Prawn Cocktail

A Classic Prawn Cocktail with an Indian twist

Let's be naughty tonight. Let's add up some small Indian touches to the Classic Prawn Cocktail and surprise the world...

Preparation time : 25 minutes
Cooking time      : 2- 3 minutes
Difficulty            : Very Easy
Serves                 : 4

Ingredients :

• 500 gms of Fresh medium sized prawns. Shell the head and the coat, but leave the tail. Don't forget to take out the poop shoot from the back of the prawn !!!
• 1 big fresh bundle of Iceberg lettuce , use outer leaves for decorating other dishes, use crispier inner leaves to line your cocktail cups.
• 5 heaped tablespoon of good Mayo. If you can make at home, use that, otherwise go with the ones with good creamy texture.
• 5 tablespoons of Tomato sauce, if you use a spicy one, it will only add up to the taste.
• A few dashes of Tabasco sauce.
• 2 table spoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• Salt to taste.
• Large pinch of paprika powder to decorate
• A few sprigs of coriander leaves or large slice of lemon to decorate the glass

Direction :

1) Clean the fresh prawns, wash them well, drain and the add to a bowl of boiling water for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to it and at the end of two minutes drain and let them rest.

2 ) Clean the Lettuce head. Take out the small crispy leaves from the core and arrange them in the glasses.
3) Take a clean bowl with a wide mouth. Pour mayo in and the tomato sauce, along with it the few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Whisk well with a fork.
4) Add lime juice and mix well. Taste and them add the salt as per requirement.
5) Now add the prawns and fold in slowly. Once they are well mixed, divide them in four equal portions and serve over the bed of lettuce leaves.
6) Top up with a tiny sprig of Coriander leaves. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika and decorate with a fine slice of lemon.
7) Don't forget to add a spoon before serving.

NOTE: It is best served chilled . If you have a little time in your hand prepare the sauce ahead and put in in the freezer to cool. Mix the prawn and decorate minutes before serving.

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng

This Indonesian Dish is quite famous. I am posting the dish, the way my sons love to make it. They have added and omitted a few ingredients and given a few flavoursome twist to this popular dish. I polished off my plate, I am sure, once you cook this at home your kids are going to follow my example...

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time      : 20 - 25 minutes
Difficulty            : Medium
Serves                 : 4 -  6

Ingredients :

1 tsp. chopped garlic

3 tsp. chopped small onions (you can use regular onions too)

 1 tsp. Bird's Eye chili (a variety of Southeast Asian chili), to taste This is not commonly available in the Indian markets, so go for red ones with sharp taste.

¾ tsp. Kosher salt, this is again not much available, you can use sea salt instead

 250gms of  sliced beef top round, 1 inch square and ⅛ inch thick  (Substitute beef with Boneless lamb or mutton, it will taste equally good)

2 cups cooked rice (use medium grained rice)

 1 Cabbage leaf, cut into 1 inch squares

 2 stalks yu choy (a green, leafy vegetable available at Asian supermarkets) cut into 2 inch pieces, or substitute baby spinach or even with Chinese Bok Choy

 ½ cup Bean Sprouts (make them at home or you can also get them packed in Super markets)

 1 Egg

 1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. Vegetable Oil  (any Vegetable oil would do, but peanut oil tastes better)

Garnish (optional): lime wedge, chopped green onion, crispy fried Onions

Direction :

1) Pound garlic, shallots, and salt in a mortar until they form a paste, or grate them with a fine grater.
2) Heat wok/ kadai over medium heat. Drizzle in 1 Tbs. oil and swirl to coat to the bottom. Add the garlic mixture and stir fry for 1 minute.3
3) Add the sliced Mutton/lamb and cabbage. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until meat is cooked through.
4) Cook the rice separately till well done. Drain and fluff up with a fork.
5) Add in the cooked rice and fry, coating well with the pan juices.
6) Add in the Bok choy. mix well.
7) Move all the ingredients to the side making a well in the middle of the wok/ kadai.
8) Drizzle in 1 tsp. oil, and break the egg into the wok. Scramble the egg, till the egg is done.
9)  Add in the bean sprouts and stir everything together.
10) Add Salt to taste, Adjust if necessary.
11) Plate the Nasi Goreng and serve with optional garnishes.

