Penne in Spicy Garlic Sauce

Let's start off with a little wiki history, since I love finding out new information. There are few things we didn’t know about Penne. The best thing about Penne is its very practical design, the hollow center allows it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops. It’s an interesting design since penne ridges allow it to hold still more sauce, as well as offering an alternative textural option for certain dishes.

This weekend I was in the cooking mood, since I haven’t cooked anything in a while.  It was my first weekend off in over a month, where I didn’t have anything to do. I took advantage of that by being in the kitchen, doing what I love. This recipe came to me as I was searching in the pantry to make something. I didn’t feel like going grocery shopping since that would defeat the purpose of being at home. I looked through found a unopened box of penne and the rest sort of came to me on the way. Try it out for yourself, and don’t forget to leave me your comments.

Ingredients

• 1 box penne rigate
• 1 tbsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 stick of butter (8 tbsp.)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced finely
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 green chili, mined finely
• 1 medium tomato, mined finely
• salt, to taste
• block of pepper jack cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly sea salted water to a boil.
2. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and toss with olive oil 
3. Meanwhile, Heat butter in a large skillet over low heat
4. Sauté the garlic in the butter until it turns golden brown
5. Add the green chili and reduce heat, cook for two minutes
6. Turn the heat to medium high, add milk and chicken broth to the skillet and bring to boil.
7. Turn the heat to low and cook for five minutes or until the butter is separated from the milk/broth
8. Stir in cooked pasta, add salt and tomatoes stir again
9. To serve, add the pasta to a plate/bowl and grate pepper jack cheese on top.   

Result:

Culinary Fun With Tofu

Tofu, Yuck! That’s sounds disgusting, I’d rather eat dirt.

That’s the reaction most people have to tofu. I used to be one of those people since I had never eaten properly prepared tofu. You may not know it, but you are probably already eating foods containing soybeans, the main ingredient in tofu. Well I had my turn at it a year ago, I went over my aunt’s house and she prepared tofu (her specialty).  I was stuck between a hard place and a rock since I was hungry and couldn’t say no to her (actually no one can say no to her). To my surprise, I liked it!

Some Health Talk for all the health junkies: A serving contains 13% of your daily protein quota, with only 3% of your daily fat. It has no cholesterol, and 55 calories. So it's not good if you want to gain extra weight. In Asia, where soy-based diets have traditionally been the norm, rates of cancer and cardiovascular diseases are lower than in the Western world.

Plain tofu has no taste at all so you can think of tofu as your canvas, and the spices as your palette. You design your tofu to fit your taste buds. My days of experimenting with tofu has come a long way. See the recipe for yourself; try it first, judge later!  

6 cakes of tofu (diced into cubes)

1 red pepper (thinly sliced)

4 long green chili peppers (diced finely)

3 stocks of green onion (diced finely)

2 tbsp. ginger root (diced finely)

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup golden mountain seasoning sauce

6 whole black pepper corn

1 tbsp. red pepper powder

1 tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. black pepper powder

1 tbsp.  turmeric powder (haldi)

Salt according to taste

½ cup salted cashews

Iceberg  lettuce (chopped finely)

1. Drain the water from the tofu (you always do that, unless you want watery tofu--it's up to you.) Slice tofu into cube. Heat a wok or skillet, add oil, then all the tofu…cook until most of the water has evaporated.
2. Add the red peppers and green chili into the skillet. Cook until the tofu starts to turn brown, make sure stir the tofu gently, otherwise you will burn it and it won’t brown on all sides.
3. Reduce the heat to medium! Add the seasoning sauce and cover the skillet. Cook until the red peppers begin to soften, after that add the green onions and ginger to the skillet and stir the tofu.
4. While the red peppers are cooking, heat a small skillet over high heat, add 1 tbsp. of oil, cashews, black pepper corn and cumin to the skillet. Heat the mixture for a few minutes, until you can smell the cumin. Turn the heat off once the cashews reach a light brown color.
5. Add the mixture from the small skillet into the tofu. Add salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, and red pepper according to your taste and stir and cover the tofu for 5 minutes.
6. Your Done, its time to eat. To plate the dish, add ½ cup chopped lettuce into a plate, top it with the tofu and enjoy a healthy yet tasty dinner…

Please Post Reviews! Thanks...

Salmon Taco's

From a lifetime of flesh eating, I decided to take one step back this year into a healthy zone!

I am starting with being a pescetarian means one eats fish and vegetables but no meat. There are a few reasons why I decided to become a pescetarian. The main one being that a pescetarian diet is good for your health and the environment.

I will protect my body from heart attacks, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. This is because the diet is high in fiber, anti-oxidants and avoids saturated fats and hormones that are used as growth promoters. My decision to become a pescetarian is contributing to my own health, to the welfare of other people, to the welfare of animals and to the health of the planet. Today's recipe is dedicated to my new eating lifestyle.

