Curried Fried Rice...

Another recipe today...this gets me 'all caught up'...and ready to get back to crafting!!

Curried Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Oil
6-7 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
4-5 green cardamon pods, crushed open
1 cinnamon stick, crushed
1 Tbsp green fennel seeds
1/3 cup whole raw almonds
1 finely chopped onion
1-2 green chilies (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (if you can't find prepared, use equal parts of each mixed together)
mixed vegetables, 1 small package, frozen
3 cups basmati rice
1 can coconut milk + enough water to equal 5 cups
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp garum masala
salt to taste (usually about 2 tsps)

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter in oil over low heat in a heavy bottomed stock pot. You will end up with 6-8 cups cooked rice, so use an appropriate sized pot.
2. Add the cloves, bay leaves, cardamon pods, cinnamon stick and green fennel seeds.
3. When the aroma of the spices is noticeable, add the raw almonds. Stir occasionally until the almonds are lightly roasted.
4. Increase the heat to medium-low and add the onion and green chilies (if desired). Cook until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Increase the heat to medium and add the frozen mixed vegetables. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are warmed through.
7. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut milk with enough water to make a total of 5 cups of liquid. Add the salt until the liquid is obviously salty (this is OK as the rice will adsorb most of the saltiness), then add the sugar and the garum masala. Set aside.
8. Add the rice to the onion/vegetable/spice mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice kernels appear opaque.
9. Add the coconut/water mixture to the rice and bring to a full boil (stirring constantly and increasing the heat if necessary). The mixture will become thicker before it boils. Turn on a second element to 'simmer or low' to have ready for the next step.
10. When the rice mixture reaches a full boil, put the lid on the pot and transfer the pot to the alternate element (set on simmer or low).
11. Cook for 25 minutes, take off the stove and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Bahmi Goreng

I'm reposting my recipes (previously shared over at the SEI Lifestyle blog) to make sure I have them all in one place for when I make my photo recipe books this Christmas...

Bahmi Goreng

Ingredients
4 cups medium egg noodles (mie noodles)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup lean ground chicken (or pork)
1 pound of crispy cooked bacon (crumbled)
4 eggs, fried and thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 leek, washed and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1 Tbsp ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce, if you can't locate it, there are online recipes based on soy sauce)
2 tsp sambal oelek (optional, may be substituted with your favorite hot sauce)
salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Instructions:
1. Fry the bacon, drain the fat and crumble, put aside. Fry the eggs, slice thinly, put aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain, rinse and put aside.
3. Boil the cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts for 3 minutes. Drain and put aside.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Fry the ground chicken (or pork). Add the onion and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the bacon crumbles back to the meat and onion mixture.
6. Add the leek to the meat mixture. After 1 minute, add the boiled vegetables, stir well.
7. Add the spices, then the noodles and lastly the eggs, stir very well and serve warm.

Low Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

If you followed my week of blogging over at the SEI Lifestyle blog about a month ago, you know that in 2011 I'm making a special effort to document my family's recipes...here's one for low fat banana muffins...I usually make this one once on the weekend with the overipe bananas left from the week. Because they have some chocolate chips in them, the kids enjoy them too!! The base recipe was #122910 at food.com, but I've modified it to fit our taste.

LOW FAT BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

3 ripe bananas

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (1 snack pack)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

coarse sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mash bananas, add applesauce and sugar.

3. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.

4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well

5. Add chocolate chips.

6. Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins (I don't use liners as these moist muffins stick really bad).

7. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

That's it! Now, I just need to get a picture!!

 

Indian Fish Curry...

This recipe is naturally low in calories...about 200/cup, if I remember correctly...just watch the amount of oil at the start and you're good to go...

Indian Fish Curry  

Ingredients  

2 pounds mild white fish fillets (I use Tilapia)

2 pounds onions (~4-5 medium onions)

3 tsp salt, divided

1-2 tsp Indian red chili powder (optional--the closest I found here is cayenne)

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil 3 bay leaves

1 crushed cinnamon stick

12 whole cloves

5-6 green cardamom pods, crushed

2 green chilies (optional--2 halepeno or 1 serano)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2-4 tbsp tamarind paste (depends on strength of paste)

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp garum marsala powder

1 bunch fresh cilantro

vegetable soup stock, optional  

Instructions:  

1.        Cube fish into approx. 1 inch cubes. Mix with 2 tsp salt, Indian chili powder and tumeric and set aside to marinate.

2.      Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Add cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods. Stir frequently for 15 minutes.

3.     Add finely chopped onions, bay leaves and green chilies. Cook on medium to low heat until onions are clear and transparent and release their fluid, approx. 45 minutes. Do not cook too quickly as onions will carmelize.

4.      Add salt, tomato paste, ginger garlic paste and tamarind paste. Mix and heat through. If mixture is too thick, add vegetable stock or water to thin slightly…keep the mixture quite thick as the finished dish will have the consistency of this mixture.

5.      Stir in the coriander and garum marsala…add the fish and stir. Cook over medium heat until fish is cooked through, approx. 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Over cooking or over stirring will shred the fish into tiny pieces.

6.      Add finely chopped cilantro, stir and remove from heat. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve over rice or with nan bread. Refrigerate leftovers (they’re even better the next day!)  

Note: I’ve given recommended starting points for the spices…Use all spices ‘to taste’, as depending on the manufacturer, the strength can vary from brand to brand and from batch to batch. If you overdo the tamarind paste (too sour), salt can balance the sourness a bit. If it’s too hot, a spoon of sugar can take the edge off, otherwise, eat more rice!  

lo cal south indian chicken curry...

All of my Indian recipes come from my sister in law, Shobha...this one I adapted by substituting chicken breast (for the thighs) and adding tomatoes in place of tomato paste (we often eat just one Indian dish at a time, rather than the traditional multiple sides (mostly vegetables) at a single meal).

Indian Chicken Curry

2 tbsp canola oil

10-12 cloves

6 green cardamon pods, cracked open

1 cinnamon stick, crushed

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (14 oz) chicken stock

1 tsp salt

Indian chili powder (cayenne pepper is the closest I've found here), optional

38 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat oil, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon in a thick bottomed pot. Add onions and cook on low heat until translucent and 'sweaty'--you DO NOT want to caramelize the onions (this may take up to 45 minutes)...Add the ginger garlic paste, garam masala, coriander, tomatoes, chicken stock and salt. Increase heat to achieve a low boil. Add chicken and simmer until cooked. Add chopped cilantro and tumeric and stir through. Serve over Basmati Rice. 1 cup of the Indian chicken curry served with 1 cup Basmati rice has 400 calories....(chicken curry is 195 calories/cup and Basmati rice is 205 calories/cup).

Toodles!!