Mango & Tapioca Pudding

Mango & Tapioca Pudding

This is a delicious, refreshing dessert that hits the spot on a hot and humid summer day. Mango pulp is easy to make with a ripe mango that is blended with sugar. But, lucky for me, the pulp of alphonso mangoes is available in cans at the Indian market which saves me the time it would take to peel, cube and blend a fresh mango. The mango pulp is sweet enough for me but, if need be, more sugar can be added according to taste.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup

This soup was so quick and easy to make, it was perfect for lunch served alongside fried dumplings. It tasted just like the miso soup served in Japanese restaurants. Another use for the yellow miso paste that sits in a large tub in our fridge. Thank goodness it lasts in the fridge forever. Notice there is no mention of salt and that's because the miso is quite salty. Adjust salt according to taste. 

Burmese Coconut & Mango Kyauk Kyaw or Jello

Mango Kyauk Kyaw

Agar agar is a gelatin substitute that is used in south-east Asian countries. It is a plant-based extract which makes it a great vegetarian alternative to gelatin which is animal-based. The texture of jello made with agar agar is much firmer than gelatin which I, personally, find addictive. 

Kyauk Kyaw made with just coconut milk is supposed to separate into two layers, a transparent layer on the bottom and opaque on the top where the cream settles. I've been experimenting with Kyauk Kyaw for quite a few years and have not been able to create this layered effect. I think it may be because I've always used canned coconut milk instead of fresh. So making two separate layers of mango and coconut milk gives me great satisfaction. 

Agar agar is available in strands or powder form. I've used Telephone brand of the powder which is really convenient. For this dessert only 3 teaspoons of the powder was used which was only about a quarter of the packet. It's important to thoroughly dissolve the powdered agar agar in cold water before bringing it to a boil to avoid clumps. The mango layer is made first, poured into the serving dish and allowed to come to room temperature by which time it sets. The coconut layer is then poured over the mango layer to get a two-tiered effect.

Gelatin takes hours to set in the refrigerator. Agar agar sets once it comes to room temperature in less than half an hour and needs refrigeration only to chill. Chilled kyauk kyaw tastes better so make sure to refrigerate it overnight before serving.

Cucumbers & Jalapenos Pickled in Balsamic Vinegar

Pickled Cucumbers & Jalapenos

The pickled cucumbers served in Vietnamese restaurants taste so good because of their sweet & sour flavour. It's easy to make at home with minimal fuss. These taste great on hamburgers or along with with biryani or fried rice. Salting the cucumber slices before soaking in vinegar keeps them nice and crisp. I made the pickled cucumbers first and had a lot of pickling juices left after eating the cucumbers, so added sliced jalapeno peppers to the brine. Once the heat from the peppers seep into the brine, it can be sprinkled on just about anything for a sweet, tart and spicy tang. The sliced peppers can also be eaten if you can handle the heat.

Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients:

1 English seedless cucumber, sliced & tossed with salt

4 Tbsp. white balsamic or plain vinegar

4 Tbsp. sugar or Splenda or half sugar half Splenda

1 tsp. finely ground chili flakes

Directions:

1. Do not peel the cucumber.
2. Toss cucumber slices with salt and leave in sieve to drain overnight in fridge.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Chill in fridge overnight before serving.

After the cucumbers are eaten, slice jalapeno peppers into the remaining marinade for a sweet chili pickle. Allow the peppers to marinate for at least 2 days for the flavors to develop fully and store in the refrigerator.

Pui Shaak Chingri Maacher Chorchori - Stir-Fried Malabar Spinach & Shrimp

Pui Shaak Chingri Maacher Chorchori

Malabar spinach or basella is labeled Indian Spinach in the Asian markets. In Bengali, this spinach is called pui shaak and it is one of my favorite vegetables. In this dish the spinach has been stir-fried with shrimp, Japanese eggplant & sweet potatoes with a tempering of Bengali 5-spice or panch phoron seeds. It is seasoned simply with ginger paste and roasted panch phoron powder. For a vegetarian or vegan dish, omit the shrimp.