Ingredients:

1 lb. salmon, skinned and cut into 2-3 ounce pieces  

1 lemon

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 bunch green onion, chopped

Taco seasoning made fresh:

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup  olive oil

1 medium red onion, 

1 medium red pepper

1 medium green pepper

1 (8 ounce) can small red kidney beans, drained

1 Box Spanish Rice (find it at the local grocery store international food section)

This is how I made them:  

• In a large bowl combine cilantro, green onion, cumin, salt, taco seasoning, and chili pepper (add if you like it spicy) together. Toss salmon in the bowl, set aside
• While the salmon is marinated, cook the Spanish rice ( you can follow the directions on the box). Add the kidney beans when you add the rice to the bowling water

• Heat large skillet over medium with the olive oil and cook red onion and red/green peppers, until they begin to soften
• Take the onion and red/green pepper out of the skillet and set aside
• Turn heat up to medium high. Add salmon to skillet.

• Cut the lemon into halves and squeeze the lemon juice on the salmon
• Lightly sear salmon for about 2-3 minutes, turning gently
• Cover the skillet and turn the heat to medium, let the salmon cook for 10 minutes
• Serve with warm flour tortillas, cooked onion and red/green pepper, salsa, sour cream, spanish rice and crisp romaine lettuce

I like mine with Spanish Rice on the side…

Punjabi Malai Koftas w/ a Twist

Koftas, meat balls originates from Iran and the middle east. It later spread to other Asian countries including India, dish called Malai Kofta. Its made with Lauki (squash) and is must for people suffering from digestive problems, are diabetic or convalescing, because  it is easily digestible and low in calories. Lauki is 96.1% water, so is light on the stomach and aids digestion.



Lauki (Squash)



Usually I make Kofta Sabji with Lauki, it’s a family recipe that my mother taught me a few months ago. However, the recipe below is not made with Lauki. Saturday was a busy day for me. I ran around doing one thing to another. In the evening, we were having a family dinner. It was just my father and I at the house in the afternoon. As we were sitting there watching TV, it dawned on me that we had nothing made in the house, nothing fresh at least. The last dish made in the house was the Bhindi and it was just enough for one person. I remembered that I had bought Lauki a few days ago but didn't feel like going through the process of making it. I definitely wanted kofta sabji to be made but with no one in the house that could cook except I, I would have to make it myself. For a minute, I let my mind wander into making something else, that how I discovered the paneer in the freezer. I thought wait...making paneer kofta sabji would be even better, since my taste buds overpowered my mind; it was a go. I saw some spinach next and was sold. Being bored at home on a Saturday afternoon, results in new a recipe. So here is the recipe I made on Saturday evening.  The dish actually turned out, Good! 

Ingredients:

Kofta



Paneer

300 grams paneer (look in the freezer in any Indian grocery store)

6 slices bread – sides removed (recommendation: whole wheat) 

3 tbsp. dahi (Yogurt)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 green chili – chopped finely

1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander

1/2 cup spinach -chopped, boiled and strained

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. red chili powder

3 tbsp. All Purpose flour

Gravy

4 tbsp. olive oil
1 large red onion
2 tomatoes
4 cloves
3/4 cup of roasted cashews
1 red pepper - thinly sliced
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1/2 tbsp. red chili powder
1/2 tbsp. garam masala
salt to taste

The wow factor:
1 tbsp. ghee
1″ piece ginger – cut into match sticks
2 green chilies – slit lengthways
1/2 tsp. red chili powder

Directions:

1. To prepare koftas, spread dahi on each slice of bread to wet it.
2. After spreading dahi on both sides of bread, keep aside for a minute. 
3. In a bowl, mash the paneer and spinach together.
4. Add baking powder, green chilies and coriander.
5. Mash the bread slices and mix with the paneer.
6. Add salt, pepper & red chili powder to taste.
7. Add flour at the end. Mix well. The mixture should have dough like consistency.
8. Spread oil on both hands and make medium size balls out of the dough. You should be able to make about 20 balls.
9. Deep fry 4-5 pieces at a time, in medium hot oil and keep aside to cool.
10. To prepare the gravy, place a pan (something you use to make chili or curry) over medium heat, heat olive oil.
11. Chop red onion and tomato and grind into a paste.
12. Add the onion – tomato paste and cook until onion start to turn brown/red.
13. Add the red pepper (thinly sliced), cashews and cook till mixture turns dry.
14. Add spices – coriander powder, red chili powder, aamchur and salt to taste. Sauté further for 6-8 minutes on medium flame, till oil separates.
15. Add 2 cups water to make a thin gravy and sauté for another 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the heat low until you’re ready to serve.
16. At serving time, turn the heat back to medium and place the koftas into the gravy, avoid stirring.  Heat for 3-4 minutes. until the gravy starts to bubble.
17. Remove from fire and gently transfer to a serving dish.
18. For extra zing to wow your guests, take a small pan and heat over medium heat.
19. Add ghee and ginger to the pan. When ginger turns brownish, shut off the flame.
20. Add green chilies and red chili powder and immediately pour the oil on the koftas in the serving dish.

