Egg Curry - Quail or Chicken Eggs, your wish

An Egg Curry with a little mulligatawny influences...

Following the quail egg post, hey hey...I have heard from you: One quail egg cholesterol is equivalent to one chicken egg. Goodness gracious! Even though the nutrition is much higher in quail egg, you tend to consume more quail eggs in one serving compared to chicken eggs (which we usually just have 1 each). That is the "danger" lurking...and it is extremely scary.

I ate 3 quail eggs from this dish I cooked, which means 3-4 chicken eggs in that one serving! I advise you to change to chicken eggs for this less-than-20 minute-recipe....if you wish.


Egg Curry
Ingredients: Few hard-boiled eggs; 2 tomatoes, sliced to bite-size; 2 small red onions, thinly sliced; 2-3 cloves garlic; 1 big pinch cumin; 1 big pinch fennel; 1tsp curry powder; 1 small pinch turmeric; small pinch salt and black pepper to taste

Directions: Heat some oil in a wok/pan. Fry the cumin, fennel to slightly roast them and exude their aroma. Add onions, curry powder and turmeric and and fry with cumin and fennel. When onions turn slightly translucent, add tomatoes and mix well. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cup water and allow mixture to simmer. Add salt and black pepper to taste. When gravy starts to reduce, add in hard-boiled egg. Serve with steamed rice.


This is not-the-kind-of-thick-gravy-curry. Its consistency resembles South Indian Rasam and with tangy flavors borrowed from the tomatoes. Tomatoes are what make many Indian curries so good! The delicious and appetizing taste of this "thin" curry - you should try it and you will know.

Tag: eggs, chicken, chicken eggs, quail, quail eggs

An Escape to Food on Facebook

Vegetable Biryani (Briyani) + Giveway in Fan Club

Other than the Chinese food I whipped up for my dad, I also cooked vegetable biryani when their helper was away. I have cooked vegetable biryani many times (I love Indian food! I must say biryani is one of the easiest, most fragrant one-dish rice meal) and it even got the thumbs-ups from my Indian friend.

The point is - I learn this recipe from this same Indian friend's mom who told him the ingredients (only ingredients, no quantity given) over the phone; and my friend passed it down to me through a separate conversation. I am not sure about the misses in this recipe while passing the "parcels". I did some reconstructions along the way, piecing up the vegetables, spices and the estimated quantity I would need in proportion to one another. Well, it was a hit at the end! No misses. ^o^

Vegetable Biryani/Briyani
- you cook the entire dish start to finish on the stove-top -- are you this ?
- you partially cook the dish on the stove-top and finish it off in the rice cooker -- or this ?
- you cook the entire dish in the rice cooker... -- or this ?


oh YES...did I say the entire dish in the rice cooker? This will be one recipe featured in my upcoming cookbook, Fall 2010 (August 2010)  - The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook.

For now, let my dad enjoy this dish...



In conjunction with the cookbook, join my Facebook Fan Club - An Escape to Food - and win a giveaway. Details will follow in the Fan Club.

An Escape to Food on Facebook

I'm actually a gone-case in Facebook and I don't even tweet. Embrace the social media, tell me about it, for I only log into Facebook to play my Bejeweled game. Not only a gone-case. A nutcase too. But with this Fan Club, I will be doing more. For you only - latest blog updates, my cookbook previews and giveaway.

Tag: rice, one dish, biryani,vegetable biryani

Ghee and Indian cooking

I almost decided not to post this as the photos just don't make the mark. Well, I "QC" (Quality Control) myself...

But I wanted to know what you think of this ingredient as it remains controversial if this is "good" or "evil". While the article in SFGate is not the first one that says GHEE is not that bad after all, some of us do have a negative picture of it. It was the first time just six months ago when I have used GHEE. First time in my entire life, I have used ghee in my cooking (I am Asian and Ghee is seriously NOT something we find in a Chinese pantry)! And it was in my friend's kitchen where my Indian culinary skills improved by another baby step :D

The Making of Indian-Inspired Mashed Potatoes..

If butter was evil, then ghee's gotta be good. Do you agree?


Can ghee be our momentary glee?

