Every time I watch “The Great British Bake Off” (thanks to some really nice people who post the episodes on YouTube) I get cranky about the contestants’ lack of hygiene – all that touching of hair, then touching of the floor, then touching the food drives me crazy! I feel sorry for the judges who have to eat the baked goods. There was an episode in which a cake or something was sliced and a
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Zucchini keftedes and to each their own
Every time I watch “The Great British Bake Off” (thanks to some really nice people who post the episodes on YouTube) I get cranky about the contestants’ lack of hygiene – all that touching of hair, then touching of the floor, then touching the food drives me crazy! I feel sorry for the judges who have to eat the baked goods. There was an episode in which a cake or something was sliced and a
Broccolini and white bean soup to celebrate winter
Unlike most of my friends and colleagues I adore the cold weather we’ve been having here lately, and to be honest I really don’t get all the hate: a cold day in the middle of January is a bad thing, but to complain about the cold in July and August seems unreasonable to me.
I love soups and these wintry days are ideal to cook them – I don’t know about you, but cold soups are something I’m not
Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells - a nice idea for lunch on Mother's Day
Nigella promoted her cookbook in several different TV shows here in Brazil and in one of them she baked her chocolate banana muffins – she said that they would be a nice treat for breakfast on Mother’s Day. Her comment reminded me of this recipe I cooked a while ago, the first one I tried from Martha’s wonderful vegetarian cookbook: I find it perfect for a celebration day, since it can be put
Chickpea curry with roasted cauliflower and tomatoes and a trip that changed things up around here
Those of you around here for a while know that my husband is a classic case of picky eater – there are lots of things that he just won’t eat. That makes me sad because he is missing out on several delicious things, but what can I do? I can’t force him – I hated it when my stepmother forced us to eat her disgusting food and that was the reason why I started cooking. I consider it his loss – I
Red peppers stuffed with quinoa, Fontina and goats cheese + "Moon"
I have been on a good movie wave lately – in about one week I watched five good movies (including “The Dark Knight Rises”), four of them really great ones. One of those movies was “Moon” – after watching “Source Code” last year I got interested in Duncan Jones’ work as a director, and it seems that the man has inherited his old man’s creative genes. :)
* spoilers *
Sam Rockwell was another
Red Rose Raspberry Sorbet
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
It is one in the morning and I'm up with my newborn. So why not wrap up a little blogging between feeding and bouncing, right? Today we have yet another frozen dessert and a particularly pretty one at that.
I absolutely love the combination of raspberry and rose, so a sorbet featuring those flavors seemed like a natural summer time choice for the blog.
Gorgeous, isn't it? Such an vibrant red it almost makes me want to double check the settings on my camera. This dessert isn't just pretty to look at, it velvety smooth and packs bright fresh raspberry flavor and the sweet fragrance of rose.
Garbanzo & Celery Soup With Gremolada
Soup today! Healthy soup. Sorry if this disappoints those who read my blog for a vicarious sugar rush.
I did try to deliver, spending my morning hand-pulling some gorgeous twisted hard candies. However, I decided that blogging about how to make these treats would be unwise. I managed to burn myself while handling the pulled sugar, even with my layers of gloves.
Sure, handling hot sugar is dangerous by default but I've decided that trying to handle hard candy is crazy dangerous for most home cooks (including myself). It isn't the same as handling something like taffy, which you can work with your bare hands.
I don't want to post a recipe where I need to recommend having your local hospital's burn unit on speed dial.
Hence we're posting my lunch today.
Arancini
Arancini tonight.
If you're unfamiliar with them, don't worry. I'm here to help.
Once long ago, I too was one of those poor, unfortunate arancini-less schlubs. Wandering though life without the deep fried carbohydrate bomb that would someday complete me.
Oh yes.
Then, while waiting for a connecting train somewhere in the hill towns of Italy, I came face to face with the golden blob of deliciousness.
I had no idea what it was, but it didn't matter. It was so perfectly golden and so obviously deep fried that had to be good. (I'm of the opinion that deep fried always equals good. You could deep fry a cockroach, or even a Hot Pocket, and it has the potential to be delicious.) I quickly purchased two and brought them back to Mr. Humble, who I had abandoned earlier with my bags to explore the station.
