Green Curry with Bok Choy

I wanted to cook something green but healthy for St Patrick’s Day. Again, I found another curry recipe in the Cooking Light magazine. This time the curry is inspired in a Thai version. The dish is beautiful and tasty, check the recipe here. Check their picture of the dish, it's super beautiful!

I used ½ onion instead of shallots, coconut oil in place of the sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons of sugar instead of 4. The broccoli and bok choy came from Door to Door Organics and they were as fresh they could possible be!  I served with brown rice but because the flavors of this dish are so delicate, I would serve it with steamed white rice next time. I also think that the recipe yields to more than 4 servings.

Vegetable Korma

This original, super easy and delicious recipe is from Cooking Light magazine: they had a bad time as a magazine for a while (about 2 years ago) but I think they have improved a lot and now they are a high quality magazine with wonderful recipes: I look forward to receiving my new issue in the mail because they always have a number of recipes that I want to try! Check the recipe here.

Chicken Tikka Masala

It’s been a couple of years that Tanya, Camilla and I and our families get together before Christmas for a potluck dinner. We used to work at the same company but not anymore, so we catch up with personal things and see the kids growing up. We also go for walks and scrap booking (that has been a while!).

Every year we had a food “theme”. We had fondue, pasta and this year, Indian food. Camilla made keema and basmati rice. Tanya made egg curry and dahl. I made saffron rice and chicken tikka masala. Everything was to die for!

This is a simplified version of the chicken tikka masala. You can make your own garam masala, which I usually do. I prefer to use equal amounts of cream and and half and half instead of cream only. The final dish turns out lighter and a little thinner than the original. I also use cayenne pepper instead of chilies, that way it’s easier to control the spiciness. Today I am serving the dish with cashew nuts and saffron rice.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

Chicken Tikka

1/2 teaspoon  ground cumin  

1/2 teaspoon  ground coriander  

1/4 teaspoon  cayenne pepper  

1 teaspoon  sea salt  

2 pounds  boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1” cubes 

1 cup  plain yogurt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil  

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon  grated fresh ginger  

Masala Sauce

2 tablespoons  vegetable oil  

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger  

1 fresh Serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced or 1 teaspoon cayenne (for more heat, leave seeds on, for less heat add less pepper with no seeds or ¼ teaspoon cayenne)

1 tablespoon  tomato paste

1 tablespoon  garam masala

1 can diced tomatoes

1 ½ cup water 

½ teaspoon sea salt  

½ cup  heavy cream or half and half

1/4 cup  chopped fresh cilantro leaves  

Directions:

Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in small bowl. In large resalable plastic bag, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger and the spice mixture. Add to chicken to bag. Seal and shake well to cover the chicken thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, add onion and cook, about 10 minutes or until it starts browning. While the onion is cooking, mix garlic, ginger, pepper, tomato paste and garam masala in a small bowl. Remove onion from pan and add the chicken. Discard the marinade. Sautee chicken until all sides are sealed, about 5 minutes. Return onion and spice mix to pan, stir and cook about 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add canned tomatoes, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes. Stir in cream or half and half and cilantro just before serving. Adjust salt.

Moroccan Style Chicken and Garbanzo Stew

I came up with this recipe by changing my Harira soup recipe. See the Harira soup recipe here.

Moroccan Style Chicken and Garbanzo Stew

(6 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ½ pound chicken cut in big pieces

sea salt, ground black pepper

½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 ½ cup chopped tomato (or 1 can unsalted diced tomatoes)

½ cup warm water

1/4 teaspoon saffron soaked in warm water

1 15 oz can drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Juice of ½ fresh lime

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Soak saffron in warm water. Heat oil in a large stock pot oven over high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Move onion and garlic mix to one side of the pan and add chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes each side or until slightly browned. Add ginger, turmeric, cayenne (if using) and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chopped tomato and saffron with water, cook 1 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Chicken Tagine

This is a recipe I found years ago in a magazine. I made it so many times and every time I made it I would change something. The flavors in this dish are wonderful, it’s fragrant and extremely aromatic. I am serving it with whole wheat couscous and broccoli.

Chicken Tagine

4 servings

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts halves (about 2 lb), skinned

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup water

¾ cup pitted whole kalamata olives

2 cinnamon sticks

2 cloves (optional)

½ teaspoons fresh ground ginger

1 ½ teaspoons grated lime rind

¼ cup lime juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large non stick pan over high heat. Add chicken, cook 3 minutes each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add onion and garlic to pan, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken, water, olives, cinnamon, clove and ginger. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn chicken over, cook, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Add lime rind, lime juice, cilantro, and parsley to pan; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Tandoori Chicken

The Tandoori Masala composition can vary a lot. The first time I made it, I started with a basic recipe I found online. Then I adjusted the formula to my taste in subsequent meals. Some recipes call for fenugreek or mace. Some ask for cloves. Some ask for powdered herbs, some for seeds. Some recipes ask for powdered ginger and garlic, some for fresh. In my opinion, it’s better to make a fresh mix each time and not store it, as the fragrance can fade over time. I also prefer to use fresh ginger and garlic. But it all depends on the time you have and ingredient availability. The end result is always delicious.