Enjoy with roti, rice or naan...

My favorite combo: Koftas and Roti with side salad YUM! 

Quick and Simple Bhindi (Okra)

One of the first recipe’s I learned from my mother. Okra is an eclectic vegetable with a lot of different ways of preparation. It can be chopped into pieces stir fried with spices, pickled , salted or added to gravy-based preparations.. Its rich in vitamins A, B6, C, folic acid and fiber for all my health conscious folks.

Yesterday was a hectic day at work because I got to work early and left late. To top it off yesterday was Lohri (Indian harvest festival) and I wanted some lohri eats so I trucked to the Indian grocery store to get some Gajak (dessert item traditionally eaten during Lohri). However, to my luck it was out of stock so I bought some grocery items for the house (green chilis, naan and squash) and drove myself home in traffic. Did I say it was hectic day? When I got home my amazing dad had already went grocery shopping. He told me about all the things he bought for me; all my favorite vegetables and fruits (green peppers, eggplant, okra, plums, oranges, strawberries). Amazing dad right? Bhindi happens to be my second favorite vegetable, after eggplant. Right then and there as I took out the groceries I bought, I decided to cook okra. Its fast, simple, and tastes awesome. And because it made me happy!

Ingredients:

1 lbs. okra

½ cup olive oil
1 red onion (medium)
2-3 green chili hot
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. red pepper (extra hot)

1/2 tbsp. aamchur (mango powder)
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
Salt, red pepper and aamchur should be added according to your taste

Directions:

1.      Using a strainer, wash the okra under cold water. Let the water drain out completely else the okra becomes sticky and stringy.

2.      Cut the okra round about 1/2 inch wide. Trim the ends

3.      Take a large pan and put it over medium heat

4.      Add the olive oil and heat the oil for 1-2 minutes, pay close attention: do not burn the oil

5.      Add the cut okra to the pan and shake the pan to layer the okra evenly, you are stir frying the okra

Tip from my mother: When cooking okra the less you touch it with a utensil the better! Okra has a habit of becoming sticky and stringy.

6.      Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes

7.      Every 2-3 minutes shake the pan to toss the okra

8.      Meanwhile, slice the red onion and using your hands, take out the layers of the onion.

9.      Now, cut the green chili peppers round 1/2 inch wide

10.  After 8-10 minutes, open the pan cover and layer the onion and pepper over the okra

11.  Add salt, red pepper, turmeric powder

12.  Taking a spoon or spatula lightly toss the okra with the rest the of the ingredients. Be very gentle with the okra

13.  Place the cover back on the pan and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the onions become tender

14.  Add aamchur powder and take the pan off the heat

Tip from my mother: add the aamchur last. aamchur naturally tends to make the okra sticky and stringy. by adding the aamchur last you avoid this.

Bhindi goes well with roti and side of sweet dahi (yogurt)
Just the way I like it!

Mexican Ensemble

I learned this recipe from my friend, Brian. We used to have random dinner nights where he would come over and cook dinner for me. His way of making sure I eat during exam time.  I used to forget to eating, sleeping, friends, family, pets...when I had an exam; engineering student, you can understand the pressure.

He learned this recipe from his neighbor’s mother in law. I love making this recipe every time I crave spicy Mexican food, last night was one of those cases. An awesome dish equipped with all my favorite: beans, corn, salsa, peppers, and flour tortillas.  Here is recipe with a bit of my own changes added*.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. oil (olive, canola, or vegetable)

1-1.5 lbs. ground meat (turkey, chicken, or beef)

1 packet taco seasoning (my recommendation Old El Paso in original, milk, or hot & spicy)

1 cup cooked light red kidney beans (14 oz. canned beans can be used, if desired)

1 cup tomato (diced) 

2 tbsp. jalapeno peppers

2 hot green chili pepper* (skip if you prefer mild taste) 

1/2 cup cooked corn* ( canned corn can be used, if desired)

14 oz. bottle of salsa ( my recommendation chi chi’s Hot salsa, be careful with it)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

