Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 27
April 26, 2020
Spiced Walnut Shortbread Cookies
These spiced walnut shortbread cookies are the highlight of my weekend. I am having the kind of weekend that needs a highlight.
Thankfully, I have walnuts provided to me from California Walnuts. I am planning to submit this recipe to a contest. These cookies are the result of walnuts, soft butter, and some fragrant spices.
Delicate, gently spiced, with a soft melt in your mouth texture these cookies are my new best fried. Also, you want salted butter if you have it.
I think the walnuts gave this the right heft and also lifted our spirits. A handful of California walnuts is a versatile snack and can satisfy any taste preference, from savory to sweet. Regardless of your flavor preference, walnuts are the only nut to provide an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3, ALA (2.5g/oz).
These delicate and ridiculously easy cookies are perfect paired with tea or coffee. Perfectly timed, as I have been drinking cups of ginger tea and watching the rain. I am not sure what I have done with my kindle. With my class almost ending, as in two more weeks I want to be able to do some pandemic reading.
With being at home, having a sweet snack on hand has almost become the norm. As I was struggling between the idea of what to make, these cookies emerged. A very good use of the last of my maple syrup. Essentially, the cookies are made without any eggs. A shortbread cookie of sorts. Actually, they also contain relatively little flour.
The combination of ground star anise and ginger gives them a nice perk. Very delicate, yet it marries beautifully with the soft mellow notes of the walnut. The cookies are relatively small, offering you the perfect delicate little snack when you need it the most.
And now Monday, here we come.
PrintSpiced Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes about 15 cookies
A delicate and gently spiced cookie, this shortbread is easy to put together and perfect for an anytime treat.
Ingredients
3/4 cup California Walnuts, plus a handful to garnish8 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons fine semolina
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise or ginger
1/4 cup maple syrup (you can add some sugar if you want this sweeter)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.Place the walnuts in a food processor and process to a fine powder.
Add in the butter, fine semolina, all purpose flour, ground ginger, ground star anise and the maple syrup and pulse a few times until the mixture binds well.
Shape into small balls, dimple the center and place a few walnut pieces.
Place in the oven and bake until fragrant and pale golden. About 15 minutes.
Cool slightly and enjoy warm or cold.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/wal/
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April 22, 2020
Instant Pot Peanut Jaggery Brittle
There are so many reasons why you
need this recipe in your life. For starters, this peanut jaggery brittle is seriously good. It is done with 2 ingredients. Ok three, if you want to count the water. And, it is a fool proof recipe. Well, it certainly hits the spot for me.
I have been feeling really out of sorts since yesterday. It all started with coffee. Well, ok my grocery routine and coffee. Firstly, I go to Costco, and found a whole bunch of empty shelves. I then go to Stew Leonard’s as it was the closest option. I have a habit of picking up cappuccino if the store offers it and drinking it while shopping. So, without thinking I got my coffee and then realized that I was wearing a mask. This saddened me so much. For some strange reason, I nearly cried.
I know it is not a big deal, but loads of small deals end up becoming a big deal. That is the problem. When I reached home, my husband was eating some of my stash of jaggery. Specifically, my date palm jaggery and then I proceeded to try making this brittle. I have done this twice in two days. Well, I needed to perfect the recipe before I could post it right? Well, actually it seems to be disappearing very fast in my house. I love that using the electric pressure cooker, I do not have to worry about cooking this down to the right sticky consistency. This said, I will tell you what you need to do.
Because, I totally realize that you might not have jaggery on hand and might want to try this with brown sugar. I think that should not be terrible. I am just not sure about doing this with regular white sugar. You do want a little depth of flavor. And the only caveat, I will offer is do use parchment paper on the tray you will be spreading the brittle out on.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring
PrintInstant Pot Peanut Jaggery Brittle
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 pieces
A lovely deep and rich tasting candy that is so ridiculously easy to cobble together.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched raw peanuts3/4 cup of grated jaggery
1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
Turn the instant pot on sauté mode. Add the peanuts and dry toast for a few minutes until the peanuts are fragrant.Remove them and place on a plate.
