Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala)

I've been craving for some okra since I started seeing the abundance of harvest at the Farmer's market and also at some local produce market. I finally bought some and the first dish I had in mine to prepare them was Indian style dish. This recipe was forwarded to me by a colleague and she said I should try it myself. I made a few substitution but still turned out quite tasty.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh okra

4 tomatoes

1 large yellow onion

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 teaspoon powder coriander

1 teaspoon chile powder

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ginger

8 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

5 cloves

salt and pepper to taste 

Slice the okra in small rounds as shown. Dice the onion and the tomatoes. Minced the garlic. Heat a large frying pan and add 4 tablespoon of oil. Add the okra and fried for about 5 minutes. Take out of the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 4 tablespoon of oil and add the bay leaves and cloves and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the onion and the garlic and cook until brown. Add the Garam masala, coriander, chile powder and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir with the cooked spice, cover and cooked for about 3 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft but not mushy. Add the okra and stir slowly and cook for another 2 minutes then its done! Remove from pan and serve hot with rice or naan.

Chipotle Pork Chop with Mango and Avocado Salsa

Mangoes are everywhere. It must be getting close to summer! Mangoes are one of my favorite summer fruits. Especially the skinny ones - Champagne Mango or Manila Mango. They are super sweet when they are ripe. I just bought a whole box today because I was thinking of making salsa to go with the pork chop I thawed out before heading out to church. Salsa is always best when served fresh!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of lean pork chop (1/2 inch thick - about 8 pieces)

4 teaspoon Chipotle Chili seasoning

4 tablespoon butter

1 avocado (scoop out and chopped)

1 Roma tomato (chopped)

2 medium size ripe mango (champagne or manila mango)

salt and pepper to taste

Rub the Chipotle Chili seasoning on both side of the meat. Heat a large frying pan and add 2 teaspoon of butter in medium heat. Add about 4-5 pieces of the pork chop and fry each side for 3 minutes. Do the same for the remaining pork chops. Set aside on a large plate when all chops are done.

Peel the mangoes and slice both sides and chop. Put in a deep bowl. Chop the tomato and add in the bowl with mango. Cut the avocado, discard the seed and scoop out the meat and chop. Add in the bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and fold slowly to avoid mushing the avocado.

Arrange the pork chop as shown or serve individually with a few scoop of the salsa. Serve with your favorite veggies and rice.

B.A.B.B. Omelet (Bacon, Avocado, Basil & Blue Cheese)

I was hoping to sleep late today but that didn't happen! I was awaken too many times by kids, calls and door bell ringing! I got up and all I can think about was making something filling for breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese

1/2 diced fresh avocado

2 pieces of bacon

1 sprig of fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon butter

Diced bacon and cook until crispy in frying pan. Remove bacon and set aside and discard the oil fat. Wash or wipe the frying pan and put back on the stove in medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and immediately pour in the pan. As the eggs begin to settle, use a spatula/ wooden spoon, push the eggs towards the center while tilting the pan to distribute runny parts. Continue this motion until eggs stop flowing. Start adding the bacon, basil, avocado and blue cheese on one side of the egg. Leave to cook until the edges/bottom is browned. Fold omelette into half and serve!

Chicken, Baby Portabella and Bokchoy with Oyster Sauce

Instead of ordering bar food after a few drinks today after work, I decided to wait until I get home to have a bite to eat. The bar's food is not that bad but its just not enough to fill my hunger. I was craving for some real food from my own kitchen!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of cubed chicken breast

1 1/2 lbs of bokchoy with bottoms trimmed

1/2 lb of baby portabella mushrooms cut in halves

1/2 yellow onion diced

4 garlic gloves and minced

6 tbs of sesame oil

4 tablespoon of oyster sauce

3 tablespoon of hoisin sauce

1/4 cups of water

1 tablespoon corn starch

Heat a large frying pan or  wok with the sesame oil. Add the garlic and brown. Add the onion, stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken, stir well, cover and cook for about 6 minutes in medium heat. Uncover and add the mushrooms, bokchoy, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and stir well. Cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the water and the corn starch and add in the pan. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes in low heat then its done! ENJOY!

Broccoli with Curry Masala and Mustard Seeds

About a month ago,  I visited Betel Nut restaurant with my daughter and we ordered a few appetizer and some entrees. One of the appetizer was Curried Cauliflower with mustard seeds. She loved it and said " Mom, you can totally make this at home!"

On our way home today, she asked me what I had planned to cook for dinner. I told her I'll know when we get home. I did my usual fridge check and took out chicken breast and 2 heads of broccoli. I told her I'll make chicken with broccoli and oyster sauce. Her response - "how about making that curry veggie appetizer we had with mustard seeds?"

So here is that request!

Ingredients:

2 small broccoli head chopped like thin slices flowerettes and rinsed

4 teaspoon sesame oil

3 teaspoon yellow curry masala

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Heat frying pan or work with sesame oil. Add the broccoli, stir thoroughly and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, cover and cook for about 6 minutes or until the broccoli is tender but not mushy. I like mine with a little crunch! Enjoy with your favorite meat and rice.

