Lentils Cooked with Fenugreek Greens

Kacha Moong Dal with Methi Saag

Fenugreek greens are sometimes available at the local Indian grocery stores. They come in bunches with roots intact. After getting rid of the roots, the rest of the greens are chopped and washed in several changes of water to remove the grittiness caused by the residual soil in the roots. I usually place the chopped greens in a colander and set it in a larger pot of water so that the soil settles in the bottom of the water. Make sure to empty the water with the soil in your garden to avoid clogging the drainage system in the sink.

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal, washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 bunch fenugreek greens, chopped, washed and drained
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp. asafoetida powder (hing)
2 tsp. ginger paste
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste
1 tsp. ghee or melted butter
2–3 green chilies, sliced

Directions:

1. Wash lentils until water runs clear and soak in hot water for half an hour.
2. Boil lentils in 2cups water with salt and turmeric until lentils are cooked.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds & hing and stir-fry for a minute.
4. When cumin seeds start to sizzle, add ginger paste and tomatoes.
5. Stir-fry until tomatoes break down and add fenugreek greens.
6. Cover and cook the greens for 2 minutes, then add cooked lentils & sugar.
7. Bring lentils to a boil, adjust salt to taste and remove from heat.
8. Garnish with ghee and chilies.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or tortillas.

Tapioca Pilaf - Sabudana Upma

This dish is eaten for breakfast all over India and is most commonly referred to as Sabudana Khichdi or Tapioca cooked with Vegetables. It begins with large tapioca pearls that are washed and then soaked in water overnight. A variety of vegetables and herbs are chopped, diced, sliced and stir-fried along with the softened tapioca pearls to arrive at this delicious and nutritious pilaf. Just before serving, the dish is garnished with a twist of lime and roasted nuts to give it a tang and crunch.

Ingredients:
1½ cups large tapioca pearls

1 cup water

Tempering:

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1/8 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 sprig (7-8) curry leaves

Vegetables:
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno or hot green chilies, diced

1” piece of ginger, peeled and diced

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 kaffir lime leaf, julienned

Salt to taste

½ tsp. sugar

Garnish:

Juice of half lime

Handful roasted cashew nuts

Handful cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1.    Rinse tapioca pearls in tap water three times, drain and soak in 1 cup water overnight.

2.    Separate softened pearls between fingers to prevent clumping and set aside.

3.    Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and sputter tempering ingredients.

4.    Add diced onions, jalapeno and ginger & stir-fry until onions turn translucent.

5.    Turn heat down to medium and add tapioca, potatoes, tomatoes and kaffir lime leaf.

6.    Stir well, adjust salt to taste, cover and cook until potatoes soften, stirring occasionally.

7.    Add sugar and stir.

8.    Garnish with a twist of lime, cilantro and chopped cashew nuts before serving.

Burmese Hsan Pyoke With Meatballs (Congee or Rice Porridge)

Yield: Serves 6   

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Total Time: 30minutes 

Hsan Pyoke (English translation is Rice Boiled) is a recuperative comfort food for wet/cold weather or when someone is recovering from an illness. I used day-old short-grained, steamed white rice which I've used to make fried rice, as well. This is a quick version of the same soup I made a short while ago, except this time I had all the vegetables on hand, the soup was made in under half an hour, the minced chicken was replaced with meatballs and the soup base was made with a teaspoon of Ajinomoto instead of dried shrimp.

Ingredients

2 cups rice

5 cups water

2 Tbsp. dried shrimp (or scallops), diced

   or 1 tsp. Ajinomoto

10-12 meatballs, quartered

1 heaped Tbsp. ginger, julienned or paste

2 cups diced carrots, celery, onions and peas

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Cilantro, chopped

Deep fried onions & garlic
Coarse Salt*

Lime or lemon juice

                                                                                          

Directions:

1. Cook rice and water until rice is very soft.
2. Add dried shrimp or Ajinomoto, salt and vegetables.
3. Stir well and simmer until vegetables are very soft.
4. Add meatballs & ginger; simmer uncovered to gruel consistency.
5. Adjust salt to taste, remove from heat and pour into serving bowls.
6. Garnish with cilantro, fried onions & garlic, coarse salt, sesame oil & a squeeze of lime.

** Coarse Salt, or Muoi Tom in Vietnamese, is a garnish that contains the following ingredients: Salt, Chilli, Dried Shrimp and Garlic. It tastes great sprinkled on soups, noodles, rice & butter/ghee, lentils or on buttered toast.

