Garlic and Coriander Prawns

We are facing unprecedented time with a pandemic. Covid-19 pandemic is teaching us all to be more understanding, accommodating and kind to each other. These days, while we all are in lockdown/homebound in some or other way or may be self-isolating, I would like to assume that staying in home can be daunting, if not easy for you all. It becomes tiring amidst juggling office and kid’s school work from home, care giving to children and elders and top of that cooking, cleaning and doing all home chores. But let me remind you the blessings; we have home, food on table and this accounts for being humble and thankful to almighty.

The amount of social media interactions that am seeing these days is enormous. Meanwhile, I do understand that you all are trying to keep up with each other through various social media accounts or video calling etc., but sometimes this itself may lead to stress and anxiety with so many varied points of views, information and social media posts.

If you don’t feel comfortable regarding reliability of some information, you don’t need to share it or forward it to others. If you don’t feel like interacting with many friends or well-wishers, then you don’t have to and it’s not compulsory. Interactions should be a pleasure rather than a chore.

It’s absolutely fine if you find solace in painting or reading a book or going for a walk or going for a Jog or exercising or meditating, but still you don’t feel like updating every damn details of your personal life on social media accounts. You don’t need validations from outside. The stimulus should reside within you. It should start within you. Anyhow, do things which suits your pace and interests and enjoy as it is. On a hopeful note, things will improve and you all will have varied stories to tell or recall later on.

I have been listening to these two Indian bands and have liked their work. The Local Train and Desert Rock and found they have those 80’s rock vibes. Another artist that caught my attention during this time is Yiruma -his Piano work leaves me spellbound.

Now to my cooking, I have cooked many dishes, but just didn’t feel like updating it here. I have made these garlic prawns many moons ago and it turned out great.

These garlic and coriander prawns are great as sides. They can be part of an appetizer menu as well. A well-balanced blend of spices and delectable prawns are ready. Now to the recipe

Garlic and Coriander Prawns 

Recipe requirements (serves 2-3)

Prawns- 200 gms

½ tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of red pepper powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of dried coriander leaves or ½ cup of freshly chopped leaves

½ tsp of salt

2-3 tbs of cooking oil

Method

Clean and devein prawns. Marinate them with turmeric powder and salt.

In a small bowl, mix in red pepper powder+garlic powder+dried coriander leaves with 1 -2 tsp of water.

Put a sauté pan on heat. Add in cooking oil.

Add in marinating prawns and the masala paste frying for 1-2 mints at med-low.

Cover and let it cook for 6-7 mints at medium flame. Take out and serve.

Happy Cooking Friends and have a relaxing weekend.Take precautions while going out and stay safe everyone.

A simple Prawn Stir-fry recipe

We have been witnessing spring blossoms in every corner of our neighbourhood. The trees are now laden with new green leaves and colourful blossoms. Spring is a very jovial season where everything gets a new décor and a new life. We have been blessed with sunshine past couple of days as well and that makes outdoor activities even more interesting, unlike today which is very British weather, rainy and grey. I am now confined to home and thought let me utilize my time making a quick recipe post.

I have been wanting to make prawn for a long time and this simple yet such a flavourful recipe comes in handy. You have to be little patient with cleaning and de-vein prawns, but once you are done with it, you can make flavourful stir/fry recipe in jiffy.

Any way if you like bit of planning your meals for a week or are running out of time, you can pre clean and marinate the prawns and keep it in freezer in batches and use them as you have need for that.

Now to the recipe

Prawn stir/fry recipe

Recipe requirements

• 8-10 prawns
• 1 and ½ tsp of red pepper powder
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• ½ tsp of cumin powder
• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
•  1-2  dry red pepper
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• 3-4 tbs of mustard oil/cooking oil
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

• Clean, devein and deshell prawns.
• Marinate them in turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt and red pepper powder. Leave it aside for half an hour.
• Heat up a fry pan, add in mustard oil. Add in mustard seeds and dry red pepper. Let it splutter a bit.
• Add in marinated prawns and stir/fry them for about 7-8 mints at medium high flame.
• Take them out and serve with warm cooked rice. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Happy Cooking Friends

Shrimp and Pea Sprouts stir-fry recipe

A simple stir fry recipe with shrimps and pea sprouts on a busy weekday night comes handy. All you need is to cut some colourful vegetables of your choice. Pea sprouts are the star ingredients of this stir-fry recipe. If you don’t get pea sprouts, then you can use baby bok-choy wholes or some chopped Ung Choi as well. Anaheim chili gives a milder flavour.

