Sandwich Bread

 

Sandwich Bread

Bread Slices

Half a Loaf of Bread

Everyone seems to be making bread these days and there are countless You Tube videos demonstrating breadmaking techniques. GrandBoy#2 was spending the day with us and both he and Hubby love bread, so I spent the afternoon watching a video (link at the end of this page) and baking bread. For dinner we had Mexican pizza and also demolished half a loaf, straight out of the oven and slathered with butter. It was delicious and the house smelled heavenly! The slices shown above were cut from this half of the loaf.

When we were growing up in Burma, bread was breakfast food that we ate on the way to school. We would beg Mum to go easy on the butter and go crazy with the sugar or jam. Buttered toast with a sprinkling of sugar was comforting and diverted my attention from the stress of having to go to school. On the weekends or if we were recovering from a cold, we would dip our toast into sweetened milk. My memories of Mum's remedy for combating the 'flu was a triangle of toast that we dipped into chicken soup. It leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling towards Mum that is stamped into my memory. 

The nostalgia associated with these memories kept me company while I made bread today. These days, plain buttered toast is my favorite part of any breakfast.

I halved the recipe in the video to make one loaf of bread.

2020 Turkey Dinner

2020 Turkey Dinner

Even though turkey is the least favorite protein in our home, I was craving it since we didn't have it for Thanksgiving last year (we went to Kyoto Japanese Steak House instead). So we decided yesterday should be Turkey Day. It was a hurried decision, but I'm lucky to be blessed with an extremely cooperative Hubby who did all the shopping and cleaning up afterwards.

This being the year of Covid-19 restrictions, we couldn't have anyone over for dinner so I prepared everything, Hubby and I had one serving each of it all and I packed the rest for Son#3 who lives half an hour's drive away. My cravings were satisfied and we didn't have to suffer through a week of leftovers. Thank goodness for that!

The green beans casserole got an update with the addition of grated cheddar cheese and bacon and one new item, Corny Bread, was added. Whole baby potatoes and carrots were cooked along with the turkey in the last 45 minutes of baking. 

Our dinner also included dinner rolls, was washed down with hot apple cider and for dessert we had Apple Cobbler.

Suji Toast - Cream of Wheat Toast

 

Suji Toast

There are a myriad recipes for this popular breakfast dish on the internet. The video that inspired me is displayed at the end of this post. I found toasted suji at the Indian market which is what I used to make this. Our neighbourhood supermarket bakes their own Italian bread which was perfect because the crusty slices hold their shape and acted as a sponge for the topping. And according to my nephew, 'Iz bedder wid budder', so I used butter instead of oil to fry the toasts. The leftover batter can be made into little dosas. With less than 10 ingredients, breakfast is ready in under 30 minutes. 

Chicken Haleem - Chicken and Lentil - Wheat Berries Stew

 

Chicken Haleem

A colleague at work first mentioned Haleem and how delicious it is. A one-pot meal that is hearty and wholesome, I've been wanting to try it out in my kitchen for a long time. The main ingredient in the haleem mix is the wheat berry or little grains of wheat which are tinier than the wheat that is ground into flour.

As is my practice, I scoured the internet for haleem recipes, watched a few videos and came up with a recipe that is far from authentic, but delicious anyway. I mixed wheat berries with panch mishali dal or 5 different varieties of lentils. This consisted of red/masoor dal, split chickpeas/channa dal, white/urad dal, yellow/moong dal and yellow split peas/toor dal.

I used minced or ground chicken, 1 cup of wheat berries and a quarter cup each of the 5 types of lentils. The chicken was made into a keema curry and the lentils were first toasted in a dry skillet, cooled and blended to a fine powder. The chicken keema and haleem mix were then combined with 3 cups of water and simmered over medium-low heat until thickened.

Haleem reminds me of a rich version of khichuri in which rice is replaced with wheat berries. Delicious and nutritious, we had it for dinner with steamed rice and for lunch over a bed of rice noodles with several garnishes.

