CPR - Chili Peanut Relish

What an accronym - CPR - does that get you into action mode or what? But this is what is funny, this really tasty, full-flavored creation took me all of 15 minutes to make. I made a later variation of chicken with this, much like an Indian chimichurri chicken, believe me when I tell you, this was good. Anyhow, down to the relish.

CPR - Chili Peanut Relish

Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw peanuts (shelled)
4 green finger chillies
1 small tomato
3-4 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 lime

Method of Preparation

1. Dry roast the peanuts on a skillet for 2-4  minutes, until fragrant and beginning to turn gently aromatic and gently golden brown at edges.
2. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Remove the tops of the chilies and place in the same container.
4. Chop the tomato and place in the food processor with the salt and blend until the mixture is coarsely blended.
5. Remove and place in a mixing bowl.
6. Stir in the salt, cut the lime and mix in the juice and stir well.

Almost bengali tomato chutney...

Well, if people feel that they are getting deluged with recipes and blog posts, there is actually a reason. I am actually grounded from several things, including work all because of my bum shoulder... This is a crazy problem that I have been dealing with for the past over 2 years and now it has come to a head - I have 101 restrictions, including having to leave work. Is cooking and bloggin allowed, dunno about blogging -part of the don't ask don't tell policy... Well until the dr finds out, shall catch up on all those post that I wanted too...

Today as a part of class, I made this really lovely tomato chutney, well, what I really love about was,//with /really low effort, it tasted much like my mom's...

I offered it with papads, bengali wedding style and what is rare is later, I feasted on the chutney with roasted (er microwaved papads)...

So, how did I make this,

Bengali Tomato Chutney

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Makes 1 cup chutney

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1.5 teaspoons panch phoron
1 tablespoon diced ginger
1-2 dried red chili
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 small can diced tomato
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Papads or pappadums for serving

Method of Preparations

1. Heat the oil and add the panch phoron and wait till the mixture crackles.
2. Add in the ginger and the red chili and saute lightly.
3. Add in the salt and the canned tomato mixture.
4. Add in the raisins and the sugar and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, till the mixture is thick and fairly sticky.
5. While the chutney is cooking, cook the papads by microwaving on  for 1.5 minutes.
6. Cool the chutney slightly and serve with the papads.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Curry

A rotisserie chicken can be a pretty useful thing to bring home on a weeknight. The kids like the chicken as is, for us I need to do a little more, but nonetheless gets dinner done real quick. There are several things that I have done to dress the chicken up. This recipe is one example and I shall in time talk about others. The sauce for this chicken is simple and rich. It can be used to cook shrimp or tofu if you wish.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Curry

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, cut into a dice
1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated fresh garlic
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1 cup water
1 lemon
1-2 pods cardamom
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of frozen green peas
1.5 cup cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is very fragrant, and the onions soften start turning golden on the edges.
2. Add in the red chili pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, salt and tomato and cook stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes, until the tomato is soft and mushy.
3. Place the mixtur in a blender with the water and blend until nice and smooth.
4. Return the sauce into the cooking pot. Cut the lemon and squeeze in the juice.
5. Add in the cardamoms, cream, bell peppers, peas and the chicken and simmer the mixture on low for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro and place in a serving bowl.
7. Add freshly ground black pepper and serve with rice.

All Indian Salad dressing

A meal salad for me is usually a fussy creation, especially if you are making the dressing by yourself. However the garden is now filled with all varieties of beautiful multicolored greens - mostly mesclun and romaine. Our first year trying out lettuce growing and I quite like the results! The highlight of this whole effort was the salad dressing that I created. It captures a lot of the base flavors for an essential curry. To add some meal-like substance I mixed cauliflower, nuts and fish to the salad and we ended up with quite a hearty meal.

All Indian Salad dressing

Cauliflower and fish salad with an all indian salad dressing

Prep Time: 7-8 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

For the dressing

5 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons grated ginger

4 pods of garlic

1 cup chopped scallions

1-2 minced green chilies

1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin

1/2 teaspoon powdered coriander

4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon honey

4 tablespoons thick lowfat yogurt (like greek)

1 teaspoon salt

For the salad

1/2 pound fresh white fish fillets (such as mahi-mahi)

1 cup of cauliflower flowerettes

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup mixed nuts (I used walnuts and cashews)

2 cups of mixed fresh chopped greens

Method of Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the ginger, garlic and scallion and cook for 3-4 minutes.

