Chicken Nuggets!

Over one year later, I can barely believe that the reason I am blogging again is chicken nuggets! One would expect that after this blogging-sabatical, I would come back with something more gourmet. But in this past year or so, most of our meals at home have been kid-friendly. Now that doesn't always mean pizza or chicken nuggets, but it's a meal that a kid would also eat, happily.

The reason— my three year old son.

There are some delicious nuggets out there in the market, all-natural, free range, organic. But nothing like anything that is homemade with ingredients that you can pronounce! So I set out to make a big batch and freeze them— easy and delicious and they look like but taste even better than the store-bought chicken nuggets. My son loves them and chows them down, and at least I know exactly what's going into his system.

This recipe is from Weelicious. Love her blog and book, a lot of her recipes are very good— healthy, simple, kid-friendly.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (regular / Panko)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Place the chicken, mashed potato, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth, and combined.
3. In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan.
4. With moistened hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture between your palms and flatten into "nuggets" shape.
5. Gently press the nugget into the bread crumb mixture to coat.
6. Transfer to a lightly sprayed ir greased cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with foil. 
7. Lightly spray the nuggets with cooking spray. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp outside and cooked throughout. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes for it to be golden brown.

To Freeze:

After step 5, place the nuggets on a sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to a ziplock bag, label, and freeze for up to 4 months. To bake, do not defrost, just add 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.

Sautéed Fish Fillets Meunière with Sauce Grenobloise

It's fish cooked in a light batter, with a sauce of lemon and capers, so simple to make, so delicious. So perfect. So quick. So impressive. 

Meuniére refers to both a sauce and a method of preparation, primarily for fish. The word itself means "millers wife". Thus to cook something a la meuniére means to cook it by first dredging it in flour. The sauce, or even known as Grenobloise is a simple preparation— brown butter, lemon wedges, chopped parsley, and capers.

This recipe calls for the fish to be soaked in milk for 30 minutes or more, and I wondered why. After doing some research and giving it some thought, these were the two reasons I thought made sense— 1. it reduces the 'fishy' odor. If you bought fresh fish, it shouldn't have a 'fishy' odor, but by the time it makes it way home from the market, in your car, to your fridge, it may develop a stronger smell. By soaking it in milk, the milk absorbs the chemical (trimethylamine oxide) and 2. it helps create a nice soft and light batter once it is dredged in the flour. Furthermore, some state that soaking the filet in milk, helps result in a softer and flakier fish.

Chef Sara Moulton, thank you for this recipe. It will surely be a repeat dinner in our home!

 Makes 4 servings

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Four 6-ounce pieces, skinless, mild-flavored fish fillets, such as trout, tilapia, or catfish
2 cups milk 

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Grenobloise Sauce (recipe below)

Directions
1. Cover the fish with the milk, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Drain the fish, discarding the milk. Season the pieces with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick or stick resistant skillet over moderately high heat.
4. Dredge fish in a pie plate filled with flour, or dust flour on the fillets, using a small fine mesh sieve. (This is my cooks tip to avoid wasting the extra flour. Dust from at least 8-inches above, to create an even coating of flour).
3. Place the pieces in the skillet and sauté them, turning once, for 3 minutes per side, or until they are golden and almost cooked through. Transfer the fillets to dinner plates and cover them with foil to keep them warm. Make the Grenobloise Sauce in the same skillet you cooked the fish. Spoon some of the sauce over each portion and serve.

Sauce Grenobloise
Ingredients
1 lemon
2 – 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons drained brined capers
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Directions
1. Remove the peel and pith from the lemon with a serrated knife and cut the lemon into sections.
2. Add the butter to the same skillet that the fish was cooked; cook, stirring, until it turns a deep brown and smells nutty, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon pieces, capers, and parsley; swirl skillet to combine. Spoon sauce over fish. Serve immediately.

