Hot and Spicy Quail Curry

Ingredients:

Quails 1 pound(Cage free bird/ peasant bird)
Garlic 2 whole head, peeled and grated
Country Tomatoes large 3-6 (made into puree)
Dry Red Chilies 10-15 (Roasted and Powdered)
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Lemon 1 large fruit
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3 - crisply fried for decoration
Curry leaves crisply fried for decoration
Sesame oil 1 cups

Method:


In a large non-stick wok, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Set aside to garnish.

Marinate the birds with salt, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and pinch of turmeric.

In a wide wok, add oil. Add garlic and fry them till fragrant. Then followed by chili flakes/powder...fry till fragrant.

Stir-in marinated meat along with its juice. Fry real good till opaque.

Now add tomato puree to it. Cover and cook over medium heat. This gravy will splatter around your stove top. So keep it covered.

Once gravy consistency is achieved and oil shows up on top, remove from heat.

Squeeze lemon juice if necessary. Garnish with the tempering spices(step 1).

Serve warm to go with you plain steamed rice

Chilli Parotta

Ingredients:

Parotta - 2-4 torn into pieces
Bell pepper 1 large diced
Onion 1 large cubed
Garlic 4-7 cloves - chopped finely
Green chilies 2 finely chopped
Salt
MSG 1 pinch - optional
Soy sauce few spoons
Chili sauce - as per taste
Tomato ketchup - few spoons
Green onions - 4 finely chopped to garnish
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Heat a large wok, add oil. Throw in chilies, garlic, onions and followed by all the sauces and ketchup. Fry real good.

Now add the parotta pieces and capsicum...fry over high heat for few minutes and remove from heat.

Garnish them with green onions. Serve warm as dinner.

tamarind pork

ingredients

50g tamarind pulp
250ml hot water
2 large onions, quartered
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 whole dried chillies, soaked in hot water
120ml peanut oil
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
700g pork, cut into 3cm chunks

method

Prepare the tamarind first. Add the hot water to the tamarind and soak for a few minutes. Use a fork to mash up the pulp and strain through a sieve to remove any fibres or stones.

Using a pestle and mortar, pound the onions, garlic and dried chillies until they resemble a rough paste. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion paste for 15-20 minutes. When it has caramelised and turned reddish brown, add the turmeric and shrimp paste. Use a wooden spoon to break up the shrimp paste and stir through the mixture.

Add the pork and cook over a moderate heat until any liquid that has come out of the pork has evaporated. Keep stirring to avoid burning the onions. Pour in the tamarind liquid and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes.

Check at regular intervals to make sure the gravy has not dried out. Add a little more water if necessary. Check the pork, it should fall apart easily. Season with a little salt if you wish.

serves: 4
cooking time: 60-80 mins

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

Adapted from San Francisco à la Carte

Putting together this recipe is about as easy as it gets.  In fact, the only real room for error is overcooking the pasta.  To avoid this, fill a large pot with an abundant amount of water and bring to a rolling boil before adding the egg noodles.  Make sure to season the water well — it should taste salty.  Cook until the noodles are almost done as they will continue to cook a bit more in the oven.  Also, using good quality canned tuna and some excellent sharp cheddar cheese will make a world of difference in the flavor of the dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 ounces egg noodles, cooked until al dente and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 10 1/2-ounce can of cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 7-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions with some green tops
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
• Chopped parsley for garnish

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Lightly butter a 2-quart casserole and combine the cooked noodles with the salt and minced thyme.  Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix together the milk and canned soup over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly.  Gently fold in the tuna, celery, red bell pepper, scallions, mayonnaise and all but 2 tablespoons of the grated cheddar.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
4. Add the cheese sauce to the casserole and mix thoroughly with the noodles.   Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and the chopped almonds.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.  Garnish with parsley before serving.

Serves 6

Nargisi Kofta

Serves: 6, Preparation time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

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For Koftas:

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250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese)

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4 tsp Maida

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1 big Potato (boiled)

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1/2 tsp Salt

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For Gravy:

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2 Onions

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6 pods of Garlic

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2 tsp Green chilli paste

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2 tsp Ginger paste

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3 Tomatoes

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1 tsp Coriander powder

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1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

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1 tsp Garam Masala

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2 tsp Poppy seeds (soaked for 1/2 hrs and ground to paste)

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3 tsp Fresh cream

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Salt to taste

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Method:

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For Koftas:

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Mash paneer and sprinkle salt. Seperate 1/3 of the paneer and put 3-4 drops of yellow colour. Mash and mix well. In the balance 2/3 paneer add flour, mashed potato and salt. Make small balls of yellow coloured paneer. 

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Now flatten the white mashed paneer and stuff the yellow paneer. Smoothen out the koftas with wet hands. Shape of the koftas should be oval. Deep fry to a rich brown colour. Keep it aside.