Add the jaggery and water and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (if using) and close the instant pot and set to 3 minutes of pressure.
While this is cooking, line a tray with a greased piece of parchment paper.
Do a quick release. The jaggery should be bubbling and hot. Test a tiny bit in a cup of water, it should curl, form a ball and drop to the bottom.
Add the peanuts and stir and quickly pour the mixture onto to the parchment paper. Place the steel insert and spoon in the sink and fill with water and set aside. Let this soak and the sticky mixture will dissolve and you should be able to easily clean off.
Let the brittle cool and harden. Break into pieces and enjoy!3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/instant-pot-peanut-jaggery-brittle/
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Creamy Cilantro Lime Snacking Noodles
The name for these noodles sound like a mouthful! However, these noodles themselves are a mouthful – a thoroughly delicious mouthful! This recipe comes to you courtesy of California Walnuts, who sent me some samples for creating recipes for them. I am however not being compensated for the recipes. However, I totally stand by these Nutty Cilantro Lime Snacking Noodles. I am also excited about submitting them to the California Walnuts contest.
Do you feel like snacking more these days? I certainly do. So, along with the Umami, I am happy to have some healthy infusions for this recipe. It really is a two in one recipe, and keep going to see why.
The heart of the recipe is a thick rich buttery sauce. Except it has no butter, it has toasted walnuts that are pureed with peppers and ginger. These healthy wholesome nuts add richness and nutrition in an effortless.
A handful of California walnuts is a versatile snack and can satisfy any taste preference, from savory to sweet. Regardless of your flavor preference, walnuts are the only nut to provide an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3, ALA (2.5g/oz). So, these snacking noodles coated
This walnut butter sauce can be eaten over toast, served as a dip or as I do in this recipe form a luscious base. For the snacking noodles I have used thick fresh Udon Noodles. They have a moreish kind of feel to them.
In the recent times, I have also been cobbling together a whole bunch of lighter lunches/heavier snacks. This is one of them. Last night this came in especially handy, as for some reason every thing seem so all over the place. By the time I got to putting dinner together my husband had finished the whole batch of these noodles.
Well, saved me trouble for trying to work on today’s lunch. As so the days go on. Some days are just meant to be crazier than others. In fact, last evenings disorder carried on to the night. But as they say, today is another day. Another day to be savored and enjoyed.
PrintCreamy Cilantro Lime Snacking Noodles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
A wholesome and flavorful take on Udon noodles, that are deceptively healthy with a rich Umami taste.
Ingredients
For the Walnut Butter Sauce3/4 cup chopped California walnuts (about 3 to 4 oz's)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 medium sized bell pepper cut into smaller pieces
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
For the noodles
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked Udon (aka thick noodles) see notes
1 cup frozen peas or any other vegetable of choice
1 cup walnut butter sauce (as prepared above)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons crushed California Walnuts (about 1/2 oz)
Instructions
To prepare the butter, heat a pan and gently toast the walnuts for about 5 minutes, stirring lightly and frequently. The nuts will darken and turn fragrant.Add in the coconut oil and the ginger and garlic with the bell pepper. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until the peppers soften.
Stir in the black pepper, cayenne pepper and Tamari or soy sauce.
Place the mixture in a blender and blend to a puree with the coconut milk, add more water if needed. You want a fairly thick but smooth consistency.
To make the noodles, heat the coconut oil and add in the ginger and the onion and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
Stir in the noodles and the peas and toss well and in the prepared walnut butter sauce and mix well to coat.
Stir in the lime juice, brown sugar, soy or tamari sauce.
Stir in the chopped cilantro and mix well.
Serve garnished with the crushed walnuts.
These noodles can be served hot or cold.
Notes
If you do not have Udon Noodles, you can make these with any noodles of your choice.
To keep the dish gluten free, use gluten free noodles and tamari sauce.
The post Creamy Cilantro Lime Snacking Noodles appeared first on Spice Chronicles.