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken pieces of your choice with skin and visible fat removed

1/2 Tandoori Masala recipe

1 cup yogurt (preferably regular)

1 tablespoon oil

1 lime or lemon juice

Sea salt to taste

½ teaspoon chili or cayenne pepper powder

Tandoori Masala Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds or 1 ½ tablespoons cumin powder

2 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds or 2 tablespoons coriander powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garlic powder or 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ginger powder or 1 tablespoon grated ginger

½ to 1 tsp red chili or cayenne pepper powder

¼ tsp clove powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp orange or red food coloring (optional)

Directions:

To make the tandoori masala, if using seeds, dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan on a low flame, till they begin to release their aroma. Remove from fire and cool. Grind seeds in a grinder. Add all ingredients and mix well.

Make slits in the chicken pieces with a knife. Mix lime, salt and chili pepper in a small bowl. Rub the lime mixture into the chicken slits. Combine yogurt and tandoori masala in a bowl. Mix well. Add the yogurt mix to a large plastic bag or a glass bowl. Add the chicken to the mix and toss well, making sure all the pieces are well coated. Drizzle the oil and toss. Marinate in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Spray oil in the chicken pieces and quickly sear both sides of the chicken. Reduce heat and cover the grill. Cook until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Or you can cook the chicken in the oven: preheat broiler. Cover a baking pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Lay chicken on greased foil and spray with more cooking spray. Broil until it starts browning and turn. Brown the other side. Lower temperature to 350 F. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or done.

Top with onion slices while grilling.

Garnish cilantro and lemon wedges.

Lamb Chops with a Spicy Rub (Indian)

This is the third year we are buying a whole lamb. The lamb we buy is kind of green as it’s raised non-commercially in a small bull farm and my friend Debra brings it for us when she goes visit her mom in South Dakota.

My sister Nancy sent me this recipe after she went to an Indian cooking class. The preparation is very simple and the spice combination is perfect. We love this dish. Today I am serving it with Portuguese Style Broccoli Rice and mini-shiitakes from Hazel Dell farms. Yum.

Lamb Chops with a Spicy Rub (Indian)

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (about 2-inch

piece)

1 teaspoon finely grated garlic (about 2 large cloves)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, finely ground (or use ground cumin)

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground (or use ground coriander)

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

8 lamb rib chops (about 1 pound 4 ounces)

3 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne, cumin, coriander, and turmeric to form a thick, slightly dry paste. Rub the chops well with this mixture and put in a big zippy to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the broiler or grill. Sear the lamb chops 4 to 5 minutes each side for rare. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Mary Moh's Pumpkin, Prawns and Coconut Soup (Thai)

Today I am making a recipe from a Foodbuzz friend, Mary Moh: Pumpkin, Prawns and Coconut Soup (Thai). Check the full recipe at Mary's blog. Her blog is awesome, she cooks everyday and she seems to be a wonderful, happy person. I wish I could meet her. 

The soup turned out delicious! I used spaghetti squash, as I had too many to use up, that's why there are no chunks of pumpkin showing. 

Thanks, Mary, for the wonderful recipe!

Soboro (Meat and Egg Japanese Style)

I love this dish. It is the typical Japanese comfort food. The combination of ginger with the teriyaki in the meat and the slight sweetness in the egg is delicious. You can use any meat: beef, chicken, pork, turkey. I used organic turkey. The eggs were super fresh from the CSA box that I've got on the same day. I am assuming you know by now that everything I use is organic. Well, maybe 99%...

Soboro (Meat and Egg Japanese Style)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sesame oil

16 ounces ground chicken or turkey (or any other meat)

2 tablespoons mirin

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons sugar

½ tablespoon mirin

pinch of salt

2 cups cooked short grain brown or white rice

2 tablespoons thinly chopped green onions

1 nori seaweed sheet cut in thin strips

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the meat, mirin, sugar, ginger and in a medium to low heat, break the meat.  After the meat is cooked, about 15 minutes, add the soy sauce. If there is too much liquid, turn up the heat until the meat looks moist but there is no excess liquid.

While meat is cooking, beat eggs in a medium bowl and add sugar, mirin, and salt. Heat a skillet with vegetable oil, add the eggs, and scramble until cooked. Don’t overcook the eggs.

Serve ½ cup of short brown or white rice into four bowls. Top with soboro, then the egg, green onions and nori. You can optionally add hot green tea to this dish. Serve immediately.

