Pork Curry with Iskus or Chayote Squash

Pork Curry with Iskus or Chayote Squash

Friday, January 22, 2021

One of my all time favorite comfort food …. Thanks to my dearest friend Sunita, who gave me wonderful white Iskus from her kitchen garden which inspired me to make this dish … Used my Grandma’s recipe for Pork curry ( with zero oil , just cooked in the Pork fat … although I am sure the calories are not less !!!) and added huge chunks of Iskus… my Mom’s style…. With cooking delegated only to weekends ( back to a full time job !!!) , this is worth the wait  …. Enjoy and Happy Cooking  ~ Kamakshi

Prep Time : 10 mins Cook Time : 15 mins
Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS
1 Kg Pork , cut into medium size cubes
4 Medium size , Chayote Squash ( Iskus) cut into big chunky pieces ( I just make 4 chunks out of 1 Iskus)
2 Large Onions, finely diced or made into a paste
7 Cloves of Garlic, finely diced
2 tsp Ginger Paste
3 Medium Tomatoes , finely diced
1 tsp Turmeric (Haldi)
1 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to taste

METHOD
In a pressure cooker, first add the pork meat. On top of the meat , layer with the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes.
Sprinkle chill powder, turmeric and salt on top and add 1 cup of water.
Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 10 mins till the meat becomes tender.
Switch of the gas, release the steam from the cooker and open the pressure cooker. The gravy will be watery when you check the meat. Add the chunks of Iskus to the meat, mix well. Put the pressure cooker cover again and pressure cook for another 10 mins. No additional water is required.
Switch of the gas and let the pork and Iskus steam inside the pressure cooker. After 5-10 mins , open the cooker , gentle mix so that the iskus pieces do not become mushy.
Serve hot with plain rice.

TagsNepali Recipes, Pork and Iskus Curry

Nepali Pork Pickle

Nepali Pork Pickle

 

Easy to make and good to eat . Spicy and hot Pork Pickle from my Grandma’s treasure of recipes. Enjoy  ~ Kamakshi

Prep Time : 20 mins                                  Cook Time : 25 mins
Serves : 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Kg Pork
• 6 Tbsp Coriander Seeds ( Whole – DHANIA)
• 5 Tbsp Fennel Seeds ( Whole – SAUF)
• 3 Tbsp Red Chilli Poweder
• 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric ( Haldi)
• 3 Tbsp Dry Mango Powder (Aam Chur) OR Lapsi Powder
• 2 Tbsp Panch Phoran ( whole seeds : Sauf, Kalonji/Mungrelo ,Zeera, Methi, Rai in equal quantities)
• 50ml White Vinegar ( Sirka)
• 200 ml Oil
• Salt as per taste

METHOD

Pre-Cooking Preparation :

1) Wash the pork and make 4 -5 large pieces. Put in a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and cook for 15 mins. The Pork should be tender and not over cooked. When the meat cools down, cut into desired size cubes.
2) First dry roast the coriander (dhania) seeds and then roast the fennel (sauf) seeds in a pan for 6-10 mins on medium heat. The two should not be roasted together as they do not roast uniformly.
3) After roasting coriander and fennel seeds, grind both of them together in a grinder coarsely. It should not be very fine.To this mix, add the chilli powder and the Dry Mango Powder / Lapsi Powder

Cooking Instructions:

1) Heat Oil in the pan ( we use more oil in this dish as it is a pickle and can be reserved for up to 3 months in the refrigerator)
2) Add the Panch Phoran (five spice mix) to the oil and when it starts crackling, add the  boiled pork pieces and cook in the Oil for 5 mins. Mix Turmeric and salt and cook for another 5-8 mins.
3) Once the pork pieces are slightly fried, gradually add the dry spices mix (coriander, fennel, chilli,dry mango powder/lapsi powder) to the pork and keep stirring. Keep the fire on very low flame and cook for a just about a min . The Masalas should be properly coated on all the pork pieces.
4) Add vinegar and Mix. Adjust chilli and vinegar according to your taste.
5) Let the pickle cool down and then store in air tight container and put it in the refrigerator. The pickle can last for upto 3 months. The Vinegar and Oil help to preserve it .

