New Florida Key Lime Pie

I've tried this dessert and it is so super easy. It's great if you want to take something to someone's houes and don't have a lot of time to prepare. This is from a friend's mom's cookbook, she got it from "cookin' with kevin".

New Florida Key Lime Pie

1/2 cup key lime juice
14-oz. can of fat free, sweetened condensed, skimmed milk
3 whole egg whites
8-inch prepared graham cracker crust

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Combine key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg whites in a mixer. Mix on medium speed for 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into crust. Cover edge of crust with small strips of aluminum foil and bake approximately 22 minutes.
4. Refrigerate till cool, and garnish with whipped cream and lime slices when cold.

Okra Bhaji

We eat okra a lot at home but I hadn't tried it yet until now. If anyone's looking for a desi-style recipe for okra, this one is pretty simple.

Okra Bhaji
Servings: 2

8 oz. okra (pick the shorter ones <4 inches because they are more tender)
2 tbsp sliced onion
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste

1. Wash and drain okra. Slice thinly.
2. Heat oil in frying pan. Add okra, onion, turmeric, cumin and salt. Add 2 tbsp water, stir, cover, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir bhaji until okra is cooked.

Peshawari Murgh Tanghri

This is a recipe from Sola - thanks!

If you don't have a pressure cooker (which I don't - should I?), you should seal the pot with dough (flour + water), or you can use foil under the lid.

Peshawari Murgh Tanghri

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs and legs- 4
Yogurt- 1/2 cup
Dhania pwdr- 1 tsp
Haldi- 1/2 tsp
Zeera pwdr- 1/2 tsp
garam masala- 1/2 tsp
lal masala (chilli powder) - 1/2 tsp
ginger-garlic paste- 1 tsp
green chilli paste- 1 tsp
salt

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients and marinate chicken for 1 hr. Cook in pressure cooker for 9-10 mins with little water. Brown the pieces in a pan with little oil. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Alur Dom (Potato Curry)

I love all things potato, curry not excepted. This is a recipe that is a great accompaniment to desi daawat (party) food, and also goes great with either bread or rice.

Alur Dom (Potato Curry)
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. of potatos
1/2 cup of cooking oil
1 bayleaf
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cardomom pods
2 1-inch cinnamon sticks
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
2 tsbp yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil the potato until fully cooked, peel, and cut into cubes. Make some of the cubes half broken.

2. Make a paste of the ground spices (turmeric, chilli powder, ginger, cumin, coriander) by adding water till pasty.

3. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf, and stir for one minute. Add the paste of ground spices and 1 cup of water. Cook stirring frequently.

4. When the oil surfaces, add the potato and the rest of the ingredients. Fry for 2 minutes.

5. Add 1/2 cup of water, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Chicken Korma

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes because its so easy but reminds me of home cooking. It's from my mom, and she's one of those people that eschews measurements, so you might want to fiddle with the amounts depending on your preference.

Chicken Korma

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 2lb. whole chicken cut in pieces

4 oz. finely sliced onion

1/4 cup oil

1 cup yogurt

1 heaping tbsp garlic paste

1 flat tbsp ginger paste

2 heaping tbsp onion paste

1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder

1 tsp mircha (chilli) powder

salt

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Mix garlic, ginger, onion, coriander, chilli powder, and salt with yogurt and chicken pieces.

2. Heat oil in large pot and fry onions until golden. Remove onions with slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Add garam masala to oil and add chicken mix. On high heat, stir fry chicken until fragrant.

4. Add 2-3 cups of water, golden onions, and sugar, and cover with lid. Turn heat to medium-low and cook until chicken is done.

Manksho Jhol

This is a bengali recipe for mutton in gravy. Apparantly my people think mutton means either lamb or goat, even though it actually means older sheep (lamb). I used goat for this recipe though, because I've been meaning to cook with it and see if I like it better than beef, and it turned out really well. At least that's what I think :)


Manksho Jhol (from angithi.com)
Servings: 6
Time to prepare: 2 hours

Ingredients:

- 2 lb Meat (lamb or goat)
- 5 pods Garlic
- 1.5 inch Ginger
- 2 medium Onion
- 8 Red Chili pepper (dried)
- 5 Cardamom
- 1/2 inch Cinnamon
- 5 Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Mace (or 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
- 6 Peppercorns
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seed Powder
- 2 large Potato
- 5 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 tsp Ghee
- to taste Salt
- 3 cups Water
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder

Instructions:

1. Marinate the Meat first:

2. For the masala paste: Grind the ingredients from Garlic to Peppercorns in a mixer. Add 4 tbsp water also use only half an onion for the paste. Now extract the juices from the paste.

3. Cut the meat into small cube like pieces of 1 inch by 1 inch. Wash it properly.

4. Add the half cup yogurt, masala paste juice from 2, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and turmeric powder. Mix it properly with the meat and let it marinate for an hour. (the more the better)

5. Peel and cut the potato into large pieces of like 1 inch by 1 inch and keep it aside.

6. Heat the oil, add the bay leaves, sugar and fry for 1 min. Add the sliced onions, and fry till light brown.

7. Add the marinated meat and bring it to full boil. Add the potatoes and reduce the heat to medium heat. Cover the pan and let it fry for 20 min.