Serve with Garnishes

Apple Cobbler or Dump Cake

 

Apple Cobbler

A very easy dump cake using just a few ingredients, this dump cake was our dessert at Thanksgiving Dinner this year. It can be made with fruit pie filling of any variety. Since I watch my sugar intake, I used a can of Duncan Hines No Sugar Added Apple Pie Filling. To make your own pie filling, stew 2 cups chopped apples with a cup of sugar and a dash of salt. We liked this dump cake so much that the following week, I made a peach dump cake using no sugar added canned peach slices.

Masur Masala Bhindi - Red Lentils with Fried Okra

 

Masur Masala Bhindi

Masur dal or red lentils are the easiest lentils to make. They cook quickly and go well with any and all vegetables. Cooking the lentils with a bit of salt and turmeric separately then adding the stir-fried vegetables, gets this side dish on the table in less than half an hour.

There are a couple of ingredients in this recipe that are only available in an Indian market. Amchur is dried green mango that is ground to a fine powder. It's purpose is to reduce the mucus that is released while the okra cooks. If amchur is not available, leave it out, but make sure not to add anything to the okra until it's cooked. It will initially be slimy so fry it over medium heat and don't stir it too much. Wait until the okra browns before stirring. Add salt only when all signs of mucus disappear. Don't cover the okra while it's frying because the resulting condensation will make it more slimy. Notice that onions, tomatoes and green chilies are added after the okra cooks and all mucus disappears.

Panch phoron is the other ingredient that is available only in an Indian market. If it's not available, use whole fennel seeds and fennel seed powder which is made by dry-roasting a tablespoon of whole fennel seeds and grinding them to a fine powder.

Serve these lentils as a side dish for lunch or dinner. They go well with hot, steamed rice or any Indian bread.

Chaler Payesh - Rice Pudding

 

Chal'er Payesh

A comforting and deeply satisfying end to a meal, rice pudding is a favourite with young and old alike.

Achari Begun - Pickled Eggplant

 

Achari Begun

Here's another tasty way to prepare eggplant. The internet is a prolific source for recipes, and this was featured in a video by Banglar Rannaghor. One modification I made was to use imli chutney in place of tamarind paste. A technique that impressed me was to toss and marinate the eggplant pieces with spices and 2-3 tablespoons of water before frying. This made a big difference in the time it took for the eggplant pieces to brown without absorbing a vast quantity of oil.

I used a big globe eggplant that was cut in half and sliced. Any variety of eggplant would work for this recipe, so use whatever is at hand. Serve as a side dish, accompanied by any Indian bread or hot, steamed rice.

Bhapa Maach - Steamed Fish in Mustard Gravy

 

Bhapa Maach

Translated from Bengali to English:

Bhapa - Steamed

Maach - Fish

Most of my cooking is influenced by three sources. First of all, Mum and my siblings, the internet and cookbooks. Check the end of this blog for a link to the original source on the internet or from a cookbook. Modifications and adjustments are necessary, depending upon the quantities of ingredients available and how much spice is tolerated by those being catered to.

The inspiration video used 2 different kinds of fish and shrimp in this dish. I used 2 fillets of tilapia and steamed the fish in a rice cooker. The addition of raw mustard oil gives this fish the pungent flavour of mustard without all the hard work of soaking and blending mustard seeds.

This dish is best served with freshly steamed Basmati rice.

Creamy Yogurt Cake

 

Yogurt Cheese Cake

A creamy, practically guilt-free cheese cake that substitutes cream cheese with yogurt. I followed a Burmese video to make the cake. I was impressed with how delicious the cake turned out considering the minimal number of ingredients used.

Korean Japchae - Stir-Fried Glass Noodles with Meat and Vegetables

 

Japchae

Japchae is a Korean sweet and savoury dish, traditionally made with sweet potato noodles, lots of vegetables and meat. Vegetables must include onions, re-hydrated mushrooms, carrots and spinach or other greens.

Here's what you need

Misti Alu'r Bhortha - Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 

Misti Alu'r Bhortha

Sweet potatoes are so comforting and tasty when they're baked. It's a lot easier to wash them, pierce with a fork or sharp-tipped knife all over, wrap in wax paper and microwave for 10 minutes, turning over at half time. Once they soften and the skin peels away easily, the sweet potato can be mashed with a fork and combined with mustard oil, minced onions, minced green chilies and salt. Several vegetables are steamed and mashed in this way into a bhortha. 