Hold on, I need to nom on these while taking photos...
Okay, so the train station arancini were not all that good. They were cold and gluey. They were... well, train station food.
Still, I adore risotto and I knew that deep frying it was going to take my love of the starchy rice to the next level.
This recipe calls for leftovers, preferably risotto that has been allowed to sit in the fridge overnight. Feel free to use any risotto recipe you like. You can also toy with the fillings, as this is a very flexible appetizer. I enjoy a fresh basil pesto risotto, filled with buffalo mozzarella. Or saffron risotto filled with shrimp. Just use your imagination.
Technically, since this is deep fried, you might even be able to involve Hot Pockets.
Maybe.
Not So Humble Arancini
yields roughly 1 dozen
2 cups cold, leftover risotto
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
mozzarella
vegetable oil for frying
Heat your oven to 300°F
Cut the mozzarella into a dozen 1cm cubes.
Grab a golf ball sized hunk of the cold risotto and press the cube into the center and mush the risotto around it. Roll it into a ball and set aside. Repeat until you've formed all the risotto balls.
Then take the balls and coat them in the egg and then the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess.
Heat several inches of oil over medium heat (350°F) and fry the risotto balls in batches, drain briefly on paper towels and then transfer to the oven to hold.
Serve warm.
Saganaki & Why I Never Met Danny Devito
Long ago, in my early university days, I got by working as a server in a Greek restaurant.
Occasionally we had saganaki on the menu as an appetizer special. I appreciated the rarity of the dish, as the combination of hungry diners and leaping flames was always a dangerous mix.
One night when we didn't have saganaki on the menu, I had a customer who I'll call Mr. Important.
Mr. Important was supposedly from California and a "connoisseur" of Greek food. He pulled me aside and told me that he expected VIP service because he and his guests were "very important people" (for reasons I cannot remember). Which is probably one of the dumbest things you can say to a tired, busy server.
So while pouring wine, Mr. Important announces that his party will have saganaki to start. I inform them that we're not offering saganaki tonight. His jaw dropped and he shouted, "You don't have saganaki?! How can you NOT have saganaki?! Danny Devito will NEVER come here if you don't have saganaki!"
It took a few seconds for this to sink in. It just didn't compute. Why would he blurt out such a thing? Moreover, I'm out in the middle of podunk nowhere Washington. The odds of me serving Danny Devito were about as high as my serving a party of leprechauns or Elvis.
Of course, being me, I informed Mr. Important of this, figuring my chances of a decent tip off this party had already long since crashed and burned. Mr. Important then took the matter to our head chef (directly to the kitchen) again invoking Danny Devito. During the height of our dinner rush, no less. Which of course went over marvelously.
Ah, the joys of being a server.
I never saw Mr. Important again and naturally, Danny Devito never stopped by.
All that lengthy blogging stuff aside, saganaki is soooo good. The combination of olive oil, brandy and fresh lemon juice is bliss.
You should make it, because if you don't Danny Devito will NEVER come over to your house for dinner.
This dish is best made with kefalograviera, kasseri, or kefalotyri cheeses. I made it with kasseri (my favorite) earlier but none of the photos turned out. So I made it again today with mozzarella (no more kasseri, sorry!), which is a less expensive, easily obtainable substitution. In fact, feel free to experiment with any number of firm cheeses that can withstand pan frying without melting into a puddle.
Not So Humble Saganaki:
four 3/4" slices of kasseri cheese
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
sea salt
olive oil
brandy
1 lemon quartered
warm pita bread
Combine the flour with the pepper and a generous pinch of sea salt. Dip the cheese slices into the egg and then thoroughly coat in flour.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan until it barely begins to smoke, then add the cheese. Cook until golden brown on each side, turning once.
Place the cheese into a serving dish, pouring a little of the hot olive oil on top. Pour approximately an ounce of brandy over the cheese and ignite. Extinguish with the juice of a lemon wedge. Serve immediately with pita to mop up the delicious mixture of olive oil, brandy and lemon juice.
Masala Dosa
When my mother took my brother and I to live with her in India, we were your typical food phobic children. Never having so much as had a curry back in the U.S., I was not buying into the idea that Indian cuisine was edible. I stubbornly resisted eating anything Indian for quite a while. I survived off imported Kit-Kat bars, Masala Lays and Fanta orange soda.
