Curry Puffs (Singapore/Malaysia)
World-Bites (4) / Curry Puffs (Singapore/Malaysia)
Curry puff is a Malaysian, Singaporean and Thai snack which is of Malay origin. Curry puffs look like crispy dumplings or large samosas. Because Singapore is so diverse culturally, no one knows exactly where the dish came from originally, and some even say it came from the U.K. No matter where it came from, curry puffs are the most popular afternoon snack in Singapore. It is a small pie consisting of specialized curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack. A common snack in the region, the curry puff is one of several "puff"-type pastries with different fillings, though now it is by far the most common. Other common varieties include sardines and onions or sweet fillings such as yam. In Indian food stalls in Malaysia, it is quite common to find vegetarian curry puffs with potatoes, carrots and onions as fillings. The Malay curry puffs tend to be sweet while the Indian curry puffs are usually spicy.
Ingredients
Filling
5 tablespoons oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cayenne or red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
2 large potatoes, boiled and finely diced
1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
Pastry
4 cups white flour
10 tablespoons butter or margarine
14 tablespoons water
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
To make the filling, heat oil and fry onion gently until golden brown. Add the curry powder, cayenne and turmeric and fry gently. Add the chicken, potatoes, sugar, pepper and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Mix well and leave aside to cool.
To make the pastry, mix flour with butter or margarine, water and salt and knead well. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into small balls and roll into 3 inches diameter rounds. Take a tablespoon of filling and place in center. Fold pastry over to make a half circle and crimp the edges. Heat oil in wok and deep fry until golden brown. Serve hot with cilantro chutney.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tempura (Japan)
World-Bites (3) / Tempura (Japan)
One of the triumphs of Japanese cooking -- a fried food that is light and fresh-tasting
rather than heavy and greasy, Tempura is a popular Japanese dish of deep-fried battered meats, seafood or vegetables. It's a cooking style in which the essence of the ingredient itself completely defines the taste. In Japan, restaurants specializing in tempura are called tempura-ya and range from inexpensive fast food chains to very expensive five-star restaurants. Many restaurants offer tempura as part of a set meal or an obento (lunch box), and it is also a popular ingredient in take-out or convenience store obento boxes. Outside Japan (as well as recently in Japan), restaurants sometimes use broccoli, zucchini and asparagus. American restaurants are known to serve tempura in the form of various meats, particularly chicken, and cheeses, usually mozzarella.
Ingredients (vegetable/shrimp tempura)
1 onion
8 cauliflower florets
16 green beans
8 mushroom heads
1 potato
8 shrimp (medium)
Batter
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs (yolk)
1 cup tap water
Dip
6-inch white radish
2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
First make the dip. Heat soy sauce with sugar and stock. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Let it cool in a bowl. Add lemon juice and pour on grated radish. Dip is ready.
Peal and cut onion in 1/4inch slices. Secure the onion slices with toothpicks. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch slices and dip them in cold water. Wash mushroom heads, dry them with paper towel. Cut the ends of green beans. Peel the shrimp but keep the tails. Pat dry them and take out any liquid left in them.
Prepare the batter. Beat the egg yolk in a large bowl. Add cold water and beat to mix. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Batter is ready.
Dip vegetables/shrimp in batter and deep fry in small batches on medium heat. Serve hot with the dip.
One of the triumphs of Japanese cooking -- a fried food that is light and fresh-tasting
rather than heavy and greasy, Tempura is a popular Japanese dish of deep-fried battered meats, seafood or vegetables. It's a cooking style in which the essence of the ingredient itself completely defines the taste. In Japan, restaurants specializing in tempura are called tempura-ya and range from inexpensive fast food chains to very expensive five-star restaurants. Many restaurants offer tempura as part of a set meal or an obento (lunch box), and it is also a popular ingredient in take-out or convenience store obento boxes. Outside Japan (as well as recently in Japan), restaurants sometimes use broccoli, zucchini and asparagus. American restaurants are known to serve tempura in the form of various meats, particularly chicken, and cheeses, usually mozzarella.