We'd run out of green chilies, but there's always a bottle of Priya green chili pickle in the fridge. It's the closest thing to kasundi because the sliced chilies are pickled in mustard sauce. This is what I used in this bhortha, so the flavour of mustard was accentuated.

Served as a first course to an Indian meal, bhortha goes well alongside lentils or dal with hot, steamed rice.

Dried Fruit and Nut Sprinkles

Dried Fruit & Nut Sprinkles

Called Choori in Hindi, this muesli-like mixture is made with left-over chapatis or tortillas. I found the recipe on the internet. 

Instead of using excess tortillas for bird food, they can be toasted and pulsed in a blender with nuts, desiccated coconut, dried fruits such as dates and raisins and sugar, unrefined sugar, coconut sugar or jaggery. Choori can be served as a breakfast cereal, sprinkled over ice cream or eaten as a snack. Cooled and stored in an air-tight container, Choori can last for several weeks.

I used a couple of excess flour tortillas and a mixture of ingredients that I had at home, including almonds, unsweetened and dried desiccated coconut, dates, raisins and coconut sugar. The ingredients were blended together to a grainy texture and seasoned with cardamom powder (you can also use cinnamon powder) to give it that unique Indian flavour. 

Thai Pork Salad - Nam Sod

Nam-Sod

Nam Sod with Vermicelli Noodles

This is a popular salad item found on Thai menus that is generally made with minced pork, but also tastes great with minced chicken. It's light and delicious as a salad, but I always make extra so that I can add vermicelli noodles and carrots for lunch the next day.

Burmese Minced Meat with Pickled Bamboo Shoots

Burmese Minced Meat with
Pickled Bamboo Shoots

Bamboo shoots taste lovely when they are cooked with shrimp, as in Burmese Bamboo Shoots with Tomatoes and Shrimp and Burmese Bamboo Shoots with Green Onions and Shrimp. For those of us who are allergic to shrimp, cooking bamboo shoots with minced meat tastes just as good.

Bamboo shoots are found in Asian grocery markets either soaking in water or sliced and pickled in packages. I prefer the latter because they are always tender and the pickling juices help to season the meat perfectly.

Anise Flavoured Almond Biscotti

3 batches of Almond Biscotti

Coffee and biscotti go together like bagels and cream cheese. I've been buying Nonni's Biscotti for decades. They come in a package of 8 biscotti at .50 cents for each biscotti. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nonni's Biscotti along with so many other food items were scarce, so I had to resort to baking them myself because after all this time, they've become a habit and an addiction.

I bought a biscotti pan which included a basic biscotti recipe. Since the recipe is printed on a slip of paper and because there is no URL to link to, the recipe has been re-written below in my own words. I've also taken the liberty to add anise seeds and almond extract to the list of ingredients.

Pui Shaak'er Ghonto - Malabar Spinach and Vegetable Stew

Pui Shaak'er Ghonto

I love the bright colours of the vegetables and spinach in this dish. It looks and is healthy and delicious! 

Dinner generally consists of a vegetable dish, followed by lentils and a main course of fish, meat or eggs. This vegetable stew would, therefore, be served as the first course or a side dish with rice or chapatis.

Simplified Sorshe Bata Koi and Alaskan Rockfish - Fish in Mustard Sauce

Sorshe Bata Koi

Alaskan Rock Fish in Mustard Sauce

Both kinds of fish, bone-in and filleted, were prepared in mustard sauce or sorshe bata, the former for my enjoyment and the latter for Hubby who does not like to mess with the bones. The recipe was simplified by combining all the ingredients, except for the mustard sauce, in a bowl and left on the counter top to marinate for 1/2 hour. A cold skillet is placed over medium-high heat, the marinated fish poured into it and brought to a boil. The heat is lowered to medium-low, the fish covered and simmered for 10 minutes before the mustard sauce is added. Everything is stirred together and simmered for 10 minutes more and garnished with green chilies.

Best served with steamed long-grain rice, this is a delightful part of any Bengali meal. The koi maach/climbing perch is not for the inexperienced consumer of fish because great care and skill is required to successfully remove every sharp bone in the fish.

