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Samosa is almost as universal as Doner Kebabs and an immensely loved street food. Over time its fillings are become more versatile but the traditional filling, however will always be the spiced potato one from any street food vendor or herbed minced meat filling for more 'auspicious' teatime. While readily available, I also like to make them at home or make and freeze them for later use. I've adapted this recipe so that the samosa can be deep fried, which is the proper and traditional way, or brushed with oil and baked or air fried. You can double or triple the recipe as you please but if you do, please use a bigger mixer with a dough hook. The current recipe is a food processor friendly quantity using a dough blade. Add the flour, salt, toasted white cumin and clarified butter to your mixer. Give it a good mix so that fine crumbs form. Mix the yogurt in the water add it bit by bit to the flour mix. Mix till large clumps form and it begins to bind together. Slowly the dough will come together. Take out and knead for a minute and let the dough rest for 15 minutes covered with a damp tea towel. There are two ways to get the samosa rolling part done Method 1: Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 2" thick log and cut crosswise into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece into a ball between your palms and then flatten it. Now roll out each piece to a 6" round disk. Dust with flour and keep under a damp kitchen towel until all the disks are ready Method 2: Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out into a larger disk. Use a round bowl with an approximate 6" diameter and use that to cut out the disks and repeat until all the dough is used up. Keep all the disks under a damp kitchen towel and start filling immediately. Take one disk and cut it from the center into two semi circles. Dip your finger into a bowl of water and run the wet finger along the edges. This will help seal the shell. With the curve side of the disk towards you, lift the left corner and bring it halfway towards the center. Lift and move the right corner till its over lapping the left side and press down to seal them tightly and make a cone. Pinch the tip to ensure a good seal. Fill the 3/4th of the cone with the filling of your choice. Press the filling down lightly with the back of the spoon. Seal the overlapping bottom side of cone together tightly. Make sure its a good seal lest the shells open up during frying. Either cover the samosas and fry the same day or line the samosas on a metal tray to freeze. Once frozen, let defrost for 2 minutes and move into a container or freezer zip lock bag and place back into the freezer. Defrost for an hour or two at room temperature before frying or baking. To deep fry: Heat the oil and deep fry till golden brown. To bake: Place on a baking tray lined with butter paper and brush with oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 15 minutes, flip over,brush with oil and bake for another 10 till golden brown. Ingredients 1 1/4 cup All purpose Flour 1/4 Cup Melted Butter or Clarified Butter 2 Tbsp Yogurt Mixed in 1/4 Cup Water 1/8 tsp Baking Soda 1 Tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Toasted Cumin Seeds Method Combine flour, salt, toasted cumin seeds and baking soda and the butter. Mix till fine crumbs form. Slowly add the mixture of yogurt and water to form bigger clumps and eventually bring the dough together. Knead for 5 min and let dough rest for 15-20 min. Roll out 6" disks. One by one cut disks into equal parts to for semi circles. Moisten the edges of each semi circle. Lift corner and bring towards middle. Over lap the other corner and press together tightly to bind shell making a hollow cone. Fill the cone with filling. Seal the bottom tightly. Repeat until all the samosas are made. Deep fry or brush with oil and bake till golden brown.

There will always be some flavors that you associate with seasons and start to crave them right about that time of the year. Come Spring, Kanji is one such tangy drink that has my mouth watering just from the anticipation of it. It’s definitely an acquired taste but if you enjoy tangy flavors, already have Kefir Water or Kombucha– you must give this a try. Kanji is a fermented drink made using purple (or black) carrots. Purple? Black? CARROTS? The ticker running through your head reads: ‘You have got to be kidding me!’… but seriously ! I’m not! Purple carrots are the real thing! The originals (pun intended), the mighty ancestors from which red, orange and yellow carrots were cultivated. Loaded with the most beta carotene and powerful antioxidants like Anthocyanin, purple carrots are an age old super food and are even more potent as a fermented pro-biotic drink. To begin with, sterilize the jar/jug and any utensils that will be coming in contact with the carrots or the water or spices. This ensures that there is a minimum chance of bacteria spoiling the batch. There is plenty of salt in there to keep bad bacteria at bay but it helps to be careful. I used a Milton sterilizing tablet instead of using hot water like we do for mason jars. You can do either. Wash and scrub the carrots and peel the skin off. You can slice them in thick circles but I personally prefer them as sticks. A word of warning…..they are a gorgeous purple but that doesn’t look very pretty on the hands and cuticles. So I strongly suggest that you wear disposable or kitchen gloves while handling the carrots. Once cut into sticks, rinse the carrots and drain all the water. Use a mortar and a pestle to crush the mustard seeds slightly. Or use your grinder! Measure out all the salt and add that to the 1- 1.5 liter of water to make a strong brine in the jar or jug. A strong brine creates an unfavorable environment for bad bacteria (ie : mold) giving the carrots time to ferment in the brine. Please taste the brine, its be a strong salty flavor. Once ready after 7 days, the remaining 1 liter of water or more can be topped up. Add the carrot sticks to the jar along with the coarsely ground mustard seeds and red chili powder and stir well. The red chili powder is really optional but it gives the drink quite the kick. Pour in the brine so that it covers the carrots well even though they will float on the surface a bit. Let it sit on your kitchen counter in a sunny spot for 3-5 days. Traditionally the jars were placed in the sun. There will be some natural froth on the surface for the first 3-5 days. Just gently rotate the jar to swirl the contents insider daily so that the same carrots sticks aren’t exposed to air daily. There should be NO mold. If you notice any forming on the surface, please sprinkle more salt. If it continues to grown, the batch will have to be disposed. The carrot sticks will initially float but will slowly sink to the bottom around day 5 or 6. You can actually taste it now and add more salt or red chili powder… If it is less sour than your liking add some more mustard seeds. Once the Kanji is ready, you will notice a deeper purple hue and a richer texture. You can move the jar to a cooler dark spot or even in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation. The drink and the crisp carrots can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Dark, delicious and deeply addictive! It’s quite something I tell you. Ingredients 1 kg Purple/Black Carrots 2-3 Liters Water – Bottled or Boiled & cooled 4-5 Tablespoons Mustard Seeds 2 Tablespoons Salt 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder (optional) 3-4 Liters Jar/Jug- glass or opaque Sterilize the jar and equipment. Method Use a mortar and pestle and crush the mustard seeds lightly. Use either bottled water or boil and cool tap water. Pour the water into a jar followed by the salt and stir well. Scrub and wash the carrots. Peel the carrots and cut into sticks. Wear gloves to prevent hands from staining. Rinse the carrots sticks and add to the jar of brine. Add the red chili powder and the mustard seeds. Let the jar sit in a sunny spot for 3-4 days. Stir daily or shake the jar mildly to get the contents moving inside. Move to a cool spot when ready after 4-6 days depending of the seasonal temperature. #purple #carrots #kali #gajar #fermented #drinks #cultures #probiotic #betacarotene #antioxidants #anthocyanie #blackcarrot #naturalhealing