Gazpacho Soup

Gazpacho Soup

This may be one of the best known Spanish dishes. It originates from the South of Spain. Some people believe that the tradition of Spanish cold soup comes from the extremely hot summer weather, when peasants had to harvest for hours under the harsh sun, they needed food rich in water and salts to sustain themselves and keep well hydrated. This dish is ideally suited for Indian summers. Just try it once.. you'll fall in love with the summers.

Preperation time  : 15 minutes

Cooking time       : 15 Minutes

Difficulty             : Very Easy

Serves                  :  4- 6

Ingredients :

500 g of ripe red tomatoes, Chopeed, deseeded

Half of 1 small onion

 2 small green peppers (Capsicums), Chopped, deseeded

 1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped, deseeded

 2 tablespoon of Vinegar

 1/2 teacup of Olive oil

  2 slices stale bread, Diced(from the previous day)

 1 Clove of Garlic, peeled 

 3/4 liter of water

Salt to Taste 

  Method :

Fill a bowl with water and let the bread soak in it

In the meantime wash and peel the tomatoes, cucumber and peppers (make sure there are no seeds left)

Chop the vegetables and use a food mixer or blender until it has a semi uniform liquid texture.

Put a previously peeled garlic clove into the mixture and blend again

Now add the soaked bread, a pinch of salt, vinegar and olive oil

Mix again until you get a dense homogeneous texture.

Now add water gradually until it reaches the desired texture (somewhere half way between liquid and creamy)

Decorate with chopped Onion greens.

Note : Gazpacho must be served cold, so it's advisable to refrigerate for as long as necessary until it reaches the desired temperature. If you are in a hurry to serve your gazpacho but have not had enough time to chill it, you can always cheat a little by adding some ice cubes to the soup to chill it quickly.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

This is a Creole dish which gets its name from a fench word meaning Jumble, looks like a Spanish Paella and tastes like a riot of flavours. Very easy to make one pot meal, ideal for a busy morning as well as a rainy afternoon, even well suits a busy evenings perfect ending. This  lip smacking dish is sure to bring smile on every one's lips.

Preperation time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time    : 25 minutes
Difficulty            :  Easy
Serves               : 8

Ingredients :

• 500 gms Good quality, smoked or spiced sausages, sliced
• 200 gms of Chicken or Pork Ham, diced
• 1/4 cup butter, you can use Olive oil if you are a diet freak
• 4 medium onions chopped
• 1 small  capsicum, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 500 gms or ripe red tomatoes, blanched, peeled and cut up
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme (you will get them in any big food store)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Kashmiri mirch
• 3 cups Chicken broth, you can use Broth pwder or even Maggie Chicken Masala in Hot water
• 2 cups uncooked long grained rice (no need to use expensive basmati)
• 500 gms of uncooked prawns cleaned and peeled
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• Salt to taste
• Pepper powder, as per taste

Directions:

1. In a large Non stick wok heat butter over medium heat and saute sausage and ham in butter until lightly browned, add onion, green pepper and garlic.
2. Saute until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, Kashmiri mirch and chicken broth.
3. Cover and bring to a slow boil, stir in rice.
4. Cover and cook over low heat until rice is nearly tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Stir in prawns and chicken. Cover and simmer until prawns are cooked and liquid is absorbed. This will take about 5 minutes. Do not over cook prawns.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.Taste and adjust seasoings.
7. Remove bay leaf and serve in a big bowl.

Nte : To enjoy Jambalaya, every one of the family should sit arround the bowl and eat the meal together.