Spagetti in Parchment with Clams and Scallions

This dish me back to my honeymoon in Italy, spaghetti with clams, and several bottles of wine, by the Trevi Fountain. Nearly seven years later, I made this for my husband (I recently developed a allergy *sniff* to shellfish), so although I didn't get to eat it, I did thoroughly enjoy the wine! This is a great date night dinner to make, or even for a dinner party. Since you can make the spaghetti ahead as Sara Molten suggests, you just have to bake it in the parchment paper before serving it, which you sip wine and pick on some prosciutto and Italian cheeses of your choice.


Sara Molten says in her note to this recipe: The pasta in this dish cooks twice, so be sure to undercook it when you first boil it. Then when it bakes in the parchment, it will absorb all the briny, garlicky, wine-soaked, chile-flecked juices from the seafood. That's how you create flavor! It also helps to use fresh scallions from the farmers' market. Better yet, use ramps when they are in season. You can also replace the clams with cockles and serve this with grated Parmesan if you like. 

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Adapted from Sara Molten's Weeknight Meals, Season 3
Ingredients
12 ounces boxed dried spaghetti
8 tablespoons olive oil
4 scallions, trimmed and top quarter removed, sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, smashed
50 to 60 small clams, scrubbed
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup water
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
2. Drop in the pasta, quickly return to a boil, and cook until slightly underdone and chewy, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the clams, wine, pepper flakes, and water. Cover and simmer until the liquid reduces in volume by about half, 5 minutes. When the clams have opened, discard the garlic and any empty clam shells.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pan along with the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil and the parsley. Cook over medium heat, tossing until the sauce gets a little creamy.
5. Tear 4 sheets of parchment paper, each about 2 feet long. Place one-fourth of the pasta mixture in the center of each sheet of parchment. Bring the long sides of the parchment up above the pasta so the edges meet. Fold the edges together and keep folding down until tight over the pasta. Flip over and pull each side of parchment over the center to make a tight packet. Flip back over so the folded seam side is up.
6. Transfer the packets to a baking sheet and bake until the paper browns lightly, 5 to 7 minutes. If you have convection, turn it on to help the paper brown. Transfer to plates and allow guests to slit open the packets lengthwise with a knife.

Cooks Tip: The spaghetti can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Banana-Walnut Upside Down Cupcakes

Ripe bananas in our kitchen usually end up in a delicious banana bread or when I am trying to be 'healthier' low-fat banana bread. But this time round the three ripe bananas brought about  the making of these cupcakes. A recipe in Bon Appétit and my mothers fool-proof eggless sponge cake recipe, inspired these cupcakes.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 12-15 cupcakes

Ingredients
For the topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 large ripe bananas
3 tablespoons maple syrup 

For the cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
7-oz condensed milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
4-oz water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C.
2. Grease a muffin pan with butter.
3. Melt butter and sugar over low-heat. Chop walnuts. Slice bananas into 1/4-inch slices.
4. Mix together all the cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
5. Pour 1 tablespoon of the butter-sugar mixture onto the base. Pour 1/4-inch tablespoon maple syrup over the sugar mixture. Top with an even sprinkle of nuts. Place 3 slices of banana, overlapping slightly and covering bottom.
6. Spoon cake batter over the bananas. 
7. Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cook for 10 minutes before removing cupcakes.

Bhatura (Puffed Yogurt Bread)

My friend Vicky Mahtani made these bhaturas for us a few years ago, and it was heavenly. She taught me her mothers recipe years ago. Through the years as I kept making these Bhaturas (or Vicky’s Bhatura’s as we call them at home) the recipe has changed. 


Bhaturas are usually made with potato (instead of the yogurt used below) and with baking powder and soda (instead of the yeast used in this recipe). However, these changes give it a fluffy and soft texture that is hard to resist! Serve with Chana Masala and you will be in heaven!


