If there wasn't a risk of running afoul 1.3 billion Chinese, I would claim that Vietnamese food is more sublimely delicious and in certain ways better Chinese food, but since it's impossible to avoid national prides in this day and age, I would not make the claim and rather keep the thought to myself.
After all, why try and reduce a nation's cuisine by comparing it to that of a neighbor's?
Usually we seek out and try new cuisines, but in this case, the credit goes to two good Vietnamese friends, who introduced me to the mouth-watering delicacies on offer. We have tried several Vietnamese restaurants around town and each has its own distinctive dishes that we love.
When most people think of Vietnamese foods, they picture mouth-watering Pho (soup). But there is much more to it than just soups.
Oyster wings: (Que-Viet village house) Now don't try to be cute! Oysters, like buffaloes have no wings. We have tried it in several other places, but nobody even comes within the same galaxy as the ones done by Que-Viet. Perfect balance of spice, heat and oyster sauce. Heaven on wings!!
Egg-Roll Salad: Meaty and spicy eggrolls are cut up into bite-sized pieces and mixed with sprouts, cucumber and some greens over chilled plain rice noodles. Served with fish-sauce. For an added kick, mix some hot chili-sauce into the fish sauce before pouring it over your salad. Mmmmm Mmmmm! Good!! This dish is one of the staples that we survive on.
Que Viet , Bona and Mai Village tie on having the best egg-roll salad. Though Duc's of St. Paul runs a close second.
Beef Appetizers: Here Bona takes the cake. Their Bona Beef skewers and the La-Lot Beef (marinated beef wrapped in Hawaiian La Lot leaves and fried) are superbly scrumptious.
Beef Salad: Que-Viet has virtually no competition on this one. Marinated and grilled beef served on the salad in place of egg-rolls. Very very flavorful and juicy.
I have only listed the highlights of these restaurants here. They have many more offerings on their menu that are mouth-watering. Definitely worth a try.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
J.K.Kebab House (Chicago) - an epitaph
Chicago, the famously windy city has many a famous landmark. One of the lesser known landmarks is Devon Avenue, ironically famous as Little India (or Little Pakistan if you will). Parts of Devon Avenue bear names of the respective Fathers of India and Pakistan - Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Devon Avenue boasts of the largest conglomeration of shops featuring Asian Indian grocery, jewelry, clothes, books and of course Indian restaurants.
To complete the look and feel of a bustling Indian market(see picture of Aminabad Market in Lucknow), it also has all the necessary ingredients - crowds (on weekends), trash littering the streets, paan (betel) stains and cars honking horns with impunity.
The best part about Devon Avenue is the multitude of Indian/Pakistani restaurants serving delectable and close to authentic Indian fare - Southern Indian food, Mughlai food, Gujju food - you name it. Over time we have tried many of the joints and developed likes and dislikes.
One such joint was J.K.Kabab House. When I first saw it, back in 2003, it was a nondescript small eatery. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion from a fellow foodie to drag me there. But once I tucked into their succulent (and I mean really succulent) lamb boti kabab, I was hooked. The seekh-kabab (shish kebab to the unsophisticated) was excellent too and so was their chilli chicken.
These were served with an oily paratha or tandoori roti (both flat-breads) and rice. Raw onion was also available to munch with the meat.
To say that J.K.K.H. was our favourite meatery would be an understatement. We hogged there till we were full, then we carried out some more to munch on the boring drive back from Chicago. In fact after a couple of fiascos in trying to find good Tandoori fare around New Delhi, I had almost formed the opinion that we now had a joint to match fare with the best in India.
But..... that was then.
We all have learnt the hard way that every good thing comes to an end at some point.
Oh! don't get me wrong. The Kabab House still exists and they have much the same items on their menu that they used to, but it's kitchen - the core of any restaurant, has changed, and this change is definitely not for the good. To be fair, their dishes are still better than the run-of-the-mill fare of shops around them, but the 'wow factor', the 'its-too-good-to-be-true' feel is all gone. We suspect that the original chef has developed amnesia, lost his/her recipe book, or moved to another restaurant altogether. Choose the conspiracy Theory that piques your fancy, but the end result is that it doesnt remain the star it used to be.
