Mini Mango Tartlets

I made these for my last Art Show reception. It was an easy recipe and the tartlets tasted great!

Ingredients: Pie Crust -1 (I used one from Trader Joe's); Cream Cheese - 8oz; Mango pulp - 1/2 cup sweetened; Sugar - 4 tbsp; Cardamom - 1/4 tsp powdered; Corn Starch - 1 tsp.

• Set oven to bake at 400F.
• Cut the pie crust to lay inside a regular or mini-muffin pan. I made the mistake of pre-baking them inside the pan and the sides kind of collapsed. To avoid this, invert the muffin pan and bake the shells on the outside. Bake for 8 minutes till slightly brown.
• Mix the rest of the ingredients well with an electric mixer.
• Now put the shells inside the pan, add a table spoon of the cream cheese mixture and bake again for another 15 minutes or till the cheese is set. 
• Let cool for at least 10 minutes and move to a cooling rack.
• Enjoy :)

Egg Curry with Okra

Ever since we had dinner at Mingalaba Burmese Restaurant in the Bay Area last month, I have been dreaming about their okra egg curry. And during thanksgiving I tried tor recreate the dish from what I tasted there. And here is my version which was pretty close to the restaurant's. The only change I would make it add tomato paste to it and make the dish a little more tart. This was the second dish we made minus the okra for the cooking class.

 

Ingredients: Eggs - 4, hard boiled and sliced in half; Onion - 1 (finely chopped); Okra - 1/2 pound, sliced to 1 inch pieces and teamed in the microwave for 5 minutes; Tomatoes -  2 (chopped); Tomato Paste - 1 tbsp; Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp (Alternately use minced garlic and ginger); Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp; Red chilli powder - 1 tsp; Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp; Garam masala powder - 1 tsp; Curry Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional); Salt - 1 tsp; Cilantro - for garnish.

• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
• Add the chopped onions till it becomes translucent.
• Add the ginger garlic paste followed by the chopped tomatoes and salt.
• Cook for a few minutes and add the okra pieces.
• Add the rest of the spices. 
• Fry it for 2 minutes and then add water as needed. Add cilantro now or garnish later.
• Once the sauce is cooked, add the eggs and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Spicy Stuffed Eggplants

This is one of my two favorite recipes to make with these little eggplants (brinjals). The other recipe is the 'ennai kozhambu'. We usually get the best ones either from Chicago or Milwaukee and hence it is a special treat. Made this dish below for the Thanksgiving Lunch we had at home with friends.

Ingredients: 2 pounds small eggplants - slit crosswise from the bottom to the stalk; Spice powders - can be any number of different variety or a mixture. Here I used: Chilli powder, sambhar powder, coriander powder, black pepper + cumin powder; Salt - adjust to taste; 1 tbsp oil. 

• Put the eggplants in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 5 minutes till they are soft. Do not add water.
• In another small bowl, add all the powders, add a tsp of oil and salt. Mix well, taste and adjust salt.
• Remove the eggplants from the microwave, stuff the inside with the mixture. Microwave for about 5 more minutes.
• Add rest of the oil in a pan, and toss the eggplants in it. Cook till the skin is blistered / roasted on all sides.

Gobi Paratha

This morning I gave a private cooking lesson to a friend in Madison. She wanted to learn how to make stuffed parathas and egg curry. We made Cauliflower (gobi) paratha and here is my recipe!

 

Make the dough first and let it rest.

Dough

Wheat flour - 1  cup (Atta from Indian store - a more finely milled wheat flour)

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water - as needed

To prepare the dough - mix all the above ingredients, adding water as needed and knead to a dough.

Cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Stuffing

Cauliflower - grated - 1 cup

Onion (small)- 1/2 finely chopped 

Green chillies - 2 finely chopped - hot variety

Ginger (grated) - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Jeera/Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

• Heat a tsp of oil in a saute pan, temper the cumin.
• Add Onions, green chilies, ginger and saute for a couple of minutes
• Add the Shredded cauliflower and the spices and cook till the mixture is dry.
• You can also heat this in a microwave (dries the mixture more easily than stove top)

Making Parathas

Rolling pin and board

Pan to fry

Wheat flour

Butter

• Make two small lime sized balls from the dough. Roll them out into small roti. Dust with wheat flour as needed
• Place one tbsp of stuffing on the top of a rolled out roti and spread it.
• Then keep another rolled out roti on top of it and remove air pockets and seal the corners by pressing it lightly. 
• Now roll it out with the stuffing inside gently.
• Heat a pan and put the rolled out paratha on it. Apply butter as needed. Cook both sides well till brown spots appear.

