Rene's Momos

Rene's Momos

Be prepared to snack as you make these juicy dumplings. They're a famous and popular appetizer in Darjeeling, India. The Tibetans make them accompanied by thukpa, a wholesome and hearty noodle soup. 

My eldest sister whom I miss dearly, gave me this recipe with two instructions. First of all, a whole lot of minced onions should be mixed into the minced meat to make these dumplings moist and delicious. Secondly, a bottle of pani puri masala takes care of seasoning the meat. This looks almost identical to the bottles of mint or coriander and mint chutneys, available in Indian markets. The soy sauce and ajinomoto are my additions. 

Hot and Sour Soup

Hot & Sour Soup

A favorite soup we like to order at Thai and Chinese restaurants, this hot & sour soup is pretty straightforward to prepare at home. Myriad videos abound on the internet for this soup from which I have taken the best parts to come up with my recipe.

A specialty item that gives this soup some of its tang is Chinese pickled vegetables which, unfortunately, can only be found in Asian markets. The heat in this soup is imparted by a whole dried red chili and black pepper powder. On these cold and dreary days, this hot & sour soup brings immense comfort.

Dilled Tilapia

Dilled Tilapia

I first had this at a Vietnamese restaurant, of all places. It was made and served on a cast iron sizzling plate which created a lovely crust on the base, and was accompanied by hot, steamed rice, I wanted for nothing more!

At home, I pan-fry it which is also delicious.

Lap Cheong and Egg Fried Rice

Lap Cheong Fried Rice

Lap Cheong is a Chinese hard sausage made from pork and pork fat that is usually smoked, sweetened and seasoned. I generally freeze the package of lap cheong since I so rarely use it. It's easy to remove the casing by soaking the sausage links in boiling water until the casings puff up. They're easy to then peel off, making it less difficult to slice. I like to season the rice for depth of flavour and mix it with eggs to give the fried rice a golden hue.

This fried rice is a one-dish meal that needs no more than a bowl of soup for company. It has all four food groups and is a complete meal unto itself.

Five Vegetables Stir-Fry

Panch Mishali Sheddho

Panch = 5, Mishali = Mixed, Sheddho = Boil

Potatoes, carrots, green beans, green peas and radish are each boiled separately, just until tender. They are then combined and stir-fried together for a wholesome vegetable side dish. Different from gota sheddho or whole boiled vegetables, these are cut into bite-sized pieces. Any combination of five or seven vegetables can be used to make this side dish.

Dak Bungalow Mutton Curry

Dak Bungalow Mutton Curry

This is a two-in-one meal of meat and egg curry. When the meat is demolished, the eggs remain and the dish keeps on giving! 

Dak bungalows are guest houses that served as mail distribution centers during the British Raj. They came equipped with all the comforts of a 'home away from home' for visiting officials. These comforts included cleaning and cooking staff who served up Indian food adapted to western tastes.

From the recipes I found on the internet, it seemed that this dish is a regular meat curry that includes two hard-boiled eggs. I used my trusted meat curry recipe and enjoyed the eggs at the end when all that remained were potatoes and gravy.