Thai Curry Soup with Noodles and Meat Balls

In our home it is always a battle of bulge. So now a days we eat on the weekdays soup, especially as Hans come home by 9:30 and then I think it is a bit too late to start eating bread and other things which is what we usually eat in the evening .
Plus if one eat soup there is no carb especially if one is trying to loose few kilos which never happens how much i try.
And I miss my carbs so much that I end up making soup with noodles etc... :-)
And one of our friend said coconut milk is much healthier than adding cream. So I had the excuse that it is coconut milk which is healthy :-)

The verdict in my place is that this soup is so delicious that we decided when we are having a party at home we are going to serve this soup.

Ingredients:

For the meat balls.
1 fat spring onions finely chopped
20 gm ginger grated
250 gm mince meat ( i used half beef and half kalf)
1 chillie chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp of oil for frying the balls

Soup:

1 tbsp oil
3 spring onions finely sliced
3 medium size carrots cut in thing slices
150 gm brocoli florets
2 stick lemon grass ( bruise them and cut in big chunks)
2 Kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp of red curry paste
1 liter stock ( vegetable or chicken)
400 ml coconut milk ( i used tin)
150 gm any kind of noodles cooked ( you can add more or less according to your liking)
Few sprigs of coriander leaves and few slices of spring onions for adding just before you serve the soup)

Make the meat balls first.

Combine all the ingredients except the oil for the meat balls and make balls size of a golf ball.
Heat in a non stick pan the oil and fry add the meat balls in a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes till they are done. Remove them from the pan and keep it aside.

Now make the soup.

Add the oil in a big pan and saute the spring onions and carrots.
Add the curry paste fry for 1 minute and then add the stock, lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, brocoli cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the meat balls and now add the coconut milk and just bring to boil.
Fish out the lemon grass pieces and the lime leaves .
Serve the soup in a large bowl with a generous portion of cooked noodles and sprinkle with corrianger leaves and spring onions.

Petit Pains au Lait

I must say If you ever want to try to make a bread then this Petit Pains au Lait  is the one you should make . As the recipe is so easy plus they are so DELICIOUS and so SOFT and once you have made them you will be addicted to them.

I was really excited when I saw what Aparna has stored for this months We Knead to bake as my FIL loves this soft bread when ever I am planning to do sandwiches and I will be going to the bakers to buy the usual hard small french baguttes he will say Finla buy for me the soft ones.
So I knew when I make them at home he will be delighted.

Usually Hans come home late in the evening except for wednesday , then he come after six thirty.
So I thought I will make this bread and ask FIL also to come over as I told him I will make Scampis in garlic sauce.

So he came to our place and Hans still had to come and as we were waiting I made a drink for us and then I brought the home made Pains au lait and told him I made them .
He was delighted and I saw while we were having our dinner he enjoying the bread.
I used the original recipe from Gourmet by Kat as I wanted to have the one with eggs than the one without the eggs the group was making.

Ingredients:

The original recipe took a mix of the all purpose flour and bread flour but I took full white bread flour , so if you want to do like the original recip just click the link above to know the amount.

290 gm white bread flour
125 g whole milk
4 gm yeast ( I used 5 gm)
50 gm of egg
38 gm of sugar
5 gm salt
63 gm unsalted butter

For the egg wash.
I egg plus a table spoon milk mix both together in a bowl and then use.

Warm milk to about 100-110 F in the microwave and add yeast  (plus 1 tsp sugar) mix well wand set aside.
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add the yeast/milk mixture and egg. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and not sticking to the side of the bowl.

Add soften butter, little at a time untill all incorporated into teh dough. Continue to let the dough knead for another 10 minutes un till soft, smooth and have a satin look.
Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowel, cover and let it proof about 1 1/2 hour or un till double in size.
Transfer the dough onto the silicon mat and press down the dough lightly.
Dive the dough into 10 equal balls ( I did 8) .
Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes before working on it.

Roll out each piece of dough, one at a time, into a circle about 4” in diameter. Slowly roll up the circle from one end, Swiss roll/ jelly roll style into a cylinder. Pinch the seam closed neatly, and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet with the seam side facing down. Cover loosely and let them rise for an hour or so till almost double in size.
Preheat the oven at 400° f , brush the dough with the egg wash.