“I’m hunger”… … … “Is there anything to eat?”… … … “But I just had a banana!?!” It’s like a never ending chorus these days that never fails to get a reaction from my eyeballs! And there will be plenty of that kind of whiny singing all summer long. Sigh! So I have taught them how to make Eggy Cheesy Bread! Thick slices of bread smeared with Homemade Salsa and dipped in an egg and two cheeses batter and then toasted in the skillet. Sigh! (Anything with cheese just warrants a sigh!) Whisk together the two eggs, milk, flour and salt until you have a smooth batter. De=seed and chop up the green chilies and slice the basil leaves very finely. Grate the mild Cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese. I prefer my bread slices with their side on but you can remove them if you want. (And reuse or feed it to the birds I hope) You can also use a crusty loaf, that’s even more delicious! Add the basil leaves, chilies, Cheddar and Parmesan cheese to the batter. Stir well and let sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to fuse together. Meanwhile smear 1 tablespoon of store bought or Homemade Salsa onto each slice of bread. If you do not have any salsa at hand, you can substitute it by finely chopping a tomato, seasoning it with salt and use that instead…. Or you can even skip it all together. Did I mention that this makes a speedy and very satisfying midnight meal? I sometime cheat on the kids long after they are asleep and make these just for Gadget Guy and myself with Pesto instead of salsa – equally lip-smacking. Heat around 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. For extra deliciousness you can daringly substitute butter instead like I do : P Needless to say it takes the flavors to another level altogether. Immerse the slice into the batter, changing sides so that the whole slice is completely coated and place it salsa/pesto side down into the oil. Let it cook in low heat. Lift the edge of the slice with a spatula to check if the base side is nice and golden. When done flip it over onto the other side. Low heat will cook the egg-soaked slice thoroughly, melt the Cheddar cheese and brown the Parmesan cheese on the surface to form a lovely crust. Keep the eggy cheesy slices in a warm oven or covered so that they stay warm till you have all the slices ready. You just have to serve these hot so that the Cheddar is all soft and gooey and the browned Parmesan is all yummy and crusty. I, however, rarely get to ‘serve’ these. The +Two are already in the kitchen eagerly waiting and whiff of browning cheese guarantees Gadget Guy popping his head into the kitchen and grabbing the next slice. Ingredients 2 eggs ¼ Cup Flour ½ Cup Milk ¼ Teaspoon Salt 3 Tablespoons Mild Cheddar Cheese – Grated 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese – Grated 4-6 Slices of bread (depending on size) 6-8 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil – For Frying Method Whisk together eggs, milk, flour and salt till not lumps remain. Add the chopped up green chilies and basil leaves along with the Cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Spread 1 Tablespoon of tomato salsa onto each slice of bread. You can also use pesto instead. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil for each slice of bread. Dip the bread slices into the batter into the skillet on low heat. When one side is done, flip the slice over. Remove from the skillet when both sides are golden brown. Keep the eggy cheesy toast warm till all of them are done. #Toast #fried #snack #Cheddar #Parmesan #cheese #bread

But who need a recipe for yogurt? Kitchen cultures have passed down from generation to generation till ‘food’ companies took over and we could only reminisce about making jams, pickles, and preserves like Anne and Aunt Marilla of the Green Gables - until now; when suddenly everybody is trying to jump on the ‘eat healthy’ bandwagon! Trouble is that everybody’s grandmother’s pickling, fermenting and jamming recipes are long lost.  Yep! We only have her Deep Fried Chicken and Lasagna recipe in our recipe box. Irrespective of what you have read or been told, making or setting yogurt is the simplest thing in the world and I’ve been itching to bust some much exaggerated myths! You do NOT need Mason jar or any jars to make yogurt. You can use any glassware that can withstand heat and has a lid. What I have noticed over the years is that yogurt set in taller containers produces very little whey and also that if the containers are well sealed, it doesn’t turn sour very quickly either. No need to buy incubation boxes to maintain temperature. You will NOT need a kitchen thermometer. Think of it this way, its living bacteria and it needs warmth… if you put it in cold milk it will become dormant. If you put it in hot milk, you will kill it! I just feel the temperature with my finger tip (yes yes, washed of course) It should tepid. If it helps you can heat the milk to 40°C-104F° once and get the feel of the temperature on your palm. There is NO precise ratio of milk to yogurt. The more yogurt culture you use, the more the bacteria you will add and hence faster the fermentation process. There is No fancy whisking or stirring gently and lovingly. Just stir like you would stir in sugar to distribute the good bacteria evenly.  You CAN move it. It will not SHOCK the bacteria. Its only when the milk begins to ferment and set should you avoid moving and jarring it. You do NOT need any fancy heirloom yogurt cultures. You just need a teaspoon of fresh yogurt or yogurt that has active culture in it! You have these basic options. Buy some fresh yogurt from your local dairy. Take a teaspoon worth of fresh yogurt from a friend or neighbor. Buy a jar of yogurt but make sure that it contains Live & Active Cultures or had an Active Cultures seal on it. Last resort, you can buy some starter culture. People have set yogurts for centuries, using the same culture or sharing cultures with neighbors. Even though I can run to a nearby dairy shop and buy fresh yogurt, I still prefer to set mine. And I hardly ever run out of culture even if I use up all that glorious white goodness. So bring on the probiotics and let’s set some curd! Measure out the milk. Use either fresh or pasteurized milk. Do not try to culture UHT milk…. Doesn’t work! Simply heat the milk till it’s a notch more than tepid around 40⁰C/104⁰F if you want to be precise as a beginner. You can use a kitchen thermometer the first time around to get the feel of the temperature. I roughly use 1-2 teaspoons of fresh yogurt to 1 cup of milk depending upon how tart the culture is. If it is sour ill only add 1- ¾ of a teaspoon of culture. Simple rule of the thumb is that the yogurt will take after the flavor, sweetness or tartness of the culture introduces. The better the culture is, the more delicious the yogurt shall be. Pour the milk into your preferred container and stir in the teaspoon of yogurt. If its summer time you can leave it outside on the kitchen counter until it sets, which is fairly quick varying between 3-5 hours. During our coldest winter nights, I preheated my oven to 40⁰C/104⁰F and then turned it off leaving the cultured milk jar inside to do its magic overnight. You can tell the yogurt is set when it is smooth and set like jello although it might be a bit creamy on the top. There might even be a pale, almost clear layer of liquid on or around the surface. That’s just the whey….like the whey in the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme, and it’s full of proteins and very healthy. Consume within 2-3 day or it will turn too tart as the culture keeps producing lactic acid. You can even use it after 5-6 days but by then it will be too sour and you can at best utilize it in cooking or for dips unless you enjoy the tartness. Wait…. We are not done yet. Once your first batch of yogurt is ready do not forget to back it up. Yes, you should have some backups of the culture that you painstakingly