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For Gravy:

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Make a paste of onion and garlic. Keep it aside. To make tomato puree, boil the tomatoes for 10 minutes on medium flame. Wait till it cools down and throughly blend it in a blender. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry onion garlic paste. Stir a few times. When the onion turns brownish add paste of poppy seeds, keep stirring to prevent it from sticking. Add ginger and green chilli paste now. Stir for 2 minutes. Now adda pinch of haldi, dhaniya and salt. Add the tomato puree and stir for 3-4 minutes till the puree leaves oil. Pour in about 2 cups of water, cover and cook on low flame heat for 6-7 minutes. add fresh cream in the gravy and cook for 2 minutes only. Garnish it with garam masala and coriander leaves.

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User comments & tips: 

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Pour the gravy in the serving bowl, cut the kofta equally into 2 halves so that the yellow paneer is clearly visible.

Egg Curry

This makes an unusual and delicious lunch or brunch, or a great light supper. 
It’s even better when prepared a day ahead,
 so that the eggs have time to absorb the complex flavors of the sauce.

Ingredients Serves 4–6 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small onion, minced 1 1-inch piece ginger, minced 2 teaspoons crushed garlic 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 2 whole black cardamon pods, lightly crushed 2 small bay leaves 6–8 whole black peppercorns 8 whole cloves, lightly crushed 1 1-inch cinnamon stick 1/2 cup canned chopped tomatoes, drained 1 teaspoon salt 1+ cups water 6 hardcooked eggs, halved ~ cilantro for decoration

	Directions
	Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the onions and cook until golden brown, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning. Add the ginger and cook for two minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the coriander, turmeric, chili powder, black cardamom pods, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon stick and cook for 30 seconds. Add half of the tomatoes to the mixture, stir well, and cook for one minute. Add the remaining tomato and the salt and cook for another minute. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Bring to a lively simmer, and then adjust the heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Thin the sauce with more water if required. Adjust the seasonings. Pour half of the sauce on a deep-lipped platter, arrange the eggs, and cover with the remaining sauce. Decorate with the cilantro. NOTE: If you make this dish ahead, handle it carefully during storage to ensure that the eggs remain intact. Bring to room temperature, then heat in the microwave before serving.

Tilapia in Avgolemono Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/2 cup chicken stock (warm)
1 lemon (juice)
1/4 cup dill (chopped)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Fry the tilapia until cooked and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Heat the eggs in a double boiler while whisking until they are frothy.
5. Slowly pour in the lemon juice while whisking.
6. Slowly pour in the chicken stock while whisking.
7. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens enough for your tastes.
8. Serve the tilapia with avgolemono sauce.

Sweet and Sour Pork

 The secret to this amazing recipe lies in the sauce. Instead of using the white vinegar, we are using apple cider vinegar. I find that this goes much better with the pork than normal vinegar, but I love just about any sweet and sour sauce. Another thing I love about sweet and sour dishes are the vegetables. Speaking of vegetables, instead of using tomatoes I decided to throw in some sliced celery instead and I thought it made a great edition to the dish.

Ingredients:1 pound pork butt (cut into 1 “ cubes)
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg white
2 green onions (chopped)
1 quart vegetable oil (for frying)
½ cup cornstarch
Vegetables-
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 stalks celery (sliced)
1 green bell pepper (sliced)
1 medium onion (cut into wedges)
white sugar (to taste)
salt (to taste)
Sweet and Sour Sauce-
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup white sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 (8oz) can pineapple chunks (with juice)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup water

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Put cubed pork in a bowl, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Mix in the green onions and egg white. Cover, and put in the refrigerator to marinade for at least 1 hour. When finished dust chicken with 1/2 cup of corn starch until evenly coated. 
Step 2:  Heat 1 quart of oil to 375 degrees in your deep fryer or wok. Fry pork in oil until evenly browned (should be about 10 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels.

Step 3: Heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok over medium heat. Stir fry celery, onions, and green peppers, cook until tender. Season with sugar and salt – remove from pan and set aside.
Step 4: To make the sweet and sour sauce- In your wok (or saucepan) mix 1 cup of water, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup sugar, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup ketchup, and ½ teaspoon soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and stir pineapple chunks with juice. Return to a boil and mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in ¼ cup of water to thicken the sauce. Cook until thick and well blended. In a bowl pour sauce over fried pork, and add vegetables and mix well. 

Sesame Shrimp

Sesame shrimp is one of the easiest Chinese dishes you can make. There are very few ingredients to this recipe and the end result is fantastic. This is the perfect recipe for someone that has just begun to start cooking. Stir fry vegetables can be added to this dish as well if you choose. The shrimp are first marinated and then stir fried in a wok or fry pan. This dish gets a lot of its flavor from sesame oil, a necessary ingredient in this recipe. Serve with cooked white rice.

Ingredients:
1/2lb medium raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 green onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a sealable bag or sealable bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and garlic. Add shrimp tossing to coat. Seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Heat peanut oil in a wok or skillet. Add shrimp (with marinade) and stir fry until the shrimp turn pink (about 3 minutes) serve with white rice. Top with sesame seeds and green onion.
(Makes 2 Servings)