Vietnamese Coarse Salt and Ingredients

Oatmeal Cookies - Sugar and Fat Free

1st attempt

2nd attempt

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Don Colbert's Facebook page and it appealed to me because I'm always looking for a 'good' snack around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  It was so fast and easy to prepare and was done in under an hour. The difference between the 1st and 2nd attempts was the first batch was baked almost immediately after mixing the ingredients together. The second batch was set aside for 30 minutes in the refrigerator so that the oats absorbed the moisture from the wet ingredients. The first batch was a little dry whereas the second batch made for a much more moist cookie that reminded me of banana fritters.

Ingredients: (makes approx. 15 cookies)

2 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 (4 oz.) tub apple sauce with cinnamon

1/4 cup milk or coconut milk

1/2 cup golden raisins and/or dried cranberries

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Combine all ingredients and set aside for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes.
5. Cool on a wire rack.

How to Make an Omelette

My husband who does his best to stay out of the kitchen except at meal times, makes an excellent omelette. He taught me to make it and his trick for avoiding brown spots on the outside which is caused by burnt butter is to cook the eggs on the lowest possible heat. So this takes patience, and I've found that if the skillet is covered right after the eggs are poured in, they set faster.

1. Beat two eggs with diced Thai red chilies, salt & pepper.
2. Dice 6-8 plum tomatoes & 1/2 a small onion.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small iron frying pan.
4. Cook onions and tomatoes in melted butter until onions turn translucent. Do not brown the onions.
5. Turn heat down to low, pour whipped eggs into pan and swirl until it covers the bottom of the pan.
6. When eggs set, fold one side to the middle, fold two adjacent sides over, then the last side.
7. Flip over and cook the folded side for a minute.
8. Meanwhile, in another pan, cook a potato patty until golden brown.
9. Place omelette on one side of a toasted muffin and the potato patty on the other half and serve with sweet chili sauce.

Goes great with a piping hot mug of coffee or tea!

Mung Dal with Yogurt and Garlic

Inspired by Tarla Dalal's Lehsunwali Moong ki Dal which was microwaved.

Ingredients:

1 cup mung dal, washed & soaked in hot water
4 Tbsp. Greek yogurt, or any yogurt on hand
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
7 to 8 curry leaves
2 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 Tbsp. tomato puree
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch powder
2 tsp. coriander-cumin powder

Garnish:
1 tsp. ghee
2 Tbsp. garlic chives or cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine dal with hot water and cook until done.
2. Whip yogurt with salt and stir into dal.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat and temper mustard seeds, cumin seeds   and curry leaves until seeds pop.
4. Add ginger and garlic pastes, tomato puree, turmeric, Kashmiri mirch & coriander-cumin powder.
5. Stir well and cook until oil resurfaces.
6. Pour dal into pan, adjust salt to taste and bring to a boil.
7. Garnish with ghee and chives/cilantro.

Serve with cooked rice or with chapatis.

 

Chickpeas with Russet & Sweet Potatoes

GHOOGNI with sweet potatoes
A variation of Chana Masala

Chana Masala, a North Indian dish, made in the Bengali style includes potatoes and is called Ghoogni. I added sweet potatoes to give it a twist.

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

Tempering:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
4 cloves
3 bay leaves

Gravy:
1 medium onion, chopped, blanched and puréed
1 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 Tbsp. ginger paste
2 Tbsp. tomato purée
2 Tbsp. Greek or plain yogurt
1 tsp. Shan Chana Masala powder

Garnish:
Cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. ghee

Directions:
1. Cook sweet and russet potatoes in boiling, salted water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and reserve 1½ cups boiling water or simmer 1½ cups vegetable stock.
3. Whip Gravy ingredients together and set aside.
4. Microwave oil on high for 2 minutes.
5. Add Tempering ingredients and cook on high for another 2 minutes.
6. Add whipped Gravy ingredients, stir and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
7. Add boiling water or hot vegetable stock to gravy and stir.
8. Add potatoes along with chickpeas, stir well and microwave on high for another 2 minutes.
9. Garnish with ghee & garam masala powder, stir and sprinkle cilantro and jalapeno peppers on top before serving.

Goes great with cooked rice or tortillas.

Easy Peasy Tandoori Shrimp Curry

This recipe was inspired by one given to me by my sister. Whereas she used salmon, I made this using shrimp.