Vegetable Au Gratin

Vegetable Au Gratin

Au Gratin is a French dish, loved and cooked all over the world. An easy dish, for which I'm giving the vegeterian version, you can turn the same dish into non-veg by just adding up fried Sausages, Par- boiled or broiled chicken cubes, Pieces of cured ham or any other items you fancy. A little innovations in this dish is adding up a bit of spices... which you can always omit, if you want to make an authentic French Cuisine.

Prepetaion time : 20 minutes
Cooking Time   : 20 minutes
Baking time       : 5 - 7 minutes
Difficulty           : Easy
Serves                : 6

Ingredients :

1 Mediem Onion cubed
1 medium Head Broccoli, Cut into medium florettes and blanched
1 Yellow Bell pepper, cored, seeded and cubed
1 Red Bell Pepper, Cored, seeded and cubed
200 gms button mushroom, washed, scks removed and cubed
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
Vegetable oil 1/4 cup
Butter 1/2 cup
Flour 3 tablespoons
Light Cream 1 cup
Salt to Taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
Brittania Cheese cubes 4

Direction :

1. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat add the minced agrlic fry for few seconds, till they are no longer raw.
2. Add onions followed by rest of the veggies. Add some salt, simmer and slow fry all the veggies till the water evaporates. Keep them separately.
3. In another non stick kadai heat up the butter and once it is melted (don't allow it to burn), slowly add the flour and keep stirring, so that no lumps form. Fry for a few minutes till the flour is no longer raw.
4. Take it off the flame and add the cream slowly, stirring continuously. Add salt and pepper to taste, check seasoning and take off flame completely.
5. Add 1 cube of grated cheese to this sauce.
6. Now add the cooked veggies to the sauce, fold in slowly and pour in a square or oval dish,
7. Grate the remaining three cubes of cheese on the top of Gratin,
8. Microvawe till the cheese melts.

Serve hot with chunks of crusty garlic bread and fresh salad greens.

Mushroom Cutlets

Mushroom Cutlets
This is a Russian Dish which I really liked. I have not made much changes to the original recipe. Though it might taste slightly bland according to Indian taste, you can spruce it up by increasing the amount of Ground Pepper powder.
Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time     : 45 minutes
Difficulty level   : Easy
Serves                 : 6

Ingredients:

200 grams of  Fresh Button Mushrooms
100 grams of any short grained rice
2 medium onions
2 tablespoons of  flour (Maida)
Salt to taste
1 Large pinch of ground Pepper
Oil to fry (Any vegetable oil would do)

Method:
1. Boil mushrooms in salted water, drop on a sieve and wash under running water. Let water trickle down.
2. Chop mushrooms finely.
3. Chop onion finely
4. Heat oil in a Wok/ Non stick Kadai/ Skillet and fry onions in oil, till they are translucent and soft, but not browned.
5. Boil rice until almost cooked and cool down.
6. Mix mushroom with onion, rice, salt to taste. Add pepper.
7. Shape small cutlets and Roll each of them in flour.
8. Heat oil for frying. Fry Cutlets in oil until there is golden skin.
9. Serve with salads from fresh vegetables.

Potato - Keilbasa Skillet

Potato-Kielbasa-Skillet

This is a polish dish. Very much a side dish but can also me eaten as a main course with few chunks of warm garlic breads or even accompanied with some green salad. Kielbasa, in Polish means Sausage. But in other parts of the world "kielbasa" means "Polish Sausage". I know it is difficult to get Kielbasa in India. So just don't try .. and good spiced Frankfurter would be good enough.

Preparation time : 10 Minutes.
Cooking time      : 15 minutes
Difficulty            : Easy
Serves                 : 6

 Ingredients :

1. 5 large potatoes cut in bite sized chunks

2. 500 gms of Frankfurters/ Kielbasa sliced

3.  1 Cup chopped onions

4.  1 cup Chopped Capsicum

5.  2 table spoon vegetable oil (Groundnut/ soy/ sunflower)

6.  1 Teaspoon Oregano. (in case you find fresh ones, use them. Otherwise you can used dried ones

                                          and in that case reduce it to 1/2 teaspoon)

7.  1 teaspoon Basil (same as above)

8.  Salt to taste

9.  1/4 teaspoon pepper (crushed)

10. 1 1/2 cups of water

11. 1 1/2 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese. Or any other readily available cheese cubes will be just good.