April 19, 2020
Perfect Easy Wholewheat Sourdough Naan (with Instant Pot Proofing)
Sourdough Naan I ask, where have you been all my life? An
d the Sourdough Naan responds to me saying, I was waiting for the pandemic. Waiting until you needed me to cheer you up. So, yes, many of you have been asking me for recipes with that quicker sourdough starter that I had
PrintPerfect Easy Wholewheat Sourdough Naan (with Instant Pot Proofing)
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 5 naans
A beautiful wholegrain naan made with natural sourdough. You will fall in love with this sourdough naan.
Ingredients
1 cup active sourdough starter (100% hydration)3 cups flour (equal parts of whole wheat and all purpose AP flour)
4 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
Optional finish
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
Instructions
Place the starter, flour, and yogurt in a mixing bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of water and mix lightly to form a shaggy dough. Set aside for 30 minutes.Stir in the salt and mix well to form a smooth (might be a little sticky dough). You do not need to do too much mixing.
Gather the dough into a ball and place in a container (should be larger than the dough) and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days.
Bring the dough out about 1 and a half hours before you are ready to cook. It should have doubled in the refrigerator.
Punch down and give it a good mix and place in the instant pot. Turn of the yogurt setting for an hour.
In the meantime, if doing the olive oil finish, heat the olive oil and add the garlic slices until very gently golden. Stir in the mint.
Remove the naan dough and break into 5 equal parts. Roll the dough out into circles or ovals using a light tough. Try to stretch with your hand as much as possible. Your dough should be no more than 1/4 inch in thickness. It will puff up.
If you have patience let the rolled naan rest for 10 minutes, if you are like me start cooking them right away.
Heat your cast iron skillet until it is very hot. Gently moisten one side of your naan and place the wet side on the skillet. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, you will see bubbles begin to appear on the side facing you.
Gently turn the naan, you should have a good assortment of nice dark golden spots. Cook the second side for about 2 more minutes. Brush with your prepared olive oil mixture if you want.
Continue the remaining naans this way and enjoy.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/perfect-easy-wholewheat-sourdough-naan-with-instant-pot-proofing/cobbled together with help from my instant pot. But seriously, this lovely sourdough naan with it’s delicate tang and soft and chewy texture is quite the real deal. I make this with either all whole wheat or 50% whole wheat flour. The second variation is a little softer and fluffier. If you want to make this with 100% AP flour, go ahead and you will have a softer fluffier naan. Here I have taken my tested and tried naan recipe from Spices and Seasons Cookbook and adapted to use with a sourdough starter and IP proofing.
The result is quite effortless, but it does take a little bit of planning. To get the best results from your naan, you want to do a cold rise. Essentially, after the mixing/autolyze process. Your wrap and let your naan dough rest in the refrigerator overnight to 2 to 3 days.
This allows the dough to develop a gentle rise and a soft and deep flavor. When you are ready to bake I proof this for 45 minutes in the instant pot. After that, we do some stretching and gentle rolling and I cook this on a cast iron skillet. A very hot cast iron skillet.
This recipe uses yogurt but no additional fat. After cooking, I have brushed this with some optional toasted garlic and mint infused olive oil and ghee. The whole wheat naan is left as is. Either way is fine and a great accompaniment to your favorite curry or just perfect with a bowl of fresh raita.
So the 100% whole wheat naans are the ones featured in the basket.
So here are my tips:
Do plan for making this, as I feel the cold rise is essential, but it needs very little hands on time.
Do make sure your cast iron plan is very hot.
Do not overdo the butter or olive oil at the end.
You can make this vegan by using coconut yogurt.
If you do not have an instant pot, the proofing once out of the refrigerator can be done in a nice warm place, it will take 3 to 4 hours.
Do serve this warm.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring
PrintPerfect Easy Wholewheat Sourdough Naan (with Instant Pot Proofing)
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 5 naans
A beautiful wholegrain naan made with natural sourdough. You will fall in love with this sourdough naan.