Shrimp and Pea sprouts stir/fry

Recipe requirements ( serves 2-3 ) 

• 10-12 large shrimps
•  1 and half cups of pea sprouts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large tomato
• 2-3 Anaheim red chilly
• 1 tsp of freshly crushed black pepper
•  2 tsp of fish sauce
• Salt as per taste
• 4 tbs of cooking oil/soybean oil
• Soya sauce (optional)

Method

• Clean, de-shell and devein Shrimps. Sprinkle crushed black pepper and salt over shrimps. Keep aside for about half an hour.
• Cut chop all the vegetables- red bell pepper, tomato, carrots and Anaheim red chilly into long and bit of thick juliennes.
• Heat up a fry pan, add cooking oil, add in shrimps and stir/fry them for about 5-7 mints or till they are lightly browned. Take out in a bowl. Keep aside.
• Now add in left-over oil.
• Add in cut vegetables. Next add fish sauce and salt.Be careful with salt as fish sauce itself is salty. Sprinkle red pepper powder if you need more hotness. Keep on stir/fry for about 4-5 mints, retain the crunchiness of the vegetables. At this stage you may add soya sauce for some sweetness otherwise you can skip it as well.
• Now add in fried shrimps, mix well. Take out on a serving plate. Enjoy with some cooked noodles or warm cooked rice. This is absolutely delicious.

Happy Cooking Friends

Spicy Shrimp with Avocado and Alfalfa Sprouts Salad

I haven’t updated this space for a while, so thought of posting this spicy shrimp avocado salad. There are many ways shrimps can be prepared and relished. This salad is one healthy way of introducing nourishing foods to our menu. This comes as refreshing change to a mundane summer salad. Avocado and alfalfa sprouts add up to the flavour and health benefits. Now without further ado here is simple recipe for this salad.

Spicy Shrimp with Avocado and Alfalfa sprouts salad

Recipe requirements

 10 large shrimps

¼ tsp of turmeric powder

 1 tsp of Red pepper powder

½ tsp of coriander powder

Salt as per taste

 2-3 tbs of cooking oil

1 ripened avocado

½ cup of alfalfa sprouts

¼ cup of chives and garlic sprouts

10-15 cherry tomatoes

2 cups of lettuce

2 tsp of olive oil

Salt as per taste

Method

Clean, de-shell and devein Shrimps. Rub in shrimps with red pepper powder,coriander powder , turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside for about half an hour.

Heat up a fry pan, add 2 tbs of cooking oil, add in shrimps and stir/fry them for about 5-7 mints or till they are lightly browned. Take out in a bowl. Keep aside.

Now assemble the salad

Cut and destone avocado in to bite size pieces.

In a big mixing bowl, add in lettuce leaves, alfalfa sprouts, avocado and cherry tomatoes.

Sprinkle salt and add in olive oil. Toss well.You may sprinkle black pepper powder as well.

Now serve with stir/fried shrimps.

You can squeeze in fresh lemon juice to get a tangy flavour over shrimps as well.

There are other variations as well – you may add chopped cucumber or include any nuts as well.

Let me also wish you all a very happy and healthy Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan Mubarak To all .....

Cabbage with Shrimp stir/fry - Chingri diye Bandhakopi - চিংড়ি দিয়ে বাঁধাকপি

I don’t need to write about the benefits of green leafy-vegetables. So I will skip that part and also I don’t want to sound boring and rhetoric to you all. Cabbage with shrimps, now who doesn’t like shrimps except few of us, who have allergies. This is a very homely Bengali way of making cabbage with shrimps. People may have little variations to it, like some may use cumin seeds for tempering, some may not, and many will go on to add grounded ginger+ cumin as the base of the masala. Please use ingredients, whatever way you want to make.

This is how this recipe is made in our kitchen.

Chingri diye Bandhakopi – Cabbage with shrimp stir/fry recipe

Recipe requirements

• 1 whole cabbage – approx. 400gm
•  De-veined shrimps- 300- 400 Gms
• 2-3 fat cloves of garlic
•  1 medium size onion
• 2 medium size tomato

For tempering and seasonings

• 1 tsp of turmeric powder (½ tsp of stir/fry and ½ tsp for rubbing on shrimps)
•  2 tsp of red pepper powder
•  1 tsp of coriander powder
•  1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• ¼ tsp of sugar
• 3-4 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp of panch phoron
• 5-6 tbs of mustard oil
• 2 tsp of ghee
• 1 tsp of garam masala

Method

• Chop green cabbage finely.
• Clean, de-shell and devein Shrimps. Rub in shrimps with turmeric powder and salt.Keep aside.
• Heat up a fry pan, add 2 tbs of mustard oil, add in shrimps and stir/fry them for about 2-3 mints and take out in bowl.
• In that fry pan itself, add more mustard oil, temper it with panch phoron, dry red chillies.
• Now add in tomato and chopped garlic into it. Add in chopped onions.
• Keep on stir/fry for about 5-6 mints at medium high flame.
• Now add in turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder and salt.Add in sugar as well. Sprinkle little bit of water and keep on stir/fry.
• Add in chopped cabbage now. Mix cabbage very well with spices.
• Add in quarter cup of water.Cover and cook for 7-8 mints or till cabbage leaves are cooked through well.Add in fried shrimps now, stir/fry and mix with a spatula for another 3-4 mints.
• Add in ghee and garam masala at the end. Give a final mix.
• Take out and serve in a bowl.