                                                    Photo courtesy : Sharlot W from Poland

Directions:
1. Heat wok or and non stick skillet on fire, add oil, First put in the potatoes, fry them till they are light brown. Remove on a plate.

2. In the same oil add chopped Frankfurters, fry them and set aside.

3. In the remaining oil add the Onions and the chopped capsicum. Fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add water, salt and pepper.

5. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, stir in between.

6. Check the doneness  and the seasoning, adjust if necessary.

7. Pour in on the serving dish and add shredded cheese on top.

8. Microwave for 2 minutes till the cheese melts.

9. Serve hot with chunky hot garlic breads.

Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne

or Meat with Chilies. A very Mexican Dish for the Spicy food lovers. There are different versions of the dish available on  all food sites. But my recipe, I can gaurantee you, will knock you off totally. Because this Mexican Dish has a slight innovation which brings it closer to Indian Taste.

Preperation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time    : 40 - 45 minutes

Difficuty Level   : Medium

Serves                 : 6

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of red kidney beans or Rajma, Soaked overnight and boiled witha pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, quartered, sliced
•  3 Cloves of Garlic Minced
• 1 green Capsicum, chopped
• 750 Gms of Minced meat (Lamb/ Beef/ Mutton) washed and drained
• 250 gms of  Tomatoes, Blanced , Peeled and chopped
• 1 Yellow or Red Bell Pepper, Deseeded and cubed
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped Jalapeno chili pepper, optional (mostly available in food stores)
• 1 Cup Tomato Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder (Optional), you can use Kashmiri Mirch instead to make it less spicy.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• dash Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 Cup American Sweet Corn (Frozen would do just as well)
• 1 teaspoon of ground Roasted Cumin powder

Preparation:

1. Heat Olive oil in a heavy Skillet or a Big Kadai/ Wok, Add Chopped Onions, fry till translucent.

2. Add chopped garlic. Fry for a few seconds then add the minced meat.

3. Then add the Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Capsicum, Bell pepper, Chili Powder, Rajma, Corn and Black pepper. Mix well and keep frying.

4. After meat starts releasing water add the Jalapenos and Salt. Add little water if necessary.

5. Cook till the meat is well done.

6. Adjust the seasonings and add the ground roasted Cumin powder, mix well.

7. Serve Hot with Tortillas, Salsa and Avocado dips.

Note :

In case you want you can also add a few springs of finely chopped Corriender leaves before serving.

You can also change the taste by using a cup of Red wine instead of water.

Tortilla and Salsa

Tortilla and Salsa

Tonight I'm going back to the Basics. If any one wants to learn Mexican cooking they must know about these two major food items which are omnipresent in all the Mexican meals.

Tortilla

The Basic Mexican bread, are made mostly out of Corn meal in India which we know as Makki ka Atta. Tortillas are also made out of flour, which in Indian kitchen is always known as Maida. They are made fresh before every meal and are kept wrapped in a cotton cloth and served hot during meals.

The Tortilla I'm going to teach you today is very basic but slightly different from the usual Mexican one. This again has a slight Indian twist to it.

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Resting time       : 30 minutes
Cooking Time    : 20 minutes
Difficulty Level : Easy
Serves                : 10 (1 per serving)

Ingredients :

1. Corn Meal (Makki ka Atta) : 4 cups

2.  Flour (Maida)                      : 1 1/2 cups

3.  Pinch of Salt

4.  Water to mix

Method :

1. In a big bowl mix the first thee ingredients.

2. Mix well with water to make a dough, which is just right, not too soft, nor too dry.

3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 mins.