You wouldn't think that would be great diet for weight loss, but wow did it strip off what few pounds I had to my frame back then. Maybe I should pursue a career as a diet guru? Ms. Humble's Kit-Kat-Spicy Chip diet! 10 weeks to a more emaciated you! You know, I bet that diet book would actually sell.
Anyway, eventually hunger got the best of me and those strange dishes were beginning to look appealing. The simple Masala Dosas was the first thing to break my Indian food fast and after that, there was no turning back...
Once I moved back to the U.S. it was hard to find my favorite foods, particularly the southern Indian dishes. It would be years before I actually tried making dosas. Urad dal typically isn't something one can find at your corner grocer, but most Indian food stores have it on their shelves. In fact, your local Indian or Pakistani market can be a great place to stock up on all your rice, grains, flours and legumes in bulk.
Dosas, for those unfamiliar, are essentially a light, crispy crepe. Dosas stuffed with spiced potatoes are probably one of the most common forms of this dish, but really they can be filled with just about anything. Best of all, with a Cuisinart (or similar food processor) the dosa is very easy to make.
Not so Humble Masala Dosa:
makes roughly a dozen
1 1/2 cups dry basmati rice
1/2 cup dry urad dal
1/4 of a large yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced green chili
salt to taste
oil
Place the urad dal and basmati in two separate bowls and cover with several inches of water. Cover and allow the bowls to sit out at room temperature at least overnight and up to one day.
In the morning, drain and rinse the rice and dal and add to your food processor. Grind the two together into a paste, add the onion and chili and salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and continue to grind. Start adding water to the mixture, until you get a smooth creamy and slightly thin batter (just a tad thinner than your typical pancake batter). Continue to mix this in the processor until you can rub it between your fingers and the grit remaining should be a little finer than cream of wheat.
Heat a large flat, oiled griddle over medium high heat, or your largest flat bottom non stick pan. Pour 1/2-3/4 cup of batter into the center of the griddle and working quickly with a large spoon or heat safe silicon spatula, swirl the batter outwards into a very thin flat pancake. The thinner the better. Don't be too concerned about holes or getting it perfectly round, just focus on spreading it thin.
Cook the dosa until the underside is golden brown and the top is no longer glossy. This will only take a few minutes and do not flip the dosa. If your dosa seems a little thick, too chewy or not quite crispy enough, blend the batter again and add a little more water.
Remove the dosa from the pan and fill with several tablespoons of the following potato filling and a little squeeze of sriracha. Roll up and serve immediately with sambhar or your favorite chutney.
Masala Filling:
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (ideally black mustard seed)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1-2 green chilies minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt to taste
sriracha (optional)
Boil the cubed potatoes until fork tender, drain and set aside.
Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the mustard and cumin seeds. They will begin to pop and shoot all over your kitchen within a few seconds so have the chopped onion ready to go. Once the mustard starts to pop, add the onion and green chili, sauteing for a couple minutes. Add the ground cumin and coriander and mix, gently stir in the cubed potatoes as you don't want to turn them to mashed potatoes. Add the turmeric, garam masala, chopped cilantro and mix well. Add a little water (~1/4 cup) to thin the mixture and salt to taste.
Meatless Meatball Banh Mi
So Mr Humble decided he wanted to eat fewer critters as part of his new years resolution (perfectly fine by me, as he has always been the carnivore of the two of us). So, I'm finding ways to modify some of his favorite dishes. Lunch today is a spin on meatball banh mi, pescetarian style (since the fish sauce prevents it from being vegetarian. Though you could substitute it with a little light soy sauce, if you must do without).
Rather than using a meat substitute, which I am generally not a fan off, I went for chick peas, bread crumbs and spices to make my 'meatballs'. Sort of a Vietnamese play on falafel. I baked up fresh rice flour baguettes, stuffed them with my meatballs, cilantro, shredded carrots, daikon radish and my special sauce.
The result... deliciousness.