Note-

You can add chopped potatoes and green peas as well.

Happy Cooking Friends

Chingri Mach'er Malaikari ( Our Version ) -Prawns with coconut milk- চিংড়ি মাছের মালাইকারি

First month of a new year 2017, and even before I can realize, it’s about to wrap up fast. I haven’t briefed you all with New Year celebrations in Kuala Lumpur.So, will write it all today. We went to central Kuala Lumpur and captured some of the beautiful moments through our smartphones. So below you will see couple of pics taken on 31^st Dec 2016 capturing New Year celebrations in Kuala Lumpur.

Welcoming 2017 

It was all crowded, decked up and people were enjoying rest of the hours that were left of 2016.

We also stopped by to the countdown to the New Year and watched fireworks lit up Kuala Lumpur skyline and Petronas towers.

Petronas Towers

Glowing and scattering its sheen in the dark, catching up moon’s natural light, Petronas tower looks magnificent in night light , shinning like a beautiful silver ornament.

There were other parts of street also decorated with glittering lighting.

And on 28^th Jan, we observed here Chinese New Year-  this year  is ‘Rooster’ year.

Decorations in shopping malls during Chinese New Year

This also marks spring festival celebrations in Chinese communities. Irrespective of sects – Taoists, Confucians, Buddhist, Chinese people celebrate New Year where ever they are scattered in the world at this time. People flock back towards their home and re-unite with their families to observe Chinese New Year. Everyone celebrates by decorations with ‘duilian’ (a pair of scroll on which poetry is written) and giving red packets or ‘ang paow’ with money. 

Bright giant  Lanterns in shopping malls- mid-valley mall

Homes are decked up with bright lights and red lanterns. The whole atmosphere is all lit up with glorious red colour. The traditional dinner lines up on New Year’s Eve, and it’s very similar to ‘Thanks-giving’ celebrations in US.

All shopping malls are decorated. China town in Kuala Lumpur is a special buzzing place where one can see celebrations and also the Lion dance. Schools and offices, as usual are closed during these days in Malaysia.

A typical Cantonese Home on display- notice cycle at  corners

Now after all those introductions to Chinese New Year celebrations, it’s time to write about the recipe for today- Chingri Malaikari -Or prawns cooked with spices and coconut milk. There is a version of making it with ginger only and below is the version we make with onion+garlic+ginger+tomato paste.

Puritans would abstain from using tomato, as tomato in Bengali cuisine is a recent addition in making meat preparations. I don’t know much about ‘Ghoti’ version or ‘Bangal’ version, but this seems more to me a ‘Ghoti’ recipe. So, being a ‘Ghoti’ myself, I generally end up using sugar in the gravy. Now each variation, has its own charm and one should always follow what one likes to eat.

Here is how we make Chingri Malaikari with freshly grated coconut.

Chingri Malaikari (Prawns cooked with coconut milk) - Our way 

 চিংড়ি মাছের  মালাইকারি 

Recipe requirements

•  600 Gms of XL shrimps or 10-12 prawns

Spices

• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste for marinating prawns
•  1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 2 tsp of red pepper powder
•  1 ½ tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of cumin powder
• ½ tsp of cardamom powder
• ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp of nutmeg powder
•  1 tsp of sugar
• 4-5 green chillies or 2-3 Thai red bird chillies
• 2 and half cups of freshly grated coconut
•  2-3 medium size onions
• 4-5 fat cloves of garlic
• Half inch ginger root
• 1 medium size tomato
• 3-4 cloves
•  2-3 green cardamoms
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 6-7  heaped tbs of mustard oil

Salt as per taste

 1 tsp of ghee

Method

• Cleaning shrimp/prawn is a tedious process.
• Deshell all prawns or shrimp whatever you are using.
• Keep the tail intact. Now if you want to keep the head, then do so, just take out the portions with eyes and tentacles. I am not that expert in cleaning head of big prawns (So, I ask fish-mongers in India to clean the head for me, and they are expert in cleaning the head. However here in KL, I do clean shrimp heads often and that is what generally I use for any chingri preparations)
• There is a thread (actually it’s the vein of prawns which we need to discard) – darkish colour sometimes mud colour, which you have to take out. From the dorsal side make a cut in the one end near tail region– and take that thread out gently. After de-shelling and de-veining, clean prawns well in water.
• Rub turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside in a bowl for 5-6 mints. Heat up a fry pan and shallow fry shrimps for about 2-3 mints at med-high or till they barely change colour. Take out and keep aside.
• Now take 1 cup of freshly grated coconut and run through in mixer/grinder with 2 cups of water. Once all gets thoroughly grinded, add more water to it and filter out the coconut milk from its solids, squeeze the remaining coconut residues well to collect rest of the coconut milk. This will make our fresh coconut milk which we will be using in for the gravy.
• Now chop onions, tomato, ginger and garlic finely.
• Heat up a fry pan/kadai.Add in mustard oil.
• Add in cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick.
• Then add in finely chopped onion, garlic and ginger. Add in tomato pieces also.
• Take all the spices (leaving behind cardamom+cinnamon+nutmeg powder) in a big bowl and mix in well with half a cup of water.
• Add this spice mixture to the above and keep going stir/fry the whole things.
• Add in tomato and sugar. Add in red Thai chillies slit in between. Add salt. Add in rest of the freshly grated coconut.
• Now after 10-12 mints when all the spices, onions, ginger and garlic is properly fried. Take out and run through in mixer/grinder to make smooth spice paste.
• Now add in bit of more mustard oil in the same pan and add in the above prepared paste, and fry through well. Adjust salt, sugar and hotness if required.
• Now add in fried shrimp to the above and put the flame to low. Cover and let it cook for 7-8 mints.
• Add in coconut milk and sprinkle cinnamon+cardamom+nutmeg powder or ‘garam masala’. Add in ghee at the end and cook further for 4-5 mints and take out chingri malaikari in a serving bowl. Enjoy with warm cooked rice.