Ingredients (vegetable/shrimp tempura)
1 onion
8 cauliflower florets
16 green beans
8 mushroom heads
1 potato
8 shrimp (medium)
Batter
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs (yolk)
1 cup tap water
Dip
6-inch white radish
2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
First make the dip. Heat soy sauce with sugar and stock. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Let it cool in a bowl. Add lemon juice and pour on grated radish. Dip is ready.
Peal and cut onion in 1/4inch slices. Secure the onion slices with toothpicks. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch slices and dip them in cold water. Wash mushroom heads, dry them with paper towel. Cut the ends of green beans. Peel the shrimp but keep the tails. Pat dry them and take out any liquid left in them.
Prepare the batter. Beat the egg yolk in a large bowl. Add cold water and beat to mix. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Batter is ready.
Dip vegetables/shrimp in batter and deep fry in small batches on medium heat. Serve hot with the dip.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
My Mother-in-Law's Masterpieces
My mother-in-law loved me much before my marriage as a friend of the family and became my best friend after I got married to her youngest and the most favorite son. Her greatest happiness was making meals for family and friends. On Sundays specially, it was always a lavish lunch. Her menu would consist of multiple courses, including one special dish which needed elaborate preparation, matching spices, time consuming cooking, a lot of concentration and, of course, the love and passion that only she could put in. The end result was always an awesome meal that is remembered by all long after my mother-in-law passed away. If I have to name top three of my most favorite dishes that have not been matched by anyone so far in my knowledge, they are the following:
Sarson Ka Saag with Makki Ki Roti: Mention Punjabi food and the first thing that comes to mind is makki ki roti and sarson ka saag. The pride of Punjabi cuisine in winter, it is simple, sizeable and hearty - with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments A signature dish of Punjab, it is prepared with mustard greens. The dish is something of a delicacy simply because besides the long preparation time, the vitamin rich dish also requires a lot of time to cook. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire for hours to coax out that perfectly robust taste. In fact, the longer it takes to cook the saag, the better it tastes. She cooked it with a minimum of spices so that the fresh taste can be retained. The luscious green sarson ka saag, tastes fabulous with makki ki roti and a dollop of butter, both of which my mother-in-law made with perfection.
Dal Makhani with Tandoori Roti: One of the hallmarks of Punjabi Cuisine, this Punjabi delicacy is another feather to my mother-in-law's cuisine. Rich, creamy lentils, whole urad, cooked with assorted spices makes it one of the best warm and soul foods ever! Dal (lentil) Makhani (cream/butter) as the name suggests, is filled with calories and is a special treat. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire, simmered for hours till it turned creamy and then flavored it with spices and rounded off with cream for that rich finish. For the final touch to make it the tastiest dal on the planet, she put plenty of ginger in the tadka and served it with tandoori roti, which she was expert in making.In fact, Maa ki Daal ('ma' means mother in hindi), this 'mother of all dals' is a firm favorite of our family. Traditionally this dal was cooked slowly, for hours, on charcoal. This gave it a creamier texture, made even better with fresh cream or fresh butter added to it. It is highly nutritious, essentially filled with rich proteins and fiber. It is a sumptuous meal and a staple diet in Punjab and most of Northern India. It is a very good source of energy and extremely healthy. This dal also tastes very good the following day and even the day after, when reheated properly.
Kadhi Pakora with Basmati Rice: Punjab Kadhi is a very famous Indian dish. One of the most popular cuisines liked by people in India and abroad, it is made from chickpea flour (besan) and sour yogurt. Till my marriage I was amongst those people who didn't care for kadhi much, but after I had the Punjabi Kadhi my mother-in-law made, I became a lover of this dish. I don't know what made this Kadhi so different and special but its taste was amazing. She made it traditionally with yogurt, but added a lot of water in the kadhi and let it simmer at very low heat for around 1/2 hour to get the final consistency. She used to say that the kadhi is not kadhi if its not simmered for a very long time. It gets the name from the term 'KADHNA' which is a process of simmering something on very low heat! Spicy pakoras in kadhi made it all the more delicious with basmati rice.
