Irresistable Irani Samosas

I recently found out that Hyderabad placed #3 in Lonely Planet's list of Top 10 cities to visit in 2013. So, in honor of my birthplace and its 15 minutes of fame, I've decided to add a baked twist to a Hyderabadi fried favorite, the Irani samosa.

These little onion-filled cocktail samosas are all over Hyderabad, from train stations to movie theaters and tea shops. They are so good to eat, but so very bad for you. So, I got the idea for baked Irani samosas with a cilantro goat cheese dip.

My version uses wonton wrappers, which means they become just as crispy in the oven as they would if fried. And the coolness of the goat cheese dip really adds another dimension to the sweet and spicy onion filling.

While I do admit that biting into a real, deep-fried irani samosa with oil dripping down your face brings out a Paul Deen-esque excitement...these baked ones are a very close second.

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Pumpkin Lux Lassi

Pumpkin is one of those things that people either love or love to hate. I'm glad I'm in the former boat because the explosion of pumpkin this Fall is absurd: from Pringles to Poptarts to perfume. You might be thinking there is nothing possibly left that could be pumpkin-fied. Well, you, my friend, are wrong.
That's right folks, it's time for some spiked pumpkin lassi.

I had the idea for this recipe while sipping on some regular mango lassi. My usual experimentation logic is that if two things are the same color, they can be substituted for each other. If I were you, I wouldn't take this advice to heart, BUT it's how I stumbled upon this wonderful recipe. All you need is yogurt, honey, a can of pumpkin and some spices!...oh and some Kahlua.

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Street Food Sliders

One of my favorite street foods in the whole world is pav bhaji. This is a take on the old favorite: Pav bhaji sliders with a sweet and spicy Indian slaw. It's street food, fanci-fied.

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Pumped-up Panna Cotta

Most people are scarred by memories of their parents' attempts to explain the "birds and the bees". Since I never had that talk as a child, I was most recently scarred by the birthing story of my favorite childhood dessert...

I was reminiscing about "junnu," a dessert that I would rarely get on vacations to India. It was this sweet, custard-like milk and cardamom pudding that I loved. Today, I (mistakenly) decided to Google it. What was in this mysteriously rare childhood treat?

Answer: cow colostrum.

Ah! Not to mention the fact that I selfishly stole the antibody-rich, first milk of many a baby calf, that's just UDDERly unappetizing.

So, I've decided to memorialize my favorite "junnu" into something a little less disturbing...a cardamom infused panna cotta drizzled with a ginger-saffron honey.

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"Cool your Chili" Chicken

One of the first live sporting events I ever went to was an India vs. Australia cricket match in Sydney. As an Australian citizen, I thought it only made sense for me to cheer for my home team. Yet, as the only brown person screaming "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy," my eyes quickly met the bewildered stares of my fellow Indian fans (including my father's). Since then, I've concentrated less on the sports, and more on the stadium food. In fact, the best time to visit India is during cricket season (which I'm convinced is year-round). The matches last the whole day, sometimes multiple days, and so does the endless food. Instead of wings, the go-to game day food in India is chili chicken. It's spicy, it's fried, it's chicken, and it's lick your fingers good. 

This is a recipe for chili chicken with a twist. The spiciness of the red chillies is balanced with a touch of yogurt. Whether it's India or Indianapolis, people love their sports and stadium food, and this dish is guaranteed to spice up your spread this football season. 

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Cuppa Chai

Chai is an enigma in many ways: so simple, yet so hard to get right.  It is often ruined by things like "tea masala" and Starbucks' "chai tea latte". The former is nothing more than a stale packet of garam masala and the latter a glass of hot milk with cinnamon. A good cup of chai is light on the tongue and strong on the taste buds with a kick of spice at the end. This is a recipe for my perfect cup of chai.

Back in the day of arranged marriages, making a good cup of chai was a prerequisite to being an eligible bride-to-be. While that might not apply today, I'd say people (well at least I) still judge a person by the quality of the tea they serve.

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Desi Deviled Eggs

Brunches are a pretty big deal in my family. Mostly because when you invite Indian people for a meal, you can never be sure of when exactly they will arrive. We've had more than one "lunch" party where the guests have shown up at either 10am or 4pm. So, my mom (and now I) have made it a habit to always serve a little breakfast with lunch. These desi deviled eggs are a great addition because they are super easy but also fancy enough to entertain with!

I will warn you though, the idea of cold eggs might take a little cajoling and coaxing when it comes to elderly Indians, but they'll love them!

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Tantalizing Tiger Prawns

It's mid-way through September and somehow still pleasantly warm (one of the many finer perks of living in the South). So, we decided to throw our one last "end-of-summer" barbeque hurrah. These grilled tiger prawns are guaranteed to tantalize both your guests' eyes and their taste buds. I also use this recipe on a stove-top grill in the colder months to beat those winter blues and remind myself summer is just around the corner!

The big secret here is the mix between the far East and Southeast. The soy sauce and masala mix really add something unique that will have everyone saying "What is that!?". Ok, maybe not everyone...but someone did say that to me today.

Cheers to one of our last "Summer" nights! 

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A Simplified Samosa

I hate samosas. Well, that's a lie. I hate what the samosa has become. Much like everything else in our life, samosas too have become too big, too greasy, and all too common. The flaky shell and fresh potato curry filling of a well-made samosa have given way to a $3 fist-sized, semi-soggy sandbag.