More Indian-inspired recipes:
Indian Green Beans
Cabbage and Carrot Indian Curry
Spiced Okra with Tomatoes


Tag: ghee, butter

Bean Sprouts - stir fry Chinese- or Indian-style? A battle rattles

I am not a big fan of bean sprouts, frankly, as I have incidents of eating raw sprouts; and completely...absolutely...hate that raw taste. Maybe it was due to the unpicked roots? So tell me if you bother to remove the roots.

Nope. You shall not have salted fish to flavor up this dish. When that happens, what will you do?

How about a Chinese stir-try done simply with green onions and ginger?


-OR- a recipe using Indian spices of cumin, turmeric, then finished off with salt and black pepper ? Oh, you can add some firm tofu cubes to add more protein to the dish if you prefer.Or you can try Rasa Malaysia's version - bean sprouts with tofu puffs.


This Indian Spiced Bean Sprouts with Tofu is good with steamed rice.


Salted fish is flavorful I know, but it is not all healthy (so much sodium!). Just do not use it excessively.


Aside from the fact that I am not a fan of bean sprouts, they are rich in digestible energy, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes and phytochemicals. This sprout of a legume and tofu made from legume -soy beans, in this Indian Spiced Bean Sprouts with Tofu recipe should fit the vegetarian theme of My Legume Love affair or MLLA - 19 - an event originally created by Susan of  The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Tag: bean sprouts, stir fry

Spiced Okra with Tomatoes

Turmeric is definitely a spice that I have used more often now, because of my likes all around Indian food. Remember Spicy Green Beans, Spicy Green Beans with Carrots, Cabbage Curry and Curried Potato and Mushrooms? Love them with turmeric! And for Think Spice event, hosted at Bengali Cuisine in November, I have this easy tomato okra recipe that makes use of spices such as turmeric, cumin and black pepper. Turmeric.....AHhhhhhhhh...this spice has touted health benefits too.


Spiced Okra with Tomatoes
Ingredients: 3 gloves garlic, minced; 3 shallots, thinly sliced, 1 medium-sized tomato; okra, sliced into cubes; salt, to taste; 1/4 tsp of ground cumin; 1/4 tsp of turmeric; 1 tsp curry powder; ground black pepper, to taste

Directions: Heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and shallots and saute till fragrant. Add tomatoes and okra, mix well; add cumin turmeric, curry powder, then some water, and allow it to simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes. When mixture(okra) start to turn tender, add salt and black pepper to taste and continue to simmer till gravy is mostly absorbed into the okra. Serve with steamed rice.



Tag: okra, turmeric

Cabbage and Carrot Indian Curry

Cabbage must be one of the most "cross-functional" vegetables. They appear more "international" in various cuisines - Western, Chinese, Indian, Malay etc., compared to a vegetable such as Bok Choy (there must be a reason why Bok Choy is typically classified under "Chinese Vegetable") which I would almost never see in Indian food or Malay food, unless you do a fusion of cuisine, just like how I attempted to use Bok Choy in Beef and Mushroom Pasta.



I vary cuisines in my cooking, quite often. While I frequently use cabbage in Chinese dishes such as Mixed Vegetables Stew- Chap Chye, Fried Rice and Chinese Stir Fry, I go for a change once in a while and maybe?... ...use a different cabbage variety like Red Cabbage in a Stir Fry or try a different cooking style by tapping on Indian spices and call the dish, an Indian dish? Cabbage is also popularly used in a Southeast Asian dish, Sayur Lodeh

This is an easy and tasty cabbage dish I enjoy. And especially in the cold seasons, the mild spices in this dish would particularly make me yearn for an extra bowl of piping warm steamed rice. Just rice topped with this Indian cabbage curry...can be pleasure.



Indian Cabbage Curry
Ingredients: 1 small head cabbage, shredded; 1 small carrot, shredded; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 shallots, thinly sliced; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tbsp curry powder; pinch of red chili flakes; pinch of salt and black pepper

Directions:
1. In a heated pot with some oil, add shallots and garlic and fry till fragrant
2. Add carrots and cabbage, stir and mix well. Then add, ground cumin, turmeric, curry powder and mix thoroughly in the pot
3. Cover pot and allow mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes, till cabbage softens (and reduces in volume). Stir and mix occasionally for spices to be absorbed into the vegetables
4. Add chili flakes, then salt and black pepper to taste

To keep it light, you can have this dish as salad and why not, if there is this light meal event going on till 31st October 2009 ? Hop over and take up with your vegetarian recipes.