We had the old family servant, who was also a great cook. But my mother-in-law would not trust him to make any of the above main dishes, which she would insist on cooking herself. He was, of course, a great help with seasonal side dishes and chapaties. I also remained a sue chef to help her, except when the menu needed making of non-veg dishes. I have been pretty good at preparing non-veg meal, especially lamb curry and chicken tikka masala, which I learnt from my mother who was a great cook of mughalai dishes. Watching my mother-in-law closely, making her specialties, I was confident that I too had mastered those dishes. Today whenever I cook any of these dishes, I receive enormous appreciation. In my heart I know that my mother-in-law put her whole heart and soul, tender love and care while cooking meals for the family and friends, which I inherit. I learnt from her to take cooking as a passion and not a ritual. She remains my great mentor, though I can never match my mother-in-law's masterpieces.
Sarson Ka Saag with Makki Ki Roti: Mention Punjabi food and the first thing that comes to mind is makki ki roti and sarson ka saag. The pride of Punjabi cuisine in winter, it is simple, sizeable and hearty - with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments A signature dish of Punjab, it is prepared with mustard greens. The dish is something of a delicacy simply because besides the long preparation time, the vitamin rich dish also requires a lot of time to cook. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire for hours to coax out that perfectly robust taste. In fact, the longer it takes to cook the saag, the better it tastes. She cooked it with a minimum of spices so that the fresh taste can be retained. The luscious green sarson ka saag, tastes fabulous with makki ki roti and a dollop of butter, both of which my mother-in-law made with perfection.
Dal Makhani with Tandoori Roti: One of the hallmarks of Punjabi Cuisine, this Punjabi delicacy is another feather to my mother-in-law's cuisine. Rich, creamy lentils, whole urad, cooked with assorted spices makes it one of the best warm and soul foods ever! Dal (lentil) Makhani (cream/butter) as the name suggests, is filled with calories and is a special treat. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire, simmered for hours till it turned creamy and then flavored it with spices and rounded off with cream for that rich finish. For the final touch to make it the tastiest dal on the planet, she put plenty of ginger in the tadka and served it with tandoori roti, which she was expert in making.In fact, Maa ki Daal ('ma' means mother in hindi), this 'mother of all dals' is a firm favorite of our family. Traditionally this dal was cooked slowly, for hours, on charcoal. This gave it a creamier texture, made even better with fresh cream or fresh butter added to it. It is highly nutritious, essentially filled with rich proteins and fiber. It is a sumptuous meal and a staple diet in Punjab and most of Northern India. It is a very good source of energy and extremely healthy. This dal also tastes very good the following day and even the day after, when reheated properly.
Kadhi Pakora with Basmati Rice: Punjab Kadhi is a very famous Indian dish. One of the most popular cuisines liked by people in India and abroad, it is made from chickpea flour (besan) and sour yogurt. Till my marriage I was amongst those people who didn't care for kadhi much, but after I had the Punjabi Kadhi my mother-in-law made, I became a lover of this dish. I don't know what made this Kadhi so different and special but its taste was amazing. She made it traditionally with yogurt, but added a lot of water in the kadhi and let it simmer at very low heat for around 1/2 hour to get the final consistency. She used to say that the kadhi is not kadhi if its not simmered for a very long time. It gets the name from the term 'KADHNA' which is a process of simmering something on very low heat! Spicy pakoras in kadhi made it all the more delicious with basmati rice.