Eggplant with Crab Paste and Soya Bean Oil

I didn't plan to cook tonight because I was feeling lazy all day. I brought my kids pizza and there was a piece of steak left over from yesterday's Easter lunch that my husband can eat. As soon as I got home and saw my kitchen, I suddenly felt an energy shooting up my spine! I changed clothes and sat for a minute. I realized I didn't want pizza anyway so I opened the fridge and the eggplants I bought the other day were shining through the plastic wrap. Here is what I cooked for me!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of Indian Eggplants (small round ones) substitute w/ other kind of eggplant if not available

4 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoon of Crab Paste with Soya bean oil 

Cut up the eggplant in quarters and rinse. Heat a medium frying pan or wok with sesame oil. Add the minced garlic and brown a little. Immediately add the eggplant and stir the oil and garlic all over then add the water. Lower heat, cover and cook until the eggplant are tender but not mushy. Add the crab paste, stir, cover and cook for another 5 minutes in low heat and it's done! Enjoy with fresh steamed rice.

Bahamian Style Whole Broiled Red Snapper

The first Snapper I cooked for lunch today was a hit but it only fed 3 people. My husband had a bite of mine. He didn't mind not having any since he just ate the left over food from last night. I told him I will make it up to him but I really didn't want to cook the second Snapper the same. My husband is half Jamaican and so I thought I'll prepare the fish adapting a recipe from the islands. This recipe was adapted from the cook book Taming the Flame and I made some substitution so I can use some of my own spices and I broiled instead of grilling because I do not own a grill - YET! I'm sure one of these days, I will make a stop at a store a get one! Summer time is just around the corner and I know it's going to happen.

Ingredients:

1 whole Red Snapper (about 2 lbs) scaled, cleaned and rinsed well

1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Celery Salt
Black ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed and thinly sliced
2 lemons, sliced in rounds
6 green onions cut lengthwise about 2 inches
1 lemon, cut into wedges for garnish

Turn the oven to broil. Put the chile flakes and oil in a small saucepan. Slowly heat the oil until the chile flakes begin to change color athen turn it off and set aside.With a sharp knife, cut 2 to 3 diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish. This will hold the garlic and lemons and help to evenly cook the fish. Place the slices of garlic and lemon in each of the diagonal cuts. Put the garlic in first and then the lemon slices, letting some of the lemon "peek" out from the slit. Sprinkle the celery salt and black pepper inside the cavity of the fish and on both sides. Then stuff the cavity with green onions. Grease a deep baking pan and carefully place the fish in the center. Slowly pour the pepper oil with a spoon on each side of the fish.  Broil each side for 20 minutes. After one side is cooked for 20 mins, carefully turn the fish and broil for another 20 minutes. Serve with rice and favorite vegetables.

Here is what it looks like before broiling.

Steamed Red Snapper w/ Laksa Paste Sauce

Today, I woke up and was inspired by another food blogger  Rasa Malaysia. Her recipes are quite easy and the food looks really good on the photos. She cooks a variety of Asian food which is one of my main goal when I started my food blog - COOK A VARIETY OF FOOD! Living in the Bay Area, I have learned to enjoy and appreciate all the different types of food. It is one of the most diverse part of California. So my blog will not just be about Asian food recipes, it will be food recipes from around the world! Rasa's FB status caught my attention and directed me to her main blog. Seafood got stuck in my head!

After I got up and dropped off my daughter at the train station to go to work, I decided to visit my favorite Asian store and bought a variety of fish, meat, vegetables, beans and paste. I bought so much stuff I couldn't decide what to cook first! After putting away all the groceries, I decided to cook one of the red snapper while it's still fresh.

I have a Burmese friend who used to tell me that it's really easy steaming fish. All you need is a wok, a plate and boiling water. I thought, well, why not do that! I have always wanted to try it myself so this will be my first time steaming a fish. I took out my wok that I haven't use in a while. Then I searched online for a good recipe. Most of the recipes I found were indeed quite simple but none of them got me excited enough to borrow. So I have decided once again to make my own recipe for the sauce.

After a successful first try of the steamed fish, I know I'm going to cook my fish this way more often than having it fried or baking it. The sauce I made is intensely delish!

Ingredients:

1 whole fresh red snapper (about 2 lbs and already cleaned from the fish market)

1 medium size yellow onion diced

1/2 bunch of green onions chopped

2 inch size fresh ginger and thinly sliced

2 tablespoon Laksa paste

2 tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce

6 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 lemon

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

6 tablespoon liquid from steamed fish

Instructions:

Boil about 5 inches of water in the wok and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. In the meantime, rinse the fish thoroughly and pat dry. Stuff the fish cavity with 1/4 of the chopped onion, 1/4 of green onions and 1/4 of the ginger.  Make two diagonal cuts along the body of the fish (the fleshy part) on both sides.

Put the fish on a large plate and place it on the wire stand in the wok with the water boiling. cover and steam on high heat for about 25 minutes – the water in the steamer should be boiling before the fish goes in, and the duration stated for steaming should start only from that moment.

Note: The bigger the fish, the longer it takes . Do not over-steam as the meat will become tough.

Sauce:

In a frying pan, heat the rest of sesame oil. Add the remaining ginger and the yellow onion and cook until fragrant. Add the remaining green onions, the laksa paste, garlic chile sauce, half of the lemon juice, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Stir all together and cook for about 5 minutes in medium heat then turn off and leave in the pan.

When the fish is done, take out from the wok slowly as the plate will be very hot. Scoop out 6 tablespoon of the liquid from the plate and add it to the sauce in the pan. Turn the stove back on low and stir the liquid with the sauce and cook for about 2 minutes.

Arrange the steamed fish on a large serving plate and pour the sauce all over the fish. Squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon all over the fish. Serve right away with steamed rice. ENJOY!