So, what's a foodie to do? Until another such gem is discovered, either we stop hankering for the delectable goodies (Not possible!!) or we try and re-create the taste. No points for guessing the option we chose, and here's what we did:
We started out with New Zealand lamb chops. Why New Zealand lamb? Its more tender and juicier than Australian lamb. And frankly, either of these is better than American lamb :-)
Marinade: We threw everything and the kitchen sink into it (to borrow a phrase from the venerable Gawdess of anything-goes-cooking Rachel Ray).
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 green chillies crushed (remove seeds to reduce heat)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp crushed black peppers
1/2 tsp garam masala (Dont tell me you dont have any)
salt to taste
1 tsp Olive Oil or any other oil.
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Mix it all up and putting the chops in a plastic zipper bag add the marinade mix and mix well. Heck! if you wanna get your hands dirty - go for it - adds to the flavour by giving it the personal touch :-)
The chops thus annointed, sat pretty in the fridge for a day or so and then things began to heat up!! Our sleek and pretty grill was turned on high - both burners going for about 5 minutes and then brushing the grill with a piece of paper towel soaked in oil, we put the chops on and let them cook for 6 minutes each side, turning only once. After turning, the heat was reduced a tad.
Served with parathas, a la J.K.K.H. and of course raw onions.
We cannot muster the requisite level of conceit to claim - Mission Accomplished. At the same time, we aren't into self effacing modesty either - so the results, though having fallen short of the original target, were superior to the currently available fare.
And that is a direct challenge to J.K.K.H. to improve their Lamb Kababs (... please!!!!).
Devon Avenue boasts of the largest conglomeration of shops featuring Asian Indian grocery, jewelry, clothes, books and of course Indian restaurants.
To complete the look and feel of a bustling Indian market(see picture of Aminabad Market in Lucknow), it also has all the necessary ingredients - crowds (on weekends), trash littering the streets, paan (betel) stains and cars honking horns with impunity.The best part about Devon Avenue is the multitude of Indian/Pakistani restaurants serving delectable and close to authentic Indian fare - Southern Indian food, Mughlai food, Gujju food - you name it. Over time we have tried many of the joints and developed likes and dislikes.
One such joint was J.K.Kabab House. When I first saw it, back in 2003, it was a nondescript small eatery. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion from a fellow foodie to drag me there. But once I tucked into their succulent (and I mean really succulent) lamb boti kabab, I was hooked. The seekh-kabab (shish kebab to the unsophisticated) was excellent too and so was their chilli chicken.
These were served with an oily paratha or tandoori roti (both flat-breads) and rice. Raw onion was also available to munch with the meat.
To say that J.K.K.H. was our favourite meatery would be an understatement. We hogged there till we were full, then we carried out some more to munch on the boring drive back from Chicago. In fact after a couple of fiascos in trying to find good Tandoori fare around New Delhi, I had almost formed the opinion that we now had a joint to match fare with the best in India.
But..... that was then.
We all have learnt the hard way that every good thing comes to an end at some point.
Oh! don't get me wrong. The Kabab House still exists and they have much the same items on their menu that they used to, but it's kitchen - the core of any restaurant, has changed, and this change is definitely not for the good. To be fair, their dishes are still better than the run-of-the-mill fare of shops around them, but the 'wow factor', the 'its-too-good-to-be-true' feel is all gone. We suspect that the original chef has developed amnesia, lost his/her recipe book, or moved to another restaurant altogether. Choose the conspiracy Theory that piques your fancy, but the end result is that it doesnt remain the star it used to be.
So, what's a foodie to do? Until another such gem is discovered, either we stop hankering for the delectable goodies (Not possible!!) or we try and re-create the taste. No points for guessing the option we chose, and here's what we did:
We started out with New Zealand lamb chops. Why New Zealand lamb? Its more tender and juicier than Australian lamb. And frankly, either of these is better than American lamb :-)
Marinade: We threw everything and the kitchen sink into it (to borrow a phrase from the venerable Gawdess of anything-goes-cooking Rachel Ray).