4. After resting time mix the dough once again between your palms on a floured surface, With a stretch and pull motion.

5. Make medium sized ten balls from the dough.

6.  Roll them one at a time on a floured surface to make a disk 1/4 th inch thick.

7. Heat a non stick pan (Tawa) and cook the Tortilla turning both sides till small brown specks appear. No need to put them directly on fire, like a Roti.

8. Once done wrap them in a fresh cloth and set aside till meal time.

 

                                            Salsa and Tortilla served with Chili Con Carne

Salsa :

This is a chutney type dish , spicy and tangy, presented with every food in Mexico. They are made in various ways, some raw and chunky, and some more soft and juicy. The one I'm giving here is a more Indians version of the original Mexican one.

Preparation time  : 15 minutes

Cooking time      :  25 - 30 mins

Difficulty level   : Medium

Serves                  : 20 ( 2 Teaspoons per serving)

This can be also stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a month, safely.

Ingredients:

1. Green Capsicum Large - 1

2. Ripe Tomatoes Medium - 2

3. Onion  Medium              - 1

4. Garlic Cloves                  - 5

5. Vinegar                            - 1 1/2 cups

6. Salt to Taste

7.  Green chilies or Jalapenos - 3 (If you do not like HOT stuff use less Chilies)

8.  Pinch of Sugar

9.  Olive Oil                        - 1 tablespoon

Method :

1. Skewer the capsicum and tomatoes, smear with a drop of Olive Oil and roast them on open fire till the skin is charred.

2. Set the aside for 10 mins in a zip lock bag. The heat will loosen the skin. Take them out remove skin and seeds and chop them roughly.

3. Chop I onion and 3 cloves of garlic and put them in a grinder.

4. Add chopped capsicum and tomatoes. Chopped chilies and the vinegar.

5. Grind them once or twice so that they remain slightly chunky.

6. In a wok heat Olive oil.

7. Finely chop and add 2 garlic cloves and fry till they leave aroma.

8. Add the puree and lower the heat.

9. Add salt and Sugar and keep stirring till they are no longer raw.

10. Taste and adjust seasoning.

11. It is ready to be served with anything Mexican and Indian.

Home-made Burger and Chips

Home-made Burger and Chips

I know it sounds awful... Mid week, busy evenings, children and their homework, assignments from office that you will bring back home, Hubby busy with his own work ... and this lady is taking of Home Made Burger !!! She must be out of her mind :) . No folks. I'm not. With a little planning you can serve kids their favourite dinner of Home made Burger and Chips even after a tiring day at office and I promise you it'll be fun. OK let's start with the basics :


Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooling time       :  As long as you are away from home, otherwise a mere 1 hr would be enough
Cooking time      : 20 mins
Assembling         : 2 - 3 mins
Eating time          : Plate is empty, before you know
Difficulty            : So easy that even you teenage children would love to make it.
Serves                 :  6

 Ingredients:

For the Burger :

1.  750 gms of Minced Lamb/ Mutton/ Lean Beef or Lean Pork
2.  1 Large Onion finely chopped
3.  2 cloves of Garlic Minced
4.  Olive Oil : 2 table spoon
5.  Barbecue Sauce : 2 tablespoon
6.  Tabasco Sauce : 1 1/2 tablespoon (more if you like it spicy)
7.  Salt and Pepper to Taste
8.   Mixed Dried Herbs - 1 1/2 teaspoon
9.   Fresh Bread crumbs - 1 cup
10. One large egg.

For Assembling :

1. 6 Burger Buns Halved
2. Six Lettuce Leaves washed and soaked in Cold water (only if you cut them in the morning )
3. Some Lettuce leaves, Spring Onions, Onions thinly sliced and mixed with Mayonnaise
4. Cheese slices - 6
5. 3 large potatoes cut in sticks
6. Oil for frying

Preparation Part I:

1. In the Morning wash and drain the minced meet while you chop the onions and mince the garlic.

2. In a big bowl add rest of the ingredients for the Burger and add mince to it.

3. Mix well with a light hand. DO NOT OVERWORK. It will make your Burger tough.

4. Cover well and leave it in the fridge for at least one hour for the flavours to come together.

Preparation Part II :

1. Take out the Mince from the fridge, bring it back to room temperature and make Six patties out of it.

2. Heat a Non-stick skillet and put the burgers on , two at a time, on Medium heat so that the meat cooks through. Towards the end turn on the heat high and brown both sides. Put them aside on a plate and continue with the rest.