Not so Humble's Meatless Meatball Banh Mi:
makes roughly 25 'meatballs'
2 15oz cans of chickpeas drained
3 tablespoons chopped thai basil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
5 cloves garlic
2 thai chilies
2 green onions chopped
1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
1-2 teaspoons fish sauce (Nam Pla)
2 large eggs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
chick pea flour
cilantro
carrot shredded
daikon shredded
Combine the chickpeas, basil, cilantro, garlic, chilies, white portion of the green onion, chili and fish sauce into a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds until well blended but still slightly chunky. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend in the eggs. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the remaining chopped green onions. Add the bread crumbs and mix well.
Using your hands, form the mixture into one 1 1/2" meatballs and roll in chickpea flour. Bake in a 350 for 15-20 minutes turning once. You can also flatten the balls and pan fry each side in vegetable or peanut oil over medium high heat until golden brown.
Place the meatballs into a baguette with fresh cilantro, shredded carrot and daikon radish and a generous amount of the following:
Special Humble Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, finely chopped
4 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce
few drops fish sauce (Nam Pla)
If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own fresh crusty banh mi baguettes, too...
Simple Banh Mi Baguettes:
makes 6 medium sized baguettes
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon sugar
15 grams dry active yeast (two 1/4 oz packets)
1 1/2 cups warm water (100°F)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
In a bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes. While waiting on that, sift together the flours and salt.
Add the yeast to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and slowly add the flour on medium low speed. Once combined switch out the paddle for your dough hook and kneed on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for 2 hours, or until doubled. Punch down the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Shape each piece into a slender almond shaped baguette and place on baking sheet. Leave enough room between baguettes for the dough to rise. Cover the baguettes lightly and allow to rise for two hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Slash baguettes with a razor or sharp knife and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm posting Vietnamese sandwiches and not science cookies, patience! Cookies take time.
Gobi Manchurian
I find that when traveling it is fun to not only try out the local food, but also the region's take on more exotic fare. I love seeing (and tasting) how a particular place interprets and adapts a foreign cuisine.
For example, seeking out 'American food' abroad tends to provide an interesting experience. I've sampled pizza in India, country fried chicken in Thailand, McDonald's in Paris, hamburgers in Belgium, chicken cordon bleu in Malaysia (and many others). Trying familiar things in unfamiliar places can be a fun culinary side trip.
I mean, you wouldn't believe how classy the Pizza Hut in Bangalore, India was. Decked out with marble, chandeliers, and crisp linens, they even had a host to seat you! Talk about stepping though the looking glass... and I would love to ramble on about eating abroad but I do need to get to the gobi at some point.
Now, I love Chinese food but when it comes to Chinese-fusion food, American-Chinese has nothing on Indian-Chinese cuisine. It isn't even a fair fight, that stuff is inspired. Who knew the marriage of a little soy with Indian spices could be so delicious?
When I lived in India, I ate a lot of 'Indian' egg rolls, dumplings and my favorite: Gobi Manchurian.
This is like a vegetarian hot wing. Florets of cauliflower, poached, battered and then fried. Tossed in a fiery sauce. As someone who loves spicy food, these satisfy with every sinus clearing bite.
(Mmm deliciously blurry)
One of my favorite gobi experiences was over a decade ago, sitting at a single table outdoor restaurant in Hampi (Southern India). Our adorable and very professional waiter, who was all of seven years old, took our lunch orders (Gobi, Vadai and Thumbs-UP colas, if I remember correctly). He brought us cold bottles of soda and then promptly got on his bike and peddled away. He came back from... somewhere, laden with fresh vegetables for our meal. These were taken back to his mother, our chef, who cooked them up for us.
Now, I might not be able to offer up anything as charming as that experience, but I can at least provide a recipe for good Gobi Manchurian.
Not so Humble Gobi Manchurian:
serves 4-6
1 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chick pea flour (or corn flour)
1/3 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili
pinch of salt
warm water
Manchurian Sauce
this is very hot, consider yourself warned
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion (white part only)
1 dried red chili chopped
1 inch ginger minced
2 jalapeños seeded and finely chopped
1-2 thai green chilies seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
cilantro chopped
green onion chopped
Core and cut the cauliflower into medium florets. Bring a pot of water with a little salt to a boil and add the florets, cook for 10 minutes until tender and drain.