Ingredients
1 cup active sourdough starter (100% hydration)3 cups flour (equal parts of whole wheat and all purpose AP flour)
4 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
Optional finish
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
Instructions
Place the starter, flour, and yogurt in a mixing bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of water and mix lightly to form a shaggy dough. Set aside for 30 minutes.Stir in the salt and mix well to form a smooth (might be a little sticky dough). You do not need to do too much mixing.
Gather the dough into a ball and place in a container (should be larger than the dough) and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days.
Bring the dough out about 1 and a half hours before you are ready to cook. It should have doubled in the refrigerator.
Punch down and give it a good mix and place in the instant pot. Turn of the yogurt setting for an hour.
In the meantime, if doing the olive oil finish, heat the olive oil and add the garlic slices until very gently golden. Stir in the mint.
Remove the naan dough and break into 5 equal parts. Roll the dough out into circles or ovals using a light tough. Try to stretch with your hand as much as possible. Your dough should be no more than 1/4 inch in thickness. It will puff up.
If you have patience let the rolled naan rest for 10 minutes, if you are like me start cooking them right away.
Heat your cast iron skillet until it is very hot. Gently moisten one side of your naan and place the wet side on the skillet. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, you will see bubbles begin to appear on the side facing you.
Gently turn the naan, you should have a good assortment of nice dark golden spots. Cook the second side for about 2 more minutes. Brush with your prepared olive oil mixture if you want.
Continue the remaining naans this way and enjoy.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/perfect-easy-wholewheat-sourdough-naan-with-instant-pot-proofing/
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April 18, 2020
Classic Nigerian Jollof in the the Instant Pot
A Jollof Rice or Jollof is an amazing dish from Nigeria, and enjoyed in various forms across sub-Saharan Africa. Although, I have used the words Jollof Rice here to give you context we really should not do that. It is much like saying Naan Bread or Chai Tea. In these dishes the second word is repetitive and not needed. This recipe brings back memories of some early years in Africa. Not something my mother cooked, but something my nanny brought from home. I always got my share from her.
Sneaking it in along with other things that mom left for me to eat.
Today, done in the instant pot this dish hit an great home run. The flavors are simple, powerful and just so magical. If you are like me, you will probably want something else on the side but it is traditionally the main deal. Once you make a large batch of it, you will realize why. The rice relies on a few key ingredients to develop this absolutely powerful and amazing flavor. Broth, tomatoes, curry powder, peppers and dried thyme.
Cooking this brought back memories of a place that existed in my life but now seems to far away. I have lived in East Africa and West Africa and would love to get back there with the children. And of course, at this point the children would be happy if we took a trip across to Connecticut. But seriously, you have not not seen nature if you have not seen it the African way.
I have tested and tweaked this recipe to retain the original flavors, there are few things to keep in mind to get the best flavors from the recipe.
Do use a good quality broth it is essential for the depth of flavor.
Not all curry blends are the same, to get the right flavor you do need an island style mixture, such as my Jamaican Curry Blend. Yes, also available on Amazon.
I have subbed the scotch bonnet with red spicy cayenne peppers, do use scotch bonnet chilies if you can find them.
Blend the tomatoes and peppers like I have done, it will permeate even flavor for your rice. It does not have to be a super smooth puree
To keep the recipe vegan you can finish with a nice dollop of coconut oil.
Serve with a good salad and enjoy.
PrintClassic Nigerian Jollof in the the Instant Pot
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
A gorgeous vegetarian or vegan take on classic Nigerian Jollof. A perfect meal that is so easily put together.
Ingredients
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped and seeded2 small red bird-eye chilies (adjust to taste)
2 onions, thinly sliced divided
3 tomatoes, chopped or 1/2 can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons oil
1 and 1/2 cups Basmati or other long grained rice
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Jamaican Curry powder
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Salt to taste
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon butter, ghee or coconut oil to finish
Instructions
Place the red bell pepper, birds eye chilies, half the onion and chopped tomatoes in a blender or food processor and process into a puree. This is about 1 and 1/4 cups of liquid. If it is less adjust the amount of broth.Turn the instant pot or electric pressure cooker into saute mode. Add in the sliced onions and cook until translucent and beginning to turn golden.