Prep time: 10 minutes (plus one hour for the dough to rise)
Cook time: 1–2 minutes per Bhatura
Makes 16 


 
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting


1 teaspoon salt


2 tablespoon vegetable oil


1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast


3 tablespoons warm water


1 cup plain yogurt
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl mix flour, salt and 1 tablespoon oil with your hands, until it resembles the texture bread crumbs.
2. In a small bowl stir yeast and water until completely dissolved.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yogurt and yeast mixture. Knead into the flour until the dough collects into a sticky mass. Add little water if needed to still combine the dough.
4. Coat your hands with a tablespoon of oil and knead the dough until shiny and not too sticky, for about 10 minutes.
5. Tightly cover the bowl with shrink wrap and let it rest for an hour or more in a cool dark place (I put it in an unheated oven).
6. When the dough has risen or doubled in volume, punch down the dough, knead gently and divide into 16 equal portions.
7. Preheat oil in a deep frying pan and roll each ball into 6-inch circles.
8. When the oil is hot, gently slip each disc into the oil. Press the Bhatura with a slotted spoon a few times to help it puff up. Turn in 10 seconds and let it cook for another 5 seconds. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain excess oil on a paper towel.


Deep Frying Tips: Choose a deep, very heavy bottomed skillet to fry with. Add oil to the cold pan, leaving a headspace, or space at the top of the pan, of at least two inches. This allows a safety margin when the oil bubbles up as the food is added.
Make sure the food you are going to fry is dry. Letting it sit on paper towels, or coating it in flour or bread crumbs is a good way to ensure this.
The oil is ready when a piece of bread dropped into the oil rises to the top and browns in 60 seconds.
Do not over crowd the pan! This will drop the temperature of the oil.
Do not reuse the cooking oil. Let the oil cool completely and then discard.

Chicken and Snake Bean Stir-Fry

For several years, I have had an allergy to monosodium glutamate (MSG), which made eating out at Chinese restaurants difficult. Many restaurants today do not use MSG, many oblige and make you food without MSG, but I still found myself uncomfortable after a Chinese meal at any restaurant that obliged. Having grown up in India eating a lot of Chinese food (my mother grew up in Singapore and brought those flavors to our table), I didn't want to be deprived. Ching-He Huang's book, Ching's Chinese Food In Minutes, changed my (Asian) kitchen life! Incredible, easy, and quick recipes.

I had a few basic recipes down, such as Chicken and Broccoli, Simple Egg Fried Rice, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup. Her book helped me get more diverse with my Chinese cooking.

The other thing that I love about her recipes is that when she says a recipe will take 10 minutes to make, she means it! I managed to stir-fry this dish today while singing to keep my two-year-old son entertained. Served with brown rice, it is a healthy and balanced meal to have.

If you're buying chicken directly from your butcher you can ask him to cut in into thin strips to reduce your prep time even further. FreshDirect.com also sells chicken sliced into strips.

Ching says, "This is a stir-fry inspired by a lunch I had with 'Ah-e' (Aunty) in Beijing. She cooked a simple but delicious chicken and snake bean stir-fry, and this is my quick version."

Prep time: 5 minutes (plus 20 minutes soaking / marinating)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
250 grams / 9 oz skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 teaspoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
2 tablespoons groundnut oil (peanut oil)
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1 dried Chinese mushroom, pre-soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then drained and sliced
100 grams snake beans (Snake beans can be found in the vegetable section of a good Chinese supermarket, or use some trimmed French beans as a substitute)
50 grams / 2 oz toasted cashew nuts (I used peanuts instead, as a personal preference)
25 ml / 1 fl oz hot chicken stock
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
a dash of toasted sesame oil
1 pinch of ground white pepper

Method

1. Marinate the chicken in the rice wine or sherry and the dark soy sauce for 10-15 minutes (while the mushroom soaks)
2. Just before cooking, dust the chicken lightly with cornflour. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the garlic and mushroom and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the chicken and stir-fry for a few minutes until slightly browned.
3. Add the beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes until tender, then add the nuts.
4. Add the hot stock and season wtih the light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.
   Serve immediately.

Cook's tip: This was delicious when served immediately. I tried the left overs at night, and it was a bit dry.
To revamp it, add a sauce to it.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon chili sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup water. Add 1/2 teaspoon cornflour, mix until smooth. In a hot wok bring the sauce to a boil, add left over chicken for a minute or two and remove.