acquired, especially if you have set sweet tasting yogurt. I normally take a small tray and spoon one teaspoon of yogurt an inch part and stick the tray into the freezer. Do not freeze culture backups from tart yogurt, always use sweet and fresh yogurt. The whey in the yogurt might crystallize into ice upon freezing Once the yogurt is frozen into little discs, you can defrost them slightly and move them into a little freezer tub or a zip lock bag. The bacteria in the frozen yogurt will remain dormant till you add it to some warm milk. You can freeze it up to 3 months. On a hectic day, when you happily whip up something with creamy yogurt and suddenly realize that you didn’t leave any yogurt for culture, your backup culture discs will come handy… and then you can sent a little prayer my way. So try making healthy, probiotic-loaded yogurt at home. You can use it for cooking, marinades, cream cheese, parfaits, dips or enjoy it just as it is; a delicious treat! Ingredients 1 – 1 ½ Cup Milk- Whole or skimmed 1-2 Teaspoons Yogurt- With live culture/bacteria 1 jar or bowl – should be heat resistant Method Heat the milk to 40⁰C/104⁰F or tepid if not using a thermometer Pour into a glass jar or bowl. Stir in the culture yogurt. Keep in a warm sealed place like the microwave/oven/hotpot in cold season for overnight. Leave it covered on the counter top on warmer days for 5-6 hours. Once the yogurt is set, move to the refrigerator as soon as possible. Use within 2-3 days. Using in cooking or dips if it turns too tart. Freeze culture from a fresh and sweet tasting batch of yogurt. #yogurt #curd #whey #probiotic #culture #healthy #smoothie #granola #breakfast #greek

I have a happy secret. I get as excited about cooking with colorful veggies as my Little Samurai. You should have seen him beaming while choosing ALL the colors of the rainbow when we bought these bell peppers. He later helped me cut them with his knife, solemnly tasted each one of them and decided that the red peppers are sweet, the orange are like oranges and the yellow smells like lemonade. Yep, the lad has a nose for food just like me. The orange bell pepper does remind me of mandarins and the yellow is certainly citrus like! And I can obviously go on and on. So before I do that let’s get back to the recipe at hand, Three Pepper Sticky Stir-fry! That does look tempting doesn’t it? If you are the stir-fry kinda person like me, you should be officially drooling by now or at least mentally rummaging through the vegetables in your refrigerator! Ingredient prep is fairly simple. Chop up your garlic and ginger and juice the lemon. Slice the bell peppers into halves lengthwise, de-seed and cut them into squares. neatly trim off the stalks bok choy from the bundle and wash thoroughly; leaving the leaves whole. Measure out the soy sauce and the Kecap Manis or sweet Indonesian soy sauce if you prefer to call it that. By the way, this is not as exotic as it sounds, you can pretty much find it in any grocery store! Mix together the Kecap Manis, soy sauce, corn starch and lemon juice for the marinade in a large bowl. Marinade the chicken in this for at least 2 to 4 hours. Once it is ready to be cooked, coat the chicken pieces well with dry flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok and fry the chopped ginger. Turn the heat on high and add the floured chicken pieces to the oil, do not toss or stir-fry. You can also dip the chicken pieces into a flour batter and deep fry but I prefer to do minimum deep frying. Once the chicken pieces are a caramel brown from the base, flip them over and brown from the other side. Since this is done on high heat, the center of the chicken pieces should remain pink and undercooked which is exactly what we want so that the chicken remains tender and juicy, especially if you are using chicken breasts. Remove the chicken onto a plate making sure the pieces are not overlapping one another and cool quickly. Gosh! I do seem to drone away this chicken sermon in every stir-fry recipe don’t I? Next, in the same wok heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the garlic and fry till light golden.Add the Indonesian sweet soy sauce. Let thicken slightly and add the soy sauce and the cornstarch slurrry. Once it starts to bubble add the chicken back to the wok. Add the gorgeously…sigh… vivid...sigh… bell peppers into the wok. Toss for no more than 30 seconds. You want the bell peppers to remain juicy and crunchy and NOT LOOSE COLOR. I mean, common… if you lose those stunning warm colors; it will be a sheer waste of all the effort! Add the bok choy on low heat, toss again and remove to the serving platter immediately. You can also do this off the stove top. Bok choy is rather delicate and it shrivels up quickly when exposed to heat.. Trust me this is delicious. If you like Orange Chicken or Sweet and Sour stir-fries you are bound to love this. Enjoy with steamed sticky white rice or with your favorite noodles! Ingredients 500 grams / 2 Cup Chicken Cut in Cubes - Breast or Brown Meat (or Beef) ½ Cup Flour – For Coating Chicken 1 Large Red Bell Pepper – Deseed & Cut into Squares 1 Large Orange Bell Pepper – Deseed & Cut into Squares 1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper – Deseed & Cut into Squares 1 Bundle Bok Choy 1 Tablespoon Garlic – Finely chopped 1 Tablespoon Ginger – Finely Chopped 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce 6 Tablespoons Kecap Manis/ Indonesian Soy Sauce 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch Dissolved in ¼ cup water 5-6 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil For the Marinade 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice 1 Tablespoons Soy Sauce 1 Tablespoons Kecap Manis/ Indonesian Soy Sauce Method Mix together 1 tablespoon each of the Kecap Manis, soy sauce and lemon juice to prepare marinade. Coat the chicken cubes with marinade for 2-4 hours. Finely dice the garlic and ginger. Cut bell peppers in halves lengthwise, deseed and cut into 1 inch squares. Trim the stalks of the bok choy and wash well. Once marinated, toss the chicken in the flour so that each piece is well coated. Fry ginger in 3 tablespoons of oil on high heat and add the chicken. Do not toss. Once the chicken pieces turn brown from the base, flip over pieces and brown from Remove the chicken onto a plate. Heat 2 tablespoon oil and lightly fry garlic. Add the 6 Tablespoons of Kecap Manis and the 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Add back the chicken. Thicken slight with the corn starch slurry and reduce sauce on high heat. Reduce the sauce till thick and glazed. Just before serving, add the bell peppers and toss for 15-20 seconds. Add the bok choy, toss to mix and serve immediately Enjoy with steamed white rice or noodles. #chicken #beef #oriental #Indonesian #stirfry #bokchoy #kecap #manis #recipe

There is that thing about appetizers; they tease the palate with the promise that there is more to come. With Thai food, that promise intensely overwhelms the sense of smell before hitting the taste buds! I am forever hungry for Thai food and those humble Spring Rolls are one of my favorite starters. Come to think of it, humble they are not! Those delectable small rolls that are the quickest to go are the most time consuming to make. That crisp golden wrapper with a gorgeous filling dipped in some sunny Spring roll sauce… so light yet utterly delicious! Whether baked or fried my +Two simply love these and I’m a happy mom knowing the older one is enjoying her carrots for a change! Once you have the ingredients at hand, peel the carrots and use a shredder to cut long and thin spaghetti-like strips. If you don’t have one already or if your food processor doesn’t have the required blade, you can find countless options of manual shredders at your local market! A good shredder/cutter with multiple options will be an absolute lifesaver amongst your other kitchen tools! It also makes food look great! Rinse and soak the Shiitake mushrooms. Once they absorb the water and soften up, cut them into strips with kitchen scissors… trust me it’s a treat after trying to slice them with a knife! Don’t forget to retain the soaking water, it’s packed with flavor! Combine the strained soaking water with the fish sauce, light soya sauce, salt and cornstarch. Slice the onion thinly and finely chop up the Galangal and the Bird Eyed Red Chilies! The ones that you see in the picture are not the real birdies; those flew away!!!  