Note- You can use a can of thick coconut milk. And also sometimes only ginger is added to make malaikari leaving onions+garlic+tomato.Please follow what ever you prefer in this recipe.

So tomorrow is Saraswati Puja.May Goddess Ma Saraswati bless us all with knowledge and wisdom. 

Shubho Basanta Panchami  - ''শুভ  বসন্ত  পঞ্চমী''  everyone.

Happy Cooking

Chingri diye Chal kumro - ash-gourd with shrimp stir/fry - and it's 10 years of food-blogging

This blog turned 10 years old. Yes that’s a long time. I have planned to write a big senti-post with elaborate made-ups, emojis and what-not. But here I am, with my flaws, loss with words and ………

When I started taking baby steps, I never knew this could be shaping up something like this today. I needed to write, needed to write down my experiments in my small apartment kitchen like a mad scientist working endlessly, in their laboratory, except those laboratory products were being tasted by and tested on real people – aka my dear Husband and my dear daughter. Well what else can they do?

  I think (or rather I pretend to think- whatever is the case), they have also accepted this mad scientist/aka cook with her flaws and that she will continue experimenting things with them. Now, even they have started giving me instructions, ways to improve a recipe. We have healthy discussions about recipes on our dining table and the conversation even revolves around the spice –level and the levels at which vegetables are stir/fried/charred/burnt. We sometimes even discuss the need of ‘jeerey phoron’ over ‘panch phoron’ and vice-versa. Sorry politics and ‘gyan –wardhak- batein ‘, please find some other dinner table.

One fine day, dear daughter was calling me fanatically, and I thought it must be those days, where she has to vent out her feelings. ‘Ma you should see this!!  …..And I asked what? …..Hey! Your blog is on google search and that too on first page. Do you really know what it means…..and I was rolling my eyes, what it meant, trying to recall – and I gave a blank stare to her.…..probably she understood (after that day, she is on a reading spree- reading all those old posts from the beginning. I wonder how she feels, where she is mentioned or I have written about her. I need to ask her someday that too…….)

10 years can do that too (can make you go blank sometimes) ……it’s a long time …..Well food –blogging, is now a profession these days, as this is what I last heard about. I have seen a paradigm shift in this field- from hobby to making it a profession. I don’t know what should I say about that- but if that makes a difference to you. I now do tell, 'real –life' people or friends that I have a food-blog which some 3-4 years ago I couldn’t think or speak-out.

But yes, there are people, who still visit this food-blog, spend time accessing recipes and perhaps do make them in their kitchen. Some even find time to write me back and appreciate for sharing recipes with them,or drop a comment. Some even ask questions about recipes, some even criticize, and some are silent readers-they come, they read and I do think they try making recipes from here as well. 

Well, to all of you, thanks a lot for making ‘spice and curry’ a part for your life, a tiny place where you like to hang around and feel like it’s your home. Well that is what this food-blog is all about. Thank you for visiting and checking recipes here, making it a million-hits- food-blog.

Without you reader(s) this blog is incomplete. Hopefully, I will keep writing more recipes, but you have to promise me as well, that you will keep visiting us as well. 

Thank you for being with me all these 10 years of food-blogging!!!

Today I am sharing a very Bengali recipe- Chingri diye chal kumro- ash gourd with shrimp and coconut stir/fry. After all those blabbering above, I think I will spare you from more torture, and will write the recipe.

Here is how I made it 

Chingri diye chal kumro r torkari/ Shrimp and potato with coconut stir/fry

Recipe requirements- ( serves3-4 people)

1 medium size ash gourds

 300 Gms of shrimps- cleaned and deveined

2 medium size potatoes

 1 medium tomatoes chopped or 8-10 ripened cherry tomatoes slit in between

3-4 red bird eye chilies/Thai chilies

 1 and ½ tsp of red pepper powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder

Salt as per taste

For tempering

1 tsp of cumin seeds

2 dry red chillies

5-6 tbs of cooking oil/mustard oil

Method

Clean and cut ash gourd, potatoes in to long juliennes, little bit thicker.