Shaved-Radish Tea Sandwiches with Herb Butter

A cup of perfectly brewed tea (yes brewed, no tea bags), a slice of moist banana bread, a delicious tea sandwich, yummy scones, and you have yourself a great afternoon tea menu. The tea sandwiches I usually make are cucumber, smoked salmon, egg or chicken salad sandwiches. When BonAppetit.com shared this recipe with radishes, I had to try it! 

The recipe called for baguette bread but I used the wheat sandwich bread I had at home instead. I do think it would be better with the baguette bread instead. 

Since I was serving vegetarians, I avoided the anchovy fillets in the ingredient list below.

Makes 16 servings
Adapted from BonAppetit.com May 2012

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) room-temperature salted butter
5 mashed drained anchovy fillets
1 grated small garlic clove
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

32 slices of baguette, diagonally cut 1/8-inch thick

12 very thinly sliced radishes
16 green radish leaves

1. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the next six ingredients. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Spread herb butter on one side of each of the 32 slices of the baguette.
3. Top half the slices with 16 green radish leaves and radish slices.
4. Top with remain bread slices, butter side down.

Cooks' Tip: Drape plastic wrap over the prepared sandwiches until serving. It will keep the bread from drying out. And you get to make the sandwiches ahead and enjoy your tea and party.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Ginger

Christmas baking season has come to an end, and this banana bread was the finale to baking for the holidays, for when we celebrated our sons second birthday. And who does not love banana bread? Have it with your tea in the evening, or a slice with a smear of butter for breakfast. 

This bread was delicious and moist. I read this recipe on PurpleFoodie.com (absolutely love her blog!) and the idea of crystallized ginger in the bread sounded fabulous to me. However, when I mentioned it to the people I was serving this bread to, they all were very skeptic. So below, find my variation of adding the ginger into the bread anyway! 

You can store the banana bread for a up to a week at room temperature or freeze it for 6 months. That is, if you even have any left to freeze! 

1 large loaf that serves 8

Dry ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Wet ingredients
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approximately 3 large ripe bananas)
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons / 3 oz. / 90 grams unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 170C
2. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and flour or with baking spray. 
3. In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave for 20–30 seconds. Set aside to cool. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork and add the remaining wet ingredients. Mix well. 
6. Pour the wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold in the batter with a silicon spatula, incorporating all the dry ingredients until it looks like it has come together. Do not over mix the batter, it's okay if it looks lumpy. Over mixing the batter kills the air bubbles in the batter and makes it heavier.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack. 

In baking, to "fold" is the term used for gently a light ingredient or mixture with a much heavier mixture, while retaining as much as air as possible, by not bursting the air bubbles.

Method: Carefully cut through the mixture with the edge of the spatula, working in a gentle figure of eight and mixing the bowl as you go.

Scrape around the sides and base of the bowl at intervals to incorporate all of the lighter ingredients into the mixture.

Gooey Butter Cookies

It's Christmas eve! After having spent the whole day in the kitchen, baking and cooking, it's time to rest up for tomorrow, to be able eat, drink, and be merry! 

These downy butter cookies from St. Louis chef Gerard Craft and his former pastry chef Mathew Rice live up to their name. A favorite of Craft’s daughters, these sweet cookies glean their soft texture from the addition of glucose and get an initial coating of confectioners’ sugar before baking. Keep them stored in the refrigerator and dust with another layer of confectioners’ sugar before serving for an especially snow-kissed appearance.

The cookies totally live up to its description above, quoted from Tasting Table's 12 Days of Cookies series. I preferred the cookies the next day, but some of the other 'eaters' preferred them the first day, fresh out of the oven. (Yes, we have been eating cookies since yesterday and hope to eat them through Christmas day!). The extra sprinkle of confectioners' sugar before serving makes these cookies even more divine. 