Burmese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Minced Meat

Burmese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles
 with Minced Meat

A Burmese video posted on Facebook provided the inspiration for this recipe. It was super simple to follow and needed just a few often-used ingredients that I regularly stock in my pantry. 

To make things easy on myself, I purchase substantial quantities of ground chicken, brown the lot in some oil, crumble and freeze it for future use. It's quick and easy to assemble the ingredients, when needed, if the minced meat is already cooked.

Ideal for lunch or if unexpected guests drop by, this is one dish that I'll be making often.

Stir-Fried Glass Noodles
 with Minced Meat

Chet Oo Chin Hin - Burmese Egg Curry

Chet Oo Chin Hin

Chet = Chicken 

Oo = Egg

Chin = Sour

Hin = Curry or Gravy

I love the convenience of combining all the ingredients for this egg curry in one skillet and simmering over medium-low heat until oil rises to the surface. 

Phool Kopi Alu Diye Tilapia Maacher Jhol

Tilapia with Cauliflower and Potatoes

Cauliflower adds a special touch to fish curry, and is one of my favourite vegetables. The fish pieces, cauliflower and potatoes are all tossed with turmeric and salt and are fried, separately, to a golden brown before being added to a gravy. The gravy is composed of onions, tomatoes and ginger paste to which the powdered spices, dissolved together in a few tablespoons of water, are added. The dish is garnished with cilantro and jalapeno peppers.

Served over a bed of steamed rice, this main dish takes center stage at any Bengali meal.

Indian Egg and Potato Salad

Indian Egg and Potato Salad

Leftover Egg Salad

There were 2 hard boiled eggs left of the Egg and Onion Salad that we had yesterday. The eggs were chopped and the rest of the remains combined with mayonnaise to create a unique dressing for potato salad. This has to be taste-tested to appreciate the umami of mustard oil. So when you make Egg and Onion Salad, be sure to make extra for some Indian Potato Salad for lunch the next day.

Burmese Chet Tha Sipyan - Chicken in Red Curry Sauce

Chet Tha Sipyan

In Burmese, Chet Tha (chicken meat) Sipyan (oil returns) is a chicken gravy in which oil floats to the top. The vibrant red color in the gravy is achieved through generous amounts of Kashmiri mirch or paprika. The wings are marinated with fish sauce, turmeric powder and paprika, fried until golden brown, then simmered in a red curry sauce. Boiled new baby potatoes are added for a contrast in texture.

Egg and Onion Salad Dressed in Mustard Oil

Egg and Onion Salad

Dressed In Mustard Oil

A suitable side dish to accompany biryani or khichuri, this simple egg salad is dressed in mustard oil. The original recipe was posted in a food group on Facebook. This was made with a couple of changes to that recipe. 

Burmese Chicken Biryani - Danbauk

Danbauk

Perfectly paired with Tomato Raita.

Tomato Raita

The only unusual ingredient used is Oriental curry powder - I used S&B brand.

S&B Spicy Curry Powder

The recipe looks tedious but is no different from any other biryani.

Rice Noodles and Asparagus in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Rice Noodles and Asparagus
In Spicy Black Bean Sauce

It feels like the world is slowly waking up from this pandemic that has gripped our lives for the last two months. Supermarkets are still displaying sparsely stocked shelves except in the vegetable and fruit departments.

Asparagus
In Spicy Black Bean Sauce

When asparagus is available, it's best to cook them as soon as they arrive home or they lose their flavour and texture in a hurry. An easy and tasty way to have asparagus is to use south-east Asian flavours and here's what I did.

Crispy Gyoza Crepe

Crispy Crust

Had this for lunch today, following recipe for 'Gyoza with Wings' by Namiko Cheng of 'Just One Cookbook'. Her recipes are all well-written with clear instructions that produce excellent results. 

Flipped Right-Side Up

I used rice and tapioca starch for the batter and ready made chicken-vegetable dumplings. I was disheartened that the crust was not forming, but just had to be patient to get perfect results. Then it looked like the crust would not peel away from the frying pan, but with a little coaxing, that too worked out fine. I used a small (6-inch) cast iron frying pan which retains heat forever, so using a saucer to flip the crepe was tricky. I plan to get myself a pair of silicone gloves for the next time this is on the menu.

