Thai Red Curry

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (14-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed
• 2 shallots, peeled and minced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and grated
• 3 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 (14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
•  Salt
• ¼ cup soy sauce
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cups mixed fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil and dill
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for squeezing

PREPARATION

1. Pat the tofu blocks dry with a clean kitchen or paper towel. Cut each block into 3 slices.
2. Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the oil and shallots, and stir until softened, 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste, stir, and cook until fragrant and the paste turns deep red, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomato juices thicken slightly, 4 minutes.
3. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to slightly reduce the liquid, 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, season to taste with salt and remove from the heat.
4. While the broth is simmering, divide the soft tofu into 6 bowls. Break each slice into 4 or 5 pieces. Season each bowl of tofu with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and a few cracks of black pepper, and top with about ¼ cup of the fresh herb mix.
5. Ladle the hot broth and tomatoes over the bowls of silken tofu. Top with sliced scallions and serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing.

Mexican baked shells

Ingredients:

• 1 lb jumbo pasta shells (you’ll have a few extra if you break any)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium yellow onion. finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
• 28 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce (I used Ortega because it had the best ingredients)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar jack
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Cook shells for 9 minutes, or until slightly undercooked.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Sauté onion and red pepper until onion is translucent.
4. Add beans, garlic and jalapeños to the skillet. Cook until heated through. Stir in cream cheese.
5. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro.
6. Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the vegetable mixture and place in the baking dish. Top shells with taco sauce.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and add the cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Serve shells topped with green onions.

Greek Salad recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
• 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, olives, and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup black olives, chopped

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain, and rinse in cold water.
2. In a small bowl, mix together oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic salt, and black pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, cucumber, and black olives. Add dressing, and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Recording more recipes...

1. Vegetarian Enchiladas
Ingredients : Tortillas, Can of refried beans, grated mexican cheese, Enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, onions, green peppers, lettuce, guacamole, salsa.

Take a little oil, saute the onions, add taco seasoning, 2 spoons of salsa and the 3 spoons of enchilada sauce and refried beans. Mix it well.

Spread enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, put the bean filling, wrap it up and lay it out in the baking tray and smother it with enchilada sauce.

Add grated cheese on the top and bake it for 30 mins at 350 degrees.
Add lettuce, guacamole, and sauteed onions and green peppers on the side while serving.

2. Mexican Rice

Ingredients : Rice, green peppers, onions, taco seasoning, garlic, tomatoes, cabbage, spring onions, can of refried beans

Take a little oil and saute the onions, green peppers, garlic, cabbage and spring onions.

Add taco seasoning and the can of refried beans.

Add cooked rice slowly and mix it with the gravy.

First saute the onions and garlic in oil, add sliced green peppers, spring onions, tomatoes and cabbage. Add little water and little taco sauce and ketchup. Prepare the rice separately with little salt.

Add rice little by little to the gravy mixing it as you add. Sprinkle with spring onions.

3. Paneer wraps

Ingredients : paneer cubes, flour tortillas, green coriander-mint chutney, onions, green peppers, Shaan masala for marinating, yogurt, ginger, garlic, green chilies, black salt, chaat masala

Take yogurt in a bowl and add the Shaan masala, ginger, garlic, green chilies and mix it well. Marinate the paneer pieces in this and keep it aside for about 4-6 hours.

Cut onions and green peppers into big pieces and saute them in oil and add black salt and chaat masala to it for seasoning.

Layer the paneer pieces on a baking tray or put them on to skewers and bake them for about 20 mins till the pieces are brown and paneer has really softened up.

Take the tortillas , spread some chutney on it, then add the paneer pieces, onions and bell peppers and top it with black salt and chaat masala.

Wrap up the tortillas with the filling.

4. Pita Pizzas (English muffin pizzas)
Ingredients : mini pita bread or english muffins, basil pesto or marinara, garlic, zucchini, red bell pepper, mushroom, broccoli, olives, roma tomatoes, feta cheese

Finely cut the garlic, zucchini, broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Take a skillet, add some olive oil, add the chopped garlic and zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli and bell peppers.
Take the pita bread and apply basil pesto/marinara and lightly toast it in the oven.
Add the cooked vegetables and top it with feta cheese, tomatoes and olives and re-toast for 2-3 minutes so the feta gets crisp.

5. Burrito Bowl

guacamole:
4-6 small (or 2-3 large) avocados (depends how much you want)
2 handfuls cilantro - chopped
2 roma tomatoes diced
1 lime - juiced
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Tony Chachere's - green

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season with garlic onion and Tony's.
Generally speaking I use about 2 tsp onion and garlic (each) and 1 TBSP
tony's (depends how spicy you like it though so maybe start out with a
little less). Let it sit for about 30 mins in the fridge for best flavor.