Recipe adapted from Gerard Craft and Mathew Rice, Pastaria, St. Louis, Missouri
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound (450 gms) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons / 125 gms) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (or 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 1/4 cup glucose syrup)
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped away and reserved
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus extra for serving


Method

1. Preheat oven to 325F (160C). 
2. Sieve over a large bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and the vanilla seeds. Mix on medium speed until the batter is light and airy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
5. Add the flour mixture, then mix on medium-low speed until just combined.
6. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. To a medium bowl, add the confectioners' sugar and set aside. 
7. Scoop the dough into 2-inch balls around the size of a golf ball, then roll each ball into confectioners' sugar before placing them 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
8. Bake the cookies until they spread and puff slightly, 12 to 15 minutes. They should be set around the edges and very soft in the center (don't let the cookies brown). 
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring the parchment paper with the cookies on top to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
10. Once the cookies are completely cool, stack them in an airtight container and refrigerate. Serve chilled and dusted with more powdered sugar.

Make ahead: The dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days before baking.

Storing:The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Puffed Rice

I love brussels sprouts! Not sure if I have said this enough, but it is very high up on my favorite vegetables list. So when I read this recipe on my iPad on my Epicurious app, it had me wanting to make it immediately.

Deep-fried Brussels sprouts are a popular side dish at Ssām Bar. Cooked in a hot oven (easier for the home cook), they still get that nutty sweetness and nicely browned crisp exterior. Rice Krispries, standing in for Indian puffed rice (which is more difficult to find), add crunch, while sous-chef Tien Ho's Vietnamese-style dressing lends the sprouts an offbeat complexity.

This was an absolute hit at lunch today, and it will surely be a recipe that we will make again!

Below is my variation on the recipe. The minor tweaks were the use of soy sauce instead of fish sauce, as we were serving vegetarians for lunch today. As much as I believe the fish sauce would have done wonders to the recipe, the soy sauce worked very well too. Instead of shichimi togarashi powder I used some of my good old Indian red chili powder. I also increased the amount of puffed rice, as I loved the idea of more crunch to the dish. The amount of dressing felt like too much, which is why I a reduced the amount in the recipe below.

Makes 8 first or side-course services

Ingredients
For brussels sprouts
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lenghtwise
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter


For dressing
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegetarian version)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro stems
1 garlic clove, minced
2 fresh red Thai chiles, thinly sliced crosswise, including seeds (be generous if you like the heat)


For puffed rice
1/2 cup Indian puffed rice (or Rice Krispies, if not available)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder




For garnish
Cilantro sprigs
Mint leaves
Scallions, chopped

Method

1. Roast brussels sprouts: Preheat oven to 400F. Toss brussels sprouts with oil, then arrange cut sides down, in a 17-by-12-inch baking pan. Roast, without turning, until outer leaves are tender and very dark brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Add butter and toss to coat.
2. Make dressing: Stir together all the dressing ingredients until sugar has dissolved.
3. Make puffed rice while sprouts roast: Cook cereal, oil, and red chili powder in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking skillet and stirring, until rice is coated and begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cook, stirring occasionally.
4. Finish dish: Put Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl, then toss with just enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with puffed rice.

Cooks' notes:
Puffed rice can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Dressing, without mint and cilantro, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and add herbs before using.

Spicy Chindian Potstickers

Leftovers are great (especially if it is from Thanksgiving!), you can toss it with some rice and name it a pulao, fried rice or even a paella if you will. Wrap leftover Sai Bhaji or sautéd spinach with cheese in puff pastry and make turnovers. My mother-in-law adds tomato sauce to left over Indian vegetables and then layers it with lasagna sheets, béchamel sauce and cheese to make an Indo-Italian lasagna. My all-time, quick and easy, favorite is to add some mashed boiled potatoes and breadcrumbs to the left over, to make patties or burgers. 

The list of options go on and on. This time I wanted to step out of the box and make something different with the left over chicken keema, and I wondered why I couldn't just 'dumpling-them-up'! Growing up in Bombay, we ate a lot of Chindian food, which explains where I was going with this.

So I took the left over keema, added some Shaoshing rice wine, soy sauce, Sriracha chili sauce, and spring onions, folded them in store-bought dumpling wrappers, and made yummy potstickers, drizzled with chili oil. (You know where my leftovers are going to end up now!)