Clean shrimps- deshell them and devein them. Marinate with turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside for 10 mints.

Heat up a fry pan, add 1tbs of mustard oil, and stir fry the shrimps for 4-5 mints. Take out and reserve to use up later in the stir/fry preparation.

Heat up a fry pan/wok/kadai, Add in rest of the cooking oil to it, add cumin seeds, dry red pepper, and let it splutter.

Stir/fry it for 1-2 mints at med-high flame.

Add in ash gourd and potatoes pieces/juliennes.

Add in red chilly slit in between and finely chopped tomato pieces.( you can add grated coconut as well.)

Add in all the dry spices- turmeric powder+red pepper powder+salt in a cup of water, mix it well.

Add this spices mixture to the above fried mix and keep on stir/fry for about 3-4 mints.

Let it cook for 10-12 mints at medium-low flame or till the potatoes turn soft. At this time add in fried spicy shrimp to above and mix it well. Take out and it’s ready to be eaten.

Serve and enjoy with warm cooked rice.

Happy Cooking friends and 

Thanks you for stopping by here and spending time with me all these 10 years of food-blogging !!

Singapore style Beehun/Bihun/Angel hair rice Vermicelli - Fried rice vermicelli with Tofu and Bok Choy

When we were kids, we sometimes used to lie down on green grass and watched the clouds floats by. We still do like it, even we are way past our childhood days, but with time crunch, it’s not something very frequent these days. Some will say huh! Who does that, kids not grown-ups like us, to that I would say it’s good to be a kid sometimes, to recall back all the innocence that we have lost in this maddening world of materialistic values.

When I see kids these days, hooked on to social media, and connecting with friends through smart-phones, I feel, as if we are somehow losing it out to technology, where is that innocence these days? And the problem is either you are in, or completely out, and with tremendous amount of peer pressure to fit in. Not all diagrams point to circles, some can be square as well. Then why put things into symmetric pigeon –holes.

Not all silly things makes us silly, you silly! …That’s what, my Ma told me once. And I couldn’t apprehend what she meant with that. Now that, I am myself a mother, I know what she meant.

We still catch up our cloud floating sessions sometimes, in spite of hectic schedules. Let’s see how long we will be able to do things like this in coming future as well.

Fried bihun, I happened to taste it for first time when one of my Malaysian friend in London made it for me, and with shrimps, we really liked the taste. The thin rice vermicelli soaked the flavours of soya sauce well and prawns were juicy, and soft. The noodles were light and flavourful.

Bihun/beehun is rice vermicelli in Malaysia, so when I tasted Singapore style Bihun in one of our local restaurant here, I thought to make it again in comfy of my home. As of now, I don’t think Singapore style noodles is popular in Singapore itself. But there, most of them know it as Fried Bihun/Beehun or fried rice vermicelli.

Well this is a great accompaniment with all sorts of curries and other sautéed vegetables. This is how we like to make it.

Singapore style Beehun/Bihun – Fried rice vermicelli with Tofu and Bok Choy

Recipe requirements (Serves 2-3)

150-200 g of thin rice vermicelli /Beehun/Bihun/angel hair vermicelli

3-4 tbs of cooking oil

2-3 garlic pods

1 medium size onion

300 gms of firm tofu cut into cubes

2-3 Bok choy bundles or about 8-10 small Bok Choy

1 medium size carrots

 3-4 Thai red chillies slit in between

2 free range eggs (optional)

6-7 fried shrimps (optional)

For the sauce

2-3 tsp of thick soya sauce

 1tsp of light soya sauce

2-3 tsp of hot chilli sauce

Salt as per taste

Method

Soak rice vermicelli or also known as bee hun/ bihun in water for about 20 mints or till they turn soft.

Chop and cut all the vegetables finely preferably in thin juliennes.

Now add in 2 tbs of cooking oil in a fry pan, add in eggs and fry well. Take them out in a separate plate.

Now add in reserved bit of cooking oil and stir/fry garlic and then onions.

Now add rest of the chopped vegetables- carrots,chilies,  bok choy etc.

In a mixing bowl- mix in hot chilies sauce and soya sauce and salt.

Now add this sauce to the above fried mixture of vegetables.

Add in soaked  and soft bihun/rice vermicelli.

Mix in with a spatula gently and garnish with fried eggs or shrimps.You can substitute Tofu with paneer cubes.

Singapore style bihun is ready to be served.

Today is Shubh Mahalaya , after this Navaratri starts.

Wish you all Shubh Mahalaya and Festive greetings.