Tag: cabbage, curry

Curried Potato and Mushrooms + attempt to grow Curry Leaves failed!

Remember my last Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) entry on Curry Leave, Curry Love? On the note that

(1) "... ... the FLAVOR of FRESH curry LEAVES is SUPERIOR and IRREPLACEABLE";
(2) neither dirt cheap nor easily available in the Bay Area, CA

we decided to try growing them in Singapore - to get the technique right at least (assuming growing conditions in Singapore are conducive?) so that we may have chance to grow them back in our backyard *day dream* back in CA and I can use the leaves FRESH and CHEAP in my cooking, whenever I need *day dream*. Allow me to day dream, pls.



In this week's WHB with Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, let me share some experience in growing curry leaves. They might not have been successful but sharing failure lessons can help people out there avoid the same mistakes. At the same time, successful growers may like to offer some tips.

My parents have a curry leaf plant rooted to the garden's ground. We plucked a few fresh curry leaf stems and hope to use those stems to root.

1st try: We removed all the leaves from the stem before planting them in the pot(see potted plant above) + occasional watering + sunlight conditions.
Result: Failed. No growth or even sign of life observed after 1 month.

2nd try: We removed most of the lower leaves and planted them in a pot + occasional watering + sunlight conditions.
Result: Still failed. No growth observed.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG? Any tips out there?

Meanwhile, I will have better luck as a user of curry leaves - in this simple Indian-spiced Potato and Mushroom concoction.


Curried Potato and Mushrooms
Ingredients: potato, peeled and diced, mushrooms, diced; some butter, 3 to 4 curry leaves, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, garlic and onion

Directions: Melt the butter in a heated pan, saute the onions, garlic and curry leaves till fragrant. Then add mushrooms and potatoes and sprinkle in the spices (turmeric and cumin), mix well. Fry till potatoes and mushrooms are cooked (mushrooms become tender).


For similar recipes, you can also try this chick pea dish.

Tag: indian food, potato, curry leaf

Spicy Pinto Beans - legumes and beans

There is nothing really new about this recipe but it still proves exciting. Ever since I ventured into the Indian concoction of Spicy Green Beans and Spicy Chickpeas, I am into the trail to more legume recipes.


Spicy Pinto Beans
Ingredients: pinto beans, carrots cubed to bite-sizes, 4-5 shallots(or half medium onion) sliced, 2-3 garlic minced, 1-2tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, butter, salt, 1tbsp oil, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes

Directions: Add butter and 1tbsp oil to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, shallots saute till fragrant. Add in carrots and saute till carrots and onions are slightly tender/onions caramelized. Add the beans, then the spices. Salt to taste. Cook for about 10 mins in low-heat pan (note: if too dry, add some water/broth). Add in some freshly ground black pepper, mix well. Serve.


My Legume Love Affair (MLLA) was created by Susan - The Well-Seasoned Cook and shared by many fabulous hosts each time. This round, the 9th My Legume Love Affair is hosted by Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. Get a peek at the host line-up for this event here.

Tag: pinto beans, indian spices

Spicy Green Beans with Carrots

Seventh heaven! Seventh helping! Happy events are linked...someway or another. My Legume Love Affair is at its 7th helping. We have got Susan - The Well Seasoned Cook to thank, for bringing us such a wonderful event.

Spicy Green Beans with Carrots
Ingredients: green bean sliced, carrots cubed to bite-sizes, 4-5 shallots sliced, 2-3 garlic minced, 1-2tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, butter, salt, 1tbsp oil, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes

Directions: Add butter and 1tbsp oil to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, shallots saute till fragrant. Add in green beans, carrots and saute till green beans, carrots and onions are slightly tender/onions caramelized. Add the spices. Salt to taste. Cook for about 10 mins in low-heat pan (note: if too dry, add some water). Add in some freshly ground black pepper and red chili pepper flakes, mix well.


Other simple Indian recipes include:
Indian Green Beans
Indian Spicy Chickpeas

Tag: indian food, green bean

Indian Green Beans - mild spicy !