Makes 15
Ingredients
Chicken Keema
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced (use a food processor to quicken the chopping process)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch ginger, minced
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 bay leaf
2 lbs ground chicken
Salt, to taste
3 medium tomatoes, minced (use a food processor to quicken the chopping process)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Potstickers
2 cups chicken keema
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
15 round dumpling or Japanese Gyoza wrappers
1/4 cup water, for sealing potstickers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup water, or more, to steam potstickers
Chili oil, to drizzle

Method, Chicken Keema

1. In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add the minced onions and brown well, for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Follow by adding the ginger, garlic, chilies, garam masala, and bay leaf. Mix well into onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the ground chicken and salt and cook until the chicken is just about done. The water from the chicken should dry up and your mixture should be dry.
4. Add the minced tomatoes, mix well, and cook until the oil separates.
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Serving options: Serve with flat naan, some chopped onions, and lemon.
Over plain white rice boiled with green peas.
Stuff in a pita pocket with hummus, greens, pickled jalapeño and fresh cilantro.


Method, Potstickers

1. Add spring onions, rice wine, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce to the reserved 2 cups of Chicken Keema. Mix well. 
2. Lay a dumpling wrapper flat on one palm of your hand, moisten the edge of the pot sticker by brushing it with water. 
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the Chicken Keema mixture in the center of the wrapper.
4. Fold the potsticker wrapper over like a taco. Force the air out and press the edges together. You can add a few pleats like in the photograph above if you like.
5. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. When hot, add the potstickers (flat side down) and brown for 30–60 seconds. 
6. Add water, being careful not to splatter the oil (drain oil before if necessary) until 1/3rd the height of the potstickers. Cover and let it steam for 3–4 minutes.
7. Serve hot, with a drizzle of chili oil.

Cooks note: If you do not want to serve all the potstickers at one time, you can freeze by placing the potstickers on a baking tray for 15 minutes. Remove and place in a freezer bag, dated and marked with contents. Defrost before cooking.

Roast Telapia with Spicy Soy Oil

I have absolutely no idea why I haven't yet shared this recipe with you. This recipe has been a staple at home for years now, and it's one of our favorite quick fix Asian meal. Perfect for that weeknight meal, when you're short of time or even you have guests coming over and you don't have much time on hand. Serve it with plain steamed rice or fried rice. It goes great with brussels sprouts or sautéd mushrooms.

It's so quick, that you could be in and out of the kitchen, sitting on your dinner table, within 15 minutes. Make it to believe me! Or make the spicy soy oil ahead and heat in saucepan right before serving.

The spicy soy oil goes well with mostly all fish. If I remember correct, this recipe was originally for salmon. Through the years we have made it with many kinds of fish, such as tuna, cod, lemon sole, and telapia.

Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 to 2 lbs fish fillets, in 4 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp slivered garlic
2 dried red chillies (or more if you like the heat)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Method

1. Place 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add 1 tbsp peanut oil, swirl it around.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper, and place on skillet. Flip when browned on one side and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. (time will depend on the fish variety). Move to a plate.
3. While the second side is cooking, combine remaining peanut oil in a small saucepan with sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and chilies, and turn heat to medium. 
4. Cook, gently shaking pan, until garlic colors lightly, about 5 minutes. 
5. Turn off heat and add soy. 
6. Drizzle fish with spicy soy oil.

I Love Brussels Sprouts, Thai Style

I love brussels sprouts. I love them so much that I can eat them plain, roasted with salt and pepper, blanched, and even on pizzas! This winter we are in the Canary Islands, and it has been difficult finding them. I spoke to the vegetable vendor at the market, and asked him to call me when he did find them. Three (long) weeks later my phone rings, my brussels sprouts had arrived! 

Half the batch was roasted, a little olive oil, salt and pepper, at 400F for 30–35 minutes. Don't forget to shake the pan from time to time to evenly brown the sprouts. Roast until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. 

The second half of the treasured brussels sprouts was made in this Thai style inspired sauce. (Please note, the vegetable vendor has already been called and asked to get me more brussels sprouts soon!)

Ingredients
2 cups brussels sprouts, cut in half
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 red chillies, sliced (or more if you like the heat)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. On a baking tray, toss brussels sprouts with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30–35 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside
3. While sprouts roasts, in a small sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. 
4. Add sauces, chili, and chicken broth. Boil until liquid is reduced by half.
5. Toss roasted brussels sprouts with as much sauce as required. Reserve remaining sauce to add to a stir-fry, rice, or more brussels sprouts! 