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 green chillies crushed (remove seeds to reduce heat)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp crushed black peppers
1/2 tsp garam masala (Dont tell me you dont have any)
salt to taste
1 tsp Olive Oil or any other oil.
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Mix it all up and putting the chops in a plastic zipper bag add the marinade mix and mix well. Heck! if you wanna get your hands dirty - go for it - adds to the flavour by giving it the personal touch :-)
The chops thus annointed, sat pretty in the fridge for a day or so and then things began to heat up!! Our sleek and pretty grill was turned on high - both burners going for about 5 minutes and then brushing the grill with a piece of paper towel soaked in oil, we put the chops on and let them cook for 6 minutes each side, turning only once. After turning, the heat was reduced a tad.
Served with parathas, a la J.K.K.H. and of course raw onions.
We cannot muster the requisite level of conceit to claim - Mission Accomplished. At the same time, we aren't into self effacing modesty either - so the results, though having fallen short of the original target, were superior to the currently available fare.
And that is a direct challenge to J.K.K.H. to improve their Lamb Kababs (... please!!!!).
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Shami-kebab meets Hamburger
One of the most cherished memories I have from my school-days involves lounging on the stone benches under the huge shady tree in front of our school canteen. The canteen looked dank and decrepit but man! they made the best hamburgers in town and a bargain even two decades ago, at Rupees 2 each (25c at the time).
Theirs was a slight variation on the hamburger, the meat patty being used was actually a shami-kebab squished between buttered and skilleted buns.
For the un-initiated, shami-kebabs are a refined form of hamburger meat. Traditionally the meat wasn't ground in a meat grinder, but your friendly neighborhood butcher minced the meat using a heavy meat cleaver on a wooden block cut out of a tamarind tree trunk. It is a laborious process, particularly for kebabs, as the meat needs to be minced finer. This then is seasoned with salt and a bevy of aromatic spices and boiled until cooked thoroughly. Still sticking to tradition- the boiled mixture is ground on stone by hand. Finally, after adding chopped onion and coriander leaves it is made into patties and sauteed on an oiled skillet or flat pan until browned evenly on both sides. The finished product can proudly look any hamburger in the eye and make it wilt.
Yesterday, I craved shami-kebabs but lacked all energy to go through the entire process, even with all the mechanical kitchen aids. So, I decided upon a compromise with a small variation. Take all the flavours and none of the hard work of a shami-kebab.
1 lbs ground meat (of your choice; it should have about 15% fat)
3-4 garlic cloves chopped / minced.
1 small onion chopped finely
a sprig of coriander/cilantro chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper / green chilly chopped (ONLY if you like the heat)
salt to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves ground or broken into small pieces.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
and finally the surprise ingredient (drumroll): 1-2 chipotle peppers out of a can and chopped up. This added a very nice smoky flavour to the meat.
Optional: If the meat is very lean - add a tbsp of EVOO or butter (no points for guessing which of the two actually tastes better).
Add everything to the meat and using the long hi-tech penta-digital twin-tools always available with you - aka your hands - make a uniform mixture. Now make patties out of this mix using the aforementioned hi-tech gadget or you can go with some poor substitute like a burger-press (yeah! I know! - sounds like a food chewer) and grill them 6-8 minutes each side.
Swift and immutable addiction is guaranteed. In a rare euphoric moment - you might live a few moments of my happy and lazy school days :-)
Theirs was a slight variation on the hamburger, the meat patty being used was actually a shami-kebab squished between buttered and skilleted buns.
For the un-initiated, shami-kebabs are a refined form of hamburger meat. Traditionally the meat wasn't ground in a meat grinder, but your friendly neighborhood butcher minced the meat using a heavy meat cleaver on a wooden block cut out of a tamarind tree trunk. It is a laborious process, particularly for kebabs, as the meat needs to be minced finer. This then is seasoned with salt and a bevy of aromatic spices and boiled until cooked thoroughly. Still sticking to tradition- the boiled mixture is ground on stone by hand. Finally, after adding chopped onion and coriander leaves it is made into patties and sauteed on an oiled skillet or flat pan until browned evenly on both sides. The finished product can proudly look any hamburger in the eye and make it wilt.