Hmmm....I really do not mind this vegetarian dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Another recipe that I've picked up from A's mom - we (me and YJ) call it by the name, Indian Green Beans. Hahahaha....that's another dish without a formal name. And the ingredients are almost similar to Indian Spicy Chickpeas.

Indian Green Beans
Ingredients: green bean sliced, 4-5 shallots sliced, 2-3 garlic minced, 1-2tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, butter, salt, 1tbsp oil, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes

Directions: Add butter and 1tbsp oil to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, shallots saute till fragrant. Add in green beans and saute till green beans and onions are slightly tender/onions caramelized. Add the spices. Salt to taste. Cook for about 10 mins in low-heat pan (note: if too dry, add some water). Add in some freshly ground black pepper and red chili pepper flakes, mix well.


Makes a really different dish as Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes. Imagine having traditional turkeys with these. Does it not bring a new revived flavor to year-end traditional holiday feasting ?


Tag: indian food, green bean

Indian spicy chickpeas - homemade, easy cooking

I've picked up a few good tricks in making Indian food. Butter, onions, cumin, turmeric....
Thanks to A's mom (YJ's mom-in-law). There is really no written recipe from Auntie. I just tried to listen hard as she spoke. It seems that cumin, onion, and turmeric are sure to be there. Maybe it was just that few dishes that I asked her which happened to use most of these ingredients. ^o^


Those essential spices really saved me. I used them again and again in my home Indian cooking now. I find these dishes very appetizing with steamed rice. Can't find any formal name for this recipe. Maybe somebody can help? For now, will just call it loosely...Homemade Indian Chickpea.

Indian Spicy Chickpeas/Curried Chickpeas
Ingredients: chickpeas (note: I use canned chickpeas, or known as garbanzo), 1 small onion diced, minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, curry leaf, salt and black pepper, dash of chili powder/paprika, some butter

Directions: Add butter to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, onions and curry leaf and mix well till fragrant (note: yes, it is the aroma of curry leaf!). Saute till onions are slightly soft/caramelized. Add in chickpeas and the spices. Salt to taste. Cook a few minutes in low-heat pan. Add in some freshly ground black pepper, mix well.



I find beans and peas such easy ingredients to deal with, esp. when I am swarmed at work and have no time to cook anything. And it has indeed started My Legume Love Affair, created by sweet lovely Susan-The Well Seasoned Cook.



Homemade Indian recipes:
Egg masala
Cauliflower, cabbage and pea curry - Version I
Cauliflower, cabbage and pea curry - Version II

Oh, revive my love for Indian food!

Tag: indian food, chickpea, garbanzo beans

Muruku and Indian savory snacks

It is not surprising. The snack I was talking about in my last post on Deepavali lunch is Muruku. This is a popular savory snack in India. YESsssss! Savory is good for me! I just love the crunchiness and cumin aroma.


I don't know the name for this. Some kind of crunchy fried flour with peanuts and curry leaf. Someone....pleeeaaaasssee...tell me the name...

Tag: indian cuisine, muruku, Singapore eating

Indian mutton balls, lamp chops, briyani, fish sambal - a Deepavali lunch invite

We love Indian food. Naturally, hubby and I were delighted and privileged to be invited by YJ and YJ's mom-in-law, to a Deepavali lunch last weekend. YJ happened to be in Singapore during this time while her hubby, A (also our friend) is still in US. So....A, we are going to eat your mom's superb Indian/Tamil cooking on your behalf, ok? :D Thank you - A and YJ, for the invite and all the delicious food.

There were chicken curry, fried chicken wings, lamp choppies, kola urundai (minced mutton balls), vegetable briyani, cucumber raita and fish sambal. All-so-yummy!


A closer glance at kola urundai (minced mutton balls)


These are lamp choppies which were cooked above charcoal fire. WhoaAAA!

Coming up next will be some Indian snacks that had me crunching over Deepavali last week. Also, I've learn more about Indian cooking from A's mom and have started cooking a few Indian vegetarian food based on her verbal tips and recipes. Thanks, auntie :)

I only had the chance to update the Deepavali lunch and snacks this week, as I have been busy ever since work started. How I wish this working nightmare can be gone forever. Meanwhile, hoping that my passion in food keeps me sane and alive, till our dream comes true.