I sheepishly admit that I did not have Red Bird-Eyes Chilies as this venture was an impulsive urge to savor that Sweet Chilli Sauce sitting in my larder! Also if galangal isn’t available, you can substitute it with ginger. Well… it not really quite the sharp woody flavor of the earth but it will work- no worries! Carefully chop up the crab meat into big bits so it doesn’t flaked and disappear completely once to toss it together with the rest of the filling. These are “Mung Noodles” or “Glass Noodles” or “Cellophane Noodles”. J You can probably find then in any grocery store that stocks Asian ingredients. These vain girls with so many ‘endearing’ names come packed twisted in one big loop or in small spun clusters; either way don’t try and tackle them as they are some tough and stubborn darlings! But oh, they do take on flavors fabulously! Best let them sit and soak away some of the stiffness in soothingly warm water for 15-20 min while you get chopping. Once the noodles are soft you can use a kitchen scissors to cut them up to size ;) so that they are 3-5 inches long and then drain and let sit in the colander. We want minimum moisture to go into that filling so you have to make sure the vegetables are dry and the noodles completely drained. My favorite way to shred Chinese cabbage by peeling off the leaves; washing and drying them and then layering them one upon the other and shred away. It’s a soothing and productive sound, the juicy crunch under the blade in a continuous rhythm! Heat the peanut oil in your wok and toss in the galangal followed by the onions. If you don’t have peanut oil or don’t use often then just use any vegetable oil. Toss in the Shiitake mushrooms and allow them to caramelize a bit.Toss in the Mung noodles and stir-fry on high heat. Next add in the carrot strips and the cornstarch slurry. Make sure that the wok is really very hot as you want maximum moisture to dry up quickly and not overcook the carrots. Yep, we do not want sad looking discolored carrots! Next add only a small fistful of cabbage. Add the crab meat and toss lightly. You can use any meat to be honest, chicken, beef or prawns! Remove all that scrumptious goodness from the wok into a dish and refrigerate immediately. Once the filling is completely chilled add the sesame seed oil and the remaining cabbage. In case you are wondering why now… if the cabbage is added while the mixture is warm the cabbage will lose its water content and you will have a soupy mixture sitting at the bottom of your bowl! The flavors will be lost and the cabbage, hopelessly limp. And if you haven’t savored some mouthfuls already- be your own guest! Make a flour and water glue to seal the spring rolls. Place a spring roll sheet before yourself diagonally and spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of filling like shown above. Make sure it has a bit of everything in it. Smear the flour glue on the topside of the spring roll sheet and start to roll from the bottom making sure that it is snug but not too tight. Once you have rolled till the center of the sheet, turn in the right side like shown above. Next turn it in from left side. Keep rolling till the top making sure that the sides are tucked in neatly and the ‘flap’ is completely sealed with the flour glue. If you leave any gaps or holes, hot oil will seep in during the frying and the filling will be soggy and oily. Voila! There you have it! A promising Thai Spring Roll ready to hit the hot oil! Make sure the oil is hot when you fry these. If the oil is not hot enough or if these are refried, the spring roll will turn out to be greasy and heavy instead of being delightfully crunchy, light and delicious. Serve with Sweet Chilli sauce- I use the Suree brand! I can tell you this much that these are pretty fabulous. Great to freeze and using for a snack or a quick starter for that Thai curry you might whip up one of these days. Happy Munching! For Thai Main Course consider making: Thai Green Curry Prawns- Gaeng Kiew Wan Goong ” Thai Cashew Chicken-'Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himaphan' Preparation time 1 hour Frying time 15 min Ingredients 3 cups Chinese cabbage – Shredded 1 cup Carrot- Spaghetti-like strips or grated ½ cup Onion- Thinly sliced ½ cup Shiitake mushrooms – Sliced ½ cup Poached Crab Meat or any cooked meat of your preference. 1 teaspoon Bird Eyed Red Chilies – Finely chopped ½ cup Mung/Glass/Cellophane Noodles – Softened 2 teaspoon Galangal – Finely chopped 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Light Soya Sauce 1 teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon Cornstarch ¼ teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil 3 tablespoon Peanut Oil for stir-frying 36 Flour sheets for Spring Rolls Vegetable oil for deep frying spring rolls. For the sealing glue: ¼ cup water ¼ cup flour Method Soak the glass noodles in warm water and let sit for 20 min till soft. Cut them up with kitchen scissors and drain completely. Shred the Chinese cabbage and the carrots. Slice the onion and dice the crab meat into big pieces as it will flake later when tossed. Chop up the galangal and chilies finely. Prepare the Shiitake mushrooms by soaking them in 1 cup warm water and then cutting into strips. Retain the soaking water. Combine 2 tablespoons of the water the mushrooms were soaked in with the fish sauce, soya sauce, salt and corn flour and set aside. Heat the peanut oil; add the galangal and then the onions. Add mushrooms and fry slightly for 30 seconds turning the heat on high. Add the noodles and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. When all the excessive moisture dried up add the carrot strips and the cornstarch slurry. Throw in ½ cup of the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for another 2 minutes on high heat. Remove the filling from the wok to a bowl (preferably metallic) and refrigerate. Once chilled add the sesame seed oil and the remaining cabbage mixing thoroughly and evenly. Make flour and water glue for sealing. Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on a sheet and roll it up turning in the sides. Roll right till the flap making sure it is sealed properly with the flour glue. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. You can also brush these with vegetable oil and bake at 180 F for 20 min turning sides mid time. Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce or zap up a dip with your favorite flavors. #Thai #springrolls #starter #appetizer #snacks #rolls

My love affair with seafood is an undeniable obsession which is why I simply love beach holidays where seafood is plenty and delightfully fresh after long swims and lazing on the warm sand. It is either the salty sea air or the holiday foodie anticipation that has my tummy rumbling an hour after an enormously gigantic and indulgent breakfast. I blatantly admit a weakness for the Far Eastern cuisine… and this is my all time favorite curry - Thai Green Curry Prawns. While Red Curry has a subtle sweet and delicate undertone, green curry coming packed with a punch. And I like it hot hot hot topped with some Bird's Eye Chilies to make it hotter and yes… lots of water! While the basic green curry recipe remains the same, you can always replace the prawns with chicken, beef or Tofu. The curry itself is absolutely delightful as it teases the palette with the mellow coconut creaminess and fragrance till the heat kicks in – with oomph! Try it! Wash the prawns and let them drain in a sieve. Make sure to check that they are deveined otherwise you be chewing some gritty prawns! Dice the onion. Slice the red Bird's Eye Chilies. These are super hot so be careful while handling them. If you are cooking for children then better leave them out as they can be sprinkled later on individual helpings. Slice the galangal into ½ inch pieces. You can substitute this with ginger but I can