Tag: sour cream
Indian Style Latkes
Here is my take on potato latkes… !
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 2 green onions, minced
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 serrano chile, minced
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2-3 tablespoons chickpea flour (all-purpose flour will be fine)
- ½ cup extra light olive oil heated to about 200 degrees.
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a small lined cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Line a large mixing bowl with a cheese cloth. Grate the potatoes in the cloth and squeeze all the liquid out and put back into the bowl. Add the shallots, green onions, ginger, chile, cilantro, egg, salt and the coriander powder. Slowly add the flour, mix well until the mixture is thick.
Scoop the mixture with a ¼ cup measure. Place it gently in the hot oil and flatten it with the back of the cup measure. Cook on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on both sides or till golden brown. Take out on a platter lined with paper towels, drain well and place in the oven to keep hot.
Serve with cilantro cream or apple chutney.
Makes 9-10 medium sized latkes.
Cilantro Cream
- ½ cup low-fat sour cream
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
In a blender, add the sour cream, cilantro, lime-juice and salt. Blend till smooth- you may need to add a couple teaspoons of water to start the blending process. Take out in a small bowl and serve with the latkes.
Apple Chutney
- One large honey crisp apple, cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- Salt
In a small saucepan, add the apple, cider, vinegar, sugar, cloves, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the apples till they are soft and the liquid is half the amount- about 10 minutes. Smash the apples with the back of a ladle and mix with the thickened liquid. Cook for another 5 minutes and take out in a bowl and serve with the latkes.
Chicken Korma
- 1½ skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½ inch pieces
Marinade
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup low-fat sour cream
- ¼ cup half and half
- ½ medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 inch ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix the yogurt, sour cream, half and half, onion, garlic, ginger, salt and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours if not over night.
- ½ cup cashews soaked over night in ½ cup hot water
Blend the cashews with the water into a paste. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds (shaahi zeera)
- 2 green cardamoms, crushed
- 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 3 to 4 cloves, crushed
- 1 large or 2 small yellow onions, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a deep saucepan with the oil. Add the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the onions, garlic, cashew paste and cook medium heat for at least 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken with the marinade and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Take the lid off and turn the heat up to medium high and let the excess moisture evaporate- another 10 minutes stirring constantly. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.
Chicken Paprikash
I saw Michael Symon make this recipe on some show and was reminded of a dish my Mom used to make for us… so I kind of blended the two and came up with my own version.. it is a great weekday, healthy meal to serve your family…
- 5 to 6 chicken drumsticks, with skin
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Mix the paprika, garlic, oil and salt in a small bowl. Rub all over the chicken and marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 1 small red pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 14 ounces crushed tomato
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ cup dill, chopped
Heat a heavy saucepan with the butter and olive oil. Brown the chicken pieces on medium high heat on all sides. Take out of the pan and keep the chicken pieces aside. Add the thyme, onion, peppers and paprika. Saute on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the crushed tomato and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chicken back to the pan with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer on lower heat, covered for 15 to 20 minutes. Take the lid off the take the chicken pieces out to take off the bone (you can leave on the bone if desired). In the meantime, add the flour to the sour cream, mix well and add to the pan. Mix well and add salt if needed. Add the parsley and dill. Mix well and serve with egg noodles.
Migas Tacos- An Austin, TX Favorite..
I made these tacos for the New York Times, Local a few weeks ago. It was right after my daughter and I returned from our trip to Austin. We go there almost every year to visit family and really enjoy the Mexican food- it tastes a lot more authentic and it is available almost everywhere.
One of the things I really enjoyed was something called migas tacos. Eggs were cooked with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and topped with cheese. The one ingredient that makes these tacos different are the tortillas chips- yes thats right- crunchy tortillas strips are added to the eggs while cooking. The chips provided a great texture and flavor to the eggs. The cooked eggs are placed on a tortilla and topped with cheese- what could be better than that? Well, how about a roasted poblano and avocado crema…
I made this yummy, creamy sauce to complement the tacos. It was delicious on top of warm, savory tacos.
Overall, the meal was a big success. I made some vegetarian refried beans and roasted potatoes on the side. I made them for dinner and everyone loved them- including my daughter. For her, I skipped the jalapenos and tomatoes. She had some of the beans but doesn’t like potatoes.
Try these tacos for a brunch or dinner – you will love them.
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Rib Eye Steak with Feta Sauce Served with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes
This is a delicious steak dinner. We don’t eat out as much as we used to. Partly because of the economy and mostly because of this blog and all the cooking I end up doing at home.