Prawn Mee Soup / Penang Hokkien Mee Soup- Our Way

As promised, here is a recipe, a more local recipe this time. Penang is part of Malaysia and this region is also blessed with diverse cuisine habits and culture, mainly Chinese influence as many early settlers in this region came from China. Although many settled here and adopted native languages, local food habits, inter-mingled with local populations, but somehow they also carried their food legacies with them where ever they went. I haven’t been to Penang myself, so I am not sure how Prawn mee is made in a traditional Penang home, but then it’s also a very popular street food/hawker food with many variations. I happened to taste it first when we went to a restaurant here in Kuala Lumpur. That warm and delicious prawn noodle soup lingered on my mind and my taste-buds for many days. I started looking for the recipe in internet, but couldn’t recall the name of the recipe. Then when we went again, second time in that same restaurant, I made sure to memorize the name this time- so the name was Prawn Mee/Har mee …...and that stayed with me…the name and the flavour.

Here I tried to re-create that taste in my own apartment kitchen. I really don’t know how authentic it can be, but the flavour of the noodle soup reminded me of that deliciously cooked prawn mee soup I had earlier in that restaurant. I have tried to make this soup with whatever I had at the time of making it and also to please our Indian taste buds so little variation is there. There are other authentic recipes out in internet as well.- Like this.

I also found out other minute details slowly with our endeavours during our weekend excursions. Penang Hokkien mee is what the soupy prawn noodle is known as Prawn Mee over here in KL. And when I ordered Hokkien mee here in KL, the dish turned out something different- more of drier stir/fry/ version which my daughter just loved it. There you see a very minute difference and the entire recipe turns out something else for you. Anyhow this is how I made it- Prawn Mee soup aka Penang Hokkien Mee Soup aka Har Mee soup. And Btw ‘Mee’ is dish containing noodles in it, word origin is Chinese. 

This is how we made it -

Prawn Mee- egg noodle soup recipe/ Penang Hokkien mee/Har Mee recipe

Cooking time – 1hr

Recipe requirements

(Serves 3-4)

For prawn stock

About 20-25 prawns – head and tails is also required

2-3 tsp of oil

 1tsp of fish sauce

Salt as per taste 

For chilli paste/spice paste

5-6 blanched prawn (head and tail removed)

4-5 garlic pods

8-10 birds red chillies

Salt as per taste

 For the main soup

 About 200 – 250 gms of thick rice noodles/ or yellow noodles/ egg noodles

2- 3 tsp of cooking oil

2 tsp of prepared spice paste

½ tsp of red pepper powder (add if you need spicier version)

2-3 tsp of palm sugar

6-7 shallots – or 2 onions

 3-4 garlic pods

½ inch ginger

2- 3 dry red chilly

2-3 tsp of cooking oil

Vegetables of your choice

Any green leaves - choi sum/Ong Choi/ amaranth/spinach etc. (blanched)

1 medium size carrot

1 cup of chopped yard long beans – 2-3 inch in length

 1 cup of bean sprouts

 Any other vegetables

 Hard boiled eggs to garnish (optional)

Method

Home-made prawn stock- base of Prawn Mee soup recipe- made the soup with shrimps

 Take about 7-8 cups of water in a big heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add in salt, and cooking oil.

As the name suggest Prawn Mee , prawns are the main ingredients. Remove head and shells from prawns, clean it well in water. Blanch these cleaned and de-veined prawns for about 3-4 mints in above simmering water. Take out and set aside.

Now add in removed prawn heads and shells in to the above simmering pot. Add in fish sauce. Put the flame to medium-low and let it simmer for about 40- 50 mints. Take out and discard prawn heads and shells. This is your home-made prawn stock and it tastes absolutely delicious. (Many times pork fat or chicken pieces are also added)

Now add in all the vegetables of your choice, let it cook for 6-7 mints or till they just start turning pale. I like when they retain bit of crunchiness. Take them out and keep aside in separate bowls. We will use these blanched vegetables at the time of assembling the Prawn Mee soup.

In a separate pan, boil egg noodles/rice noodles or yellow noodles, whatever you are using for the soup. I have used thick rice noodles which takes longer to cook. I have added bit of turmeric powder to the simmering rice noodles, so that it soaks bit of colour. Tip- You can use any thick instant noodle as well available  in India- like ramen/Maggi/chef/patanjali etc.….

Now prepare the shrimp/spice paste

Blanch 4-5 prawns in the above simmering pot and take out in a bowl.

 In a food processor, blend 4-5 blanched prawns, garlic and red chilly together.

Put the fry pan on flame, add in cooking oil and fry this spice paste for about 8-10 mints at medium-high flame or till the oil separates out. Take out and put in bowl. Use 2 tsp of this paste for the prawn mee recipe and if you have left-over, store in fridge. This can be served with the soup as an accompaniment also. TIP- You can use ready-made sambal- chilli paste as well.

Chop all very finely –onion+ ginger+garlic. If you think a paste will work fine then you can do it as well.

In that fry pan, add more cooking oil, fry onion, garlic and ginger evenly. You can make a spice paste out of this also and mix it with above mentioned prawn spice paste.