Dan Dan Shirataki Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

I first had these spicy Dan Dan noodles at Pei Wei Asian Diner which is a subsidiary of P. F. Chang's China Bistro. Pei Wei Asian Diner fast food joints have popped up in strip malls across Michigan. On their menu, Dan Dan Noodles are described as chile seared soy sauce, minced chicken, scallions, garlic, bean sprouts, cucumbers, egg noodles and has become a favorite of mine because it's one of their few spicy dishes.

Shirataki or miracles noodles are "Largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber, they are very low in carbohydrates and calories, and have little flavor of their own", according to Wikipedia. These noodles are a perfect alternative to regular pasta for those of us who are watching our carbohydrate intake.

Any and all vegetables left in your fridge can be tossed into this dish which can also be customized to the level of heat to which you are accustomed. When this is made for children, feel free to omit all the spicy elements and add them back at the table based on individual preference.

I've used minced meat, but vegetarians and vegans may substitute tofu for meat. 

Pomfret Doi Maach - Pomfret in Yogurt Sauce

Pomfret Doi Maach

Pomfret reminds me of our stay in Bombay (now known as Mumbai). At the time we lived there in the mid '70s, river fish like those found in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) were hard to come by. It was a huge adjustment to switch to ocean fish among which pomfret was the most palatable. The fishy aroma can be toned down by marinating pomfret in garlic paste.

Stewed Chicken

Stewed Chicken

When the body craves simple yet nourishing fare, this stewed chicken comes to mind. Quick & easy to prepare with minimal fuss, it is one of the rare occasions when I leave the skin on the chicken legs to be discarded just prior to eating. It's made with very few ingredients and yet is deeply satisfying with plain, white rice.

To serve this to children simply omit the green chilies so it's not too spicy for them to enjoy. Add carrots, potatoes and green peas for a traditional stew. The chicken legs should be cooked until the meat falls off the bone.

Inspired by: Kumar Arun of Sikandalous Cuisine. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1618940291715617&set=gm.10153026054812896&type=1&theater

Burmese Moh Let Saung - Coconut Milk & Tapioca Beverage

Moh Let Saung

This cold and refreshing drink is perfect for a hot summer day. The 3 essential components are the base coconut milk, any sweetener and delightful little bits & pieces of goodness to add some texture. I made this a couple of years ago, but since the last two ingredients can vary according to what's in your pantry or what you fancy that day, I'm providing an alternative to the recipe posted before.

The traditional sweetener is solid palm sugar that is chopped, dissolved in water and cooked until syrupy. I've made it with pure maple syrup before and with agave syrup today, so take your pick. All kinds of delightful tid-bits can be added to this beverage, such as rehydrated basil seeds, white tapioca pearls, bean thread vermicelli and bits of jello.

Eggplant in Miso-Ginger Sauce

A tub of yellow miso sits in my pantry, begging to be used. It's thick and creamy, looks a lot like peanut butter, tastes salty and smells of fermented beans. Apparently it lasts forever in the fridge. I began to research its nutritional value and came across a number of recipes using eggplant (one of my favourite vegetables) and miso. The idea of combining ginger with miso was appealing and this delicious side dish was really simple and quick to make. No salt was added because both miso and soy sauce have high sodium content.

Keema Gobi - Shredded Cabbage & Minced Meat

Keema Gobi

Mum was a working, single mother of eight. She has been my mentor all my life and inspires me in the kitchen, my home and in my day-to-day life. I believe that even though she's busy with the challenges in the next world, she is by my side just as she was when she was here.

When we were growing up in Darjeeling, India, week days flew by in a hive of activity of going to school, doing our homework and socializing with friends. Weekends were very special because Mum would do the cooking and even though we were on a tight budget, we ate very well. The pressure cooker was our friend and went everywhere with us. We spent the winters in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) and our pressure cooker accompanied us on our close-to 24-hour train journey. Life could not go on without that essential tool in the kitchen.

So many dishes come to mind when I think of Mum in the kitchen. She was very adventurous and made complex (Lobster Thermidor) and labour-intensive (Yakhni Pulao) recipes, all of which we were eager to assist with and loved. 

This is a deconstruction of a recipe she made with cabbage stuffed with minced meat. She would cut a head of cabbage in half and remove part of the inside which she chopped up and cooked with the minced meat. She would cook the meat and chopped cabbage with spices, onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes and stuff the cabbage halves with the cooked meat, tie the whole head of cabbage with kitchen twine and brown it in the pressure cooker in hot oil. The pressure cooker would then be heated to full pressure and the contents cooked without any water for 10-15 minutes. The resulting slices of cabbage were something to behold, our home was filled with tantalizing aromas and it was so delicious to eat!

