Sweet Gourd With Shrimp

Ingredients:

Green Sweet Gourd 1 medium or ½ kg

Shrimp medium size 6-8

Vegetable oil 1 table spoon

Turmeric powder ½ tea spoon

Red chili powder ½ tea spoon

Cumin seed paste ½ tea spoon

Ginger paste ½ tea spoon

Garlic paste ½ tea spoon

Onion paste ½ tea spoon    

Salt as required

2 cups water

Preparations:

Take shrimps with half peel on and properly washed

 Cut sweet gourd into small pieces after wash with water, take off the inside seed area.

 Put pan on heat add oil and then add gradually onion, garlic, ginger, cumin stir thoroughly

 Add shrimp, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt stir continuously.

 Pour 2 cups of water and let it boiled.

 Add sliced sweet gourd into boiled water and keep high heat for 20 minutes.

 Mix gently, put cover on and keep another 5 minutes on low heat.

 Test with a spoon through pressing on a piece of gourd, if it smashed instantly then remove from heat.

 Very little water will remain.

 Serve with plain rice. 4-6 servings.

whole tilapia steamed fish

Ingredients:

*1 fresh tilapia fish,with the head and tail (scales removed and insides cleaned)
*2tbs ginger sliced
*4tbs sunflower oil or canola oil
*1/4 cup scallions (cut into long thin strips)
*4tbs soy sauce mixed 1/2 ts sugar

preparations:

*wash and pat dry the fish
*1/3 of the ginger in a plate then the fish on top and 1/3 in the fish cavity and 1/3 ginger on the top
*add enough water to the wok then bring to the boil in high heat.the water is boiling then the plate on a steam rack in the wok then steam covered for 10 to 12 minutes
*after the fish is cooked,pile on the scallions on the fish
*now heat up the oil,until it is so hot it's steaming,pour the hot oil on put on the fish
*pour the soy sauce sugar mixture on top and serve with steamed rice

Dal kofta curry

 Ingredients:

For the koftas:

• 2 medium zucchinis, grated

• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 2-3 small Thai green chilies, finely minced (to taste)
• ½ cup of cilantro leaves finely chopped
• ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin powder
• ½ tsp ground coriander powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder (to taste)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup moong dal flour (or you can use chickpea flour/gram flour/besan)
• ½ cup rice flour
• oil for frying, canola or vegetable

For the curry:

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• salt & pepper, to taste
• juice of ½ lemon or lime
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup of cream (or ½ cup good quality yogurt)
• 2 tbsp of oil, canola or vegetable
• finely chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

How to make Dal kofta curry:

To make the Koftas:

• Sprinkle the grated zucchini with a little salt, mix well and allow to drain in a colander atop another larger bowl for at least 30 minutes. Using a tea towel, gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Reserve the drained liquid. Finely mince the grated zucchini and set aside until needed.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the moong dal flour with the rice flour and add the spices (turmeric, ground cumin powder, ground coriander powder, red chili powder, salt and pepper). Mix well and add the zucchini, ginger, green chilies, shallots and cilantro leaves. In small increments, add enough water to form a thick batter.
• In a large deep skillet or work on medium high heat, add enough oil to shallow fry. When hot, carefully add large tablespoonfuls of the batter. This may be done in batches but gently fry the koftas on all sides until they are golden brown. Drain well and set aside.
• At this point, they can be served as appetizers with your favorite chutneys or sauces. Also, once they have cooled, you can freeze any extra koftas in an airtight plastic freezer bag or container.

To make the Curry:

In a large deep skillet on medium high heat, add the oil and when hot add the onions. Let fry for a few minutes until just lightly browned and then add the garlic. Stir fry and add the spices (ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt and pepper). Let the spices cook for a few minutes and then add the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Next, add the lemon/lime juice and the reserved zucchini liquid. There should be enough liquid (about 1.5 cups, add water if needed). Cover, reduce the heat and let simmer 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly (10-15 minutes) and stir in the cream or yogurt. Carefully add the koftas and gently reheat on low. Let the koftas soak in the curry for 8-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with fresh rotis and fragrant Basmati rice.

Basil Chicken

Ingredients:

10 oz boneless and skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast (ground)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 shallots (finely chopped)
1 1/4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 big bunch of  basil leaves (stems removed)
6 bird’s eye chilies (chopped and pounded with a mortar and pestle) or 1-2 fresh jalapeno cut into slivers
2 dashes ground white pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Method:

Add oil into a heated wok, follow by chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic, then add the chicken meat into the wok. Use the spatula to quickly stir-fry and break the ground chicken meat into small lumps. When the chicken meat changes color, toss in the chilies and the seasonings (fish sauce, palm sugar, and sweet soy sauce) and continue to stir-fry. Add in the basil leaves and do a few quick stirs until the basil leaves are wilted and you smell the exotic fragrance of the basil leaves. Sprinkle two dashes of pepper powder into the dish, do a final stir, dish out and serve immediately

Kechki Macher Tomato Jhol (Minnow Fish Curry)

Ingredients:

• Kechki mach (Minnow fish) - 500 gm
• Boiled potato - 1
• Tomato - 3
• Chopped onion - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
• Ground turmeric - 1 teaspoon
• Chili powder - 2 teaspoons
• Fried cumin powder - ½ teaspoon
• Panchforon (a mixture of fennel, mustard, fenugreek, cumin and black cumin) - ½ cup
• Sliced green chili - 4 to 5
• Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - 5 tablespo

Preparation:

• Clean the fish carefully in water. Rinse and drain properly.
• Heat a little bit of oil in a non-stick pan and add in the fish over low heat.
• Once the water dries up, turn off the heat and keep the fish aside.

• Peel the boiled potato and break it into smaller pieces.
• Cut the tomato into small, thin pieces. Keep aside.

• Heat oil in another pan and lightly fry the panchforon, onion and garlic.
• Add the tomato, turmeric, chili powder and salt, and fry for another 2 minutes.
• Stir in the potatoes with 2 cups of water.

• Once the water stars boiling, add the fish, green chili and coriander leaves.
• Keep over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
• If the gravy dries up too much, add a bit more water.
• When the water starts boiling again, sprinkle the cumin powder on top and serve.