Manju's Chicken Curry, What a great Lunch It was!

We invited for a lunch gathering at our friend's beautiful home last week. As usual my husband and I got very excited to go, because we got to see old friends, and most importantly the food is always amazing. Manju is a good cook, everything she make is always delicious, and addictive. I still remember her Lamb Biryani, Chicken Korma, Brinjal curry, Roti Paratha, and many more dishes she made from scratch. I can only imagine how many hours she prepares for those dishes.

This time, she served the most delicious chicken curry I ever tasted, so I had to beg her to share the recipe with me. This become such a habit of me, of course she wouldn't mind, I still have her Chicken Korma recipe, that I've been using for so many years. It's the best recipe I've ever had, I wouldn't even dream of trying a different recipe. I'll share it with you one day. But for now, I am sharing her delicious chicken curry.

She was kind enough to e-mail me her recipe, so here it is .... hope you will like it as much as I do.

Ingredients:

2-2½ lbs of chicken, cut into small pieces

about 5 inches ginger root

15 cloves garlic

4 red onions, sliced

4 green chillies, sliced

cinnamon stick, about 2 inches

3 cardamom

2 big vine ripe tomatoes, chopped

2½ tbs curry powder (Manju used curry powder from India, but you could also substitute it with 2 tbs of red chili powder and 1 tsp of dhania/coriander powder, or simply go to the Indian grocery store and ask for Shakthi chicken curry powder)

4 tbs grated fresh coconut, grind it to paste

about 10 mint leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves

a few curry leaves

Saffola oil

• Grind together ginger root and garlic into a paste. Set aside.
• Place a pressure cooker on top of the stove over medium heat, pour about 1½ tbs of oil, then add cinnamon and cardamom. once it turns slightly brown, add the onions, fry them well until brownish, then add the ginger- garlic paste. Continue to fry for some time until you get good aroma, add the sliced green chillies, and chopped tomatoes, season with salt and keep frying until the oil coming out and mixture is thickened. now add the chicken, and the curry powder mix well.
• Add about 2½ cups of water, mix well, and pressure cook for 15 minutes, turn off the stove, wait until the pressure releases its pressure, then carefully open the lid. Add the fresh coconut, bring back to a boil for one more minute, stir in finely chopped mints and coriander. For more flavor add fried curry leaves in the end. Serve with Basmati rice.

After lunch, she serve this Keralan Halva, it was so fragrant, sweet and delectable, she brought this from India when she visited her family earlier this summer. Then we had delicious Chai with a simple summer berry tart with hazelnut crumb topping that I made. We enjoyed our desserts in her beautiful backyard. It was really a pleasant gathering, and the weather was perfect too. Thank you so much guys, you are such a great hosts!

Lamb BÖREĞI Spiced With Za'atar and Sumac

I will never get tired of eating Böreği. I love it, and my family happen to be so crazy about it too. I use all kind of filling, sometimes just a simple spinach, or swiss chard and cheese will do.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic, minced

3 tbs za'atar

1 tbs sumac

1 - 1½ cups roughly chopped mint

3 green onion, chopped

½ cup chopped parsley

a few handful lightly toasted pinenuts

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbs olive oil

8 sheets BÖREĞI dough (Yufka), thaw according to package direction

Yogurt mixture: I steal the recipe from Nihal, she has many delicious Turkish recipes.

Mix well together in a bowl: 1 cup greek yogurt, 2 eggs, ¼ cup olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper.

• Fry onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, add garlic, fry another few seconds. Add the ground lamb, stir and break the lump with the back of the wooden spoon. Add za'atar, and sumac. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, add mint, green onion, parsley, salt and pepper, give another quick stir, turn off the heat. Cool completely. When its cooled, add the pinenuts, mix. Taste to see if need more salt or pepper.

• Preheat oven to 400⁰F.
• Brush a 10" by 13" baking dish with a little olive oil. Lay one layer of Böreği sheet, pour in about 2 tablespoon of yogurt mixture, spread this mixture evenly all the way to the edge of the sheet (use a wide pastry brush to do this), add another layer of sheet, another 2 tablespoon yogurt mixture, brush. Repeat the process until you have total of 4 sheets.

• Now, add the lamb, spread evenly. Cover the lamb with another layer of sheet, brush with 2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, repeat the process of layering and brushing for the remaining sheets. Fold the edges of the Böreği sheets toward the center, pour the remaining yogurt mixture on top, spread evenly with pastry brush.

• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is browned. The middle will puff out, and that's okay~!

Baked Ocean Bass With Sumac and Lemon

Tarragon is one of those herb that taste pretty mild and sweet, it will go well with slightly tangy sumac. I just have to add some heat in this dish, so I added smoked chipotle pepper. I serve this with simple chunky tomato sauce. Use any of your favorite recipe, or cut some tomatoes, and saute with onion and a bit of garlic.

Serve 2

One 1¾ pounds ocean bass

1 lemon, slices

1 tablespoon sumac

1 teaspoon smoked chipotle pepper

½ tablespoon dried tarragon

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

a few spring onion, optional

• Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.
• Combine sumac, smoked chipotle pepper, tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Spread the spring onion on a baking pan. Set aside. Lay the fish on to cutting board, and make 3 or 4 slashes. Tuck in lemon slice on each slash, stuffed the rest of the lemon in the cavity. Place the fish on top of the spring onion, sprinkle with sumac mixture including the cavity, then drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the fish is easily flake. Serve with simple tomato sauce.
  
  
  
  If you feel like you want to spoil your husband, this is how to serve it. No skin, no bone, make his life easier.
  
  
  And this, if you feel lazy. Little bone here and there is okay.
  

Spring onion (Scallion) Pancakes

Very simple, easy and quick to make, soon you will find yourself no longer order spring onion pancake for an appetizer at your favorite Chinese restaurant. I normally serve this pancakes with hoisin sauce, or plum sauce. Delicious!

Recipe adapted from:

Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food

250 g (2 cups) all purpose flour

190 ml (¾ cup) boiling water

3 tbs vegetable oil + 1 tbs sesame oil, mix (for brushing)

salt to taste

4 spring onions or scallions, finely chopped (I used about 8)

Oil for frying

• Place flour in a bowl, add boiling water. Mix with wooden spoon until it start to pull away from the bowl. Transfer to floured counter top, knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl, cover with damp kitchen towel. let rest for 30 minutes.

• Form the dough into long log/cylinder, cut into 6 equal pieces (I cut them into 10 pieces). Roll each pieces into into a thin pancake, brush with oil, sprinkle with a little salt, then add (scatter) about 2 tablespoon of chopped spring onions or scallions. Roll this pancake like swiss roll, then coil up the roll like a snail. Tuck the end underneath, flatten with your hand, then roll once again into about 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter and a ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

• Heat an iron skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil, add the pancake (one at a time), turn the heat to low. Cook the pancake for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the pancakes. Serve immediately.

Tomates à la PROVENÇALE

This is my guest post for Olga, who is currently on vacation. It's very simple, yet satisfying recipe. Good for summer as tomatoes are at the best flavor. I used tomatoes from a farm only a block away from my house. Serve this tomatoes with any of your grilling dish. It is Superb!

Ingredients:

5 ripe, but not soft tomatoes, cut crosswise

2 handful flat leaf parsley

5 cloves or more garlic

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil

¼ cup breadcrumb, optional (I didn't use any)

• Preheat oven to 400⁰F. Arrange the tomatoes on a gratin dish, set aside.

• Chopped finely all together the parsley and the garlic with mezzaluna (if you have one, otherwise use your regular knife). Transfer to a bowl, mix with breadcrumb if using. Spoon this mixture evenly among the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with enough olive oil. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Serve at once.

Roasted Leg of Lamb Stuffed With Couscous, Pine Nuts, and Mints

Simple and delicious! You can serve this lamb with roasted summer squash, eggplant  or roasted bell pepper. Don't forget the Harisa!

Ingredients:

4 lbs boneless leg of lamb, butterflied (ask your butcher to do it)
1 onion, cut into a large chunks
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs fennel seed, grind
1 tbs coriander seed, grind
1 cup roughly chopped mint
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup cooked couscous

about  handful  lightly toasted pine nuts

1 - 2 tbs oil

salt and pepper

Kitchen string

• Fry the onion with 1 or 2 tablespoon of oil until soft, add the spices and the herbs. Stir for a few minutes, then add the cooked couscous and the pine nuts. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 425⁰F
  
• Rinse the lamb under cold running water, pat dry with paper towel. Lay flat on a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper, spread the stuffing over (you may have some left over). Roll the lamb and tie neatly with kitchen string.
  
• Bake 45 to 55 minutes depending on how reliable your oven temperature, or until cooked to your liking. I like mine a little  pink in the center. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil at least 10 minutes before carving.