Turn off the saute mode and add in the rice and bay leaf and stir well. Mix in the tomato paste and thyme leaves. Stir in the prepared bell pepper puree.
Stir in the broth and mix well. Add in salt to taste.
Set to the rice mode and allow a natural release. Remove the cover and add in the butter, ghee, or coconut oil.
Notes
Stove Top Variation
To proceed with the recipe on stove top continue with the instructions as indicated above. You do not need to turn the stove off after adding the rice, just reduce the temperature to low.
Increase the amount of broth to 2 cups and cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Stir in the butter, ghee or oil.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/classic-nigerian-jollof-rice/The post Classic Nigerian Jollof in the the Instant Pot appeared first on Spice Chronicles.
April 17, 2020
Jamaican Curry Powder
PrintJamaican Curry Powder
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes 1/2 cup
A vibrant and fragrant spice blend perfect for your Island style cooking dishes.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 dried red whole chilies
1 teaspoon all spice berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeks
1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Instructions
Place the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, whole chilies, all spice berries, mustard seeds and fenugeek seeds in a dry cast iron skillet and toast for about 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and arromatic.Place in a spice or coffee grinder and grinder to a smooth powder.
Mix in the turmeric and ginger and stir well until smooth.
Store in a clear bottle in a cool dry place, aka your spice cabinet.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/jamaican-curry-powder/
The concept of curry powder is an anglicized concept, and while not used in true Indian cooking you will find variations of it in the colonies. This Jamaican Curry Powder, and not it is not called curry is one such variant. Made with fresh and flavorful spices, this blend is bright and vibrant from cayenne and turmeric. What is distinct in this is the use of spices such as allspice. I made this at home recently and feel in love with its vibrant colors.As with all homestyle blends, they vary from household to household. The recipe I use, is closely adapted from this one.
Our experiments with global cooking, as I move along is putting my spice pantry to good use. Working with different blends is helping me use some relatively infrequent spices such as fenugreek to good use. Since I always have a lot of whole spices on hand, my way of working with this or any blend is to start with my whole spices. Then I gently toast them and then they are ground in my coffee grinder. Good Madhur Jaffrey tip, that has served me so well on my culinary journey. Then I add in an ground spices such as the turmeric in this case.
Let me tell you a fun fact. At least, it is fun to others in my household. I recycle all my containers. So I have a lot of mismatched spice containers. They make their own magic and this is a very sustainable idea. More about such ideas are in Spices and Seasons, a book probably extremely useful in these times of frugal cooking in the COVID kitchen. I am down to trying to go to the grocery store every 10 days. This is a challenge because, I do not have loads of storage room in my refrigerator. However, just the though of dealing with crazy grocery store lines is enough of a turnoff to keep me at home. And, the food quality has been plenty good, even if I say so myself.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring
PrintJamaican Curry Powder
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes 1/2 cup
A vibrant and fragrant spice blend perfect for your Island style cooking dishes.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 dried red whole chilies
1 teaspoon all spice berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeks
1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Instructions
Place the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, whole chilies, all spice berries, mustard seeds and fenugeek seeds in a dry cast iron skillet and toast for about 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and arromatic.Place in a spice or coffee grinder and grinder to a smooth powder.
Mix in the turmeric and ginger and stir well until smooth.
Store in a clear bottle in a cool dry place, aka your spice cabinet.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/jamaican-curry-powder/
The post Jamaican Curry Powder appeared first on Spice Chronicles.
April 11, 2020
Crispy Whole Coconut Masala Fish (Air Fried or Baked)
PrintCrispy Whole Coconut Masala Fish (Air Fried or Baked)
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
An easy and flavorful recipe for whole fresh fish with a simple and flavorful marinade.
Ingredients
For the marinade1/2 cup fresh or frozen coconut (grated or small pieces)
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 inch piece ginger
2 cloves of garlic
3 dried red chilies (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoon yogurt
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
2 medium sized whole fishes (about 2 pounds each), note this can be adapted as long as you are using a fresh firm fleshed fish.