Yesterday, I craved shami-kebabs but lacked all energy to go through the entire process, even with all the mechanical kitchen aids. So, I decided upon a compromise with a small variation. Take all the flavours and none of the hard work of a shami-kebab.
1 lbs ground meat (of your choice; it should have about 15% fat)
3-4 garlic cloves chopped / minced.
1 small onion chopped finely
a sprig of coriander/cilantro chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper / green chilly chopped (ONLY if you like the heat)
salt to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves ground or broken into small pieces.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
and finally the surprise ingredient (drumroll): 1-2 chipotle peppers out of a can and chopped up. This added a very nice smoky flavour to the meat.
Optional: If the meat is very lean - add a tbsp of EVOO or butter (no points for guessing which of the two actually tastes better).
Add everything to the meat and using the long hi-tech penta-digital twin-tools always available with you - aka your hands - make a uniform mixture. Now make patties out of this mix using the aforementioned hi-tech gadget or you can go with some poor substitute like a burger-press (yeah! I know! - sounds like a food chewer) and grill them 6-8 minutes each side.
Swift and immutable addiction is guaranteed. In a rare euphoric moment - you might live a few moments of my happy and lazy school days :-)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Finally a worthy contender
On your guard Tea House! A formidable adversary has just been spotted prowling the arena - Little Szechuan of St. Paul MN.
Regular perusers of this page would remember that we Gushed Over Tea House, rather unabashedly a while ago, and while we still stand by all those proclamations of love-at-first-taste, our hearts went aflutter at the overtures of this new contender for best-Chinese-food-in-town. The food is great and immensely flavorful, the portion sizes are decent, and especially the lunch specials offer all that you would want in an a la carte meal for a very puny sum.
Shalini had been to the restaurant with some co-workers of hers earlier and her high recommendations sold me as well. So, a few days ago, we made it a lunch date there. From outside, the restaurant looks like a warehouse with a nondescript entrance, but don't let this self-deprecating reticence fool you. The dining room is spacious and the decor while not very outstanding is still trendy and smart.
Our server presented us with the menu cards and looking at the dinner menu, I was swamped with the plethora of choices available. Lamb and beef dishes alongwith tantalizing seafood and chicken delicacies. Fortunately, the limited choice lunch menu saved me from the trance induced by indecision.
We decided to order Chicken Lo-mein and Beef Kung Pao and as is usual with us, we share each other's food :-)
The appetizers were - an egg-roll and egg-drop soup. Both were wonderful. The soup being surprisingly hot and the egg-roll meaty.
I took a Pinot Noir to accompany the food and it turned out to be a great choice - rather dry with a medium body and mild spicy notes. The wine went very well with the beef.
Beef Kung Pao was served with a bowl of steamed rice and oh! what succulent and delicious a dish it was. Dominant flavour of smoky blackbean with the heat of dried red chilli-peppers. The meat was cooked just right - tender and suffused with taste.
"Thish ish good ...." Shalini managed to mumble with a mouthful of the beef while I was attacking the chicken lo-mein with gusto. Needless to say that we both had our forks across the table in the other's plate :-)
They offer desserts as well, but mostly of the European kind. We tried the Tiramisu and it was good. But likely sourced from an outside bakery.
Delightful company, Great food, good ambience and a nice wine made it a beautiful date indeed!
And now for recommendations: ***** (yeah five big fat sparklers)
Regular perusers of this page would remember that we Gushed Over Tea House, rather unabashedly a while ago, and while we still stand by all those proclamations of love-at-first-taste, our hearts went aflutter at the overtures of this new contender for best-Chinese-food-in-town. The food is great and immensely flavorful, the portion sizes are decent, and especially the lunch specials offer all that you would want in an a la carte meal for a very puny sum.