Tag: indian cuisine, lamp chops, Singapore eating

Indian instant ramen - my indian-flavored instant noodles

Confess! Confess! How many of you keep instant noodle pack in your pantry? How many? What brand? When I came here, I bought a box of 48 packs Nissin Top Ramen from Costco! These 6 48 packs (not 6 pks, too bad) are reserved as "back-ups" when the cook does not feel like cooking. :D For a while till now, I have not been using the seasoning pack that comes bundled with the noodle. Not all bundled goods and services come good. Well well, I wanted to ease my guilt of cooking something instant (noodles) many consider not-so-nutritious. Most instant noodles come oil-fried (dried precooked noodles fused with oil), so I will have to halve the "guilt" by using "either-or"...so can you tell me, it is better to use the noodles and do away with the ready-seasonings, or the other way round ? ;P ...either noodles or the seasonings...I chose the noodles (it's more substantial, HA!). And still made it to a quick and tasty noodle dish, as easy as using the ready-seasoning. I would love to share this delight over at Presto Pasta Night.

Instant. Instant. What make instant noodles instant? The noodles or the seasoning?

Indian-flavored "instant" noodles
Ingredients:
-1 pack instant noodle (just use the noodles, no seasoning required)
-1/2 Trader Joes canned tuna
-some edamame beans
-pinches of turmeric spice powder
-pinches of curry powder
-1tbsp of Trader Joes Indian Relish, option (Note: You can use some tomatoes, onions - saute and add some garam masala spice - for flavor)


I promise you could make this instant without the ready-seasonings :)

Method:
1. Cook instant noodles as per normal. Set aside when cooked
2. In a small sauce pan, add in all the ingredients (except the edamame beans) and mix well over low-medium heat for 3-4mins. (Note: The tuna is already cooked, so this step is basically for the spices to blend into the tuna flakes to create a lightly curry-flavored tuna, and warm up the mixture).
3. Add some water, if too dry
4. Add in edamame beans last since you won't want them to be overcooked
5. Once cooked, dish entire mixture over the noodles. The noodles would be just right, soaked with a lil' gravy, not too dry.

A easy noodle dish, fused with light aromatic indian spice and flavors

Hope you like the idea and try it your ways. A more luxurious way of having this is to use fish fillets like Melting Wok.

Tag: instant noodles, indian, canned tuna

Indian cauliflower and pea curry, with poached egg

Minus the cabbage and chickpeas, this curry has become even simpler - just cauliflower, peas and the same spices used here. I need to go on a diet (errrr.....?) though this may not be an actual diet meal (what is a diet meal anyway? I don't know). You see...I don't even go to the extent of finding out what food to eat and what to avoid in an event of a diet..so how can I ever go on a diet? This is too alien to me. I only know how to spell the word-D.I.E.T. To: WokandSpoon, who prepares her salad-meals so diligently, "I need to learn from you". Sshhhhhheee...tsk tsk...I'm just running out of what to write in this post, so I turned it into a diet-meal post. Boo hoo hoo (tigerfish is a cheat!). You see, Jaden - I don't have 42 drafts in my folder like you - though I may have wild incoherent thoughts (sometimes...always). There are just a lack of words in me recently (aka just too lazy to write). It's getting too hot to write. Sitting and sweating through my shirt in front of the PC. Have you ever stare blankly at your draft post for several minutes and wondering what to write?

Okie. This dish is sought of a repeat but I ate it differently, with a poached egg and so finding some silly excuse to call it a diet meal, and giving you a chance to call me lazy crazy. Just do you know what I am driving at, or rambling about?

Dry curry on a poached egg complements well in taste and flavor


Climbing up Mt. Everest may not be as tough as it seems


Would you see this only in Indian dining or NEVER EVER ?


The trio that got lost in the Yellow River


Reflections...or earthquake!!! and the buildings collapse!

So little food that I'm so hungry now (how can I ever go on a diet, I ask again). Going to spoon myself more curry ;) , and maybe cook myself some rice.

More indian food:
Egg masala
Cauliflower, cabbage and pea curry
Fish curry

Tag: vegetables, vegetarian, cauliflower, curry, cauliflower curry, masala