2 tablespoons oil
Additional chopped cilantro
Lemon or lime wedges
Sliced Red Onions
Instructions
Place the coconut, cilantro, ginger, garlic, dried red chilies, yogurt, salt, and garam masala in a blender with 2 tablespoons of water.Grind to a smooth paste.
Score the fish by making deep gashes to the central bone. Rub the spice mixture well onto the fish, into cavities and the scored flesh. Set aside for 1-3 hours.
Brush the fish well with the oil.
Place in the air fryer basket. Cook on each side at 475 degrees for 8 minutes. So 16 minutes in total. The fish should be cooked through and the skin should be nice and crisp with some char.
Sprinkle with extra cilantro and serve garnished with lemon or lime wedges and sliced onions3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/crispy-whole-coconut-masala-fish-air-fried-baked/
I am feeling turbulent, a little unsettled, but generally still grateful that life is not worse. I had snagged 2 large and fresh pompano, a couple of weeks ago. All intended to try my mother’s recipe for whole coconut masala fish. This is one of her signature recipes. I do not make it very often, because it is not the same without whole fresh fish. Strangely enough I had picked up just this the last fresh run I had done.My mother makes this with cilantro, coconut, and dried whole red chilies. Something that graces our family tables for special occasions. The dry red chilies is interesting, as typically Bengali cuisine is more partial to fresh green chilies.
Seeing the fish made my husband happy. It is interesting to see how things that we take for granted are now special. And, yes surviving three weeks of the quarantine is an achievement. At least for me. The children have been busy with school. My daughter has been troubled and concerned about how this year will end. She is worried about where life will pause in terms of college visits and applications.
I am as troubled about the quarantine here as I am of the lock down in India. I wish my mother was here with me. This said, for the moment I am happy that we are all still healthy.
I am glad that things going well in terms of feed the family. So far, I have not been doing too much by way of mail ordering groceries. I am doing one grocery run a week. Considering I am at the office 3 days a week, an extra run does not really matter. The lines, and people’s need to get obessive with food and shopping is annoying. Although, I guess everyone wants to minimize the number of grocery runs they want to make.
As for me, this weeks highlight is that I managed to snag some mustard oil. Hey, life sometimes is about the little simple things.
Down to this nostalgic recipe. With good fish, it is simple, flavorful and easy to put together.
Mom uses a toaster oven for this recipe. And I use my air fryer. A peaceful recipe, full of flavor and a happy reminder of simple good times. For best results do not over marinate the fish. About 1 to 2 hours is enough to allow the flavorful marinade to do its job.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring!
The post Crispy Whole Coconut Masala Fish (Air Fried or Baked) appeared first on Spice Chronicles.
Sourdough Pizza with Shaved Broccoli
Well, one thing anyone experimenting with sourdough knows is that you will have discards. Since, the very premise of keeping your starter alive and well is removing some and adding more un-yeasted stuff. And, the process goes on. With these discards, I made my first sourdough crust. Well, 3 practice runs to get me to a crust that I am truly excited about. And it is 100% wholewheat with wholegrain cornmeal. And, the taste is quite yummy. This recipe features cheese, shaved (aka thinly sliced brocolli and grape tomatoes. No sauce. Quite healthy, kid and father friendly. Seriously good stuff. If you do not have sourdough, you can use shelf stable yeast, there will be some compromize of flavor, but still pretty good. The bonus of using shelf stable yeast is that you will save plenty of time. Especially if you are using the instant pot to do your proofing.
Broccoli, by the way is a very hardy creature. It does not need a lot to get it to shine. In this recipe, thinly sliced with garlic, you will love the depth of flavor. A perfect compliment to the assertive crust. The only thing, other than the starter you will need some planning time. I made this dough in two rises. The first part is roughly tossed together. I leave it to its own devices overnight, or for a few hours. The next morning I add in some more flour and then through it in the instant pot for quicker proofing. If you do not have something to crank up the heat ask in the instant pot, just plan more time for the second rise.