3. While they cook on the lower part of the bun lay one lettuce leaf, top it up with Veggies coated with Mayonnaise

4. Separate cheese slices and put them on the cooked Burgers.

5. Put the burgers in the micro oven and micro high for 1 min. It is enough to melt the cheese.

6. Put the other bun on top and fix it with a tooth pick :)

7. Heat some vegetable oil for frying and fry your finger chips and serve your HOME MADE BURGER AND CHIPS with a winning smile.

Mexican Wraps

Mexican Wraps

A wonderful food, easily made with some pre-cooked ingredients or left overs : Matter of minutes to create lip smacking wonders :

Preparation time : (If ingredients are pre-cooked left overs, then just none :)
Cooking Time    : 10 minutes
Difficulty level   : Very easy
Serves                 : 4

This dish is usually made of Corn or flour Tortillas freshly made. You can even use Chapatis or the healthier versions, Makki ki roti without the butter.

Ingredients :

1.  4 Chapatis or Makki ki Roti or even better if you can manage 4 Tortillas

2.  1/12 cups of left over bone-less chicken pieces from any curry optionally you can use chopped up fresh salami (Chicken or Ham).

3. 1 1/2 cups of Salsa (you can use one from the bottle) or better if you can take the pain of making it, I have the recipe posted at the end .

4. 1 1/2 cup of roughly chopped or thickly grated Cheddar cheese, you can also use a mix of Britannia Pizza Cheese and Cheese Cubes

5. Some Chopped Jalapenos (store a bottle in the fridge for emergencies and drain the brine and chop a few of them)

6. You can spruce up the dish with  1/2 a can of baked beans. Better options will be pre-cooked Rajma from last night's dinner.

7. Olive Oil about 1 tablespoon

8. Salt and pepper to taste

Process :

1. Heat a pan, add Olive oil to it. Add chicken pieces or salami or both. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.

2. Add Baked Beans or Refried beans (left over Rajma)

3. Put in your Salsa and pop in the Jalapenos. Stir well.

4. Check the seasonings. Now add 1/3 of the cheese to the mixture. Turn off the heat.

5. Spread one Tortilla at a time , Divide mixture into four parts. Put one part in the centre of a tortilla. Fold from all four sides. Put on a square place open side facing down.

                                                                               Photo Courtesy : Taste of Home

6. Do the same for three other tortillas. Top up with the remaining cheese.

7. Pop into a microwave and micro high for 3 -4 mins i.e. till the cheese on the top melts.

8. Serve hot.

NOTE :

Salsa  - for those who want to use fresh ingredients :

1.  2 Ripe, hard tomatoes, (Finely chopped, with skin on)

2.  2 Medium Onions (Peel, Core and chop into medium small size)

3.  1 Red Bell Pepper (Cored, De-seeded and chopped)

4.   1 Medium Capsicum (Cored, De-seeded and Chopped)

5.  2 Green Chilies (finely chopped. If you like less heat de-seed one)

6.  1/2 cup Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

7.  Juice of 1/2 lemon

8.  Salt and Pepper to taste

9.  Cumin powder (Dry roasted Cumin, ground to a medium coarse powder)

10. 1 Large pinch of sugar

Mix all the above ingredients well in a bowl, give a good stir. Check the seasonings. Adjust if necessary. Keep covered for 1/2 an hour in the fridge. It's ready to use.

Jamaican Fish Curry

Jamaican Fish Curry with an Indian Twist

It's a gift to my father on Father's Day...