Cilantro-lime rice:
2 cups basmati rice
2 limes (zest and juice)
2 handfuls cilantro - chopped
Salt (1 -2 tsp kosher or sea salt) or to taste.

Cook rice according to package... 20 mins then let sit 5-10 mins (don't pick
up the lid!). Fluff cooked rice with a fork and add lime zest, juice, salt
and cilantro. Fluff again and enjoy!

Bush's black beans (straight from a can and warm in microwave or on the
stove). Add salt for added flavor if needed.

Burrito Bowl:
Rice, beans, sauted peppers and onions with taco seasoing if you like, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and guacamole... Tada!

You could also mix taco seasoning into your beans or your sour cream to give
it a little extra flare too! And using Old El Paso Taco sauce (in a bottle)
is divine!

6. Stuffed Eggplant

small eggplants - 4 or 5
1/2 cup peanuts 
2 tbsp sesame seeds
chilli powder
dhania jeera powder
1/4 tsp garam masala or kitchen king masala
1 tsp tomato paste or tamarind extract
a little bit of jaggery
1/4 onion chopped (i usually don't put these since mummy does not eat but it tastes good with onions)
salt to taste

Roast peanuts for 45 sec or a min in the microwave.
Coarsely grind the roasted peanuts and til 
Mix in everything else in the peanuts (except eggplants) and make a dry masala paste (you may add a tsp of water if required).
Make crosswise slits in the eggplant keeping the base intact.
Stuff the above masala in the eggplants. Save the remaining masala.
In a pressure pan, add oil and do the baghar (mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and hing).
Then add the eggplants, remaining masala and stir on low heat for a min or 2.
Then add 1/2 cup of water to this and put on the pressure and cook for 1 whistle. (only 1 whistle otherwise the eggplant gets overcooked).
Add some coriander leaves on the top if you like.

Movie of the year....

2009 is ringing to a close and what better way to end the year than watching a wonderful, heart warming movie like the '3 Idiots'.
I watched the 3D animation flick 'Avatar' last week which was hugely raved about. Even though the special effects and the theme of the movie were quite extraordinary, it failed to leave the kind of mark '3 Idiots' did. Having read the book 'Five point someone', from which the movie's storyline is loosely adapted, I was wondering how a movie based on the sufferings and travails of the Indian engineers could possibly be an interesting movie. But the movie really transcends all speculations and once again the director Raju Hirani succeeds in making a heart warming movie with a strong message. Of course the stellar performances of Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and Madhavan all contributed to making such a wonderful experience on screen.

The Canadian Rockies

We just got back from a 6 day trip to the Canadian Rockies. Cataloging the main points of the trip here.

Day 1 : Left from San Francisco and arrived into Calgary. We stayed at the Residence Inn Marriott in downtown Calgary.

Day 2 : Left for Banff after breakfast. Arrived into Banff and visited the Johnston Canyon. We took the trail to the lower falls. Then visited Mount Norquay and stopped over a few vista points on the way.

Day 3: Took a day trip to Lake Loiuse and Moraine Lake (about 45 mins from Banff). Also visited the Takakkaw falls. Took the trail to the bottom of the falls

Day 4: Took the gondola ride to sulphur mountain. Visited Lake Minnewanka and Vermillion lake and Bow Falls.

Day 5: Drive to Jasper. Stop over at Peyto lake and Columbia Icefield (Athabasca glacier) and Bow lake.

Day 6 : Day in Jasper. Visited Maligne Canyon, Maligne lake and Athabasca Falls.

Day 7: Drive back to Calgary and visited Mistaya Canyon on the way.

Fantabulous Big Sur

It's a shame that we have lived in the bay area for over 10 years and it is only now that we visited a fabulous place like Big Sur. Why isn't everyone making a big deal about this place? We hear about Monterey, Carmel, Yosemite but not much has been said about Big Sur. Well, the place was a real treat doubled up with great weather. We enjoyed a small hike to the pfeiffer water falls, made sand castles on the pfeiffer beach and enjoyed the plain old playing with kids in the green meadows of the park. We stayed in the Big Sur Inn lodge which is in pfeiffer state park surrounded by beautiful mountains on either sides. One of the main attractions of the area is Point Lobos which unfortunately we missed this time around. But I am happy in a way 'cos that just gives us a reason to visit this fantastic place again.