Took a Bite to Taste

A delicious way to serve dumplings, the base of which are crispy and crunchy. 

Sorshe Bata Maach - Fish in Mustard Gravy

Shorshe Bata Maach

This is a favourite main dish prepared in my household. Black mustard seeds sauce has a sharp and pungent taste that is similar to Wasabi or spicy Chinese mustard sauce. Some people combine mustard sauce with poppy seed paste to tone down the pungency, but that is frowned upon in my family. 

To prepare the sauce, black mustard seeds must be soaked in tepid water for at least two hours or preferably overnight. The seeds, along with water in which it was soaking, is placed in a blender jar with salt and a green chili, blended at maximum setting until smooth, and then added to the fish.

Any white fish, cleaned and left whole, cut in steaks or filleted can be used according to taste and is best served with hot, long-grained rice.

Sevai Payesh - Toasted Vermicelli Pudding

Sevai Payesh

Payesh is a milk-based dessert that is cooked long and slow on the stovetop. It takes ages for 8 cups of milk to thicken and is tedious because it has to be closely monitored during this entire process. Milk solids easily stick to the bottom of the pan and even the slightest hint of burning will mean pitching the entire batch and starting over again.

I'm all for making my life as easy as possible, so I mix a can of evaporated milk with 6 cups of milk to hasten the process. Instead of using plain white sugar, I use brown sugar or jaggery to give a beautiful caramel color to the milk. A lot of time is saved by using already toasted vermicelli that is readily available in most Indian markets. If toasted vermicelli is not available, break up the vermicelli is small pieces and toast it in a skillet with a tablespoon of butter or ghee until golden in color.

This dessert is a deeply satisfying end to a festive meal.

Tilapia Maach'er Tel Jhol - Tilapia Fillets in Mustard Oil Gravy

Tilapia Fillets in Mustard Oil Gravy

This is a delectable way of preparing fish when you're craving a tasty fish dish to have with hot and fragrant Basmati rice. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare on the stove top and is finger-licking good! To save time on the days I cook, when fish arrives home on marketing day, they are cut into serving size pieces, rubbed with salt and turmeric powder and stored in Ziploc bags, ready to slide into a skillet on demand.

The gravy is so simple to assemble that the resulting goodness at the end is a pleasurable surprise.  It's perfect for those busy days when the choice between going out to eat or enjoying a hot bowl of rice with fish at home is a no-brainer! And it uses only a few ingredients that are staples in any Indian home.

Maggi Noodles Omelette

Maggi Omelette

Maggi Omelette with Sriracha

This YouTube video was the inspiration for our delicious lunch today.  It combines my two loves, eggs and noodles. Very simple to make with no more than 5 ingredients (not counting butter, salt and pepper) lunch can go from conception to table in less than 30 minutes. This recipe makes 2 servings.

Bachu's Begun Panch Phoron - Eggplant Flavoured with 5 Spices

Begun Panch Phoron

My brother sent me this photograph of his Begun Panch Phoron. The five spices are cumin, fennel, nigella, mustard and fenugreek seeds. These seeds are sputtered in oil for tempering and more are later roasted and ground to add flavour to the stir-fried eggplants. Cut the eggplants in bite-sized pieces. Bachu cut them in long pieces. I diced mine.

Here is my dish.

Chicken Rezala with Saffron

Chicken Rezala with Saffron

Perfect for entertaining, this chicken dish was marinated and simmered in the same skillet. The only bit of work was blending the paste comprising Greek yogurt, almond slivers, deep-fried onions and raisins.

Everything was combined in the skillet and left at room temperature to marinate for 2-3 hours, then slowly simmered over medium heat for 25-30 minutes until oil floated to the surface. It's the creamiest, most succulent chicken preparation that I have had in a long time. I have Mum to thank for introducing me to this dish.

Komola Kopi or Stir-Fried Cauliflower and Mandarin Orange Segments

Komola Kopi

I came across this unusual recipe on Facebook and since oranges and cauliflower are staples in our home, gave it a try with excellent results. Since most of the orange segments melted down in the cooking, I added more before removing it from the stove top. Its appearance, aroma and taste were in a class of its own. I love the occasional burst of sweet citrus flavour! 

Serve this as a side dish with rice or chapatis.