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies With Salted Caramel

'Sweet and savory make friends in one delicious bite' is what sold me on this recipe. Reading this recipe in Martha Stewarts Everyday Living made my mouth water. So, one afternoon, while my little monkey of a toddler napped, and I had the kitchen to myself, I did what I love the most, baked in absolute silence. And the cookies lived up to its description— sweet (but not too sweet) shortbread cookies, coated with coconut, with an oh-so-sweet bite of caramel, with the perfect surprise hit of good quality flaked sea salt. I had a cookie with my evening cup of tea yesterday and woke up bright an early today (not feeling so bright and early) but this cookie definitely helped perk my morning up. 

I did have to make a few changes to the recipe, based on availability of ingredients here in Las Palmas, Spain (where I am for the rest for the year) along with dietary restrictions. Instead of sweetened coconut flakes, I used unsweetened coconut powder. This worked for us as my father-in-law is diabetic, and this way he can share this large batch of cookies with us, almost guilt-free. I also omitted using the egg (which was called for in the recipe to help the coconut flakes to stick to the dough ball) but it worked just fine without the egg. Some of the people I was sharing this large batch of cookies with do not eat eggs.

The caramel candies that you use, must be the soft kind. Do not use caramel candies that are hard, as it will harden again and the textures just won't work! I did my first batch with hard caramel candies (lesson learnt: read the recipe carefully!) and it didn't work out so well. The second batch worked beautifully with the softer candies— taste wise and also to work with.

Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter (24 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (optional)
12 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
44 small soft caramel candies, (12 ounces), such as Kraft
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Large, flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat together butter and sugar, with a mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low, gradually add flour and 1/2 teaspoon table salt, and beat to combine.
4. Press dough together in plastic wrap, then roll into 1 1/4-inch balls.
5. Dip each ball in the beaten egg, and roll into coconut, or roll into coconut directly.
6. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, and press an indentation into each with your thumb. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the sheets from oven, and re-press indentations.
9. Bake cookies until golden, another 9 to 10 minutes. 
10. Let cook on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
11. Place caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the caramels are melted and mixture is smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. 
12. Spoon into indentations in cookies, and sprinkle with sea salt.
13. Rewarm caramel if hardens before all cookies are filled. (Store in airtight containers for up to 2 days).

Banana Butterscotch Scones

My mother had a tea party for her friends and family today, and it was great to see everyone after so long. Although a lot of her friends brought treats, me not baking scones for a tea is impossible. So, I got down to trying a recipe that I have been dying to try for a while. I'm proud to say that the plate was cleaned out and everyone seemed to love them. 

The combination of banana and butterscotch is pure bliss, and even more so once topped with the sweet and tangy clotted cream.

This recipe is adapted from my all-time favorite cookbook, Alice's Tea Cup. 

Makes 10–12 scones (or 36 mini scones)
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream (for brushing)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. With clean hands, work the butter into the dry mixture until it is thoroughly incorporated and has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the banana slices and butterscotch chips and combine well, so that they are evenly distributed throughout the dry mixture.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the buttermilk and vanilla extract into the well, little by little, until a dough is formed. Do not knead! 
5. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and gather the dough together. Gently pat the dough to make a disk, about 1 1/2-inches thick. Using a 3 or 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many scones as you can and lay them on a nonstick baking sheet. Gather the remaining dough together lightly to cut out more scones— just don't knead the dough too much.
6. Brush the top of each scone liberally with heavy cream and sprinkle with butterscotch chips.
7. Bake the scones for about 12–17 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Alice's "un-clotted" cream

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

Method

Pour the heavy cream into a mixer fitted with a whipping attachment. Start the mixer on medium speed and add the sugar slowly, until the entire amount is incorporated into the cream. Then add the lemon juice to the mixture in a slow stream. Turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until it forms stiff peaks— but no longer, or it will turn into butter! The cream will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for a week.