Beef (halfway) Kalabhuna

Heat shallots in canola or vegetable oil. Add minced garlic and ginger, dried  red chilies, cloves, black pepper corn, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, gram masala powder,  pinch of mace powder and pinch of nutmeg powder, crushed bay leaves, salt. Add cubed beef, bone in and with fat. Stir in high heat until meat browned. Add potatoes. Stir a few more minutes and add a cup of water. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Check periodically to make sure spices are not burning, and add more water if it starts burning or the liquid dries up. After the 40 minutes add more water, another 1.5-2 cups. Pick out the potatoes and set aside if they're breaking from being overcooked. Cover and let simmer for another 60 minutes and checking periodically and adding water as necessary.

Separately, heat mustard oil (enough to deep fry onions) and fry sliced shallots until brown. Add a bit of garlic minced, let that cook few minutes. Add dried red chilies and green chilies. When the 60 minutes is done in the other pan, add the potatoes back and pour the fried onions, and all the oil into the beef. Time frying the onions such that it's hot when you pour it.

After adding the onion mixture, stir, cover and let it sit for about five minutes. Then turn heat up, stir for a few minutes, sprinkle with garam masala and cumin powders, and more salt to taste if needed.

Voila!

This is SUPER SPICY and not for the faint of heart. It is "halfway" kalabhuna because I took some of the suggestions from a kalabhuna recipe. That recipe is here: https://youtu.be/fPHxBQzaAzI

Filled Puff Pastry Pillows

For the filling:

Take some oil on a pan, add diced onions and saute until brown. Add peas and tiny diced potatoes. Add salt, some cumin, turmeric and garlic powders. Stir fry until potatoes are cooked. Add some wedges of laughing cow cheese... I used pepper jack.

For shell:

Take one package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet. Thaw the sheets and preheat oven to 400F. Lay out the sheets. Cut each sheet into 12 rectangles. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and lay out rectangles. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed like pillows. Take out of oven, make holes at the center of the pillows gently with teaspoon and put in 1-2 teaspoons of filling in each. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown like in photo.

I'm sure it'll work great with many other filings!

Daal (lentils) and Pumpkin Soup

Made this as a soup for 11-12 people... below is exactly what I did, will have to adapt for smaller portions.

Mix 2 cups masoor daal and 1 cup moong daal (or red and yellow lentils), wash and soak lentils in water for 30 minutes. Put on stove with lots of water. Simmer with 1.5 teaspoon turmeric powder until lentils are cooked. Add salt. Add cumin powder, one jar patak's mild curry sauce, 15 oz pure pumpkin puree, kaffir lime leaves. Let cook another 30 minutes. Soup will be thick so add chicken stock to make more volume... I added about half a large box. Add cilantro and heavy cream.

Taste and add salt or other spices as you need. Daal is very forgiving and you can play around with quantities/ingredients :)

I kept it in a crock pot on warm for 4-5 hours for convenience, but think it enhanced the flavor more!

Another smoothie

Green smoothies look almost too unappetizing to post but many of them are so delicious I want to save and share the recipes. In one serving, this one has:

One avocado

Cup of raspberries

Half cup of carrots 

One navel orange

Fresh Smoothie

Delicious and super refreshing dairy-free smoothie...

For each serving,

One orange

Half cup fresh raspberries

Half cup carrots

Cup of spinach

Ice

Blend in nutri ninja.

Garam Masala Daal

Soak lentils in water for 30 minutes. Take saucepan and add lentils, water, green chilies and chopped onions. Add turmeric and salt. Cook on medium heat until lentils are cooked. Divide soup into halves. Use hand blender to blend half and then add back the other half for texture. Sprinkle with garam masala and cumin powders. Add cilantro. Serve!

Green Smoothie

For each serving:

1/2 avocado

1/2 cucumber

1/2 orange 

Cup of spinach

Blend in Ninja single serving cup. 

I'd recommend adding a full orange or an apple or some orange juice to make it sweeter/tastier

Challah and Milk Bread

Challah bread... Next time i want to add twice the honey.... Also make the recipe into two so strands are not too thick, and tent with foil to keep from Browning too much.

Recipe from: http://toriavey.com/how-to/2010/08/challah-bread-part-1-the-blessing-and-the-dough/

Milk Bread Buns... recipe from: http://www.instructables.com/id/Asian-Sweet-Bread-Hong-Kong-Pai-Bao-Hokkaido-Mil/

I didn't like ot very much... nit soft ad sweet like I had hoped.