Somchay' s Lao Salad Dressing - 1/21/21

Somchay' s Lao Salad Dressing - 1/21/21

Thursday, January 21, 2021

 

Lao Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 c Lemon juice
• 1/4 ts Chopped garlic
• 2 tb Fish sauce
• 3 tb Ground roasted peanuts
• 1/4 c Sugar
• 1/4 c Water-
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1 t Chopped coriander leaves
• 1-2 ea fresh red chilis-sliced
• 2-3 T chopped white onion

Directions

In a small sauce pan, cook sugar in water over med heat until it turns into a light syrup. Add all remaining ingredients, stir well. Let cool. Serve over salad.

Nepali Dal Bhat

Nepali Dal Bhat

 Dal Bhat Recipe

Preparation time: 40 minutes (2 People)

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal) (other types of dal can take much longer to cook)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon turmeric*
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds*
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder*
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• ½ tablespoon butter or ghee (optional, but it gives a nice flavor)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro and/or green onion, chopped, for garnish
• water, to make soup
• basmati rice (or any kind you wish)
• Indian chutney or pickle (achar) of your choice. We love Patak’s lime pickle. You can also find Patak’s at many other large grocery stores.
• Optional: add pepper of your choice, or red pepper flakes.
• If you prefer, you can use Shan Dal Curry Mix, or garam masala instead of the turmeric, cumin and coriander.

Preparation

• Wash the lentils and rinse a couple of times. Be careful to remove any stones. If you have time, soak the lentils in water as long as you can, up to overnight, before you cook. They get very soft and can cook faster.
• Begin preparing the rice any way you like so it will be ready when you’re done cooking the dal.
• Chop your onion, and mince the garlic and ginger and set aside.
• Chop the tomato and set aside.
• Wash your cilantro and or green onion. Chop for garnish and set aside.
• Heat oil on high for a minute or two.
• Add ginger, garlic and onion, and stir fry on high until the onion is a little brown on the edges, 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in cumin seeds, salt, turmeric, mustard seed and coriander powder. Turn the heat down to medium (6 out of 10 on our stove), and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Note: The stove’s temperature will remain at medium (6/10) for the rest of the cooking process, and you will stir occasionally.
• Add tomatoes and butter. Stir, cover with lid and cook for 4 minutes.
• After 4 minutes, stir in the lentils, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• After cooking for 5 minutes, add one cup of water, cover with lid and cook for 5 more minutes.
• When the 5 minutes are up, stir in 2 more cups of water, as the water will begin to decrease as you cook.
• Continue cooking on medium for 10 minutes.
• Now your dal is ready. Turn off the stove and sprinkle the chopped cilantro and/or green onion on top.

Serve

Serve with rice. Many Tibetans like to serve the dal in a small soup bowl, beside a plate of rice. Some people like to ladle the dal over the rice and mix it up to eat. Indians and Nepalis often eat dal baht with their hands, as do some Tibetans, but many of us also use a spoon.

Add some Indian chutney or pickle (achar) or hot sauce. We can’t more highly recommend the Patak’s Lime Pickle or relish, which is just heavenly and is perfectly complementary with this dal bhat. You can get it medium or hot. Medium is more spicy in a flavorful way than a hot way The hot has some bite!

Tibetan Hot Sauce or tsepen.

Tibetan Hot Sauce or tsepen.

Our thanks to Lobsang and Yolanda at YoWangdu Experience Tibet (www.yowangdu.com) for sharing their recipe for Tibetan Hot Sauce or tsepen.

While the nuns hand chop all their ingredients, this recipe can be made with a food processor or blender. Add this spicy sauce to anything you like, but be careful, this sepen is extremely hot! You can adjust the heat of the sauce by reducing the amount of red pepper.

