Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Indian Cuisine, Poultry, hamburger, kid friendly
Wednesday Sep 1, 2010
These burgers hold a special place in my heart- why you ask- well, because this was the first time my daughter started eating burgers! She does not like sandwiches- they only one she will eat is a jam sandwich. I don’t make it for her very often since it offers hardly any food value.
I made this for a barbecue and she had been outside playing all day and came in completely famished and ready to pounce on dinner. I had planned on giving her grilled sausages with corn since I knew she was not keen on the hamburgers- but surprise, surprise- she picked up a burger and started eating it.
I made these simply with ground turkey, ginger and some fresh mint and cilantro. I flavored them with salt and garam masala. I also whipped up a quick cilantro mayonnaise with lots of fresh cilantro, green onions and lemon juice. It is amazing how much different a few key ingredients can make a huge difference- the mayo was delicious.
My daughter had the burger with baby spinach but no mayo. She loved it and announced that she will be eating burgers from now on. I am thrilled- yet another food group had been added to her vast collection.
Try these burger this weekend- they are quick, easy and delicious…
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Appetizers/Snacks, Indian Cuisine, Poultry, kid friendly
Tuesday Aug 31, 2010
I made these a few weeks ago for a barbecue we were having. I decided to make these seekh kebab to serve as appetizers with some shrimp. I love making seekh kebabs since they are so simple and full of flavor.
I kept it real simple for these particular ones. The two main ingredients I added were ginger and mint. I love the two aromatics together- they make anything taste delicious.
I of course started with ground turkey meat. You can use ground pork or lamb but since turkey meat is healthier- I always use that.
I simply marinated the meat with ginger, mint, cilantro, coriander powder and garam masala. I beat an egg for binding and some salt- thats it. It is great for this mixture to sit for a few hours if not over night (that would be ideal). It is amazing what a difference over night makes- the seekh kebab come out a lot more flavorful.
I have extra long metal skewers which I used to make the seekh kebabs on the grill outside. It doesn’t take very long for the meat to cook and so they were done in no time. I served them with some mint chutney and it was a wonderful appetizer.
You could serve in hot dog or any other kind of buns and make a meal out of them. Drizzle some mint chutney on top and maybe some onions and you have a fabulous sandwich.
Try the ginger and mint seekh kebab for your next barbecue….
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Appetizers/Snacks, Entrées, Indian Cuisine, Poultry, kid friendly
Thursday Aug 26, 2010
My daughter was complaining to me the other day about missing chicken nuggets. She claimed not to remember the last time she had them. In my mind- that is a good thing. I explained to her chicken nuggets are for younger kids and especially for those who are a bit picky and don’t like to eat anything else. It didn’t make her feel better and asked me to buy some.
I convinced her to let me make her some instead and she agreed.
I have made chicken cutlets in the past that she has enjoyed. I almost always use panko bread crumbs to add the crunch- plus I always bake them and never fry.
For these- I decided to add an Indian spin to them. I marinated the chicken tenders in garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. All these ingredients gave the chicken super flavor- I was already to a good start.
Next I prepared the breading. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves to the panko breadcrumbs to add great flavor. I added turmeric, salt and coriander powder to the flour. All in all it was a lot of deliciousness going on with all the spices.
My daughter was watching me as I was putting the cutlets together and was not happy with the way they looked- especially the green curry leaves. As usual, I convinced her to try them and she was thrilled- she loved them. She claimed the chicken reminded her of popcorn! I served the chicken with the tomato rice and it was a delicious meal…
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Indian Cuisine, Vegetarian, kid friendly, one pot meals
Wednesday Aug 25, 2010
This is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?
In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.
The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Indian Cuisine, Vegetarian, kid friendly
Monday Aug 23, 2010
Here we go again- this is yet another version of cauliflower. I should go back and look on this blog and count how many different cauliflower recipes I have. It is my husbands favorite thing to eat so I try to make it as much as I can- the problem is, coming up with different versions of the same vegetable- yes you are right- I am patting myself on the back for coming up with a new recipe.
Well, it is really not new. I remember eating this kind of a dish at wedding parties in India. It was not the most healthy way of cooking it.. they would fry the cauliflower florets and potatoes first and then cook it with lots of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. It tasted really good but I certainly didn’t want to make it the same way. So- I decided to roast the vegetables in a large cookie sheet to attain similar results. I roasted them till they were soft and golden brown. I then started a saucepan with oil, cumin seeds, onion, ginger and garlic. I later added the crushed tomatoes and other spices.
Overall, it is a fairly simple dish with a few extra steps- but it is worth the work. The dish is delicious…
Click here for the recipe… »