tell you very certainly that the flavors are absolutely different. Ginger is a rather sad substitute that completely misses the spot as far as Thai food is concerned and so add it only if it make you feel better. Remove the top layer of the lemongrass stalk and cut into 1 inch pieces. If using coconut milk powder, mix with warm water and whisk hard till it dissolved completely. If your water is cold the coconut milk powder will not dissolve and if it’s too hot it will become lumpy. So remember you need tepid water. You can also use a can of coconut milk instead. Keffir Leaves. When I started cooking Thai food, I purchased a rather large bag of dried Keffir leaves that sadly lasted forever. While the food turned out great for homemade Thai, that restaurant quality was missing. Since I had long discovered the pleasure of using fresh garden herbs I knew it was because I was using dried galangal and Keffir lime leaves. My 2 year long quest to acquire and nurture a Keffir lime tree, galangal rhizome and lemongrass has proved to be very flavorful adventure. The real zing is there! If you can find fresh leaves at some local oriental grocery store you are very lucky! If not you can settle for the dried version or lime zest at best. You either love water chestnuts or you hate them! I love them but Gadget Guy grimaces every time he finds one in his mouth! So I happily get to fish them all out of the curry. I hardly ever manage to find Thai green eggplants that typically go in this curry so I add chestnuts instead. Slice these or add halves or whole. This is my preferred brand of fish sauce- it’s salty and rather pungent and keeps fermenting over time. Add half the peanut oil to the wok followed by the galangal and some bird's eye chilies and wait till they both start to splutter indignantly. Add the prawns. Toss them in the wok continuously for no more then 30-40 seconds. When the prawns curl slightly and only begin to turn white, transfer them onto a cold platter. You want them to lose heat quickly and stop cooking. Make sure they are not piled on top of each other on the platter trapping heat. Add the remaining oil, onions, lemongrass, fish sauce, salt and Thai green curry paste into the wok and fry till its fragrant and you are sneezing. I love the Mao Ploy Brand when it comes to choosing curry pastes unless I'm using homemade green curry paste. Add the chicken stock, half the coconut milk and bring to boil and reduce the curry to half. Next in goes the palm sugar. If you don’t have palm sugar just use brown sugar instead, even white sugar would suffice. The sugar brings out the natural sweetness of the coconut milk. Keep in mind that white sugar is sweeter the palm sugar. Now stop. Stop here if you do not plan on serving this immediately. Dramatic, aren’t I? Well better still that I be the drama queen then you having to serve overcooked and chewy prawns. Now are we ready to serve? Heat the curry to a boil and add the remaining coconut milk. Add the shredded Keffir leave, water chestnuts and the prawns. Let them simmer releasing their flavor and juices into the green curry. Do not let the curry cook for more than a minute or you will find that your lovely prawns have be overcooked and stubbornly curled up tightly with a chewy and dry texture. This is why it is crucial to reduce the curry initially and to make sure that the green curry is the right consistency before adding the prawns. If you prefer a thicker curry, you can use coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Dish out in a bowl and garnish with coriander and the remaining bird's eye chilies. Serve with Thai Jasmine Rice or noodles. If entertaining, you can add Thai Cashew Chicken-'Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himaphan' to the menu. Preparation Time: 25 min Cooking Time: 30 min Ingredients 250 g/ ½ lb Large Prawns (deveined) 1 Onion (Medium- Diced) 2 Bird eyed chilies – Sliced Thinly 1 Tablespoon Galangal – Chopped 1 Large Keffir Lime Leaf - Shredded 6-8 Water Chestnuts or Thai Eggplant (optional) 1 Stalk Lemongrass – (1 inch pieces) 8 Tablespoons Coconut Milk Powder 2 Tablespoons Green Curry Paste 1 Cup Water - Warm ¾ Cup Chicken Stock 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce 1 Tablespoon Palm Sugar 1 Teaspoon Salt 4 Tablespoons Peanut oil (or any vegetable oil) Method Devein and wash the prawns. Let them drain well in a sieve. Dice the onion very finely. Julienne the Bird’s Eye Chilies Peel and slice the galangal. Shred the Keffir Leaf into long stripes or slightly crush it whole in your palm to release the flavor. If using fresh water chestnuts, prepare them. If using canned water chestnuts, drain them. If you are using Thai Eggplants, leave them whole or cut them into halves diagonally. Remove the top layer of the lemongrass stalk and cut into 1 inch pieces. Combine the coconut milk powder with the cup of warm water and whisk well till no lumps remain. Add half the oil to the wok followed by the galangal and half the Bird's Eye Chilies. Add the prawns and toss for 30 seconds and remove into a plate. Leave uncovered. Add remaining oil to the wok. Toss in the onions, lemongrass, fish sauce, salt and the green curry paste. Stir-fry for a minute. Add the chicken stock and half the coconut milk. Bring to a boil and reduce the green curry to half. Add palm sugar. Pour in remaining coconut milk reducing the flame to simmer. Add the Keffir leaf, water chestnuts and the prawns and let simmer for 4-6 minutes. Your curry should have a soup like consistency and the prawns should be well curled but not tightly curled. Serve in a deep bowl garnished with the coriander leaves and the remaining chilies. Enjoy Gaeng Kiew Wan Goong with Thai Jasmine rice or noodles. #Thai #curry #green #prawns #seafood #goong #coconutmilk #chestnuts #homemade

How can I ever forget the first time I sampled Thai Cashew Chicken. It was on our honeymoon, lazing in a picturesque veranda restaurant on a moonlit Koh Sumai beach. Gadget Guy has always been crazy about nuts … all kinds of nuts …including myself :) … so Pad Med Mamuang Himaphan was a must have. Interesting, each restaurant had a varying version of the sauce, some that we loved and some we simply couldn't enjoy because of the overwhelming use of the pungent shrimp paste! Since then not only has yours truly learned to make it but has perfected the sauce that my Gadget Guy loves most- a more gourmet version as oppose to the street vendor version. This is a wonderful recipe to try out specially if you have kids or don’t care much for spicy Thai food. The chicken is tossed in a flavorful sweet sauce, colorful vegetables with crisp cashew nuts on top of fluffy white jasmine rice. This is my obvious choice when planning a Thai menu for friends; it provides the perfect contrast to the mellow heat of red and green curry and my favorite fish in tamarind sauce; not to mention that Gadget Guy just expects it to be there! :) Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and scoop out the fleshy part along with the seeds. Likewise remove the seeds from the bell pepper. Dice large pieces of the green bell peppers, red onions and tomatoes till you have ½ cup of each. Rinse and soak the Shiitake mushrooms in ½ a cup of tepid water. They will absorb the water and become soft and squidgy. The mushrooms need to be sliced thinly and I prefer my kitchen scissors over the knife and the cutting board any time of the day- try it yourself and I promise you will never use a knife again on rehydrated mushrooms!!! Let the sliced shiitake mushrooms soak a bit more in the same water till ready to use. Retain the soaking water for the sauce as it’s packed with the yummy earthen flavor. Toss the chicken pieces in the fish sauce and coat with the flour. This helps to seal in the moisture and give the chicken pieces a delicious glaze. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok and add the chicken pieces. Toss at intervals till light brown; they should not be cooked through as they will cook further in the sauce. Take out the chicken and spread evenly in a plate so that heat doesn’t get trapped and cooks them further. Trust me, I know what I’m saying and this isn’t a physics experiment. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet and then the bell peppers. Add the onions and the fish sauce and toss for around 30 seconds till the vegetables are glazed with the oil and fish sauce. Add the tomatoes and immediately take out on a plate. We do not want the tomatoes to cook and lose shape and texture in the skillet. The heat from the onions and peppers will be enough to soften them just slightly. The onions and the peppers should be crisp and not soggy. Heat some more oil and add the chopped garlic, sliced galangal, dried red chilies, kefir leaf and a bashed and bruised lemongrass stalk. And no, I do not have anger management issues, but trust me that stalk needs some bashing to release those flavors. Fry till the garlic is a lovely golden brown and aromatic. In a small bowl combine the Plum Chili Sauce, the Sriracha Sauce and the oyster sauce and add to the wok. When they are all simmering, add the fish sauce. If you are wondering where my measuring spoon is, it isn’t there J I just eye ball while adding ingredients and taste along the way- I’ve always cooked like that unless I’m baking or cooking rice. Fish out the shiitake slices and add them to the sauce. DONOT throw away the soaking water! Add the sugar and let cook on simmer for everything to release their flavors and make you kitchen smell like your favorite Thai restaurant. Add the cornstarch to the shiitake water that you remembered not to throw away and stir to dissolve. Add it to the wok slowly to thicken the sauce. Add the half done chicken back to the wok along with the plum sauce and let the chicken cook thoroughly. You can add a couple of tablespoons of water if you feel the sauce is drying up too fast. Add the sautéed vegetables and give everything in the wok a good couple of tosses and you are ready to serve! Dish out in a flat platter. This isn’t supposed to be soupy or swimming in the sauce but just coated really well. Scatter some (or lots of) roasted or fried cashew nuts on top and enjoy with jasmine rice. If entertaining, pair it with Thai green curry prawns (Gaeng kiew wan goong) for a delightful Thai meal. Ingredients For The Chicken 1/2 lb Chicken Breast – Cut Into Cubes 3 tablespoon Flour 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce 3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil For The Vegetables 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil ½ Cup Red Onion – Diced Large ½ Cup Roma Tomato – Diced Large ½ Green Pepper/Capsicum – Diced Large 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce For The Sauce 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 2-3 Whole Dried Chiles 3 Slices Galangal- 1” Pieces 2 Tablespoons Garlic – Finely chopped 1 Stalk Lemongrass - Bashed 1 Kefir Lime Leaf 2 Teaspoons Oyster Sauce 1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce 3 Tablespoons Plum Chili Sauce 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce 4 Tablespoons Thai Plum Sauce 1 ½ Tablespoons Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar ½ Teaspoon Salt 4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms ½ Cup Water for Soaking Mushrooms 2 Teaspoons Corn flour 1/2 cup Dry Roasted/Fried Cashew Nuts Method Deseed the tomatoes and green peppers. Cut the tomatoes, onions and green peppers into 1”pieces. Rinse and soak the Shiitake mushrooms in ½ a cup of tepid water till soft. Using kitchen scissors cut the shiitake mushrooms into thin slices and then re-soaks in same water. Mix 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce with the cubed chicken pieces and then coat well with flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok and add the chicken pieces. Stir fry on high heat till brown but not cooked thoroughly. Add 2 Tbsp oil to the wok and add green peppers and onions with 2 tbsp fish sauce. Toss well and while the wok vegetables are crisp, add the tomatoes and immediately remove to a plate. Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil and add the chopped garlic, sliced Galangal, dried red chilies, Kefir leaf and the lemongrass stalk. Stir-fry till garlic is brown and the other ingredients fragrant. Add the Thai Ketchup, Sriracha Sauce, fish sauce and the oyster sauce. Add the sliced shiitake and the sugar. Let simmer. Add the cornstarch to the water the mushrooms were soaked in and stir till dissolved. Add this cornstarch slurry to the sauces and thicken slightly. Re add the chicken to a wok and cook for another minute. If the sauce drys up to fast, just add a splash of water. Add the sauteed vegetables back into the wok and toss. Serve immediately with cashew-nuts on top. #Thai #chicken #cashewnuts #stirfry #kefir #galanga #gai #Himaphan #shitaki

Spaghetti-Oooo… that is what my Lil Samurai likes to call it. It is spaghettioooo because the mouth is an ‘O’ with you slurp in the spaghetti - yep …. Phonics. He has no idea that he is probably violating Campbell patent rights for those canned spaghetti rings. Both the +Two love Spaghetti Bolognese until of course, I over-serve it and then I see wrinkling noses and ‘AGAIN?’ pops out instead of the ‘OOOOO”! But that doesn’t change the foodie fact that Spaghetti Bolognese or Ragù Bolognese is everybody's favorite comfort food; meat packed tomato sauce tossed in hot pasta. Plus the ragù can be frozen for some lazy or tiring day when you don’t want to go through the larder; and we both know those days come and they arrive just-like-that. Let’s start with a detailed and boring discussion about the beef. Get good quality minced beef; don’t compromise on that! This dish is all about meat sauce, remember? Yes BEEF always please unless you cannot use it for dietary reasons; only then opt for lamp mince. I beseech you not to use chicken or turkey minced meat; there will be nothing ragù about that. Also do not buy cheap mince from a random butcher or meat aisle where spare scraps from the steaks and other tender cuts are commonly thrown in with the shoulder/chuck meat and pressed through the mincer. If I’m really in the mood to make some terrific ragù Bolognese, I choose good quality veal meat and then have it minced just then or at least buy if from a reliable butcher. The white specks that you see in the mince are fat bits. You don’t want it to be too fatty otherwise the sauce will be too oily. On the other hand, very little fat and the mince will be too dry and flavorless. The specked minced beef picture above shows what good mince with around 10-15% fat should look like. I prefer to pre-cook all minced meats with a bit of oil and garlic till all moisture has evaporated and the meat has a sheen on it. That way if there is excessive fat, you can always drain it off. Add the olive oil in a cooking pot followed by the chopped onions. Once the onions are translucent, add the chopped garlic. When the onions and garlic start to turn brown, add the pre-cooked veal/beef mince. Add the marinara sauce and simmer for a good 15 minutes. Reduce the sauce further until thick and the juices are no longer floating over the minced meat. Once the Bolognese sauce is ready, bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the Spaghetti or Tagliatelle. Boil until the pasta is al dente and drain. Do reserve ½ a cup of the pasta water in case you want to thin out the Bolognese sauce. While I don’t like my pasta as al dente as Italian do, I like to drain it very al dente. That way when it goes into the sauce, it absorbs the moisture and flavors from it. Drain the pasta and shift it back to the cooking pot while it is very hot. Throw in the shredded basil leaves and pour the ragu on top and toss lightly. It’s crucial that the pasta is hot and freshly boiled before you add the sauce and ideally it should be enjoyed without more ado. If you are entertaining, twirl the spaghetti into nests onto individual pasta plates and pile a generous helping of the Ragu sauce on top. And of course some freshly grated Parmesan and black olives. I was missing some beautiful ... something green so I scattered some baby basil leaves on top. Serve with warm crusty bread or some quick desperate bruschetta. Now take a fork to the Spaghetti Bolognese and twirl it against your spoon and then, well… dig in and then have some more!!! Ingredients 2 cups Marinara Sauce 500 grams Beef or Lamp - Minced * 500 grams Dried Spaghetti or Tagliatelle 1 Cup Red Onion – Diced 4-6 Cloves Garlic - Finely Chopped/Smashed 1 Teaspoon Salt 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil Handful Fresh Basil Leaves- Shredded Method Heat the olive oil in the pot and add onions on medium flame. Add garlic and stir fry till onion & garlic start to brown. Now add the minced beef as per preference. Turn the heat on medium and pour in the pureed tomatoes. Add the paprika, basil leaves and oregano leaves. Reduce the sauce by half and add the thyme leaves. Add the salt, sugar, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. You can adjust the saltiness, sweetness and tartness according to personal taste. Reduce the sauce further till very thick and the consistency is right for coating the pasta. Spaghetti or Tagliatelle Boil the spaghetti in salted water. Drain the pasta when its al dente and put in back into the cooking pot when hot. Throw in the shredded basil leaves and pour the ragu sauce on top. