Sizzling Shrimp with Fenugreek Leaves

RECIPE: Sizzling Shrimp with Fenugreek Leaves
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Onion, finely sliced
5-6 Curry leaves, fresh or dry
1 tsp Onion seeds
1 -2 dry red chillies, broken to piecces
2 lbs large shrimp, with tail on
1 large piee Ginger, Julliened (cut into thin strips)
Sea salt to taste
1 Tbsp dry Kasoori methi (Fenugreek leaves)
1 lemon, juiced
handful of coriander, chopped


Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok and add the julliened ginger. Saute for a minute or till it turns light brown and has released all its flavor.
2. Add sliced onions, curry leaves and onion seeds to it. Stir fry for a 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the chilli pieces, shrimp and fry till they turn light pink. Do not overcook. They should cook in about 5 minutes.
4. Finally add the the kasoori methi, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Toss it well and serve with bread.

Step-by-step process,

Fenugreek leaves, Curry leaves and Onion seeds

Heat the oil in a wok and add the julliened ginger. Saute for a minute or till it turns light brown and has released all its flavor.

Add sliced onions, curry leaves and onion seeds to it. Stir fry for a 4-5 minutes.

Onion Seeds

Add the chilli pieces, shrimp and fry till they turn light pink. Do not overcook. They should cook in about 5 minutes.

Finally add the the kasoori methi, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Toss it well and serve with bread.

Enjoy making it, it is super quick and yummalicious!!!

Quick and easy, Indian Puloa with Shrimp and Brown Rice

A traditional Indian Pulao is made with white rice and vegetables. You could add chicken or lamb to it if desired. Growing up, I had never ever heard of brown rice but it is a much healthier grain compared to the highly bleached and processed white rice. It is stripped off of all its nutrients during various stages of processing hence brown rice has become a very popular choice in the past few years. This dish is not very traditional but somewhere in between an Authentic Puloa from India and a Spanish Paella.


Similarities/Dis-similarities: Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates, and protein. The major difference lies in their processing and nutritional content. When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice which is known as husk is removed, brown rice is produced. And when the next layers underneath the husk, known as the bran layer and the germ are removed, white rice is produced. Brown rice is considered as a whole grain whereas white rice is not.

Cooking times:The only difference is that brown rice take a little more water and time to cook than white rice.

White Rice, ratio, 1 rice:2 water, cooks in 10 minutes

Brown Rice, ratio, 1 rice:2.5 to 3 water, cooks in 20 minutes

This is a great meal by itself and I like to combine it with yogurt and a salad. It is pretty simple to make so hope you enjoy recreating it.

Shrimp Brow Rice puloa

Recipe: Puloa with Shrimp and Brown Rice
Ingredients
2 Cups Brown Rice, cooked separately
Water to cook rice (ratio, 1 rice:2.5 water)


1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 red bell peppers
1/2 Yellow bell pepper
1/2 Orange bell pepper
1 Cup green peas
5-6 Garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp Saffron threads
1 Tbsp Milk, warmed (to soak saffron)
1 Lemon (juiced)
handful of Coriander leaves, chopped
1Lb Shrimp, large (peeled and deveined)

Method
For the rice,

1. Wash 2 cups of brown rice thoroughly.
2. Heat 4 cups of water in a pan and let it come to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp of salt to the water.
3. Add the rice, lower heat to medium low and cover the pann. Let cook for about 20 minutes till the water has been absorbed ad the rice has cooked through. Set aside.

For the Pulao,

1. Heat wok over medium heat and add the olive oil to it. When hot add the onions and bell peppers to it. Cook till soft about 4 minutes, stirring to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the wok.
2. Take a small glass bowl and put the warmed milk and saffron threads in it to soak and get all the flavors out.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp and cook for a minute till it turns pink. Do not over cook.
4. Add the peas, salt, pepper, white pepper, paprika, chilli powder, saffron soaked in milk. Stir it well till all the spices blend well.
5. Add the rice and toss it up so there are no lumps in the rice and it is heated through.
6. Finally add the coriander leaves and lemon juice. Give it a good toss and serve warm garnished with mint and lemon wedges. Do not overmix or the rice will break apart.

Step-by-step process,

Brown Rice: Wash 2 cups of brown rice thoroughly. Heat 5 cups of water in a pan and let it come to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp of salt to the water. Add the rice, lower heat to medium low and cover the pan. Let cook for about 20 minutes till the water has been absorbed ad the rice has cooked through. This is what it should look like. Set aside to cool down.

Uncooked brown rice

Washed throughly

Add salt

Bring to a boil

Add rice

Cooked rice

Puloa: Take a small glass bowl and put the warmed milk and saffron threads in it to soak and get all the flavors out.

Warm milk and saffron threads

Heat wok over medium heat and add the olive oil to it. When hot add the onions and bell peppers to it. Cook till soft about 4 minutes, stirring to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the wok.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the shrimp and cook for a minute till it turns pink. Do not over cook.

Add the peas, salt, pepper, white pepper, paprika, chilli powder, saffron soaked in milk. Stir it well till all the spices blend well.

Add the rice and toss it up so there are no lumps in the rice and it is heated through. Finally add the coriander leaves and lemon juice. Give it a good toss and serve warm garnished with mint and lemon wedges. Do not overmix or the rice will break apart, which takes away from the visual appeal.

Garnish it with whole mint leaf. It adds amazing flavor to the puloa.

Final look

Enjoy!!

Tandoori Salmon

Hello to all my viewers in India, USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Russia, Canada and the Middle East. I am overwhelmed with the response and thank you all for taking out the time to read my blog.
Hope 2012 brings you and your loved ones all the good health and happiness. I have been very blessed and fortunate in the past years and want to take this moment and thank each and everyone in my life for being there and making it so perfect. 

On that note, lets kick off this year with a heart healthy, simple yet delicious Salmon dish that is by far on the top of my favorites list.

You will not find this recipe on any website or cookbook. This is an original by yours truly!  After years of trial and error I have finally perfected it. It is super simple to make if you have the basic ingredients on hand. I have made this a lot for family and friends and it has gotten rave reviews each and every time. 

The key is to have fresh Salmon, I get mine from Costco. After trying all the fine, high-end fish selling places, Costco has proven to be by far the best on both price as well as taste. The other key ingredient is the Tandoori masala I use. Will have more details on it in the step-by-step process.

Salmon, as you all might know is very high in Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil). Its benefits include Cardiovascular health, reduce blood pressure, increase metabolism by better absorption of insulin and promote better eye, brain and nerve health (this is my extreme interest in nutrition kicking in). I love everything about this dish. You could serve it as an appetizer, or top off your salad with it or even serve it in main course with some Daal and Naan.

I apologize for not having the final picture, we were all so ready to eat that I actually forgot to take a picture. I will post it up soon I promise. 

Fresh Salmon from Costco

My all time favorite tandoori masala

NOTE: I have a separate coffee grinder just to grind my fresh roasted spices (my secret is out). This makes all the difference in a recipe, believe me and its not that much work. Its adds a couple more minutes to your overall cooking time and the flavor is a thousand times better.

Recipe: Tandoori Salmon
Ingredients
1 large Fillet of Salmon (about 1.5 lbs)
2 Tbsp Organic extra Virgin Olive oil
5 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Rajah Tandoori Masala (or any other tandoori masala you have)
1 Tbsp Cumin seed, pan roasted and finely ground
1 Tbsp Coriander seed, pan roasted and finely ground
Black pepper, fresh ground, to taste
salt to taste
few blades of Rosemary (dried or fresh)
3 Tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fage greek yogurt 0% or 2% (normal will do too, but its a little runny. I prefer greek yogurt)
Lemon wedges for garnish

Method

1. Take the Tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and dry roast them on low heat setting in a small non-stick pan. Once you smell the flavorful aroma and they start to brown a little, take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Grind them to a fine powder (I have set aside a coffee grinder just for spices).
2. Now in a small mixing bowl mix together the olive oil, minced garlic, fresh ground spice powders, Tandoori masala, salt, pepper, Rosemary and 2 Tbsp of the coriander leaves. Stir it all together till it well blended.
3. Take the 13 by 9 glass pan and smear the fish with the marinade. Make sure to get all the side, top and bottom nicely. If the fillet has skin, make sure you keep it skin side down to marinate.
4. Let it sit for 2-3 hours. 
5. Pre-heat your charcoal grill and set it on medium heat. Spray the grill with olive oil and set your fish on it skin side down. Let it cook till the fish flakes easily with the fork (about 15 minutes). The time will vary depending on your grill. You can bake it too at 450 degree F for about 12-15 minutes.
6. Put it on your serving platter and sprinkle with a little lemon juice and coriander leaves. Decorate the platter with a few lemon wedges.

NOTE: This dish pairs really well with Daal and tandoori roti or naan. You could also pair it with some grilled vegetables and rice pilaf.

Step-by-step process,

Take the Tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and dry roast them on low heat setting in a small non-stick pan. Once you smell the flavorful, woody aroma and they start to brown a little, take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Grind them to a fine powder (I have set aside a coffee grinder just for spices). Add some whole black peppercorns while you are grinding the roasted spices.

Now in a small mixing bowl mix together the Fage Greet Yogurt, Tandoori Masala, roasted and grinded spice powder, garlic, Coriander leaves, Rosemary blades and salt. Stir it all together till it well blended.

Take the 13 by 9 glass pan and smear the fish with the marinade. Make sure to get all the side, top and bottom nicely. If the fillet has skin, make sure you keep it skin side down to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Skin side

Apply marinade generously

Pre-heat your charcoal grill and set it on medium heat. Spray the grill with olive oil and set your fish on it skin side down. Let it cook till the fish flakes easily with the fork (about 15 minutes). The time will vary depending on your grill. You can bake it too at 450 degree F for about 12-15 minutes.

Put it on your serving platter and sprinkle with a little lemon juice and coriander leaves. Decorate the platter with a few lemon wedges. 

Again, my apologies for the missing final picture. Will upload it soon. Enjoy making and eating it as much as I did.