Preparing Vegetables and Prawns for the soup

Add in all the blanched vegetables, blanched prawns, palm sugar, adjust salt and last but not the least shrimp spice paste. You can use sambal chilli as well if you don’t want to make home-made shrimp paste. Basically any paste which has dried shrimp paste can also be used. This shrimp paste adds the extra shrimp flavour. Coat all the prawns and vegetables well with the spices. Green leafy vegetables like – spinach, Ong choi, can also be added but they need to be cooked/blanched separately.

Assembling Prawn Mee soup

Now put cooked noodles, then top it with your choice of cooked vegetables and prawns, add in cooked prawn stock and garnish with cilantro and hardboiled egg.

Note-

This soup is known as Penang Hokkien Mee in Penang. In KL it is knowns as Prawn Mee or Har mee. However, if in KL and Singapore you order Hokkien Mee – they will serve you with fried noodles with prawn and it will be different as compared to Penang Hokkien Mee.

Happy Cooking Friends

Spaghetti Pasta cooked with Prawn, Cherry Tomato and Red Chard Tender leaves

We have liked pasta recipes and it’s not a hidden secret from this blog’s readers like you.Our weekend nights are mostly pasta nights, and in the past I have shared other pasta recipes as well.Today it's spaghetti pasta with prawns, cherry tomato , red chard tender leaves cooked in marinara sauce.

I had spaghetti pasta, and was thinking to use them up soon.As the school half term holidays have started here with this weekend, I have to find ways for making my daughter enjoy her food and also keep her entertained.This spaghetti pasta was well received and appreciated by her today as her lunch.Although I will say ,this still can be cooked for a lazy weekend Valentine night celebrations, in case you don’t fancy, eating out and paying hefty sums.What ever be the occasion, love doesn't need a particular day.Every day is a lovable day, and it’s up to us how we make it beautiful.

I also happened to pick prawns this time, and wanted to make chingri - malaikari, but then thought will use it up in this pasta preparation, so this "Chingri pasta recipe" was ready.I had greens like red chard tender leaves and wild rocket leaves, which also increased the nutrients factor, so as those juicy cherry tomatoes.With all those vegetables and prawns, this spaghetti pasta recipe turned out very delicious.Now to the recipe

Spaghetti pasta cooked with prawn, cherry tomato and red chard in marinara sauce

Recipe requirements

• Half a packet of spaghetti or roughly 250 Gms of spaghetti
• 300 Gms of prawn- head and tail removed
• 1 medium size onion
• 4-5 fat cloves of garlic
• 10-15 cherry tomatoes
• 1 big juicy ripened tomato
•  1 red bell pepper, - sun-dried pepper even better
• 2-3 handfuls of red chard tender leaves
• 1 hand full of rocket leaves

Seasonings

• ¼ tsp of Italian dried herb mix
•  1 small twig of fresh thyme
• ½ tsp of red pepper powder
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• 3-4 tbs of cooking oil/olive oil
•  2-3 heaped tbs of any pasta sauce (skip if using ripened tomato)
• 2 tbs of red wine (optional)

Method

• Heat up a large saucepan filled with water. Let it come to one boil; add in half a tsp of salt to it and few tsp of cooking oil. Add in uncooked spaghetti to it and let it cook for 8-10 mints. Scoop out about a 1 ½ cups of this pasta water and discard rest of water.
• Clean prawns, and take off the head and tail.Marinate this with little salt and keep aside.
• Now heat up a separate cooking pan, add in olive oil, and add in chopped garlic. Let it stir/fry it to get a nice brown colour.Add in chopped onion. Let it stir/fry it for 4-5 mints.
• Add in cherry tomatoes, and red bell pepper. Adjust seasonings with salt and red pepper powder.
• Add in marinated prawns. Add in red chard leaves. I have also used rocket leaves which give a nice peppery flavor.
• Add in the reserved pasta water/starch and pasta sauce to it. You can even use fully ripened tomatoes for the sauce and pureed tomato is even better. Add in red wine if you wish to use, which forms base of the marinara sauce.Add in fresh thyme now.
• Let this sauce cook well on its own juices with cherry tomatoes, prawn, red bell pepper and red chard leaves.
• After about 10 -12 mints, add in cooked spaghetti, toss and mix well.Stop cooking it further.
• At the time of serving, garnish with your preferred cheese and red chilly flakes.

Happy Cooking Friends

Spicy Shrimp Curry Recipe with home-made spice powder and Shubho Poila Boishak

Now that Easter holidays have started here, I do have some relaxed mornings to start off our days. Spring feels so refreshing all around us, with beautiful spring blossoms enticing our eye sight everywhere. Many times we have also touched and felt those soft cherry blossoms or the Hawthorn blossoms that are scattered along on our many walking trails here. Public parks are getting busier with picnic outings, although it still is nippy during the evenings or with other sorts of activities as well. This indeed gives us some push to be little more active, well when I say active I mean activating this dormant blog, not in other way precisely.

And soon it will be poila boishak on Tuesday.Well, cook delicious food and celebrate what ever way you prefer with your family and friends. So, here wishing all of you readers Shubho poila boishak.May the New Year fulfills all your dreams and wishes.