And  using a pair of sharp scissors, make diagonal cuts (not too deep) on the top of the rolls.
Bake them at 200°C (400 F) for about 15 minutes or so until they’re golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack and enjoying these super soft breads.

If you want to know how to make the cuts in the bread watch this video
Sending this super soft bread for Yeastspotting.

Meat Ball Curry / Kofta Kandhari

I think if you are living in Europe and look to British cooking shows you will already know about Atul Kochar and he is the first  Indian chefs who have Michelin Star, which I think is wonderful.

So when I found out he had a new book ( I have the book for a while) I had to buy the book and must say I love the book it has so many unusual curry recipes .

The book itself id called Atul's Curries of the World and you will find in the book recipes of curries not just from India but from around the world. And you have a picture of the dish for most of the recipes which I think is wonderl as I love cooking books with the picture of the dish as then I can visualize how the dish looks like when the dish is finished making.

Serves 4:

For the Kofta.
500 gm mince lamb
50 gm cashew nuts ( in the recipe they just said chopp, so i roughly chopped but next time i will chop more finer)
50 gm raisins soaked in a little water to plump
4 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
3 green chillies finely chopped
30 gm finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted and ground
1 tsp garam masala
500 ml beef stock or water ( I used chicken stock)

For the Sauce:
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 black cardamom pods, bruised
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 onions finely chopped
1 tbsp of ginger/garlic paste
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
450 gm fresh tomatoes pureed whole
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.

Method.

Mix all the ingredients ( except the stock) for the kofta, seasoning with salt.
Shape into golf size meat balls.
Heat the stock in a shallow pan and blanch the kofta, a few a time for 3- 5 minutes or until they are firm ( I blanched all the balls together once), remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Reserve the stock for the gravy.
Heat the oil in  a pan and saute the whole spices with the bay leaves until they crackle. Add the onions and saute till they are lightly browned.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 2-3 minutes to cook the paste, then add the groung spices, the pureed tomato and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 - 12 minutes.

Add the Kofta and the blanching stocl and simmer for 10-12 minutes or untill the koftas are completely cooked.
Add the chopped corriander leaves . Serve with rice or rotti.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I will be the last one to say you should not buy pesto bottles from shops, as I do that myself sometimes. I must admit I always have a bottle or two in my kitchen shelf as it is always handy when you want to make pasta or some other dishes and you need some pesto.

But I do admit it is much more delicious if you make them at home as you know the quality of the things going into the pesto.

The recipe I took for making is from Giada De Laurentis I just adjusted it a bit to my taste.
So if you want the exact recipe just click the link above.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto:

160 gm jar sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil ( I used my home made one)
3 big garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan.

I added every thing to my food processor and mixed for few minuted till everything was creamy.
I keep in a bottle the pesto if I don't use it the day itself.

Bun Muska

There are times when I make something and it is really so yummy I post them in my personal Facebook, so two weeks ago when I baked these Buns which were totally unknown to me I posted the picture and Sra commented that Muska bread was really famous in Hyderabad and I was like really... so I did a search on the net and found out Indeed it was famous there and also very famous in the Iranian Cafe's in Bombay / Mumbai.

From what I read online it goes like this, when the Iranian Zoroastrains fled from Iran , the parsi community helped then when they were in India.
And that is why there are lots of Iranian cafe's in Mumbai and these cafe used to be were they got together for a hot cup of tea with these Muska Buns.

Muska Buns ( Recipe Source) Makes 8 buns

350 gm / 2 3/4 cups plain flour ( I used white bread flour)
1 1/4 tsp dry yeast
50 gm / 1/4 cup sugar
150 gm / 2/3 cup milk, heated up to just below boiling point, then cooled to room temperature. ( Tip in the book do it before you go for sleep and when you get up it will be ready to use for making the dough)
8 gm / 2 tsp salt
50 gm / 3 tbsp of butter cubed at room temperature

Glaze:
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp of water
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar

Decoration :
Mixed sesame seeds

Method: ( I uses my Kitchen Aid for mixing) but I am givin the recipe from the book and they did the dough by hand)
Put the flour into a big mixing bowl and make a well in it.
Sprinkle in the yeast and the sugar and then pour the cooled milk. Flick flour over the well to close it and cover. Allow to rest for 1 hour.
After it has rested, add the salt and the egg and bring the ingeidients together in the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it well for 10 minutes.  Then add the butter and knead for another 10 minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and allow to rest for 2 hours or till the dough has doubled)
After that gently pull the dough out onto an unfloured surface.