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan on top with some black olives and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately. #pasta #marinara #mincedmeat #basil #ragu #Spaghetti #Bolognese #italian

Many times I have bitten my lip feeling bad, trying to ignore the pleading look in the eyes of my +Two. Had there been tantrums and defiance, I would have firmly put my foot down but that silent look patiently asking for permission to have one single chicken nugget… just one piece … it’s never failed to make me feel guilty for always steering the kids away from processed foods. Well… I have also relented at times and let them enjoy processed junk but not without pointing out the zillion reasons why it’s bad for them. Then one day the older of the +Two suggested the obvious: “So why don’t you make them at home?” I balked!!! What? Nuggets? Those over salted, over processed pieces of ….. What? A small raised eyebrow with a curiously questioning look…. “You can make them? Right?” Gulp! Of course I can…. And that commitment led to countless experiments, small wrinkling noses till we came down to the simplest way and the simplest ingredients for kids. Simple enough? You decide…. You will need 500 grams of boneless chicken cut into 2 inch sized pieces.  You can choose white meat or brown meat and can also combine both. However cooking time for white meat is lesser so I don’t normally combine them. The +Two prefer the breast meat. Rub ½ teaspoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of baking powder over the chicken pieces and let set for an hour. Combine the flour, egg, oil, salt and paprika in a basin. You can change the recipe to personal flavor. I love a bit of heat so I sprinkle the raw chicken pieces with some chili powder. The older of the +Two loves to add onion powder to the flour while Gadget Guy prefers the herbs. Rub all the ingredients together with your hands till mixed well. Start to add ice cold water a tablespoon at a time till you have small flour crumbs instead of fine flour. Make sure the chicken is well drained. Place the chicken pieces over the crumbs spaced well apart. Shake the basin to and fro in a quick motion as that the chicken pieces roll over the crumbs. Next pick up each piece turn by turn in the palm of the hand and close the fist slightly to pack the tightly  crumbs against the chicken. Line them on a metal tray making sure they aren’t touching each other. Chill in the freezer for 20 min. To fry: Heat vegetable oil in the wok. It should be at least an inch deep. Throw in a small crumb, it should raise to the surface at the count of three. When the oil is ready, add the nuggets making sure you do not overcrowd them. Fry on medium heat till a lovely golden brown. To bake: Put the semi frozen nuggets in a bowl and drizzle with 3-4 table spoons of oil and toss to coat each nugget well. Line them on an oiled baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes at 180⁰C turning each nugget at half time to brown evenly. To Freeze: This recipe also freezes really very well which is something I particularly love about it. Once coated with crumbs, line them on top of plastic table mats and pop them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, remove them from the sheets and into a plastic box and back to the freezer. Since frozen separately they don’t stick together and so you can take out as many as required. Thaw for 5-10 min only and fry reducing the heat to medium to make sure they cook through. Happy kids … happy mom! Ingredients 500 grams Chicken Breast-Boneless 1 tablespoon Baking Powder 1 Teaspoon Garlic – Minced 2 Cups Flour 1 Egg 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 1 teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Paprika 2 Teaspoons Favorite Herb/ Onion Powder (Optional) ½ Cup Water- Cold Method Cut the chicken breast into 2 inch cubes. Rub the chicken pieces with the garlic paste and baking powder. Mix together the flour, egg, oil, salt and paprika and rub with hand to make crumbs. Add the enough cold water, one table spoon at a time, to make coarse crumbs from the flour. Place chicken cubes on the flour crumbs and toss to coat the chicken. Use hands to coats any areas left uncoated. Line nuggets ½ inch apart on a metal tray and chill in the freezer for 20 min. Deep fry till golden brown or bake for 20-25 min at 180⁰C turning each piece over half way. #nuggets #chicken #crumbed #snacks #chickenbites

There are those lazy summer days when you don’t want to cook, you don’t want to be chopping on that cutting board and you certainly wish everybody wasn’t picky all of a sudden. You are drumming those fingers on the fridge door and then the larder door for an easy yet enjoyable meal. Well, let me tell you from experience that it doesn’t get any easier then Chicken Piccata! Juicy and tender chicken with a velvety lime and caper sauce and a simple no fuss pasta that everybody can enjoy. I skipped the capers all together but I did add some roasted garlic cloves and Parmesan cheese. Spread some cling film on the cutting board and some on top of the breast fillet and hammer to even it out. The fillet should be half an inch thick. But there is a trick here; thinner fillets (one fourth of an inch) are easier to keep juicy and tender if you are an inexperienced cook. Since the cooking time is reduced, there is a lesser chance of drying out or overcooking the chicken. Season the chicken fillets with salt and pepper and drudge generously with flour. Drizzle lime juice on the floured chicken fillets but make sure that you save a tablespoon for the sauce. Flip over and drizzle some more lime juice on the other side as well. Give it another good coating with the remaining flour. Heat the vegetable oil and the butter in a skillet. I like to use a mixture of oil and butter so that the butter doesn’t burn. Place the chicken fillets in the hot butter and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat without changing sides. When the sides of the chicken fillets start to turn white, consider it a good indicator that the fillets are cooked half way through. Flipping the fillets at the right time and cooking them only once from each side prevents the breast meat from drying out and becoming unpalatable and chewy. If you sneak a peek the chicken should be an appetizing golden from the base… Flip 'em over and cook for another 2 minutes. If you chose to keep the fillets a quarter of an inch thick then cook them for 2 minutes from one side, flip over and 1 minute for the other side. Remove the skillet from the heat and lift out the chicken from the skillet onto a plate. Let the chicken rest while you prepare the sauce. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the chicken broth and flour mixture. Give it a quick stir to prevent lumps from forming and remove from heat. Cook on simmer till the sauce thickens slightly. Add the remaining tablespoon of lime juice to the double cream. Turn off the heat and pour the cream into the skillet and viola! The sauce is ready. Do not cook the sauce after adding the cream; the lime juice will cause it to split. Serve this with garlic tossed pasta topped with Parmesan cheese and a salad on the side. Time to plate! Place the chicken fillets with pasta on the side. Pour some of that sauce onto the delicious chicken and sprinkle the capers. You are done. Now go treat that hungry family of yours and do mention how painstakingly the meal was prepared, you might just earn a foot massage! Ingredients 4 Chicken Breast Fillets ½ Cup Flour + 2 Teaspoon Extra 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice Salt & Pepper to Season 3 Tablespoons Butter 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil ½ Cup Chicken Broths ½ Cup Heavy Cream ½ Teaspoon Salt 2 Servings Boiled Linguini or Capellini or Spaghetti 1 tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Teaspoon garlic - Chopped 2-3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese –Grated Method Boil the pasta of your preference. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil with the garlic. When the garlic begins to turn golden, toss in the boiled pasta and season with salt. Hammer the chicken fillets till half an inch thick (or quarter of an inch). Season the fillets with salt and pepper and drudge with flour. Drizzle some lime juice on both sides of the chicken fillets and coat with flour again. Heat the butter and vegetable oil together in a skillet. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Flip over when the sides begin to turn white and the base is golden brown. Cook for another 2 minutes; meanwhile stir 1 tablespoon flour into the chicken broth. Remove skillet from heat and lift the chicken out onto a plate. De-glaze the skillet with the chicken broth and flour mixture. Stir quickly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook on simmer till slightly thick and remove from heat. Add the 1 tablespoon lime juice to the heavy cream. Pour the lemony cream into the pan and mix well. Grate some Parmesan for the pasta. Place the chicken and pour some sauce on top. Side serving of pasta with some grated Parmesan on top. Enjoy with a crisp salad. #pasta #chicken #panfried #piccata #Parmesan

"With enough butter, anything is good." And so butter it shall be…. Crusty Red Snapper with Walnut Butter.  A mild flavored fish with a delicate yet crisp crust with butter leisurely melting on top; and not just butter butter… butter with chopped walnuts, tang from a zesty lime and its very own zest! Served with the simplest of sides; carrots and peas tossed in salted butter (more is good) and pan-fried potato chips. I daresay Julia Child would enjoy this but I certainly did and I have a feeling that you might as well. I refrain from buying prepared fish fillets. Why? For the very good reason that they are prepared from fish that have been sitting on ice past their peak freshness. Fillets sell faster and are often discounted for this reason.  And if they still go unsold, they’ll be packed and frozen to be sold in the next couple of months. Frozen fish isn’t necessarily ‘not fresh’ or lacking in quality, you just have you make sure that it has been packed closest to the date it was caught and not sitting on ice waiting to be sold. (Confused you? Hang in there and I’ll post on Choosing Your Fish soon) I prefer to choose a whole fish and then have the fish monger fillet it with the skin stays on. Not only does the skin prevent excessive moisture from escaping but it’s full of flavor! Season the fish with a sprinkle of garlic salt and smoked paprika and rub it in. In case you don’t have either at hand, just use regular salt and ground paprika. And in case you are wondering… garlic salt isn’t the same as garlic powder; if you can’t find it just use salt with a heavy pinch of garlic powder. Grind the instant oats and place on a plate side by side with the corn flour or corn starch (whatever tickles your culinary fancy). Drudge each fillet in the cornstarch…. Then into the whisked egg… And finally coat it with the ground oats. Do that with each fillet till they are all ready. I always do one fillet at a time handling the cornstarch and oats with the left hand and the egg wash with the right hand. This way my fingers don’t get a coating like the fish! Heat oil in a skillet and place the fish fillets skin side down into the oil. Yes, the oil is not deep… because I’m not deep frying the fish although you can if you want to. If the fillets are ½ an inch in thickness then you only need to cook them for 2 minutes, skin side down and another minute once flipped over. If they are an inch or more in thickness; place them in the hot oil skin side down for 2 minutes. Then turn the flame to medium and cover the skillet for 3-4 minutes to allow the fillets to cook through. Remove the cover and fry for another minute till the base is a lovely golden. Flip the fillets over and cook till the other side is also golden brown and deliciously crusty. You can tell that the fillets are cooked when they shrink slightly and are firm when pressed at the center. You can also deep fry the Red Snapper fillets for 5 minutes. If you are a die hard oven person, place them on a well-oiled aluminum sheet or cookie tray and bake for 30 min in a preheated oven at 180°. And of course you will still need to flip them over half way through! Chop up the walnuts well. Allow the salted butter to soften completely. Combine the lime zest, walnuts and lime juice with the butter and place it in the refrigerator till its firm. The butter can actually the prepared ahead of time as this has to set hard. You can pair the fish with any vegetables that you like. If you are baking the fish, you can just roast some carrots, leeks and zucchini tossed with some seasoning on a separate tray. I like to pair crumbed or crusty fishy affairs with buttered peas and carrots…. And thick chips with blistered skins…. Just like my mom served fish! Arrange your veggies on one side and those essential chips on the other and place the hot fish fillets in their place of honor…the very center of course. Scoop out a good luxurious tablespoon of the cold butter and place it on the very top fillet. The butter will not melt immediately but rather soften till served. If the butter is not set firm and cold you will end up with a pool of melted butter and an excessive buttery taste on the crust of the fillets. Yes Julia, indeed…the fish to taste good must first swim in water and then in butter…. …till each bite is savored and gone... Bon appétit! Ingredients Red Snapper Fillets with skin – approx. 300-350 grams ½ Teaspoon Garlic Salt or Regular Salt ½ Smoked Paprika or regular paprika - Grounded 2/3 Cup Cornstarch or Cornflower ½ Cup Roughly Grinded Instant Oats 1 Large Egg – Whisked ½ Cup Oil – For Frying For the Walnut Butter 2-3 Tablespoons Salted Butter ½ Teaspoon Lime Zest 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice 2 Tablespoons Walnuts- Chopped Small Serve with thick potato chips and any preferred veggies on the side. Method Make sure the fish fillets are well drained and patted dry before you begin. Sprinkle the garlic salt and smoked paprika over the fish fillets and rub it in. Drudge each fish fillets with cornstarch, dip into the egg wash and coat with the grinded oats. Place aside till ready to fry. Allow the butter to soften completely. Add the chopped walnuts, lime zest and the lime juice and combine well. Place in the fridge or freezer to firm up. Heat the oil and place the fish fillets skin side down into the skillet. For ½ inch thick fillets, fry for 2 minutes on medium heat, flip over and fry for another minute till the crispy is golden. For fillets that are an inch or more in thickness, Pan fry at high heat for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and cover the skillet for 3-4 minute. Remove cover; fry for another minute and then flip over to fry from the other side for another 1-2 minutes till the crust is crisp and golden. When done, arrange with the vegetables of your choice. Scoop out a good tablespoon of the hardened walnut butter and place on top of the hot fish fillet. #fish #redsnapper #fillet #butter #seafood