Pretty Pictures

Just some pretty pictures from my weekend at the beach.

Chicken Satay

Chicken Satay
Serves 12

2 T creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 T brown sugar
2 T curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T hot sauce
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

In a large bowl, add everything but the chicken and mix well. Once mixed, add chicken and coat well with marinade. Marinate for a couple of hours. Place chicken on skewers and grill on high heat for about 5 mins. per side.

Sesame Noodles

When my cousin Sana visited a couple of weeks ago, I made these sesame noodles. She loved them, and so did I. I don't think there were any leftovers of this one.

Sesame Noodles
Serves 2-3

1/2 package (8 oz) linguine pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T sugar
3 T olive oil
3 T rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T chili sauce
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Boil the pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, add pasta to a large bowl. While pasta is boiling, add garlic, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce to a saucepan and bring to boil. Make sure that all the sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over linguine and toss to coat. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Dum Dum Shrimp

I don't how I came up with the name of this dish, but I like it.

Dum Dum Shrimp
Serves 4

2 to 3 large garlic cloves
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. paprika
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Crush the garlic with some salt in a small bowl. Then add cayenne and paprika. Stir in oil and lemon juice to form a paste. Toss shrimp with this paste.

Grill the shrimp or broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

This is soooo good!

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 2

1 large eggplant - cut into at least 6 half-inch rounds
6 to 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 bottle of your favorite tomato sauce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Freshly torn basil

Brush each side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil, and salt and pepper the rounds. Place the rounds on the grill on medium-high heat. Allow the eggplant to grill around 10 mins on each side - just until the eggplant begins to char. Then add a slice of mozzarella to each slice of eggplant. Cover the grill and allow the mozzarella to melt. Once the mozzarella has melted remove the eggplant from the grill.

To assemble one serving of the eggplant parmesan, add some of your heated tomato sauce to the bottom of a dish, add one eggplant rounds, add tomato sauce on top of that, and repeat the process until you have three rounds with sauce drizzled on the top. Garnish with basil.

Enjoy!

Kichiri

Kichiri is one of the ultimate Indian comfort foods. When I was growing up, Bibi would make kichiri and khaghina (tomato and egg scramble) for Sunday brunch. It was one of the best meals. So, of course, I wanted to make it. I made the kichiri, but didn’t make the khagina – for some reason my mom won’t give me that recipe. I’ll have to bug her about it. Anyways, I ended up eating the kichiri with Bibi’s tomato chutney. It tasted like home.

Kichiri

Serves 3-4

1 cup basmati rice
½ cup masoor daal (red lentils) – washed and set aside
½ cup chopped onions
¼ tsp. turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 T olive oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic


In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until they become soft and translucent. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Saute seasonings. Add rice and lentils. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to boil, turn heat to low, cover and allow rice to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala

Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 T olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cayenne
4 metal skewers or 10 to 12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

Cut chicken breasts into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Combine with lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl combine yogurt, garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Mix well and add to chicken. Toss, cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours. Preheat grill. Tread chicken onto skewers. Grill for about 6-8 minutes. Turn frequently while grilling.