Productive Day

I started and finished this piece today - something I haven't done in a while. The sun will get a small mirror in the center tomorrow after the coats of varnish. The painting is done henna style with acrylics on wood (not sure of the type) with textured lines. The painting is on a 12x16 cabinet door from the Habitat ReStore of Madison, WI. They are also doing a Salvage Art Show from April to June next year. I have a few more pieces of cabinet doos lying around that might also get some paint action before then. I am so thankful to have two of their stores in Madison and just the other day found two maple brand new cabinet doors for $3 each. The last day to apply is in the first week in Jan. This piece might get donated if it is not sold before then. Lately, I am very fortunate to sell paintings as I finish them :) This will be on show at a Holiday Art Fair this Friday and Saturday. 

The pieces I do on cabinet doors can still be used on a closet. That would be super cool! 

 

Easy Breezy Dessert

On the day of Thanksgiving, while my guests were still on their long drive, I cooked and prepped a few things. I made a quiche for breakfast on Friday, made the Cheesy Jalapeño Garlic Bread, made a couple of Indian sweets to send to my brother and I was planning on making a flan for dessert. I ran out of time / got tired and eventually just made this for dessert. It was still yummy - used up left over stuff and was done and in the fridge before the guests arrived. And it was perfect timing for me when they got home to boil some pasta and make a quick garlic alfredo and poach some eggs for the fettucine. 

To make this dessert (I am sure there is a South American version of this somewhere) - I simply sauteed a couple of ripe plantains and a couple of bananas (did not have enough plantains on hand), moved them to the bowl, coated with a sauce of dulce de leche + coconut milk boiled together, grated some dark chocolate on top. Voila! Yumminess :)

Baking Cheesy Jalapeño Garlic Bread

November is a crazy busy in a good way month for us. Last year, I wanted to work on a novel during NaNoWriMo, but had to postpone it due to more than two weeks of travel. This month, I signed up for Art Every Day Month. I have been doing art almost every day, but has been unable to keep up the posting / blogging. We were traveling for a little more than a week and when we got back, it was already thanksgiving week with guests arriving from out of town. Things have been, needless to say, hectic. But having guests also meant I got to cook a lot of delicious dishes - even a whole bunch of experiments in my kitchen. I am so thankful for such wonderful friends who enthusiastically encourage my culinary experiments.

This bread has been making the rounds on Pinterest for a while and I decided to give it a try. I mostly followed this recipe and added diced jalapeño peppers to the dough, used garlic in the melted butter and grated some on top of the bread and used white cheddar to fill. The bread turned out really good and I will be playing a lot more with this recipe with various flavors. Next on my list is the cranberry-walnut bread that I crave from Trader Joe's. 

Garlic Pickle

Home made pickles are easy to make and a lot more delicious. And can be low fat too. Here is a quick recipe for garlic pickle. I used a pickle masala bought from the Indian store in Chicago, but instead of the masala, one can add regular chilli powder. Also, I used a lot less oil than whats normally used for pickles - the only caveat being that the pickle has to be used up quickly, which is no issue at my home.

Ingredients: Garlic - 2 cups (crushed lightly);  turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp, mustard seeds & fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp for tempering; Curry Leaves - few; Asafoetida - a pinch; Sesame Oil - 1/4 cup; Pickle masala - 4 tsp (substitute more chili powder); Salt - to taste

• Cook the crushed in a microwave for about 3 minutes (to remove excess moisture and the raw smell/taste)
• In a pot, add 1/2 the sesame oil and once hot, temper the mustard & fenugreek seeds.
• Add the curry leaves, garlic & let it cook for a couple of minutes
• Add the cayenne and turmeric, season with salt. Let it cook for about 5 minutes
• Add the rest of the oil and if using, the pickle masala, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or so. Add the asafoetida and mix well.
• Open and cook for a few more minutes for the flavors to meld 
• Store in an air tight container and use up quickly!