I took the lazy person's way out and simply shredded the cabbage and cooked it along with the minced meat in the pressure cooker. Still delicious and evoked so many memories of Mum and our idyllic childhood.

Dal Gosht - Red Lentils and Meat Stew

Dal Gosht

Lentils are a central part of Indian meals at our home. Every now and then in the summer time when it's too humid to cook, it makes sense to combine lentils with lamb, beef or chicken to shorten the time spent at the stove. This hearty stew combined with any vegetable dish and a fresh salad makes for a quick and easy dinner.

I've used chicken pieces which had previously been marinated in oil, ginger, garlic and paprika and frozen. It's defrosted overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature before cooking. The chicken curry is cooked separately from the lentils and then combined to make this stew.

My sister gave me a package of Moroccan Tagine spices (thank you, Rene) which I used to spice this dish. The ingredients listed on the package include coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, dehydrated garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, cumin, nutmeg and cloves. This sounds very similar to the spices found in North Indian garam masala, which is a good substitute. 

Alu Deem Posto - Potatoes & Eggs in White Poppy Seed Sauce

Alu Deem Posto

Posto (white poppy seeds) dishes are a common item at Bengali tables. White poppy seed sauce is used in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The general procedure is to temper the oil with nigella seeds (kalonji) and green chilies, add the vegetables, or eggs and potatoes in this case, simmer them with ginger until cooked and add the poppy-seed sauce at the end. The poppy seeds are soaked in boiling water until cooled and blended with green chilies & salt until smooth and creamy.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm providing a pictorial of the steps I followed in making this dish.

Thai Shrimp Pad Ped - Eggplant & Shrimp Curry in Red Coconut Sauce

Shrimp Pad Ped

Our favourite item on the Thai menu, often described as

EGGPLANT CURRY - PAD PED: sauteed eggplant, bell peppers and onion in Thai red curry and coconut milk sauce.

Chicken Kababs

Chicken Kababs

These kababs take some time and effort to make so it's a good idea to make a big batch. They freeze well in ziploc bags and can be reheated by placing the frozen patties on a frying pan over low heat just prior to serving. It makes a good first course with salad or raita.

Cilantro, Coconut & White Poppy Seeds Chutney

Cilantro-Coconut-White Poppy Seeds Chutney
Dhonepata-Narkol- Posto Bata

There's excess cilantro every week because we use only a sprinkling for garnishing certain dishes, and the rest spoils so easily in the fridge. This is the ideal condiment to keep on hand to be had with hot, steamed Basmati rice.

Shirataki Yam Noodles Stir-Fried with Anchovies & Eggplant

Shirataki Noodles in the Bowl

The brand-new 168 Asian Mart that just opened in the Madison Place Shopping Center, south of Oakland Mall, is everything a member of the Asian community could hope for.  They have fresh fish and a food court, all kinds of fresh, Asian vegetables, sauces and fresh & packaged noodles.

Kalai Dal Chingri Korai Shuti Diye - White Mung Beans with Shrimp & Peas

Kalai Dal Chingri Korai Shuti Diye
White Mung Beans with Shrimp & Peas

My husband's cousin was visiting us a couple of years ago and was eager to cook for us. I prepped all the ingredients for him and he happily went to work on this amazing lentil dish. Amazing because we love shrimp but had never tasted it in lentils. It's best to pre-cook the lentils and fry the shrimp, set them aside and add them back at the end of the process to avoid overcooking the shrimp.

Chili Chicken

This is a popular dish on Chinese menus at restaurants in India and Kolkata in particular. When I was pregnant, I craved Chinese food and couldn't get enough of it. Pickles and other tart condiments, which are a common craving for women who are pregnant, have never appealed to me. I must have been addicted to the ajinomoto (a.k.a. MSG) used in Chinese cooking. Anyway, Chili Chicken had a special place on our order at Chinese restaurants. The more hot chilies there are in the dish, the better, so use as many as you and your family can handle.