Ingredients:
1 lb. (500 gms.) medium shrimp
1½ tsp. Shan Chicken Tandoori masala, or to taste
2 heaped Tbsp. Greek yogurt, or any yogurt on hand
1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
Garlic chives or cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Marinate shrimp in Tandoori masala, yogurt and oil for 30 minutes.
Microwave 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink.
Alternatively, this dish can be cooked on top of the stove by adding a little more oil to a pan and cooking the shrimp along with the marinade until shrimp are no longer pink.

Note: Lime juice can be used to replace yogurt.

Easy Easy Tandoori Salmon Curry

Easy Tandoori Salmon Curry
by Rene Chaudhuri

This is my sister's recipe for a very easy Tandoori fish curry. She used wild Pacific salmon in this dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500 gms.) cubed fillets of fish (Pacific Wild Salmon used here)

1/3 pkg. (15 gms.) Shan Tandoori mix, or to taste

2 heaped Tbsp. Yogurt

1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil

Slit green chillies for garnish

Directions:

Marinate fish in Tandoori mix, yogurt and oil for 30 minutes.

Microwave 2 minutes or until fish is firm and flaky. 

Notes: Lime juice can be used to replace yogurt.

This dish will definitely taste better with belly (peti) pieces.

Burmese Hsan Pyoke (Congee or Rice Porridge)

Yield: Serves 6   

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Total Time: 45 minutes + overnight

Hsan Pyoke (translated in English to Rice Boiled) is a recuperative comfort food for wet/cold weather or when someone is recovering from an illness. I used left-over steamed white rice from the Chinese restaurant, which I've used to make fried rice, as well. The package of frozen vegetables contains diced carrots, onions, peas, celery and potatoes.  Cooking rice the night before and leaving overnight at room temperature gives this soup a smooth and creamy texture. The minced chicken in this recipe can be omitted or replaced with flaked catfish, salmon or imitation crab and the chicken stock can be replaced with vegetable stock or plain water.

Amish Friendship Bread

My two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread

The dark spots are cookies
and white spots are cream
from the Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix

This is definitely one of the yummiest breads I've ever baked and the most interesting process ever. Okay, let's see if I can describe how this goes. It's called a friendship bread because the batter is shared with friends. 

I received a baked bread and a batch of starter batter from a friend on Mother's Day. It's one of the best gifts (after the cartoon caricature my son drew of me on his MD card) I've received because it will be remembered for many years to come!

Along with the starter batter, I received a set of instructions on how to care for it and a recipe for the two loaves it yields at the end of ten days. I'd like to add that even though it seems like a lot of work, it really wasn't and, strangely enough, I actually enjoyed 'babying' the bag of starter batter!

The starter batter came in a Ziploc bag with the date of the day it was placed in the bag. This date is Day 1. 

Day 1-4: Massage batter from the outside of the bag. Mush it and mash it.

Day 5: Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.

Day 6-9: Mush it and mash it.

Day 10: This is baking day! Add a cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.  Put 1 cup in each of four (1 gallon) Ziploc bags. The batter that is left is combined with the ingredients in the basic recipe to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread. 

Keep one Ziploc bag for yourself and share the others with friends, or share all four with friends. If you keep one bag for yourself, you'll be baking every 10 days. 

Today was day 10 for me and I am very happy with the results. The basic recipe calls for a package of Jello Instant Pudding and I used Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix.

The process is very well explained on a blog I found on the Internet, so rather than reproduce it here, on my blog, I will point you to the source.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Amish Friendship Bread (Basic Recipe)

Here are some variations to the basic recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Friendship Bread

Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread

Carrot Cake Amish Friendship Bread

Cherry Amish Friendship Bread

Pumpkin Spice Amish Friendship Bread

The following variations came from the same source as above. The only reason for reproducing them here is to caution you to NOT add 1/2 cup of milk with the pudding mix because the Basic Recipe includes a package of vanilla pudding mix and 1/2 a cup of milk!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Friendship Bread
In the basic recipe, reduce oil to 1/3 cup.
Replace vanilla pudding with 1 large package of instant banana pudding.
Stir in 1 cup very ripe mashed bananas and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate minichips.


Butterscotch Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant butterscotch pudding.
Add 1 cup butterscotch chips.

Caramel Apple Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant caramel pudding.
Add 2 cups diced apples.

Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips.


Chocolate-Cherry Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla extract with almond extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 (5.1 oz)  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 1 cup dried cherries.


Cookies 'n Cream Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large box of instant cookies 'n creme pudding.

Cranberry-Orange Friendship Bread
Replace milk in the basic recipe with orange juice.
Stir in 1 Tbsp. orange zest and 1 cup dried cranberries.