4 medium flour tortilla's

1 cup shredded lettuce*

Salt to taste

Red pepper to taste *

Optional: sour cream, jalapeno hot sauce, tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan with 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat
2. Using a masher, mash your choice of ground meat and add it to the pan.
3. Cook the ground meat until all of the water has evaporated out of the pan.
4. Using a strainer, drain the excess oil out of the ground meat.
5. Add the ground meat back to the pan and stir in the taco seasoning.
6. Now add the diced tomato and pepper to the pan, cook until the tomatoes soften.
7. If your using canned ingredients, open all of them up and using a strainer wash them thoroughly under hot water
8. Now add the light kidney beans, corn and jalapeno peppers to the pan. stir until all the ingredients are mixed together equally.
9. When you see there is little no water left in the pan, add the salsa slowly. This means add it in increments so that you don't go crazy and make the dish super spicy! I suggest 1/3 cup should be the max salsa you add . 
10. And Mexican cheese to the pan. Stir again and cover the pan.
11. Turn the pan heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
12. Meanwhile, cut the flour tortilla into 2x1 rectangles. after 2-3 minutes open the cover
13. Stop: Taste the mixture for salt and spiciness, here is when you add salt and/or red peppers to suite your taste, if needed. Stir the mixture   
14. Make a single layer on top of the mixture with the rectangles, cover the pan and turn the heat off. Let it stay covered for 3-4 minutes.
15. Uncover the pan and add another layer of the lettuce of top of the rectangles.
16. Yup! Its ready...Serve hot with sour cream, jalapeno sauce or tortilla chips if desired

Please leave comments of your reviews. Thanks

  

Amritsari Chole (Chickpea)

One of my mother's best, awesome, super-duper tasty recipes. The recipes perception is from my hometown, birth place Amritsar, India. There are many ways to make chole but none are more famous than the amritsari chole.  It was handed down to me a few years back by my mother. It’s easy to follow with easy to find ingredients at your local Indian store. Don't be deterred by the long list of ingredients. The ingredients are a key in making this delicious recipe legendary. Post comments with your review of the recipe.

 

 

Appliance used:

• Fry pan
• Pressure cooker
• Magic Bullet
• Fancy dish/bowl

Ingredients:

1 cup chole (chickpeas)

1 teabag  

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. salt

1/4 cup ghee

2 bay leaves

1 large yellow onion- finely chopped

1 tbsp. garlic- finely chopped

2-3 green chilies - finely chopped

3-4 tomatoes - finely chopped

1 tbsp. ginger - finely chopped

1/4 cup green coriander - finely chopped

 1/2 tsp. aamchur (mango powder)

 1/2 tbsp. garam masala

 1/2 tbsp. Red Chilies

 1 tbsp. dry Coriander Powder

1 small red onion-chopped

  

Ingredients: dry spice mix 

2 bay leaves

1/2 tbsp. jeera

1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds

4-6 pieces clove

3-4 black pepper pods

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tbsp. anardana (pomegranate seeds)

1/2 tbsp. garam masala

  

Do this the day before:

• Soak chole (chickpeas) in water to soak overnight.
• Make the dry masala (secret ingredient of the recipe)

Preparing dry masala:

1. Take a medium fry pan and put it over medium heat
2. Once the pan is hot, add bay leaves and jeera to the fry pan and toss it until you start to smell the jeera (its a distinct smell)
3. Next add coriander seeds, cloves, black pepper pods, cinnamon stick and anardaana to the fry pan, toss the mixture for 2 minutes
4. Next add the garam masala and toss for another minute. The mixture to start to look blackish/brown
5. Once the desired color is reached, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes
6. Now take your mixture and grind it using your choice of appliance. I prefer using a grinder like Turbo Bullet (its quick and easy to use)

Making the Dish:

1. Take a pressure cooker and place it over high heat
2. Now add chole, tea bag, baking powder, salt, 4 cups of water and cover the pressure cooker
3. Next boil chole for 10-15 minutes in the pressure cooker. When you hear the 1st whistle of the pressure cooker, take the pressure cooker off the heat
4. When the steam has settled, open the pressure cooker and check the chole. If you can easily crush the chole, discard the tea bag otherwise cook the chole for another 5-10 minutes.
5. In a separate pan heat oil and add bay leaves and then fry the onions till golden brown
6. Add garlic and fry for another 2 minutes
7. Now add the green peppers (leave 1 tbsp. for garnish) and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes
8. Next add the tomatoes (leave 1/2 cup for garnish) and fry until the tomatoes are no longer stiff.
9. Now add the dry Masala, prepared the day before
10. Add aamchur, garam masala, coriander powder and fry until the oil gets separated from the mixture
11. Now turn on the heat under the pressure cook and turn off the heat from the fry pan
12. Add the fry pan mixture (tarka) to the pressure cooker
13. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it simmer under low heat for 10 minutes 

Tips:

• If the curry looks too thick then add some water. 
• Mash some of the chole by pressing it with a spatula to give it a thick consistency like thick cream.

Now take out your mouth watering chole from the pressure cooker in a fancy dish/bowl and garnish it with chopped coriander, green chilies, and red onion. 

Serve it with bhature, Puri , Naan, Rice or Roti

 

 

My Favorite Combo: Chole Bhature