Shalini had been to the restaurant with some co-workers of hers earlier and her high recommendations sold me as well. So, a few days ago, we made it a lunch date there. From outside, the restaurant looks like a warehouse with a nondescript entrance, but don't let this self-deprecating reticence fool you. The dining room is spacious and the decor while not very outstanding is still trendy and smart.
Our server presented us with the menu cards and looking at the dinner menu, I was swamped with the plethora of choices available. Lamb and beef dishes alongwith tantalizing seafood and chicken delicacies. Fortunately, the limited choice lunch menu saved me from the trance induced by indecision.
We decided to order Chicken Lo-mein and Beef Kung Pao and as is usual with us, we share each other's food :-)
The appetizers were - an egg-roll and egg-drop soup. Both were wonderful. The soup being surprisingly hot and the egg-roll meaty.
I took a Pinot Noir to accompany the food and it turned out to be a great choice - rather dry with a medium body and mild spicy notes. The wine went very well with the beef.
Beef Kung Pao was served with a bowl of steamed rice and oh! what succulent and delicious a dish it was. Dominant flavour of smoky blackbean with the heat of dried red chilli-peppers. The meat was cooked just right - tender and suffused with taste.
"Thish ish good ...." Shalini managed to mumble with a mouthful of the beef while I was attacking the chicken lo-mein with gusto. Needless to say that we both had our forks across the table in the other's plate :-)
They offer desserts as well, but mostly of the European kind. We tried the Tiramisu and it was good. But likely sourced from an outside bakery.
Delightful company, Great food, good ambience and a nice wine made it a beautiful date indeed!
And now for recommendations: ***** (yeah five big fat sparklers)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
We're Back - A story of love, loss and happy endings..
She is Australian, a sizzler and a sleek one at that!!!!
We met last summer, one thing led to another and a passionate affair ensued. A mere touch of my finger-tips was enough to turn her on. Each episode was torrid and steamy. At such times being even in her near vicinity was like being enveloped in the hot breeze of a sirocco.
But alas! it was not meant to last for very long. One day I discovered that my fingers had lost the magic to turn her on. But we soon learned to our dismay that she had a diseased valve. Soon she retreated into her own self, ignoring me completely as I desperately looked for cures. Then winter descended and the mood was grim as all attempts at helping her seemed to be failing, but I kept up hope!!! She brooded away in dark and gloomy corners.
Finally last week, we found a blessed donor and a minor procedure brought her back to her usual self. And now we are back with the same passion - as if nothing had happened.
Of course I had to clean her of all the dust and grime that had collected upon her while she sat in the corner of the garage, being unused. Yeah, I was talking about my Aussie Grill.
What were you thinking?!!
No sooner than it had been fixed, after a brief clean-up we took it for a spin, with some Tandoori marinated lamb chops, EVOO'd portobello caps and sweet peppers. 8 minutes a side at medium-high and we had medium-well done chops - cooked through yet succulent and tender. The show stealer though was the side act of the grilled sweet peppers - with the flavors enhanced with the infused smoke. A small salad to accompany and a glass of Sutter Home Zinfandel (inexpensive and under-appreciated - good taste) and even a Sunday night, usually gloomy with prospects of a Monday looming ahead, turned lively.
No man worth his tongs and flippers should ever have to be without his grill - not even for one weekend.
We met last summer, one thing led to another and a passionate affair ensued. A mere touch of my finger-tips was enough to turn her on. Each episode was torrid and steamy. At such times being even in her near vicinity was like being enveloped in the hot breeze of a sirocco.
But alas! it was not meant to last for very long. One day I discovered that my fingers had lost the magic to turn her on. But we soon learned to our dismay that she had a diseased valve. Soon she retreated into her own self, ignoring me completely as I desperately looked for cures. Then winter descended and the mood was grim as all attempts at helping her seemed to be failing, but I kept up hope!!! She brooded away in dark and gloomy corners.
Finally last week, we found a blessed donor and a minor procedure brought her back to her usual self. And now we are back with the same passion - as if nothing had happened.