In a wok or deep fryer, heat a few inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. For the batter, combine the flours, chilies, garlic and ginger, adding just enough water to make the mixture smooth. Toss the florets in a bowl with the batter to coat, then sprinkle in an additional 1/4 cup of rice flour and toss gently. Fry the florets in small batches until they are a deep golden brown and crispy, then drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, saute the garlic in the sesame oil over medium high heat for about 30 seconds, add the green onion, garlic, ginger and chilies and saute for another minute. Add the remaining ingreidents and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes until thick and bubbly.
Add the crispy fried florets to a bowl and pour the sauce over them, tossing to coat. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve immediately.
Broccoli Soup with Yogurt
Broccoli, like most green vegetables, was almost a curse word for me when I was growing up. I hated it.
Now that I am an adult, one who doesn't want to keel over before she hits 30, I try to eat healthy and that includes some of those green vegetables I abhorred as a child. I've since discovered that there are more palatable ways to prepare vegetables than the limp unadorned veggies that tend to accompany your standard American fare.
This soup is a good example of taking a once dreaded vegetable and making it into a dish I now crave. It is comforting and delicious as well as nutritious and low in calories (well, minus the yummy croutons). Something that I need right now, since I ate three pieces of fudge today...
Not so Humble's Broccoli Soup with Yogurt:
Serves 8-10
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups broccoli florets
5 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 large russet potato peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
salt
pepper
plain yogurt
garlic croutons (optional)
Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the cumin has darkened slightly. Grind the spices into powder and set aside. You could also use store bought ground cumin and coriander, however the flavor of whole toasted cumin and coriander is far better (if you do use pre-ground spices, use roughly half as much).
In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a medium low and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes and broccoli are tender.
Working in thirds, add the mixture to your blender and purée until smooth. Add half of the ground cumin and coriander mixture to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve sprinkled with the remaining toasted cumin and coriander, a dollop of yogurt and fresh garlic croutons.
Not so Humble Garlic Croutons:
3-4 thick slices of pugliese bread cubed (or other similarly textured bread)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle over the bread cubes and toss. Spread on a shallow pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, checking often to give on occasional stir and make sure they don't over brown.
French Lentil Soup
There are some strange recipes out there on the net. Recipes that tout how 'easy' they are. Recipes that use dubious shortcuts, like putting pudding mix in a baked cheesecake! The horror.
Why, I came across a bean chili recipe that contained no more than four ingredients and the only means of seasoning was steak sauce. Yes, thats right, steak sauce. Now, maybe steak sauce chili tastes good, I don't know but I consider using steak sauce as the sole means of seasoning chili sorta cheating. I also consider this lentil soup a bit of a cheater too. I hate to admit it, there is a short cut involved, in the form of store bought marinara sauce.
Now now, before anyone yanks my food blogger-card away, it does make the soup taste really good. I'll further defend myself by noting that this soup recipe was taught to me by a professional who used this shortcut in her own kitchen and if she can do it, so can I.
Not so Humble's French Lentil Soup:
3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
3 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup good quality chunky marinara (I used Mom's Garlic & Basil)
16 oz lentils washed, picked over and drained
15 ounce can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
In a large pot over medium high, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally till the vegetables have slightly browned (about 10 minutes). Add the chicken stock, lentils, tomatoes with their liquid and marinara and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for roughly 45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Remove 2 cups of lentils from the soup, purée in a blender and return to the soup mixture to thicken. Add additional water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and add the vinegar to taste.
Besides, I have to post my cheater recipe. It is hands down, my favorite lentil soup.
Not so Humble's French Lentil Soup:
3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
3 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup good quality chunky marinara (I used Mom's Garlic & Basil)
16 oz lentils washed, picked over and drained
15 ounce can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
In a large pot over medium high, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally till the vegetables have slightly browned (about 10 minutes). Add the chicken stock, lentils, tomatoes with their liquid and marinara and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for roughly 45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Remove 2 cups of lentils from the soup, purée in a blender and return to the soup mixture to thicken. Add additional water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and add the vinegar to taste.
Potato Katsu
I love the inexpensive little plates of potato katsu served at my local sushi place. However, I find myself craving the things at the oddest hours so I needed to find some way to supplement my need for hipster tatter-tots. This is my spin on Seattle's Blue C sushi's potato katsu.