Lemon Amish Friendship Bread
Replace cinnamon and nuts with 1/4 cup poppy seeds.
Replace vanilla extract with lemon extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant lemon pudding.

Mounds Bar Amish Frienship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add chocolate chips and sweet shredded coconut.

Strawberry Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding and 1/2 cup milk with 1 small box of strawberry jello.
Add 1 cup thawed strawberries.

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Burmese Coconut Jelly Dessert - Kyauk Kyaw

Coconut Jelly
Kyauk Kyaw

Agar Agar is a popular dessert ingredient in South East Asian countries where it is used as a substitute for gelatin. Agar agar, a seaweed extract, is a good vegan substitute for gelatin which is derived from animal products. Agar agar comes in several different forms - flakes, strands and powdered.  The powdered form of agar agar is much more potent than the flakes or strands. It takes 1 tablespoon of flakes or strands to thicken 1 cup of water, whereas 1 teaspoon of the powder is sufficient to thicken 1 cup of water.

Burmese Stir-Fried Chicken with Peppers

Ground chicken is stir-fried with red, orange and yellow peppers and served with rice and a salad for a quick meal.

  

Burmese Noodles with Cilantro Pesto - Khawkswe Thoke

Khawkswe Thoke

Khawkswe Thoke & Taster's Bowl
with Garnishes

This recipe is a modified version of one I made a while back. I cut down the cilantro from one bunch to half a bunch and added a couple of more ingredients to the garnishes. Look here for the original recipe.

Carrot Kalakand

Cook Time: 12 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients:

1 tub (15 oz.) Sargento Ricotta Cheese or grated Paneer
1 can (14 oz.) Carnation condensed milk
1 pkg. (3.2 oz.) Carnation milk powder
1 cup minced carrots
1 tsp. cardamom powder
½ tsp. saffron
¼ cup almonds, blanched and chopped

Directions:

1. Process carrots until finely minced.
2. In a microwave-safe dish, combine all ingredients except almonds until all lumps are smoothed out.
3. Microwave 5 minutes uncovered, take out and mix well, loosening the edges.
4. Microwave 5 minutes uncovered, take out and mix well, loosening the edges.
5. Microwave 2 minutes uncovered, take out, add half the almonds & mix well, loosening the edges. Do this again until center loses all moisture.
6. Press down and flatten the mixture, sprinkle cashews on top and press down firmly.
7. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into pieces. 
8. Serve chilled.
    

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Burmese Green Beans & Ham

Green Beans & Ham

Left-overs mixed into a bowl of noodles

A great way to use up left-over Easter ham.

Climbing Perch (Koi Maach) in Fennel Seed Sauce

Mouri Bata Diye Koi Maacher Jhol

This dish was inspired by Ishani Ghosh Majumdar's recipe posted on Kitchen Raagas group in Facebook.

Tilapia Fillets in Fennel Seed Sauce

I have also made this same recipe using tilapia fillets.

Catfish Steaks in Fennel Seed Sauce uses the very same ingredients with just a few differences.  The gravy is much thicker in this dish and I've used climbing perch here instead of catfish.

This fish, also known as Koi Maach in Bengali, is purchased live in India and is well-known for its recuperative qualities. In the U.S. and in Michigan in particular, we have no option but to buy frozen climbing perch which is sometimes available in some Oriental and Indian grocery stores. Although the flavour of the live fish is far superior to the frozen variety, it is still a good alternative to using other species of fish, such as catfish or tilapia.

Fennel seed powder is made by toasting fennel seeds in a dry skillet until their aroma is released, taking care not to brown them. Once cooled, the fennel seeds are ground to a fine powder in a coffee grinder that has been reserved specifically for grinding spices.  

After each use, the spice grinder is whirred with baking powder to clean it and remove all aromas.

Ingredients:
1 lb. climbing perch, cleaned and gutted
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp. ginger paste
½ tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. Kashmiri mirch or chili powder
2 + 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, roasted and ground to a fine powder
½ tsp. sugar
salt to taste
4 green chilies, slit
chopped cilantro

Directions:
1.  Wash fish well and make two slanted slits on each side of each fish between the head and tail. This allows the sauce to penetrate to the center.

2.  Apply salt & turmeric to fish and marinate for half an hour.

3.  Make a paste with 1 tsp. oil, ginger paste, salt, Kashmiri mirch & 2 Tbsp. fennel powder.
4.  Stir remaining 1 Tbsp. fennel powder and sugar with 2 Tbsp. water and set aside.
5.  In a skillet over medium-high heat, fry fish in oil on both sides and set aside.
6.  In the same oil, fry fennel seeds until they sputter, then add the tomatoes.
7.  Cook tomatoes with 1st batch of fennel seed paste until tomatoes break down.
8.  Add a cup of boiling water in 4 batches, stirring well after each addition.