We had the old family servant, who was also a great cook. But my mother-in-law would not trust him to make any of the above main dishes, which she would insist on cooking herself. He was, of course, a great help with seasonal side dishes and chapaties. I also remained a sue chef to help her, except when the menu needed making of non-veg dishes. I have been pretty good at preparing non-veg meal, especially lamb curry and chicken tikka masala, which I learnt from my mother who was a great cook of mughalai dishes. Watching my mother-in-law closely, making her specialties, I was confident that I too had mastered those dishes. Today whenever I cook any of these dishes, I receive enormous appreciation. In my heart I know that my mother-in-law put her whole heart and soul, tender love and care while cooking meals for the family and friends, which I inherit. I learnt from her to take cooking as a passion and not a ritual. She remains my great mentor, though I can never match my mother-in-law's masterpieces.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Spring Rolls (China)
World-Bites (2) / Spring Rolls (China)
Shuen Guen, popularly known world over as Spring Rolls, is a traditional Chinese snack, made with a round, thin dough sheet with fillings rolled inside and deep fried in oil. Spring rolls are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name. It is a very popular snack in several Asian countries, most notably China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The snacks are crisp outside and fresh inside, really delicious. Spring rolls vary slightly from place to place, with well-known types being Shanghai Spring Rolls and Fuzhou Spring Rolls.
Ingredients
20 medium frozen spring roll wrappers, 9in square, defrosted
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the filling:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1lb carrots cut into thin strips
1/4lb cabbage, finely shredded
7oz canned sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and cut into thin strips
3/4lb snow peas or thin green beans, thinly sliced on the diagonal
8 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and cups thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
6oz noodles, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and cut into short lengths
8 scallions cut into rounds
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the filling, heat the oil in a wok. Add the carrots, cabbage and bamboo shoots and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas or green beans, mushrooms, the ginger and soy sauce and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the noodles and scallions and stir-fry rapidly for 2 minutes, until the liquid evaporates but the vegetables are still moist. Season to taste, remove from the wok and let cool.
Place one spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Put about 2 tablespoons of the cold filling on the corner nearest to you. Flatten the filling a little, then roll the corner of the wrapper over it, toward the center. Fold in the two side flaps. Brush the far corner of the wrapper with a little of the egg white and continue rolling to make a well-sealed bundle. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat frier or wok. Add 4 spring rolls, lower the heat a little, and deep fry for 6-8 minutes, turning the rolls several times until golden brown. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the spring rolls hot in a warm oven until the remaining batches are fried, then serve immediately. Alternately, leave the cooked rolls until cold, then briefly refry just before serving.
The cooked spring rolls can be frozen for up to 4 weeks. To serve, heat the oil and deep fry the frozen rolls for 6-8 minutes.
Shuen Guen, popularly known world over as Spring Rolls, is a traditional Chinese snack, made with a round, thin dough sheet with fillings rolled inside and deep fried in oil. Spring rolls are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name. It is a very popular snack in several Asian countries, most notably China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The snacks are crisp outside and fresh inside, really delicious. Spring rolls vary slightly from place to place, with well-known types being Shanghai Spring Rolls and Fuzhou Spring Rolls.
Ingredients
20 medium frozen spring roll wrappers, 9in square, defrosted
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the filling:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1lb carrots cut into thin strips
1/4lb cabbage, finely shredded
7oz canned sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and cut into thin strips
3/4lb snow peas or thin green beans, thinly sliced on the diagonal
8 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and cups thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
6oz noodles, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and cut into short lengths
8 scallions cut into rounds
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the filling, heat the oil in a wok. Add the carrots, cabbage and bamboo shoots and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas or green beans, mushrooms, the ginger and soy sauce and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the noodles and scallions and stir-fry rapidly for 2 minutes, until the liquid evaporates but the vegetables are still moist. Season to taste, remove from the wok and let cool.
Place one spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Put about 2 tablespoons of the cold filling on the corner nearest to you. Flatten the filling a little, then roll the corner of the wrapper over it, toward the center. Fold in the two side flaps. Brush the far corner of the wrapper with a little of the egg white and continue rolling to make a well-sealed bundle. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat frier or wok. Add 4 spring rolls, lower the heat a little, and deep fry for 6-8 minutes, turning the rolls several times until golden brown. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the spring rolls hot in a warm oven until the remaining batches are fried, then serve immediately. Alternately, leave the cooked rolls until cold, then briefly refry just before serving.