Shaping:
Divide the dough into 8 egual portions and shape them into tight balls. ( In the book they have give a special method, but you can use what ever method you want to use)
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet ( I use baking paper on the baking tin).
Cover with a dry tea towel and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°c ( 425°F) Gas 7.
In my oven I used 175°c. So I guess it depends on your own, I have a fan oven.
Beat the ingredients for the glaze together and brush each bun liberally with it.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and pop them in the preheated oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. ( I covered my buns loosley with foil after 12 minutes as it was getting brown too fast)
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Eat with a lashing of butter and hot , sweet milky tea.
Sending this to Yeastspotting.

Pasta With Italian Ham and Asperagus

If you are planning to use Green or White Asparagus, now is the time as they are fully in season .
Even though my favourite is White Asparagus which we have been buying every week from the local market.
And few days back when I was in the shops I saw green ones and they were really so cheap that I said I will take a bunch.
And next day for lunch I was like what am I going to prepare with these and I thought I usually make a pasta dish with peas and Ham and I thought why not use the green asparagus instead of peach, which I think give a much better taste to the whole dish.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I took a trip to Paris with two other food bloggers and Nisha from My Kitchen Antics had given me these beautiful bowl and plate and till now I have been waiting to use them for a dish and as the green Asparagus suits the color of the bowl and parsley is green too , I thought it is about time I used them.

Serves 4

3 tbsp oil olive oil
1 onion chopped fine
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
100 ml Noilly prat ( you can add a sweeter white wine , but i always have Nolly prat which i think is so handy to have at home )
150 gm of Italian Ham slices roughly
300 gm green asparagus ( I peeled them, you don't have to) chopped keep the part of the tips whole
1/4 tsp chicken stock powder (optional)
A big hand full of chopped parsley
100 ml cream
200 ml milk
2 tbsp corn flour ( Mix with little bit of cold water)
Pepper and salt to taste
350 gm pasta
60 gm freshly grated parmesan.

Heat in a pan the oil add the onions saute till they are soft, add the garlic fry for 1 minute and add the chopped asparagus , cook for 2 minutes add the Noilly Prat and cook for few minutes till most of it has evaporated, add the stock powder if you are using, . Cook till the asparagus tips are cooked but not too soft, add the tips, Ham ,parsley and cook for few minutes.
Now add the milk and cream and bring the mixture to boil, add the corn flour water mix and thicken the whole dish ( you might not have to use the full amount of the cornflour paste)
Add pepper and salt ( take care with the salt as there is salt in the stock powder and italian ham is salty too)
Add the cooked pasta and serve with a generous sprinkling of pasta.

Chicken Skewers with Cardamom

 

I am a huge fan of British chef Rick Stein, and love to watch his cooking shows.
So it is not a mystery I have his cooking books.

And ofcourse after watching his show, In search of the Perfect Curry I bought the book and I have made few dishes from the book which came out really good like this  Sali Murgh  which is a parsee chicken dish with apricot and fried potatoes.

 

I didn't follow his exact recipe. But I have given the exact recipe and written what i didn't add or what i added more.
 Recipe Source

700 gm skinless,boneless chicken breast cut into 4 cm pieces ( the recipe asked for thighs)
Juice of 1 lime
2 fresh green chillies finely chopped ( I added 4 )
40 gm ginger grated
3 tbsp thick greek style yougurt
1 tsp turmerice powder ( my addition)
2 tbsp of coconut cream ( I didn't use as I didn't have)
2 tbsp double cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsly ground black pepper
15 cardamom seeds powdered ( i added 10 )
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Pinch of chat masala for sprinkle in the end which I didn't use as i didn't have)

Mix the chicken , lime juice, chillies and giner together in a bowl and marinate for 15 minyutes.
In another bowl mix together the yougurt, cream and coconut cream, then stir in the salt black pepper and cardamom powder.
Mix with the chicken and marinade and keep in the fridge for 2- 3 hours.

Preaheat a grill to high or heat a sturdy grill ( tha is what I did) pan over a high heat ( or a light a barbacue).
Thread the chicken on to skewers, brush with oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side and cooked through.
Sprinkle with chat masala, if using and serve with roties, onion pickles and green chutney.