Instant pot proofing: The instant pot temperature is a little higher than what you need consistently, so for the first rise, I start the process using the instant pot yogurt mode on, but leave it longer than the time needed. This speeds up the process without overheating the bread.
Using yeast for this recipe: You can do it in one shot, without the need to let the dough rise and build.
Sourdough Starter: You can make your own starter, in fact, quicker than other methods this is how I did it, get starter from someone and lastly you can actually buy a sourdough starter.
And then it bakes in about 15 minutes.
In terms of topping, this assertive and flavorful crust needs something robust. I have offered you my suggestion, feel free to adapt and surprise me with your own toppings. And, another week goes by with us in New York still feeling the craziness.
Hugh bonus: I coordinated a zoom meeting with my class friends as in school classfriends on 4 different continents and we caught up.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring!
PrintSourdough Pizza with Shaved Broccoli
Prep Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours, 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
A crisp sourdough whole wheat crust is the perfect setting for a whole bunch of veggies. This pizza is healthier that you would think.
Ingredients
For the dough3 cups whole wheat pastry flour or atta (divided)
1/2 cup whole grain cornmeal
2 tablespoon sourdough starter (fully
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
Warm water as needed
For the topping
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 and 1/4 cup of broccoli very thinly sliced (about 1/2 pound)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup halved grape tomatoes (you can use chopped regular tomatoes)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup goat cheese or ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
Mix 1 cup of the whole wheat pastry flour and the cornmeal with the sourdough starter (see notes if you want to use shelf stable yeast). Add about 1/3 cup warm water and mix into a rough dough. Place this in the instant pot. Set the yogurt mode to 1 and 1/2 hours.Check after 6 hours, your mixture should have doubled and be smoother. Mix in the remaining flour, olive oil and salt with about another 1/2 cup water. The dough should be a little wet, but not too sticky.
Place in the instant pot and set to yogurt mode for 1 hour. Check after 1 and half hours and the mixture should have doubled. Give it a good knead. It should be smoother and a little elastic.
Shape into a 10 inch circle and place on your favorite pizza pan or stone. The crust should be no more than 1/4 inch thick.
Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees farenheight. Place your pizza pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
In the meantime heat 1 tablepoon of olive oil and add the garlic and cook for a minute, add in the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and add the red onion and saute until it wilts and begins to turn pale golden.
To assemble the pizza, scatter the mozzarella all over the crust. Add the broccoli with the garlic, grape tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with the salt. Dot with the goat cheese.
Sprinkle with the dried hebs.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cheese should melt and be bubbly. The grape tomatoes begin to burst at this point. Serve hot.
Notes
To make this with shelf stable yeast, you add in 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of rapid rise yeast, mix all the ingredients for the dough into a smooth mixture. Not a lot of kneading needed. You can proof in the instant pot using a one hour yogurt setting.
If you do have an instant pot you can just proof the dough the old fashioned way in a warm place
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/sourdough-pizza-with-shaved-broccoli/
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April 6, 2020
Recap and 10 Recipes to Try this Week – (1)
This week is difficult. Rolling with the punches, it has been extra busy at work. Or maybe it just feels that way. The fluid nature of the days is a little confusing. It feels like everything is bleeding into one continuous mass. I have been doing a lot of cooking, some good gems that I have been posting here. To organize myself and hopefully give you guys some motivation for the upcoming week, I want to do these round ups.
My son and I are trying to do a planned international meal once a week. Usually on Sundays. The operative word here is planned, we tend to mix in flavors from every in happy harmony with the usual Indian flavors. We are trying to cover the alphabet, just in a asynchronous manner. This gives us 26 meals, and I hope this pandemic will be behind us by then. It gives us something to look forward to. It helps us bring some of the variety that is so New York to our homes. Can you tell we are missing New York City? So, this week we ventured into Ethiopia, here is my recipe for Berebere (a signature spice in Ethiopian cooking).