Palang Shaak Begun Bori Diye - Spinach with Eggplant & Lentil Dumplings

Palang Shaak Begun Bori Diye
Spinach with Eggplant & Lentil Dumplings

Spinach is always available at their peak of freshness in supermarkets and Indian marktets but, for this dish, I prefer to use frozen spinach that is already chopped. 

Lentil dumplings, known as 'bori' in Bengali, are mashed lentils that are formed into small tear-drop shaped dumplings which are sun-dried. Boris are flavoured with asafetida and seasoned with salt. They are deep fried until golden brown and soaked in hot water to soften. Since some of the flavour leaches into the water in which they are soaked, the soaking liquid should be saved and added back into the dish that is being prepared, to maximize on the taste.

Lau Shukto - Bottle Gourd in Mustard and White Poppy Seed Sauce

Lau Shukto

I love kitchen gadgets and finally broke down and bought a julienne-peeler. It's so easy to use and made short work of peeling and julienning 3 chayote squash.

On the menu for dinner was jumbo prawns steamed in mustard (sorshe) sauce. The ground mustard is strained for this dish, but I don't feel good about discarding the pulp, so I used it for making this lau shukto. Even though I didn't use bottle gourd (lau), chayote squash tastes just like it. The former is not available in the supermarkets and requires a special trip to an Asian or Indian market, so I often substitute chayote squash for bottle gourd. Any Indian preparation that uses bottle gourd tastes just as good with this squash. Zucchini is another option that works well.

Both the mustard and white poppy seeds are ground with a green chili each and salt. The bitterness of the black mustard seeds is eliminated by soaking them in an equal quantity of salt and tap water for at least 2 hours or until the seeds turn red. They need to be rinsed thoroughly through several changes of water to get rid of the salt. I use a tea strainer to do this.

The white poppy seeds are soaked in boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature. This softens the seeds and produces a smoother paste when blended.

This is a very quick and easy dish to prepare once the two sauces are blended. Using the julienne-peeler cut the squash in very even strips, so it took no time at all to cook.

Burmese Htamin Kyaw - Burmese Fried Rice

Burmese Htamin Kyaw

Thai and Chinese take-out joints are very generous with their rice portions and there's always a lot left over. Customers have the option of asking for fried rice in place of plain, steamed rice (sometimes for an extra dollar). The rice is simply fried with some soya sauce and not much else. Packed in a ziploc bag and flattened down to a disc, it goes straight into the freezer until it's time to make fried rice.

Fish Sauce

Shrimp Powder with Chili

    

Two essential ingredients for cooking south-east Asian cuisine are shrimp powder and fish sauce. The fried rice I made would have been the run of the mill Chinese fried rice except for the addition of these two condiments that add umami to any dish.

Burmese Fried Rice

Fried rice tastes best if day-old rice is used because most of the moisture in the rice has been absorbed and each grain separates from the others and develops an al-dente texture. This Burmese fried rice sets itself apart from other fried rice because of its umami-saltiness from the shrimp powder and fish sauce, a pungent spiciness from green chilies and faint sweetness from caramalized onions used while frying the rice and as a garnish.

This dish is very simple and easy to make, took under 15 minutes to prepare and goes well with soup or salad. Burmese shrimp fried rice is another fried rice that is a meal unto itself for lunch.

Ingredients:

2 cups day-old rice

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

2 green chilies, diced

1 Tbsp. dried shrimp powder with chili

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. soya sauce

4 + 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

2 stalks green onions, chopped

deep-fried onions for garnish

Directions:

1. Mix rice with 2 Tbsp. oil, soya sauce, fish sauce and set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat and stir-fry onions, garlic, chilies and shrimp powder until onions caramalize.
3. Add rice and mix thoroughly, reduce heat to medium and leave rice to brown on the bottom.
4. Stir and make a well in the center, add beaten egg and allow it to set.
5. Toss rice with egg to scramble and garnish with green onions & deep-fried onions before serving.

Serve with soup (Buthi Hinjo) or a salad (Nga Hpet Thoke or Roasted Cauliflower Salad or Tomato Salad or Vegetable Dip).

Mum's Dhonepata Tetul er Chutney - Cilantro & Tamarind Chutney

Cilantro & Tamarind Chutney

Mum always set aside some fresh cilantro so she could make her favorite chutney with tamarind. The tetul-er chutney often served with samosas was a staple in her fridge which, blended with fresh cilantro along with a few other ingredients, makes a super chutney.