8. Check to see if the potato is boiled properly. Remove the potatoes once boiled, and keep it aside.

9. Cover the pan and fry it till oil starts coming out. (Remember not to be hasty and keep on stirring frequently till oil has come out completely)

10. Next add the water and bring it to boil on full heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 min. (till the meat has become tender)

11. Add the potatoes and let it simmer for another 10 min. Remove from heat and add the ghee. Garnish it with finely chopped cilantro. Serve hot with plain white rice.

Kaala Chana

Kaala Chana is a black chana that we eat at home for iftar in Ramadan. It's really a great snack for anytime, but I'm used to eating it in Ramadan before dinner. I got some from the indian store this time that was called 'Black Chana', but I'm not entirely sure it's the same as the ones we get in Bangladesh, since it wasn't as dark and when cooked it didn't expand as much. It still tasted good though, and I'm glad I know how to make it now!

Kaala chana

Makes 3-4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup Kaala Chana, washed and soaked overnight in water (careful to put in a roomy container, since they will expand)

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp onion paste, or 2 tbsp onion chopped fine

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 small tomato, chopped small

1 green chili, chopped

water

Directions:

1. Put the chana in a saucepan with its water from soaking. Add more water to cover the chana by at least 1-2 inches.

2. Add all ingredients except coriander, tomato and chili, and boil on high.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chana is soft. This should take about an hour, but could take longer depending on how soft you prefer your chana. If the water dries before chana is soft, add more. Check on the chana often to make sure it does not dry out completely.

4. When softened, turn off heat and mix in remaining ingredients. Add more salt to taste. Can be served warm or cold.

Dim (Egg) Curry

I haven't seen this dish in many other cuisines, but boiled egg is a big favorite in Bengali dishes. I've always loved how the oil and spices complement the egg white. This is the first recipe I've tried with boiled egg, and the people I fed it to last night loved it, but I'm still looking for more recipes because it was a little different from what we usually have at home. Maybe I'll just ask my mom :)

Dim Curry (Egg Curry)

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

5 tbsp vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil

2 medium sized onion cut into quarters

3 medium sized tomatoes cut into quarters

2 green chillies

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

2 potatoes cut into 1" cubes (optional)

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsps of the cooking oil in a deep pan and when hot, add the onions. Fry till slightly golden. Turn off the fire. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the pan and put them in a food processor. Grind the onions, tomatoes, green chillies into a smooth paste. Try not to add water while grinding, if possible.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the paste you just made to it when it is hot. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes, all the dry spices, mix and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala (onion-tomato-spice mix).

Now add 2 cups of warm water to this masala and bring to a boil on a medium flame.

If adding potatoes to the curry, add them now and cook till half done.

Half slit the boiled eggs vertically and add them gently to the gravy. Simmer the flame and cook for 10 minutes or till the gravy is thickened/ reduced to about 3/4 of the original quantity (when you added the water). If you have added potatoes they should ideally be cooked by now.

Turn off the fire and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and a vegetable side dish.

Ramadan Rice Soup

My husband loves this soup, it's like his comfort food. The recipe is from his mom, and she usually makes it in Ramadan for breaking the fast. I love the soup too, it's just so filling for me that I can't eat anything else for iftar!! 

Rice Soup (from Nahla Erakat)

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 zucchini cut in cubes (skin on or off, depending on your preference)

1 onion chopped small

1 large potato cut in cubes

1/4 cup of rice, washed (I prefer medium grain, like Carolina)

3 cups of water

1 chicken stock bouillon cube

1 tsp of salt, or to taste

pepper to taste

1 tsp of 7 spice powder (found in arabic stores)

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

Directions:

1. Heat oil in 3 quart saucepan on medium and saute zucchini, onion, potato, and rice.

2. Add water, bouillon cube, salt, pepper, 7 spice and turmeric. Bring to boil on high heat.

3. Lower heat to medium, and cook covered for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.

And we're back!

Ok so it's been a looooooooooong time since my last post. Phew! How time flies in the summer. I can't believe summer's almost over :( Of course there's a heat wave warning today, go figure. So it's not like I haven't been cooking all summer, just that warmth makes me lazy :) And I went to Europe in the middle so that kept me quite busy! Sorry, no recipes to share from Europe. One day I will do a culinary tour of the world, inshaAllah (God willing); that's my dream vacation. Maybe start in England (some good ol fish and chips!) and make my way through Italy, the middle east (gotta learn some Turkish food), must stop in Thailand, and round back to Louisiana or South Carolina for some good southern food. Anybody have other required stops? 

Ramadan started a couple weeks ago, so even though I've been wanting to post for a while I just haven't had the time. Well today is a new day! I have a bunch of recipes I've been wanting to put up for a while; some that people have asked me for and some that I just want to share because they turned out well. And because most of the cookbooks I use regularly are ones that you can't buy here for whatever reason, this is a nice way to share the wealth.

And I'm hoping to get more people posting! What will it take...