest of two Tarocco blood oranges
5 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
a dash of whiskey
red pepper flakes
snipped green onions
a few spoonfuls of cane sugar
salt
a few spoonfuls of soy sauce
a dash of maple syrup
a dash of honey vinegar
black pepper
dried oregano
a spoonful of toasted sesame oil
cornstarch

I cut organic boneless chicken thighs into chunks, pierced the pieces with a knife, and let marinate for about 1/2 hour. When the time was up, I dumped it all into a pan and cooked till the chicken was cooked through and the sauce had reduced somewhat. Mixed cornstarch with a little cold water then added to the sauce to thicken it.

I also made green beans from frozen TJ’s beans: sauteed 1/2 fresh yellow onion, chopped, until browned, then added the beans and stir-fried until cooked through. I emptied the beans and onions into a bowl and tossed with chutney podi.

Served with brown basmati rice.

Tomatillo salsa

Used the recipe from here, except with red onion instead of white, and Thai bird peppers instead of Serrano:
1 lb. tomatillos, washed, husked, and cut into halves or wedges, depending on the size
5 green Thai bird peppers
1 red onion, sliced into rings
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
Salt
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Broil the tomatillos and chilis in a cast-iron pan under the broiler, turning once, until slightly blackened and softened. Empty the pan into a bowl.

Put the onions and garlic into the pan and lower the oven to 425 degrees. Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are soft and brown and the garlic is lightly browned.

Put the chilis, onions, and garlic into the food processor and puree until smooth.

Add the cilantro, tomatillos, salt, and lime, and puree until mostly smooth.

also this weekend: corn muffins using Northern corn bread recipe (with green onions, red pepper flakes, nonfat cottage cheese, frozen corn kernels), and cottage cheese pancakes using Nels’s recipe, halved, with cinnamon and nutmeg:
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup flour
salt
sugar
nutmeg
cinnamon

Mixed the yolks with the cottage cheese, seasonings, and flour. Whipped the whites to stiff peaks using the hand beater and folded into the batter. Pan-fried (burned all of them, sadly).

and maple sugar fest, where we ate vanilla ice cream with maple syrup, tasted grade A dark amber vs. artificial, and tried some very watery sap on a cracker, and maple cream on a cornmeal cake.

Starting from a cold pan, fry two slices of bacon, chopping into pieces with the spatula as they cook.

Add 1 chopped yellow onion and 3 cloves garlic, minced. Cook till the onion is lightly browned.

Fill the pot with tomatoes. I added about 5 large frozen tomatoes saved from the summer farmer’s market; also a turkey stock cube, a spoonful of dried oregano, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds, then covered the pot and cooked on high, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes melted, and then blended them with a stick blender.

Added a couple of cubes of frozen basil, about 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I had made these from blitzed up ends of New York Times bread, and was keeping them in a jar in the pantry) to thicken the sauce, added some frozen spinach, simmered for a bit, then poured over whole wheat rotini and cubed fresh mozzarella.

Blackened Fish

Hot and Spicy Seasoning

1 Tbsp dried basil

1.5 tsp white pepper

1.5 tsp dried thyme

1.25 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

mix all ingredients, yields 1/2 cup, serving size 1 Tbsp.

Chili and Spice Seasoning

1/4 cup paprika

2 Tbsp dried crushed oregano

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard

mix and store

Use one part of each to marinate tilapia.

Eggplant Parmesan

Peel and slice eggplant

Soak slices in cold salted water for 10 mins

Dip eggplant in raw egg, then Italian breadcrumbs. Fry in thin layer of oil (brown on boths ides). Drain eggplant.

Place eggplant in baking dish–arrange in layers with mozzarella cheese on top of each slice. Pour marinara sauce over and bake at 350 degrees until it’s hot and the cheese melts.

Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chopped onion

3 1/2 cups Italian tomatoes

2 cups tomato sauce

1 1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup water or meat stock

1 tsp dried bsail

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp ground sage

1 tsp salt

dash black pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil, add garlic and onions, cook until onions are light brown. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for 1 hr, stirring.