Ingredients for Tibetan Hot Sauce

• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium tomatoes (Roma tomatoes work well)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• chopped 2 stalks of green onion
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried red peppers (see the note below)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for cooking

NOTE: You can adjust the spiciness of this recipe by using less red pepper and/or more of the other ingredients.

Preparation of the Hot Sauce

• Roughly chop the celery, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro.
• Peel and roughly chop garlic.
• Peel and cut onion in half lengthwise, then slice fairly thin.
• Slice tomato in thinnish circles.
• Heat oil in pan on high.
• On high heat, cook garlic a few seconds, then add onion slices and stir fry about 1 minute.
• Add celery and whole red peppers, stir fry another minute.
• Add tomato slices, and stir fry for a minute or so.
• Stir in cilantro, spring onion, and salt.
• Cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
• At this point, everything should be cooked down a bit. Put everything in a blender or food processor until you have a sauce. Stop at the thickness you like.

Buddhist nuns at Dolma Ling chop ingredients for Tibetan hot sauce. The nunnery is home to about 230 nuns. Photo courtesy of Dustin Kujawski

Tibetan Noodle Soup - thenthuk

Tibetan Noodle Soup - thenthuk

Here is a recipe for Tibetan noodle soup, called thenthuk (འཐེན་ཐུག་). This comfort food is a common noodle soup in Tibetan cuisine, especially in Amdo, Tibet. Traditionally it would be made with mutton or yak meat. Links to four other recipes, including vegetarian momos, are at the bottom of this post.

Traditionally, thenthuk would be made with meat, but the nuns in India eat a vegetarian diet. This is a meat-optional recipe. Thenthuk is one particular kind of Tibetan noodle soup. It’s name means pull-noodle soup.

Tibetan noodle soups are generally called thukpa. Thenthuk (pronounced ten-took) is one kind of thukpa. It is easy and fun to make your own noodles.

You can download a PDF of the recipe here. At the end of the blog, there are links to other recipes for Tibetan food, including vegetarian momos.

Ingredients for Thenthuk

Serves 2

Noodle Dough

1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oil

Broth

2 or 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped into thin strips
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
4 to 5 cups vegetable or other stock
2 green/spring onions, chopped
cilantro, a few sprigs, roughly chopped
handful of spinach
soy sauce or salt to taste

Ingredients for Tibetan noodle soup, thenthuk.

Noodle Instructions

In a bowl, combine the dough ingredients, mix well and then knead for 4 minutes. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Roll or flatten out the dough and cut into long strips and then make the broth.

Soup Instructions

In a large pot on medium heat, sauté garlic, ginger, and onion in oil for 1 minute. Add carrots and tomato and gently sauté for one minute. Add most of the stock and bring to a boil. Adjust the amount of stock later depending on the soup to noodle ratio you prefer.

Put the noodle in the soup by draping the strips over your hand and tearing off pieces of about an inch in size, throwing them into the boiling soup. Cook for 2 minutes until the noodles are cooked and the stock is boiling. Add the chopped green onions, cilantro, and spinach and cook for about 30 seconds. Season with soy sauce or salt. Serve immediately.

Tian

Tian

Sunday, January 17, 2021

 

Forward! in the kitchen!

For 6 persons :

3 onions, 6 cloves of garlic, 4 zucchini, 2 eggplants, 6 tomatoes.
30 cl of vegetable broth made with a bouillon cube.
olive oil, salt and pepper, Provence herbs (by definition).
Preheat the oven to 150 °.  (preparing the vegetables).

Wash the vegetables. Peel the zucchini every second strip. Cut the vegetables into slices 0.5 cm thick (therefore, thin!). In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. tablespoons oil (no more) and brown the eggplants for 1 minute on each side. Peel the onions and cut them into strips. Brown in 1 tsp. of oil for 2 minutes with minced garlic.

In the bottom of an ovenproof dish, put the onion and garlic mixture. Then place the eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes in rows. it is necessary to apply to arrange the sliced ​​vegetables because the colored rows already give a good appetite ... Salt and pepper. Drizzle with a drizzle of olive oil and broth (about 20 cl). Cook for about 1h00-1h15 (with an oven always at 150 °). After about 30 minutes, add the rest of the vegetable broth to prevent the slices from being too dry.