Agedashi-Tofu (Fried Tofu with Grated Daikon and Ginger)

It looks like I am in a Japanese cooking mode, I think that’s because Japanese cooking uses a lot of root vegetables, so abundant during fall.

This version is a light one as I stir fry the tofu instead of deep frying it. I am also using soy sauce instead of dashi. This dish is simple but elegant. You can serve with multiple little side dishes, like I am serving today: hakusai tsukemono (Napa cabbage pickles), kinpira (burdock root teriyaki), steamed shiitake mushrooms and steamed short grain rice.

Agedashi-Tofu
(Fried Tofu with Grated Daikon and Ginger)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 block tofu

corn-starch

½ grated daikon radish

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon vegetable oil for stir frying

2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari

Directions:

Remove excess water off tofu by wrapping it in paper towels. Cut tofu into 4 blocks and cut each block in ½ making 2 triangles. Coat with corn-starch, and stir fry with the vegetable oil in a skillet until it turns golden brown. Place 2 tofu triangles on each serving dish and top with daikon and ginger. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of soy sauce on each dish. 

Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetables Miso Soup)

Tonjiru or butajiru is a soup made with pork and miso, but its taste is very different from the traditional miso soup. This is the only dish I remember I liked when I was a baby. I mean it, I was a baby. My mom would serve it in a shallow plastic dish with some short grain rice, and I was delighted.

My version has some variations from the original dish. I added ginger and sesame oil instead of vegetable oil. I do not use konnyaku just because it’s a little hard to find and not everyone likes it. I am using potato instead of baby yam because of the same reason. However, I love baby yam! For Brazilians that are interested, the baby yam is called “inhame” in Brazil. Today I also added some left over tofu.

Mi’s Tonjiru (Pork, Vegetables and Miso Soup)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/4 lb lean pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 gobo (burdock root), peeled and shaved into very thin slices

(I use the vegetable peeler to shave them)

1 medium potato (or 5 baby yams), peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into thin quarter-rounds

1/4 daikon radish, peeled and cut into thin and small rectangles

4 cup dashi soup stock (see miso soup recipe)

2 - 3 tbsp white miso

2 green onion springs, thinly sliced

Seven-spice chili mix (optional)

 Directions:

Soak gobo strips in water for 5 minutes in plenty of water and drain.

Heat sesame oil in a stock pot and quickly saute pork and ginger over high heat. Add potato, carrot, gobo, daikon radish to the pot and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the dashi soup stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, skim off any foam that rise to the surface, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Dissolve miso in the soup and add chopped green onions. Remove from heat just before it starts boiling. Serve immediately.

Mi's Harira Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. Yuuuuuummmmm...!!!! This recipe is an adaptation of the original Harira soup which is made with lamb and some very thin noodles. But today I am using chicken and more grains instead: lentils, garbanzos and brown rice. The spice combination is fragrant and delicious. The saffron tops it with the ultimate richness of flavor. I buy saffron at the Indian store, where the prices are more affordable than the regular grocery stores.

  

Mi’s Harira Soup

(8 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ¼ pounds meat (boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes or chicken breast)

½ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup dried small red or brown lentils

2 cups chopped tomato (or 1 can unsalted diced tomatoes)

6-8 cups water or broth

1 teaspoon saffron soaked in warm water

1 can drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 cup cooked brown rice

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

Juice of 1/2 fresh lime or ¼ cup

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot oven over high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Move onion and garlic mix to one side of the pan and add meat; cook 5 minutes or until slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add ginger; cinnamon, cayenne and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste, lentils, chopped tomato; cook 1 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in water or broth, saffron, bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Stir in chickpeas and brown rice, bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in cilantro, parsley and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Squash Scones

My neighbor planted some turban squash in his backyard and the vine is coming over our house. I saw a good sized squash yesterday and I thought it would be a nice thing to bake something and bring my neighbor some. I found the scone recipe which sounds pretty interesting. The scones turned out delicious: crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. Ah, first I baked the squash, open side up, for 45 min at 400 F. I’ve got a dry, tasty and soft puree.

Eat them with unsalted butter and local honey!

Squash Scones

(Adapted from Food Network, Recipe courtesy Mark Pearson, Roman Baths and Pump Room, England)

20 scones

Ingredients

6 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1.5 cup)

8 ounces self-rising flour (2 cups)

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 ounces caster sugar (I used regular)

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the squash in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and let dry over heat. It is very important to drain well, or the batter will be too liquidy. Mash squash with a potato masher and drain again, if necessary.

Sift flour, baking powder, and ginger into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Stir in the sugar and then the mashed squash. Stir in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a soft dough. With a wooden spoon, combine the dough thoroughly yet gently.

Turn dough onto a floured board and press down lightly until dough is about 1-inch thick. Using a 2 inch round cutter (I used a champaign glass), cut out the scones and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown.