Pan-sauteed, Black-eyed-peas

This dish was inspired by a recent trip to the grocery store and I happened to find these...Oh so fresh Black Eyed Peas staring at me. They screamed to be picked up and now I am making this as we go. I have no idea what it will turn out into. My plan is to open up my spice cabinet and take a whiff of some spices and use what feels will work well with the peas, easiest way to create your own original recipe.

There are several names for these peas. In India and Pakistan they are known as Lobhia or Rongi.

So after raiding my refrigerator I have come up with onions, garlic, Cherry tomatoes, Spinach, Lemon juice, Balsamic vinegar, Coriander leaves as some ingredients for this recipe. For the spices, I will be using cumin, coriander and fresh ground garam masala powders.

Final look

Recipe: Pan Sauteed Black Eyed Peas


Ingredients
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Cumin seeds
8-10 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Onion, finely chopped
10-12 Cherry tomatoes, halved

salt to taste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1-2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Cups spinach, finely chopped
24 Oz Black eyed peas, cooked in salted water
dash of lemon juice
coriander leaves for garnish


Method

1. Heat the olive oil on high heat and add the cumin seeds and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes or until they turn light brown.
2. Add the onions and cook till they are translucent and a little soft. This should take another 3-4 minutes.
3. Now add the cherry tomatoes, salt and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn down the heat and add balsamic vinegar. Toss it all up and add the spinach. Cook till its still bright green but wilted.
5. Add the black eyed peas and finally the lemon juice.
6. Serve hot with cardamom infused, steamed Quinoa and a salad. Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Step-by-step process,

Heat the olive oil on high heat and add the cumin seeds and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes or until they turn light brown.



Add the onions and cook till they are translucent and a little soft. This should take another 3-4 minutes.



Now add the cherry tomatoes, salt and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.

Turn down the heat and add balsamic vinegar. Toss it all up and add the spinach. Cook till its still bright green but wilted.

Add the cooked black eyed peas and finally the lemon juice.




Serve hot with cardamom infused, steamed Quinoa and a salad. Garnish with Coriander leaves.

I was in a good mood today so I added tandoori potatoes to the menu. This is what my plate looked like...yum. Enjoy making it as much as I did and I am off to go eat my supper.

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. 

Cooking Conversion Chart

Cooking Conversion Chart

Unit:	Equals:	Also equals:
1 tsp.	1/6 fl. oz.	1/3 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp.	½ fl. oz.	3 tsp.
1/8 cup	1 fl. oz.	2 Tbsp.
¼ cup	2 fl. oz.	4 Tbsp.
1/3 cup	2¾ fl. oz.	¼ cup plus 4 tsp.
½ cup	4 fl. oz.	8 Tbsp.
1 cup	8 fl. oz.	½ pint
1 pint	16 fl. oz.	2 cups
1 quart	32 fl. oz.	2 pints
1 liter	34 fl. oz.	1 quart plus ¼ cup
1 gallon	128 fl. oz.	4 quarts

Tandoori Marinade

Recipe: Tandoori Marinade
Ingredients
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.

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 1/4 Cup Fage Greet Yogurt, 2 Tbsp Tandoori Masala, roasted and grinded spice powder,  5 minced garlic cloves, Coriander leaves, Rosemary blades and salt. Stir it all together till it well blended.

Now you can use this marinade with Salmon, any type of fish really, shrimp/prawns, chicken, lamb, pork, potato wedges, tofu, paneer, cauliflower, okra and onions...etc.

Hope you enjoy making this.

Cooking Conversion from Farenheit to Centigrade