Among the "variants" and originalities, we can add pepper and even chicken breast, or fish fillets which will flavor themselves with the vegetables and the broth. Keep in mind that this dish is very healthy, because there is little need to put a lot of oil for cooking in the oven .

Another recipe ...
Recipe for 6 people

Ingredients: 8 tomatoes, 4 zucchini, 3 onions, 3 eggplants
4 cloves of garlic, 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 sprigs of oregano
3 sprigs of parsley, 6 leaves of basil,
2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp. coffee sugar,
a glass of olive oil, salt, pepper

Cut the eggplants into slices, salt them and let them drain for 30 minutes then drain them. Cut the zucchini and peeled onions into slices.
In a sauté pan, heat 4 tbsp. tablespoons olive oil and fry the wiped eggplants on both sides, then set them aside. Instead, brown the onions, then the zucchini. Add a little oil if necessary.
Preheat the oven to thermostat 5 (150 ° C). Cut the tomatoes into slices and seed them. Oil a gratin dish, arrange the vegetable slices in it alternately, powder with sugar, add chopped garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme leaves, oregano, salt and pepper.
Bake and cook for about 40 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with basil and drizzle with oil.

 
Yet another way to go (the vegetables stay the same, of course).

Wash the vegetables, dry them then cut the eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes into slices about 1 cm thick without peeling them. Arrange these slices in a large gratin dish either by making rows of vegetables, or by alternating. On top, sprinkle the onions cut into large cubes as well as the garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Add a drizzle of olive oil over the rows of vegetables and a little tomato coulis.

Put in a hot oven (210 ° C, thermostat 7) for about 35 minutes, sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil halfway through cooking (you can lightly coat the vegetables using a brush dipped in the 'olive oil). After these 40 minutes,  put the dish 15 minutes under the grill.

Five minutes before the end of cooking, you can add about twenty black olives or / and chopped basil: a little for the taste but also for the aesthetic side ...

Delicious hot or cold, the tian with vegetables is still plus a dish to eat hot ... Some cooks will say that the tian is made by pre-cooking (frying) all the vegetables in olive oil, it's true, but the downside is that it is very long while this new "modern" version (for those in a hurry) is just as good and faster to make: ... A detail: do not forget to sprinkle the vegetables a little halfway through cooking (otherwise the tian may be a little dry). Bon appétit to all with this typical dish of summer evenings. And do not hesitate to do a little more, it is very good reheated! 

Treat us!

Les Oreillettes - French Donuts

Les Oreillettes - French Donuts

 

Les Oreillettes, one of the 13 Provençal Christmas desserts! 

 If you too want to start making Atria, that's what they are called in Provence, we offer you the recipe of Gui Gedda the Pope of Provençal cuisine! 

 For 30 to 40 Atria: 250 gr of T55 flour 1 tsp of yeast 2 large egg yolks 40 gr of caster sugar 1 lemon 1/2 orange 1 tbsp of rum 1 tbsp of orange blossom 50 gr of soft butter Icing sugar to sprinkle the auricles Grate the lemon and orange zest using a fine grater. Squeeze half an orange to obtain 40 ml of juice. Mix the flour and baking powder. Make a well. Add the soft butter, egg yolks, sugar, citrus zest and orange juice, orange blossom water and rum. Mix, incorporating the flour little by little, until you obtain a homogeneous ball of dough. Film it and store it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough as thinly as possible. Cut out rectangles using a wheel or a knife. Make a slit in the center. It is more practical to spread the dough in several batches, 2 or 3. Remember to film the piece of dough on hold so that it does not dry. Heat some oil in a sauté pan or deep fryer. Immerse the atria and cook for about 1 minute on each side. More or less depending on their size and thickness. Place on absorbent paper to remove as much fat as possible. Sprinkle with icing sugar

Holiday & Summer Drinks

Holiday & Summer Drinks

 VIN D’ORANGE - MAKES 8-10 SERVINGS

As featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

4 medium oranges (unwaxed)
1 bottle Provencal rose wine
½ cup cognac
½ cup sugar

Scrub the oranges then strip off the orange zest with a vegetable peeler avoiding the white pith, and add to the wine. Re-cork the bottle and set aside in a cool place for 15 days. Strain the wine, stir in the cognac and sugar, and serve.