This recipe is pretty simple and versatile as it can be used for shrimp, as well as pounded pork or chicken cutlets. The tonkatsu sauce might not be as 'fruity' as some store brands (due to the difference between western and Japanese worcestershire sauces) but I prefer this style, if you like a sweeter fruiter tonkatsu feel free to add a tablespoon of applesauce to the mixture while cooking.
Not so Humble's Potato Katsu:
Potato Katsu:
1 large russet potato
1 cup panko
1/4 cup tempura mix
1 egg
salt
oil for frying
Tonkatsu Sauce:
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons aji-mirin
2 tablespoons worcestershire
1 teaspoon hot chinese mustard
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 pinch of allspice
Peel the potato and cut into several half-inch thick disks, boil until fork tender and promptly remove from water.
While the potato boils assemble the Tonkatsu ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat and a cook for a few minutes until bubbly and slightly thickened.
Assemble three bowls, one containing the tempura mix (or flour with a little cornstarch), one with the panko and the third an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water and a generous pinch of salt. Cut the potato disks into bite sized pieces and toss lightly in the tempura flour, coat the pieces in the bowl with the egg mixture and then with the panko.
In a wok heat oil for deep frying, working in small batches fry the potatoes till golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot, drizzled with the tonkatsu sauce or on the side for dipping.
Red Lentil Dal with Roti
There are probably as many recipes for dal out there on the internet as there are food blogs. This recipe of mine is a favorite, not only because it is delicious but it is an easy to make dish that is really good for you. In the never ending quest to mind my waistline I find myself eating a lot this stuff.
It also plates up beautifully with its swirl of spiced tempering oil and a little fresh cilantro.
Not so Humble's Easy Red Lentil Dal:
2 cups turkish red lentils
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water
Tempering Oil:
5 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 whole dried red chilies
1 teaspoons finely minced garlic
4 teaspoons peeled and grated garlic
1 pinch asafetida (optional)
2 thai green chilies
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Wash and pick over the lentils and add to a pot with the salt, turmeric and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming the surface well. Cook for 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft, adding more water if necessary. Remove a cup of the lentils and puree with a fork or food processor and add them to thicken the soup.
For the tempering oil heat the oil to about medium-medium high in a skillet and add the cumin seeds and saute until they darken slightly. Add the dried red chilies and cook for a minute more. Then add the ginger, green chilies, garlic and asafetida and saute briefly to cook the garlic. Remove the oil from heat and add the cayenne. Add half of the oil to the dal along with half the cilantro and the lemon juice. Taste for salt and additional cayenne.
Plate the dal with the remaining cilantro and tempering oil on top. Serve with bread and/or basmati rice.
Samosas with Tamarind Chutney
My first introduction to these satisfying little snacks was in Southern India. Potatoes were an unintimidating meal for an exotic food-fobic girl when I was living there. I remember traveling overnight by train and being woken up frequently by the chaiwallas calls at each stop. You could purchase a handful of these little pastries, wrapped in grease spotted paper, through your window for the price of a few rupees.
Not so Humble Samosa Recipe
Filling:
5-6 medium sized potatoes (little under a pound)
1 medium onion diced
2 tablespoons oil
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 green thai chili (optional)
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup green peas
3 teaspoons pealed and grated ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt
cayenne pepper
Pastry:
4 cups flour
5 tablespoons ghee
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
For the pastry, combine flour, salt and ghee with your hands until well combined and mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add warm water, a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture forms a dough. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes till smooth and wrap in plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Boil potatoes till fork tender. Allow the potatoes to cool then peel and cut into small cubes.
Dry toast cumin and coriander in a skillet over medium heat until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes fragrant. Grind half of the spice mixture into a fine powder and set aside.
Add oil to the skillet and saute onion till golden brown. Add cumin and coriander, ginger, peas and diced seeded chilies and saute for a minute then reduce heat. Add potatoes, turmeric and garam masala and combine. Remove from heat and add cilantro and lemon juice, mix and season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Allow mixture to cool.
Roll out portions of dough into thin 9 inch rounds and cut in half. Pinch together a cone from each half and fill with two to three tablespoons of filling. Seal the top of the cone and set aside to deep fry. 
Fill a wok with a couple inches of oil and fry the samosas, a couple at a time until golden brown.
Serve with your favorite chutney or raita
