Spicy Peanut Kachumber Salad

This is one of my most loved and popular creations. No matter how big a serving I make, it gets goddbled up FAST.... I have doubled-tripled-quardrupled it but I still run out :) You will be amazed at how humble and simple to prepare it really is.

RECIPE: Spicy Peanut Kachumber Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
1 Onion, coarse dice
1 Seedless Cucumber, diced
2 Avacados, diced
2 Tomatoes, diced
1 Green chilli, chopped
handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 Cup Peanuts, roasted and lightly salted
Dressing:
2 Lemons, Juiced
salt to taste
1 tsp Cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 tsp Corinader seeds, roasted and ground
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika

Method

1. Chop the onions, cucumber, avacados, tomatoes, chillies and coriander.
2. Now add the peanuts and toss it all up.
3. Whip up all the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Toss it well and that is all it takes to make the best salad in the world :).

Daal Amritsari

Daal Amritsari

This daal is made with Whole Black Urad Lentils and Red Kidney beans in a 1:2 ratio respectively (you can find them at whole foods or any ethnic store around you). You cook the daal separately in a pressure cooker or a pot of water. If you plan ahead you can even make this in crockpot. I am making it in a pressure cooker just because I didn't plan ahead and this is a quiker way of softening the lentils. After your Daal and beans are cooked you make a Tarka, a common word used in India cuisine to describe the word seasoning. This Daal needs to cook on low heat setting for hours to get the creamy and appealing color and taste.


My Menu for today is going to be Daal Amritsari, Malai Kebab and Rotis served with some fresh salad. This is going to take a while so lets begin.

RECIPE: Daal Amritsari
Ingredients
For the Daal
1 Cup Whole Black Urad Lentils
1/2 Cup Red Kidney Beans
salt to taste
1" Cinnamon stick
1 Star Anise


For the Tarka
1 Cup Onions, chopped
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp Tomato paste, heaped


Daal Amritsari Spice Mix
Whole:
1 Dry Red chilli
2 Black Cardamoms
2-3 Green Cardamoms
1/2 Tbsp Cumin seeds
1/2 Tbsp Coriander seeds
5-6 Peppercorns
1 Bayleaf
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
2 Cloves
Powders:
1/4 tsp Mango powder (amchoor)
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Asfoedita (Hing)


For Granish
Dollop of butter
1-2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped


Method

1. For the Daal: Wash the Urad lentils and Red Kidney beans. Add them to the pressure cooker with plenty of water. Add the minced ginger, garlic, salt, star ainse and cinnamon stick.
2. Let the pressure build up on hight heat and let the whistle blow 5-6 times. Lower the heat to low and let it ccook for an additional 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let all the steam escape before you open it.
4. Open the lid and let it simmer on low heat.
5. For the Tarka: I like to make my own spicce mix by roastinn whole spices. In a small pan, on medium heat dry roast 1 Dry Red chilli, 2 Black Cardamoms, 2-3 Green Cardamoms, 1/2 Tbsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 Tbsp Coriander seeds, 5-6 Peppercorns, 1 Bayleaf, 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 2 Cloves. Make sure you stir it so it does not burn. You will smell the woody aroma once the spices are lightly roasted. Let them cool a little.
6. In a coffe grinder, add the roasted spices and the powders, 1/4 tsp Mango powder (amchoor), 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp Asfoedita (Hing).
7. Grind them till it makes a very fine powder.
8. Heat 1 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) in a skillet and add onions to it. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes till they brow a little. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and the grinded spice mix. Lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minures till the oil separates from the mix.
9. Add it to the steamed daal and simmer for 4-5 hours. On a heat sourcce you have to keep stirring it every few minutes unlike in a crockpot.Adjust seasonig as needed.
10. Pour it  into the serving bowl and garnish with a dollop of butter in the center and Coriander leaves.

Step-by-step process,

Whole Black Urad and Red Kidney Beans

For the Daal: Wash the Urad lentils and Red Kidney beans. Add them to the pressure cooker with plenty of water. Add the minced ginger, garlic, salt, star ainse and cinnamon stick.

Let the pressure build up on hight heat and let the whistle blow 5-6 times. Lower the heat to low and let it ccook for an additional 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let all the steam escape before you open it. Open the lid and let it simmer on low heat.

For the Tarka: I like to make my own spicce mix by roastinn whole spices. In a small pan, on medium heat dry roast 1 Dry Red chilli, 2 Black Cardamoms, 2-3 Green Cardamoms, 1/2 Tbsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 Tbsp Coriander seeds, 5-6 Peppercorns, 1 Bayleaf, 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 2 Cloves. Make sure you stir it so it does not burn. You will smell the woody aroma once the spices are lightly roasted. Let them cool a little.

In a coffee grinder, add the roasted spices and the powders, 1/4 tsp Mango powder (amchoor), 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp Asfoedita (Hing). Grind them till it makes a very fine powder.

Heat 1 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) in a skillet and add onions to it. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes till they brow a little. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and the grinded spice mix. Lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minures till the oil separates from the mix.

Add it to the steamed daal and simmer for 4-5 hours. On a heat sourcce you have to keep stirring it every few minutes unlike in a crockpot.Adjust seasonig as needed.

Pour it  into the serving bowl and garnish with a dollop of butter in the center and Coriander leaves.

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.