Also after watching movies like ‘Food Inc‘, I am very leery about eating out. I can’t get the chickens and the cows out of my head. I am now very careful about where I buy and eat beef.
Anyway, I found some really nice looking grass fed rib eye steaks. I love eating a good steak but rarely order it at a restaurant- I don’t want to spend a fortune outside when I can make them at home- and they are fabulous.
I usually make oven fries with the steak- I love potatoes and this is my favorite way of making them. I had very nice looking asparagus- I served them simply sauteed with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Now, for the steaks- again, very simple- olive oil, salt and pepper but I wanted to serve them with a sauce. I love the usual gorgonzola sauce which is made with lots of yummy gorgonzola and cream. It is very delicious but loaded with calories. I had feta in my fridge and decided to use that and make a sauce. It is naturally low in fat so I paired it with some roasted garlic and low fat sour cream. The sauce was delicious! We did not miss the gorgonzola sauce at all!
My daughter loved the meal as well minus the potatoes and the sauce. She loves asparagus and steak. We were all happy and it was a great Sunday meal.
Next time you want to impress someone- make the rib eye steaks with the feta sauce.
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Indian Meatballs with Cilantro Cream
I made this for a party recently. It is essentially seekh kebabs and I have made them many times before.
Since I had to bring a hot appetizer, and I wanted to keep it simple- I decided to make these. They are quick and delicious.
The other reason for making these is that I can make them with ground turkey. It is healthy and with all that delicious flavor mixed in- you can’t go wrong.
I decided to shape them a bit differently- into round bite sized meatballs. Instead of cooking them on the stovetop, I decided to bake them in the oven. To get a good color, you can broil them first for a few minutes and continue baking them if the insides are not cooked yet.
Typically seekh kebab are served with a cilantro and green chili chutney. So, I decided to use a version of that chutney and add it to some low fat sour cream. It is a great condiment to serve with a number of appetizers or even entrees. I usually have some green chutney made in my fridge so making this cilantro cream was a cinch.
Overall, it was a delicious snack. My daughter had a few before leaving home- she kept saying how delicious they were. Once we got the party, she parked herself next to the table and devoured quite a few more. I had to physically pull her away so other people could get a taste as well.
While I was making these, I thought I could form these meatballs and cook them in an Indian style tomato gravy.. hmm- very interesting idea. Stay tuned- I am sure a recipe will be posted soon- whenever I get a recipe idea in my mind- it consumes me till I have made it. Enjoy!
- 1 pound ground dark turkey meat
- 1 small white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Preheat the oven to broil.
Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil
Makes about 15 meatballs.
Process the onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro in a food processor. Add the mixture to the ground meat in a medium bowl. Add the egg, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well with both hands and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Form 1 inch balls and place on the cookie sheet.
Broil on high till all sides are golden brown- about 5-6 minutes on both sides. Check to see if the inside is cooked. If it is not cooked fully, then bake on 375 degrees for a few more minutes.
Cilantro Cream
- 1 cup low fat sour cream
- ¼ cup cilantro chutney
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients well and keep aside. Serve with the meatballs.
A Southwestern Side Dish Recipe & Tips for a Stress Free Party: Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Salad
This is a very simple side dish to serve at summer barbecues. I made it with the chorizo burgers and chose the poblano peppers for their smoky flavor. The peppers are not very spicy, and once they are roasted and peeled- they are delicious!
I used fresh corn but frozen can be used as well- although in the summer, I would recommend fresh corn! The sour cream adds a nice creaminess to the salad without overpowering it- the subtle sourness goes very well with the sweet corn and the smoky pepper. The salad is extremely healthy- a bit of olive oil and low fat sour cream. I made a lot of it so I could have a little bit of the burger and the oven fries and fill up on the salad.
I like making simple and fast sides that can be done ahead of time. This one can be served room temperature- so it’s perfect. I made it in the afternoon for an evening barbecue. The key to having a successful barbecue or any other get together is getting everything done in advance. In this case I had the burgers ready in the fridge. All the sides were done and placed in a serving platter. I had all the plates, cups, napkins set outside in the afternoon- so I didn’t have to worry about anything once the guests arrived. The dessert was in the fridge and the plate of tortilla chips and guacamole was out. Another important thing to have out is a garbage can on the deck so people don’t have to go inside if they don’t want to. The one thing I do before my guests come- is- make sure my dishwasher is completely empty. It makes a big difference- I don’t have to do any extra hand washing and have plenty of space in the dishwasher. I am a lot more relaxed when my guests come and clean up is a cinch. The last and most important thing- have a few sips of wine before everyone comes- you relax and start having fun before they arrive!