My sister and I were reminiscing about how amazing samosas used to be, when she suggested this idea for a samosa...deconstructed.  It was brilliant! This "Simplified Samosa" contains all the elements of a traditional samosa, but they are all featured in a way that makes them appealing to the taste buds once again.

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Karela Cleanse

Karela, or bitter melon, is one of the most feared vegetables for anyone who has ever encountered it. When I was little and other kids used to complain about how much they hated brussels sprouts or broccoli, I wanted to shut them all up with a plate of karela. My mom, however, insisted that it was an acquired taste.
...And 15 years later, I hate to say it, but she was right. I've come to grow quite fond of this little prickly gourd. If cooked well and paired with the right ingredients, it's actually quite good...and good for you.

This is a recipe for grilled karelas stuffed with a sweet and spicy shallot filling. If nothing else, this is a recipe worth trying once. They are bound to be a palate (and colon) cleanser. 

(If you think this picture is a little dramatic, well I figured the Karelas have had a hard knock life and deserve to be in the spotlight for once.)

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Banana Boat Fish

I've never been to Kerala, but it's known to be the home to the best seafood in India. So, I figured if I can't go to Kerala myself, the next best thing is to bring Kerala to me. I wanted to make a fish in the authentic Kerala fashion, using banana leaves and coconut.

The banana leaf really dresses up the whole meal and makes it a great centerpiece for dinner parties or date night, but the recipe is also versatile enough to use a fish filet and parchment paper for a quick mid-week dinner.

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"Last Night's Chicken Curry" Pizza with a Mango Salsa

We all have this common problem of "last night's chicken". Whether it's chicken curried, rotisseried, fried, or baked, there are almost always leftovers. And once you refrigerate it, yesterday's crispy skin becomes, well, yesterday's news. The "Last Night's Chicken Curry" pizza is a refreshing way to put away yesterday's chicken in a fast, fresh and tasty way.

The best thing about this pizza is that you can make it your own. I don't really like pizza sauce, so I add hari chutney instead. For today's pizza I piled on bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and fresh jalapenos. I also don't enjoy large chunks of chicken in my pizza, so I shredded the chicken from some leftover curry. Since I make my pizza pretty spicy, the fresh mango salsa adds a cool kick to this recipe.

Next time you're in a bind about what to make for dinner, pick up some dough from Trader Joe's, take out that leftover chicken, and make it a pizza night!

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Green Ketchup (Hari Chutney)

Hari means green in Hindi, and aptly describes this Indian staple. Hari chutney is like ketchup in most Indian households (So much so that when I went to non-Indian barbeques as a child, I would demand for red AND green ketchup. Alas, I never received my latter request).

It adds a little zing to just about everything. In fact, one of my roommates in college used to swear by her signature sandwich: bread, hari chutney, and plain potato chips. With only a few ingredients, it's incredibly easy to make and a great dish to have handy in the fridge year round. It goes great with most of the recipes on this blog, so I figured I might as well share my recipe.
Though it's traditionally made with only fresh cilantro, I like to add mint when it's in season.

(Photo of my very own backyard mint plant. I don't understand why mint is so expensive at the grocery store considering it is the fastest growing plant in my garden).

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Bangin' Baingan (Eggplant) Fries

I’m one of those people who doesn’t plan grocery shopping trips. I usually just buy whatever produce is on sale and try to figure out what to do with it later. This recipe is the product of such laziness.

I looked in my fridge today and found a lone eggplant staring at me. Poor guy had been ignored for long enough, so I decided to jazz him up a little. This recipe is so simple, fun and really really good. The rice flour gives them a crunchy, spicy coat to balance the buttery smooth eggplant on the inside. They are also super decadent, so next time you’re craving those shoe-string fries in a little red and yellow box, try this “healthier” option instead.

Don’t take my word for it though, try it for yourself!

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Bombaybrie

Good baking must come down to genetics. My mom was never much of a baker, and I’m the furthest a person can be from one. In fact, I dread making desserts. The cups, the teaspoons, the “baking times may vary” seem more like a science experiment than the joy of cooking. So, being the impatient person that I am, I try to find shortcuts in desert-making, but this just ends in disaster…
(The other day I tried to make date pudding cupcakes and had just put the batter into cupcake tins when I realized I forgot to add eggs to the batter. So, unlike any normal person, I figured I might as well beat up some eggs in a bowl and add a little to each cupcake and mix it around a bit with my fork. Apparently you can’t do that…because they ended up looking like..well you can judge for yourself).

Now that you know never to trust a true dessert recipe from me, I will say that I enjoy pseudo-desserts, meaning when I make desserts, I try to combine the sweet and the savory. My favorite types of desserts involve cheese and fruit, so in line with that this is a recipe for baked brie…the Indian way. I know you are probably thinking….Brie and Indian? Trust me, try this recipe and you will love it. It combines the traditional baked brie with an apple-cranberry Indian-style chutney.
Baked Brie with apple-cranberry chutney. Served with pita triangles.

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Minced Meat Minions

Meat pies, hand-sized pies filled with steamy and savory minced meat and gravy, are iconic in Australia, and having grown up in Sydney for eight years, I too ate my fare share of them. Traditionally they are made of beef (which I didn’t know at the time and found out one too many mince meat pies later)…
…so to clear my Hindu conscience, I decided to make my own mini version with chicken. Perfect as an appetizer or snack.