Of course I had to clean her of all the dust and grime that had collected upon her while she sat in the corner of the garage, being unused. Yeah, I was talking about my Aussie Grill.
What were you thinking?!!
No sooner than it had been fixed, after a brief clean-up we took it for a spin, with some Tandoori marinated lamb chops, EVOO'd portobello caps and sweet peppers. 8 minutes a side at medium-high and we had medium-well done chops - cooked through yet succulent and tender. The show stealer though was the side act of the grilled sweet peppers - with the flavors enhanced with the infused smoke. A small salad to accompany and a glass of Sutter Home Zinfandel (inexpensive and under-appreciated - good taste) and even a Sunday night, usually gloomy with prospects of a Monday looming ahead, turned lively.
No man worth his tongs and flippers should ever have to be without his grill - not even for one weekend.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ras-Malai in 20 minutes
Ras-Malai (literally: syrup+cream) stands out as one of the most heavenly delectable confections among the plethora of Indian sweet-meats. A bowl of chilled ras-malai can trigger the happiest of chemicals in your brain, enhancing the feeling of euphoria that had previously been induced by a lip-smacking Indian meal :-)Skeptics might be excused for disbelieving that the required ingredients that go into a ras-malai are nothing but milk and sugar. But don't worry, we won't send you to the cow with a milk bucket just yet.
Frankly, I have no idea how the halwais (sweetmakers) go about making Ras-malai, the traditional way. Suffice it to say that the end product belies a lot of toil in front of a fire invoking sweat and tears.
If I have scared and tempted you in equal amounts for this treat, what would you say, if I were to claim that a total novice, with a microwave and a few ingredients can produce a ras-malai rivalling that of the best of India's halwais ? I am sure you would think I was pulling your leg. So, without further ado here is the recipe:
Inputs:
1 can of Rasgolla (or Roso-golla, Rosho-Golla) or Raj-Bhog available from
your Indian grocer.For the un-initiated, Rasgolla is balls made of farmer's cheese in sugar syrup.
2 cans of evaporated milk. Regular milk can be used as well, but requires more thickening.
1/2 tsp of ground cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp of saffron
2 tbsp of slivered almonds/pistachio for garnish
Experiment:
Pour the evaporated milk from the cans into a microwave safe bowl about twice the capacity of the total milk. Add the ground cardamom seeds and saffron and put it in the microwave for about 15 minutes.
Note: After about 10 minutes, keep a closer eye on the milk lest it boils over. Cleaning of the microwave after such a mishap is not included in the original time estimate :-)
While the passions of the milk are being simmered to an arousal, un-can the Rasgollas. Resist the temptation to chomp down more than a couple of the Rasgollas. I know, it's tough, but bear with me, the finished product will justify this sacrifice.
Depending on your level of hygiene consciousness, use your hand or a couple of spoons and taking the Rasgollas one at a time, squeeze as much as possible of the juice from them, without breaking them. This part requires care and patience. I have yet to find a quick-fix for this, and believe me, I am not a patient person.
Lay all the Rasgollas - squeezed nearly dry of the syrup out on a plate. Right about now, they are probably feeling drained of all life and purpose, victims of some vicious sugar-syrup dracula, but they will see the saviour in you, before we are through.
Turn your attention to the milk in the microwave. At the end of 15 minutes, it should be boiling. be careful and tend to it only as required, with a long handled spoon to avoid getting scalded. If you see a milk rising in a rebellion in the form of a giant bubble, burst it gently and let the milk subside before continuing on.
After the milk has seethed and raged for 15 minutes, carefully vent it of all revolt and take the bowl carefully out of the microwave. Now add the balls to the liquid gently and carefully to avoid the splash-and-scald guerilla attack of dissident milk colonies.
As you are adding the balls, carefully squeeze and release each one of them in the milk, at least once to ensure that they have absorbed the new fluid. After this put the bowl back in the microwave for another 5 minutes and let the milk and the Rasgollas get friendly and happy while heat is applied using, well, microwaves.
Take it out, add the almonds/pistachio etc to garnish. Chill it and serve.