9.  Adjust salt to taste, add fried fish, cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

10. Turn fish over and cook for another 5 minutes.

11. Add 2nd batch of fennel seed paste and stir gravy gently without disturbing the fish.

12. Garnish with cilantro & green chilies and serve with steamed Basmati rice.

Tilapia Fillets in Coleman's Mustard Sauce

Tilapia Maacher Jhal

Fish in mustard sauce is a very popular Bengali dish which is usually made with a paste of black mustard seeds that have to be soaked in water and salt overnight to remove their bitterness. Here is a very quick, easy and delicious alternative using Coleman's Mustard powder.  

This recipe was given to me by my niece, Dipanwita Banerjee, who is an excellent cook!

Ingredients: 
1 lb. Tilapia fillets, cut in pieces
½ tsp. turmeric
Salt

Gravy:
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. nigella seeds (kalo jeera/kalonji)
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced in four
2 medium onions, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch or chili powder
2½ heaped tsp. Coleman’s Mustard powder
Salt to taste

Garnishes:
4 green chilies, slit
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Marinate fish pieces in salt and turmeric for half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan, sizzle nigella seeds and fry jalapeno pepper & onions for a minute.
3. Stir in tomato paste & chili powder and cook until oil resurfaces.
4. Place fish pieces over onions, cook one side, turn fish pieces over and cook other side.
5. Give mustard & water a good stir and pour over fish.
6. When gravy comes to a boil, garnish with green chilies and cilantro.
7. Serve on a bed of hot Basmati rice.

Lentils with Sweet Potatoes & Toasted Coconut

Mum used to make this at home when company was expected. It was part of a feast (nimonthonno ranna in Bengali). Fresh coconuts are readily available in India and Mum would break the coconut shell, slice the meat into strips and slice it into flat disks that would be fried in oil to a nutty brown.  They would then be cooked along with the lentils.

Since fresh coconuts are not as easily available in Michigan, a staple in my refrigerator is unsweetened, grated coconut. I use a dry skillet to toast a quarter cup of grated coconut to a golden brown colour with the help of 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar. The toasted coconut is used as a garnish and stirred into the lentils just prior to serving.

Ingredients:

1 cup channa dal (any lentils will do)
1 medium sweet potato or 1/4 pumpkin, peeled and cut in bite-size pieces
¼ cup grated unsweetened coconut, toasted to a golden brown
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds
1 tsp. garam masala powder
2 tsp. ginger paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp. ghee or melted butter
2–3 green chilies, left whole

Directions:

1. Wash and soak sweet potatoes in water to prevent discolouring.
2. Wash lentils until water runs clear and soak in hot water for half an hour.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds & garam masala.
4. When cumin seeds start to sizzle, add tomato and ginger pastes along with sweet potatoes and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add lentils, cover and simmer for about half an hour until lentils are tender.
6. Adjust salt to taste, garnish with ghee, toasted coconut and whole green chilies.

7. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or tortillas.

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Green Beans in White Poppy Seed Sauce

Green Beans & Shrimp Posto

Green beans, peas & shrimp cooked in a white poppy seed sauce

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. white Poppy seeds (Posto)
1 cup Water

3 Tbsp. extra light Olive Oil
½ tsp. Nigella seeds (Kalo Jeera/Kalonji)

1 lb. green Beans, sliced width-wise into small circles 
2 tsp. Ginger paste
Salt to taste
1 cup frozen Peas, thawed
10 – 15 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 tsp. Ghee or melted Butter
2 – 3 Thai red chillies, left whole

Directions:
1. Boil a cup of water in microwave, pour over poppy seeds in a bowl. Set aside to cool and soften.
2. Puree the poppy seeds and water in a blender until it reaches the consistency of a thick sauce. 
3. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add nigella seeds.
4. When the seeds begin to sputter and sizzle, add vegetables, ginger paste and salt.
5. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
6. Add peas & shrimp, adjust salt to taste and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add pureed poppy seeds and stir until well combined.
8. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and just coats the beans.
9. Garnish with ghee & whole chillies and transfer to a serving dish.

Notes:
The green beans and peas can be replaced with several other vegetables, such as eggplant, cauliflower, potatoes, zucchini, ridge gourd (jhinge), sweet potatoes, pumpkin, etc.