In my ever sprawling journey with the instant pot, here is a recipe for Injera (Sorghum Pancakes) and Misir Wat (Ethipian Red Lentils). I also tried this great chicken curry with cardamom, I think that it is something everyone should try. I whipped up this Mexican Inspired Skillet, which transforms into a gorgeous tamale pie with cheesy masa topping.
Desserts are on repeat in my house, in addition to a scrumptious banana bread recipe that I am working on. I am in love with this Lemon Spice Cake.
So now with a new week coming up, there are a few things that I plan on incorporating into our culinary repertoire. I realized that black beans which I have a lot of, converts into a great vada, so on my radar is making thayir vada or vada with yogurt. There is a sourdough starter, that is all bubbly and gorgeous, so I hope that we will have our first sourdough loaf and some sourdough pizza in our world this week. There are loads of mushrooms living in my refrigerator, and I am hoping I can use them for this dumpling recipe.
And because we love legumes in this house, today I have a large pot of bengali masur dal, which I will be eating with our proverbial panch meshali torkari or vegetable medley. Here is wishing you and yours a wonderful week ahead.
The post Recap and 10 Recipes to Try this Week – (1) appeared first on Spice Chronicles.
April 5, 2020
Lemon Spice Sour Cream Cake
This Lemon Spice Sour Cream cake is inspired by this Lemon Spice Visiting Cake. When the said recipe flashed across some mail that I had it had me at visiting. I will confess that I have been cooking like crazy, and making cakes on repeat. Granted, part of my baking is because the young peeps are in the house. ‘
As for this cake, there are many things going for it. It is a manageable size. Just rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar, is something that I want to do all day long. The refreshing scent of the zest helps me wake up and feel at home. I even bought marmalade to top the cake.
Okay, I used the cake as an excuse to buy marmalade, which I love eating buy the spoonful. Thanks to COVID19, I am even absolved from doing so. At home, we are all being kind to each other. In between bouts of ups and downs, I am truly happy to have the children around.
Given all the spice making exercises, I did not want to grind more spices. I am also running lower on cardamom. So, I used gingerbread spice in addition to the ginger. Also, used lemon juice and lastly used homemade sourcream instead of the heavy cream.
All of this translates to a delicate and pleasant spice balance and a very soft crumb. Almost like a pound cake, but just a little softer. Two back to back attempts helped me nail down the flavors. It also is a good sign, when I need to cook something twice to photograph it. As, in the first effort is demolished before I can take a picture.
If you love all things lemon like me, keep the lemon juice in. The spices is up to you. I love cardamom, so I have no doubt it would produce a perfect cake as well. Hope we all end up with better news or something hopeful in the coming week.
PrintLemon Spice Sour Cream Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
A beautiful lemon cake with hints of ginger and gingerbread spice. This cake has a delicate crumb.
Ingredients
Butter and flour for the pan1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon gingerbread spice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sugar (this is also lower than the original recipe)
1 large lemon
4 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
5 ½ tablespoons salted butter
? cup marmalade, for glaze (optional)
½ teaspoon water, for glaze (optional)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Place on a baking sheet.Mix together the flour, gingerbread spice and the ginger.
Put the sugar in a large bowl, and grate the zest of the lemon over the sugar. Squeeze the lemon to produce 3 tablespoons juice, and set this aside. Using your fingers, rub the sugar and zest together until the mixture is moist and aromatic.
One at a time, add the eggs, whisking well after each. Whisk in the juice, followed by the sour cream. Still using the whisk, gently stir the dry ingredients into the batter in two additions. Stir the the melted butter, into the remaining cake mixture.
The batter is fairly thick. Carefully, pour this into the cake pan.
Bake the cake until set and the top develops a gentle golden color. This took about 50 minutes for me, the original recipe suggests 70 to 75 minutes. So watch your cake as every oven is different.
Bring the marmalade and water to a boil. Brush the glaze over the top of the warm cake, and allow to it to set for at least an hour.
Slice and serve as needed.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/lemon-spice-sour-cream-cake/
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