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SPARKLING HOLIDAY PUNCH (makes 1 serving) or 4 servings
As featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) fresh orange juice (12 oz)
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) pineapple juice (12 oz)
½ ounce (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice  (2 oz)
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) raspberry or strawberry  syrup (2 oz) (or to taste)
Dash Angostura bitters
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) sparkling brut (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) (12 oz)

Garnish -Sliced orange and lemon
Mix together the first five ingredients in a goblet or pitcher if making larger amounts and top with the sparkling brut. Garnish with wheels of orange and  lemon.

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Gillian with the Limoncello

LIMONCELLO

5 unwaxed lemons
1 liter bottle vodka or grain alcohol
3 cups white sugar
4 cups water

Scrub the lemons under hot water set aside to dry. Pare the zest from all the lemons with a  peeler, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
After one week, make the simple syrup by combining the  sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
 Add the sugar syrup little by little  to the vodka and peels until you achieve the desired sweetness, and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly. Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle. Keep in the freezer.

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Sue with helpers June Lynn & Betty

CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE PUNCH (Serves 10 cups)

3 cups (24 oz) pineapple juice, chilled
3 cups (24 oz) cranberry juice, chilled
4 cups Ginger Ale
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ lime, thinly sliced
Ice
In a large jug or punch bowl, stir together the pineapple juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale.
Add the cranberries, sliced lime and ice. Stir gently to combine and serve over ice.

Note: Add some vodka or rum if you need a little kick to the drink.

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Gillian stirring the Rum Punch

RUM PUNCH (Serves 1) My husband’s favorite version of a traditional West Indian Rum Punch as featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons instant dissolving sugar or simple syrup
3 ounces (6 tablespoons)rum
4 ounces  (½ cup) water
Ice cubes
Goslings Black Seal Rum (optional)
Garnish: whole nutmeg for grating

In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice and sugar or simple syrup, stirring. Add the rum and water, shake well and pour into a tumbler filler with ice. A floater of Goslings Black Seal Rum can be added if desires.
Grate a little fresh nutmeg over the top of the punch.

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Gillian and Betty preparing the Guacamole

GUACAMOLE (Makes 8-10 servings) Recipe based on Josephina Howard’s famous version from Rosa Mexicano and featured in Hors d’Oeuvres - Simple, stylish, Seasonal by Gillian Duffy

4 teaspoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno or Serrano chili pepper
⅔ cup white onion in ¼ inch dice
3 to 4 tablespoons minced coriander
¾ to 1 teaspoon salt
2 medium avocados, preferably Haas
4 tablespoons diced tomato, seeds and interior ribs removed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)

Corn chips for serving
In a mortar combine 2 teaspoons chili pepper, ¼ cup onion, 2 teaspoons coriander, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mash with pestle until the mixture forms a wet paste.
To cut the avocado, hold it in one hand and cut a full circle around the seed with a knife, then twist the halves in opposite directions to separate them. With the blade of a heavy knife, strike the top of the seed, give the knife a slight twist, lift the blade, and the seed will come with it.
With the tip of a small knife, cut the avocado flesh into ½ inch dice, do not cut through the skin. Lift the flesh from the skin with a spoon to avoid mashing, and add to a bowl. Gently stir in the paste from the mortar.
Add the remaining onion, coriander, the tomato, and 1 teaspoon peppers at a time, tasting with each addition, and stir carefully. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, coriander and peppers.
Serve immediately with corn chips. Add lime juice if the guacamole is not served immediately.

Gillian Duffy
Culinary Editor
New York Magazine