Ingredients:
1 bundle cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup tamarind chutney
1 medium tomato, diced
1 green chili, diced (or to taste)
1 lime, washed, zested and juiced
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
2. Bottle in a clean glass jar and refrigerate for a week or more.

Enjoy as a dip, salad dressing, sandwich spread or by the teaspoon.

Burmese Cauliflower Salad

Baked Cauliflower Salad

There was a main dish already prepared for dinner today and a cauliflower in the fridge that needed to be used up. The first thing that comes to mind when I think cauliflower is the Indian Alu Gobi, but it was too complicated at that late hour. 

Then I remembered coming across a Burmese recipe for a roasted cauliflower salad that was very easy and doable at short notice. 

So here is an adaptation of that recipe which, for my taste buds, used too much shrimp powder, fish sauce and lime juice. So I toned down those ingredients and ramped up the garlic also because I wanted to give vegetarians the option of omitting shrimp powder and fish sauce. The black sesame seeds used as a garnish was replaced with deep-fried flat beans (Burmese: pe hlaw kyaw) because I was out of sesame seeds.

Uncertain what it would taste like, I was pleasantly surprised how very good this tasted. Hubby took a second and third helping, so it may be a frequent item at our dinner table!

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

salt to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 small red onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, diced

1 green chili, diced

1 generous handful cilantro, diced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 Tbsp. dried shrimp powder (optional for vegetarians)

2 tsp. fish sauce (optional for vegetarians)

salt to taste

deep-fried flat beans (pe hlaw kyaw) for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Toss cauliflower florets with next three ingredients and spread in a single layer on a baking pan.
3. Bake at 400*F for 15 minutes, turn florets over and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Remove cauliflower from oven and transfer to a mixing bowl, along with remaining ingredients, except fried flat beans.
5. Toss until well combined, adjust salt to tast and garnish with deep-fried flat beans.

Serve as a side dish with steamed rice.

Tofu Hand-Tossed in Ta-Dang Chili Paste

Tofu Hand-Tossed in Ta-Dang Chili Paste

The inspiration for this dish came from my best friend I meet for lunch on a regular basis. We meet in the food-court of a mall, but for the last couple of years we haven't needed to buy lunch because she brings all kinds of interesting eats with her. This is one that reminds me of potato chips or popcorn. You can never take just one bite! Every time we have this, I try to extract the recipe from her, but she just isn't into writing down her recipes and neither is she precise with her measuresments of ingredients. So I've concocted my own recipe and while she makes hers on the stovetop, I cooked this in the microwave.

Thai Maesri Ta-Dang Chili Paste

BFF is a vegetarian and uses Sambal Oelek (chili-garlic paste) among other ingredients, but I have this bottle sitting in my fridge that I use in cooking Burmese food. 

The Ingredients

Ta-Dang chili paste has an interesting list of ingredients that goes something like this: dried red chilies 25%, shallots 20%, garlic 14%, tamarind juice 14%, sugar 1%, salt 7%, dried shrimp 5%, anchovy fish sauce 4%, MSG 1 % - no artificial color or preservatives. This worked perfectly, along with deep-fried onions and garlic, which have been mixed together in a microwave-safe dish.

Mix Tofu with Chili Paste Gently by Hand

To preserve the integrity of the tofu, everything was mixed together gently by hand. That's one reason I decided to do this in the microwave because tofu is so delicate and it was one way to leave the cubes whole and unbroken.

After Microwaving for 1 Minute

The tofu was cooked on high power in the microwave for one minute and then taken out and stirred with a fork.

Microwave for 2 Minutes More

After microwaving for 2 minutes more, it was ready to eat! This will taste great with steamed rice, but tastes just as great eaten on its own.

Ingredients:

1 block of extra-firm tofu, cubed

2 tsp. Ta-Dang chili paste

2 Tbsp. deep-fried onions

2 Tbsp. deep-fried garlic

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients gently by hand in a microwavable dish.
2. Microwave on high power for one minute, remove from oven & stir with a fork.
3. Return to microwave oven for 2 more minutes and it's done!

Serve on its own as an appetizer or with steamed rice.