Kadahi Chili Spice Chicken

Rub diced chicken breast pieces with cumin, coriander, cayenne, garam masala, garlic and ginger powders and set aside.

Heat oil and add whole cumin, coriander, peppercorn and dry red chilies. When seeds splutter add diced onion and mined garlic. Cook until browned. Add tomato paste, and cumin, coriander, cayenne, garlic, ginger and garam masala powders and stir fry until spice saice thickens and separates from oil. Add chicken, green chilies and salt, and stir on high heat until it looks like picture. Add fresh cilantro and serve.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Mix cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, garam masala, black pepper and cayenne powders (about half teaspoons each). Cut chicken breast (2 pieces) into bite size pieces and add salt and spice mix. Heat 3-4 tbsp of oil in a pan and cook chicken until done and set aside.

In the same oil, add half of one onion diced, 2 tsp minced garlic, 3 curry leaves, and 2 green chilies chopped or slivered. Add 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods, 4 black peppercorns and stir until onion is browned. Add tomato paste (6oz can), 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 0.5 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp paprika, pinch of fenugreek powder and salt and keep stirring on low heat for sauce to thicken. Add a cup of heavy cream slowly while stirring. Add the cooked chicken and fresh cilantro. Sprinkle 0.5 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp ghee. Cook on low heat few more minutes.

mother of all thai curries

We've been trying to recreate the Penang curry recipe from Taste of Thai, Fayetteville for years. We've gotten good curries but none of them exactly like the one. Today was attempt number 555 and although it is not the same as their's, this is the best Thai curry I've made or had.

Here's the recipe: Put pan on stove and add peanut oil, just enough to cover the bottom. Dice Thai ginger and put in pan along with kaffir lime leaves, basil leaves, and Thai chillies. Let the flavors infuse into the oil. Add Mae Ploy pastes: red curry, penang curry and yellow curry- equal amounts of each and stir. Take a can of coconut milk and add about quarter cup of the coconut milk and stir. Add salt and brown sugar. Add Jiff creamy peanut butter and rest of the coconut milk and stir. Add a dash of fish sauce. Add crushed red pepper to increase heat.

Separately, add salt and cayenne to shrimp. Take little oil in a pan and fry the shrimp until cooked. Then add shrimp to the curry. Let sit on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy the amazing shrimp curry.

Some of the ingredients I used....

Butternut Squash Soup

Peel and cut butternut squash into one inch cubes- about 2 lbs. Take 32 oz chicken stock in saucepan. Add cubed butternut squash, 1.5 diced onions, 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg powder, 0.5 teaspoon paprika, sprinkle of cinnamon, sprinkle of cayenne, salt to taste, and simmer until squash is temder... about 45 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoon butter and handful of cilantro (optional). Blend... I used an immersion blender.

Serve!

If you like it creamy, add 1/8 cup milk or cream in each serving. Use a dollop of sour cream if you like.

"Dali Shrimp" inspired by PF Chang's Dali Chicken

Sprinkle shrimp with chili and turmeric powders and salt.

Fry in wok in oil until red and set aside.

In wok, add more oil if necessary.

Add sliced onions, julienned green chilies and thinly sliced potatoes.

Sprinkle with more turmeric and chili powders and salt to taste.

Stir on medium heat until potatoes are almost cooked.

Add siracha and soy sauce.

Stir until potatoes are cooked.

Add shrimp and dried red chilies.

Nutella Mug Cake

Not sure why I never tried to make a mug cake before but OMG it's delicious! try at your own risk because it is TOO EASY!

the recipe is from: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/nutella-mug-cake/

Alton Brown' French Toast with Syrup

Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/french-toast-recipe/index.html

Chingri Malaicurry with Tomatoes

Dim Korma

Sheekh Kabab and Aloo Chips

Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip

Take shredded cheddar, chopped cilantro and slivered almonds or chopped pecans in a bowl. Add enough mayo to bond ingredients. Spread hot pepper jelly on top. Chill.

Enjoy with crackers...

Shrimp Curry

Take raw shrimp. Sprinkle with Cayenne and Turmeric Powders. Heat oil in wok and fry shrimp until cooked and set aside.

Using the same oil, add minced onion and garlic. Sauté until browned. Add green chilies and salt. Add cayenne powder and ginger powder. Keep stirring on medium heat. Add spoonfuls of water every minute or so... this will prevent drying up or burning of spices. Sauce consistency should be like posted picture. Add the fried shrimp. Stir fry. Sprinkle with garam masala powder and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!