Preparation time    : 10 mins

Marination time     : 2 hrs

Cooking time         : 20 - 30 mins

Difficulty               : Easy

Serves                    : 4

The Ingredients :

1. Salmon/ Basa/ King Fish or any other white flesh Fish fillets : 500 gms (Cut into 4 pieces)

2. 1/3 cup Sugar

3. Juice of 1 Lime or 1 big Lemon

4. 1/4 cup Olive oil

5. Hand full of Frozen American Sweet Corns
6. 1 Clove garlic crushed
7. 1 1/2 cup fresh Tomato puree

8. Some Coriander Leaves for garnishing

Marinade :

1. Jamaican Jerk Seasoning : 2 tablespoon

2 tablespoons ground thyme
1 tablespoon Rosemary (dried or fresh)
1 tablespoon Allspice (ground) this is known as Kababchini in India
1 tablespoon Ground ginger (you can use Sooth powder)
1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (normal Iodised Salt can also be used)
1 1/2 teaspoon Onion powder (mostly available in big food stores)
1 1/2 teaspoon Pepper Powder (use ready made or better if you grind it fresh)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder (mostly available in big food stores)
3/4 teaspoon Paprika (Roasted one tastes better, you can use Kashmiri Mirch instead)
2 Teaspoon Ground Scotch Bonnet Pepper (use 1 tsp Teekha Lal Mirch powder instead)
12 Bay leaves Finely Crumbled (roast them in oven and crumble in a grinder)

Mix all these ingredients in an mixer, whizz for one minute and pour in an air tight jar. This can be used for any recipes later. For this recipe you will need only 2 tablespoon full of this mixture.

 2. 1/3 cup of Non-fruit Vinegar
 3. 2 tablespoon of Tomato Ketchup

Directions :
 
1. Combine all Marinade but Fish, lime juice and oil in mixing bowl and whisk to mix well.

2. Coat Fish with spice mixture.

3. Refrigerate 1-3 hours, then remove from refrigerator and allow to come to near room temperature.

4. Prepare grill for direct/indirect grilling.

5. Grill Fish over hot grill. Don't worry about the black, it's supposed to be there. In fact, 30 -40%  of the skin should end up black, but it will not be bitter. It will take 3 - 4 minutes on either side.

6. Once seared, remove on a plate.

7. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Olive oil to the pan. Add Garlic and fry for a new seconds, add tomato puree and rest of the marinade. Cook for 5 mins, till the tomatoes are well cooked.

8. Add frozen Corns. Cook for some more minutes.

9. Add Sugar and check the seasonings. Adjust if necessary.

10. Serve Grilled fishes with the sauce and garnish with coriander leaves.

Can be served as a main course for Lunch or Dinner along with Plain white rice or even goes well with Indian Pilaf.

Introduction

Hello everyone!! I'm Kuheli, a Bengali lady, with a passion for world cuisine. I thought I might start my own blog to share my passion with thousands of other amature chefs like me.

In my blog I'll share my experience with world food and the recipes for some wonderful dishes from all over the world and how they can be modified to suit Indian taste buds.

I find it absolutely amazing how a person who has never tasted pork or beef in his or her life can get addicted to beef steak or pork chops... or a vegetarian can also eat food from different countries, with just a minor adjustments in the ingredients and cooking style.

Over the last few years, while I was learning more about world cuisines, my two teen age sons were picking up cooking and innovating dishes behind my back. Now both of them can easily rustle up a meal for four (many more, in case of the younger one). So, while I write about my dishes, I will also incorporate the versions innovated by my sons.

Food is a necessity, but for the home makers who hates to cook it's a real punishment. It is also very tiresome for a busy executive, at the end of the day. So why not find out easy ways to make food a fun.

I will be really happy if any of you want to come forward and share your own ways to adopt world cuisines or even share some of your easy cooking methods for lazy chefs. Lets create a Fun Zone for Foods and bring World Cuisines in an Indian Kitchen.