2. Remove and place these in a blender bowl. Add in the remaining oil, green chilies, cumin, coriander, cilantro, honey and yogurt and the salt.

3. Blend till smooth, set aside in the refridgerator.

4. Mix the fish with half the coriander, turmeric, and salt.

5. Mix the cauliflower with the remaining coriander, turmeric and salt.

6. Heat the oil in a large flat skillet place both the cauliflower and the fish in separate sections and cook till the fish is flakey (about 4 minutes on each side). The cauliflower needs to be stirred lightly and cooked till lightly brown and soft.

7. Place the cauliflower in a large mixing bowl. Add in the nuts and the greens and mix lightly.

8. Mix in the salad dressing generously.

9. Flake the fish and stir in.

10. The salad can either be served at once or kept in the refridgerator and served when needed (it can stay for 1 hour).

My kind of fish dish

Ok, so I did post the lamb post earlier this week, I am still scared and troubled but a lot more resolved about my job decision. I had the lovely cilantro chutney, that I had made a few days back and some fresh scrod from the market.

In case, people have not realized by now, Saturdays are my day of sleeping in followed by a mad dash to get groceries and then getting a meal on the table for me and the husband, yes the kids too..

So, here is where the quick and brisk splashing it all together comes in handy.

Cilantro Chili Fish

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh white fish
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin-coriader powder
1 lemon cut into half
1/3 cup oil
1 cup chili cilantro chutney

Method of Preparation

1. Place the fish on a plate and rub with the chili powder, salt, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder and squeeze the lemon juice and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil and place the fish in a single layer and cook for 8-9 minutes and turn and cook for another 9 minutes.
3. Pour the chutney over the fish and cook through.
4. Serve immediately with rice.

Decisions and pan roasted lamb

So can one survive a professional mis-step in the recession? I do not know the answer to this question yet, time and time alone will tell? I can only hope that the answer is yes...

This week, after some consideration I have decided to quit my job and focus on wrapping up the book, now called the CIT (contemporary Indian table), you knew that one.. and look for a more locationally compatible job. I have never actually taken on bet on letting go of something without another posibility on hand, but this time I am doing this, how practical is this time alone will tell.

For dinner this week, was this amazing lamb that I put together, if you like lamb like me, you should definitely give it a try...

Pan Roasted Spicy Lamb

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serve 2-3 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 pound lamb on the bone cut into pieces (I used shoulder lamb chops)

1/3 cup yogurt

2-3 tablepoons oil

2-3 pods cardamom

2-3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the ginger-garlic paste with salt, chili powder and rub on the lamb.

2. Apply the yogurt on the lamb.

3. Heat the lamb and add the cardamom, cloves and bay leaves and cook for a few seconds.

4. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring lightly until the onions soften and begin to curl and turn gently brown on the edges.

5. Add the lamb and cook on low, stirring and turning occasionally from time to time. The onions gradually turn brown and melt and cling to the lamb, the yogurt evaporates and the lamb turn a beautiful brown and is fork tender. The process takes about 25 minutes.

6. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Chili Cilantro Chutney

There are many variations of your basic chutney, a spicy fresh condiment that we use as a dipping sauce for savory snacks such as samosas, pakoras and even crackers.

I like this zippy variation, among others and its uses range way beyond the condiment stage. I like to use it as a no cook sauce for fish or even chicken. I shall tell you about this soon.

Here is how I made it in class this evening.

Chili Cilantro Chutney

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Makes 1 cup chutney

Ingredients

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
3 green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup buttermilk

Method of preparation

1. Place the cilantro, chilies, salt, ginger in the food processor and add the buttermilk in small amounts to process the mixture into a gently textured sauce.

2. The results described is accomplished by a food process as opposed to a blender.

3. Use as desired.