The cooked spring rolls can be frozen for up to 4 weeks. To serve, heat the oil and deep fry the frozen rolls for 6-8 minutes.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
World-Bites/Samosas(India)
This is my maiden blog post of the series of posts I propose to publish under the title World-Bites, a collection of bite-size dishes and appetizers from around the world. Those pressed for time will find World-Bites simple yet impressive preparations which would come handy any time of the day as in- between -the meals snacks or some even as substitutes for the main meals. Even better, a number of nearly 100 recipes require little prep time and assume basic know-how on the part of the home chef. Some recipes may involve many ingredients which are not always the easiest to find and are time consuming , the result however, is so much worth it. World-Bites is for whoever loves cooking and understands the dedication that good food that amuses and impresses takes, even when it is not a full meal. There is a recipe for every taste or international food preference for which I profusely thank my friends from far and near who helped me with their valued input to make World-Bites truly representative of different regions in the world. Still, to make it more inclusive of food from different cultures and countries, I request readers to make this post their own page by contributing recipes from their region through comments to make World-Bites more meaningful and enjoyable for all. Indeed, I will be ever thankful for their heartfelt help.
To start the World-Bites series, what better snack could there be than the world famous Samosas from India – the deep-fried stuffed patties (meat/vegetable)
Samosas (India)
Meat Stuffing
2lbs ground lamb or chicken
2 medium sized yellow onions (finely minced)
6 pods of garlic (minced)
2 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 green chili (minced)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 green cardamoms
6 tablespoons oil
Heat the oil in heavy-based saucepan on medium heat. Add minced onions, cumin seeds, black pepper and cardamoms. Stir-fry for 10 minutes or till onions are golden brown. Add meat and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add garlic, green chili and tomatoes. Stir-fry for 10 minutes. Cover the pan and let meat simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a few more minutes till all liquid is dried up. Set aside for cooling.
Vegetable Stuffing
2lbs boiled potatoes (mashed)
1 cup green peas
2 green chilies (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons oil
Stir-fry all the ingredients for 5 minutes.
Ingredients for Dough
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup water
Make firm dough (kneading for about 5 minutes). Divide the dough into 30 small balls. Roll each ball into 4-inch round. Cut each roll to half. Make a coned shaped triangle of each half roll and fill it with the cooked meat/vegetable stuffing. Seal the triangle's open side pressing with moistened fingers. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan to 300 degrees. Deep-fry Samosas till golden brown.
Serve with mint and cilantro chutney/tomato ketchup.
To start the World-Bites series, what better snack could there be than the world famous Samosas from India – the deep-fried stuffed patties (meat/vegetable)
Samosas (India)
Meat Stuffing
2lbs ground lamb or chicken
2 medium sized yellow onions (finely minced)
6 pods of garlic (minced)
2 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 green chili (minced)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 green cardamoms
6 tablespoons oil
Heat the oil in heavy-based saucepan on medium heat. Add minced onions, cumin seeds, black pepper and cardamoms. Stir-fry for 10 minutes or till onions are golden brown. Add meat and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add garlic, green chili and tomatoes. Stir-fry for 10 minutes. Cover the pan and let meat simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a few more minutes till all liquid is dried up. Set aside for cooling.
Vegetable Stuffing
2lbs boiled potatoes (mashed)
1 cup green peas
2 green chilies (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons oil
Stir-fry all the ingredients for 5 minutes.
Ingredients for Dough
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup water
Make firm dough (kneading for about 5 minutes). Divide the dough into 30 small balls. Roll each ball into 4-inch round. Cut each roll to half. Make a coned shaped triangle of each half roll and fill it with the cooked meat/vegetable stuffing. Seal the triangle's open side pressing with moistened fingers. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan to 300 degrees. Deep-fry Samosas till golden brown.
Serve with mint and cilantro chutney/tomato ketchup.
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