By now you probably agree that 'slice of heaven' was not an overstatement at all.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sweet Peppers - an Oxymoron?
When most of us think of Chilli-peppers, the image that usually comes up in our mind involves a torrid inferno in the mouth burning up large swaths of taste-buds. Teary eyed and with a runny nose, as we looked around for cold water, we are probably contemplating whether the tongue would be able to tell any subtle tastes after this torture?
But lovers of Indian (or Mexican, Thai, Chinese...) cuisine have palates masochistic enough to go back for the delicious pain again and again.
The possibilities are endless: slice 'em up and toss 'em in salads, on pizzas, on burgers and sandwiches, oven-roasted and topped on crackers with cheese, or just munched raw with the food.
Without going over-board shall we say, the results are adequately satisfying. :-)
But lovers of Indian (or Mexican, Thai, Chinese...) cuisine have palates masochistic enough to go back for the delicious pain again and again.
So, when you hear the name - sweet peppers, doesn't it sound rather like an oxymoron? Probably does. But these are delicacies that are worth a try. They have plenty of the bold flavor of chilli-peppers and none of the fabled heat. The absence of heat probably taken to be a sign of sweetness, hence the name. I agree, the bar was set rather low for sweetness
The possibilities are endless: slice 'em up and toss 'em in salads, on pizzas, on burgers and sandwiches, oven-roasted and topped on crackers with cheese, or just munched raw with the food.
Without going over-board shall we say, the results are adequately satisfying. :-)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Italian meatballs made with .... chicken?????!!!
Yes! Italian meatballs made with chicken as the principal ingredient.
Sounds like tofu-turkey Or veggie burgers doesn't it?
But bear with me and try it. You will agree that this meat substitution doesn' t deserve to be attached with the stigma of 'health-food' though healthier it is, if compared to it's beefy cousin.
We are on a quest to clean out our freezer and pantry of food items procured on a passing fancy, but sitting there since. In that spirit, I discovered a pound of ground chicken sitting in the freezer, that I had purchased a while ago for some dish I now have no recollection of. Our first-born Saumya is a huge meatball afficionado. So, I decided to experiment....
1 lbs ground chicken
2 tbsp ricotta cheese
1 egg (as binder)
salt to taste
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp rosemary
Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg F (~200 deg C).
Mix it all together. If the mix appears too wet, add some breadcrumbs to soak up the moisture.
Cover a cookie-sheet with some aluminium foil and spray with an oil of your choice.
With the help of an ice-cream scoop, make the meatballs and lay them about an inch apart from each other on the cookie sheet.
Put the cookie sheet in and bake it for 30-40 min until the meatballs are brown on the inside.
Voila! you have Italian food visiting your kitchen.
You can now eat them as a snack (on a stick), smothered with pasta sauce with spaghetti, or in a sandwich.
Let me know how it turned out. Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.
Sounds like tofu-turkey Or veggie burgers doesn't it?
But bear with me and try it. You will agree that this meat substitution doesn' t deserve to be attached with the stigma of 'health-food' though healthier it is, if compared to it's beefy cousin.
We are on a quest to clean out our freezer and pantry of food items procured on a passing fancy, but sitting there since. In that spirit, I discovered a pound of ground chicken sitting in the freezer, that I had purchased a while ago for some dish I now have no recollection of. Our first-born Saumya is a huge meatball afficionado. So, I decided to experiment....
1 lbs ground chicken
2 tbsp ricotta cheese
1 egg (as binder)
salt to taste
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp rosemary
Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg F (~200 deg C).
Mix it all together. If the mix appears too wet, add some breadcrumbs to soak up the moisture.
Cover a cookie-sheet with some aluminium foil and spray with an oil of your choice.
With the help of an ice-cream scoop, make the meatballs and lay them about an inch apart from each other on the cookie sheet.
Put the cookie sheet in and bake it for 30-40 min until the meatballs are brown on the inside.
Voila! you have Italian food visiting your kitchen.
You can now eat them as a snack (on a stick), smothered with pasta sauce with spaghetti, or in a sandwich.
Let me know how it turned out. Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.
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