Here is shrimp curry with home-made spice powder.Chingrir jhaal with home-made spice powder. I guess I have already blogged about a new combination of spice powder that I have made couple of months back. I have even blogged a recipe of chicken with that spice powder.Here.
That spice powder remains the base spice for this curry with chingri or shrimp. I have found them even tastier. We do make shrimp less as my husband is allergic to shrimp, but when ever we mother-daughter due cook shrimp, we relish a lot. This spice powder was made with dry anar dana/pomegranate seeds and desiccated coconut as told earlier. We didn’t have any left-overs.Make and have it with rice or what ever way you prefer; this will really be a crowd puller.Next time I am going to make it with jumbo prawns for sure.

Since, I was cooking this for my kid, I almost halved the spice content, but if you do really like spice and hotness, please go ahead and add 4-5 slit green chilies or even more red pepper powder as well. Shrimp again I don’t have to tell you that they need just a stir /fry for 4- 5 mints or till they turn pale and changes color, otherwise be prepared to have a rubbery shrimp. In any case, if you really ask me I do like both, as for me shrimp is a shrimp and Chingri is something one can always enjoy, cooked to perfection or even if it’s over-cooked.

Spicy Shrimp curry with home-made spice powder
Recipe requirements
250 Gms of small shrimp
2 tbs of home-made spice powder recipe is here
½ tsp of garlic powder or two garlic cloves crushed
½ tsp of red pepper powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
¾ tsp of salt or as per taste
1 cup of finely chopped coriander leaves
2-3 tbs of mustard oil
Method
Wash and clean shrimp, discard shell if any. It’s better to cut the head and tail out if it’s already not done by your fishmonger.
Now marinate cleaned shrimp with salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside for half an hour.
Now heat up a fry pan/saucepan/kadai, add mustard oil.Add in galic if using fresh.
Now add in marinated shrimp. Add in home-made spice powder and red pepper powder and garlic powder.
Writing the recipe of home-made spice powder again, so that you all can have some ideas.
From previous post-here

Dry roast cumin 4 tbs of cumin seeds+ 2 tbs of panch phoron+5-6 cardamom+5-6 cloves+5-6 dry red chilies for about 1-2 mints, just to heat them up. Now dry grind these spices with 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut+ coconut powder and 1/2 cup of dried anar dana/pomegranate seeds. You can use fresh coconut instead of dry and desiccated coconut but the shelf life is reduced then and also it is advisable to store them in fridge. Otherwsie, use grated “gari” or desiccated coconut what ever is available. The small dry red chilies which are somewhat more hot is used in this spice which makes it very hot, so be careful while adjusting red pepper powder.

"Gari" – dried coconut/khopra  which is readily available in India and abroad and this not to be confused with dried cassava powder that are available here abroad.

Adjust salt if necessary. Add in finely chopped coriander leaves. Cover and let it cook for about 6-7 mints or the shrimp changes color.
Serve and enjoy. I have served it over cooked couscous, with butternut squash+potato stir/fry and a portion of Chicken Tandoori. As a healthy practice some salad leaves were also included. A whole some meal itself.

Wish all you readers a very Shubho Poila Boishak, Baisakhi,Puthandu,Puram Vishu and Rongali Bihu  .

Cook good food, enjoy and have a Shubho Nabo Barsha everyone.

Happy Cooking Friends

Laksa Soup - Our Way

 Most of the time when it rains or if it’s getting dark and gray, we often make hearty warm soups. This makes us feel rejuvenated even after having a tiring day out. I have loved probably most of the soup recipes which have loads of veggies or pearl barley soup or even a spinach soup.Curry Laksa soup was always on my mind since the time I happen to read it in a cook book which featured many other Oriental recipes. And from then the bug of having home-made warm Laksa soup hit me hard.

I seldom read cook books and even if I happen to read cook books, I generally forget about everything written once I put down the book. It is rare that something gets stored in my mind and tops in the “to-do-list”. Yes, you read it right I rarely read cook books. But then there comes some good cook books which is sort of food bible to most of us and it’s not that easy to jump pages quickly, well it does keep you engrossed. And then I wonder why on earth I didn't get a chance to read it beforehand. While we were in library one fine day and I happen to read a cook book by a famous food writer, where I got to read the recipe for laksa soup.

What I read, I liked it and then imagined myself, I was sitting on the lap of snow-clad mountains some where near in Bhutan- a place near to Bengal , wearing that traditional dress of those nice Bhutanese people , relaxing with a warm bowl of fresh home-made laksa soup( oh! Laksa is more of a Malay or a Singaporean meal and has many variations specific to particular region.)And that made-up picture itself was so rejuvenating.So, while coming back to home; I promised to myself I am sure going to make it. And then that curry laksa soup was introduced for the first time in our dinner menu that day.

And then it just happened few days back that I made Laksa soup again, so thought of writing the recipe here before this thing slips out of mind or if I forget to take snaps. The basic recipe for Laksa soup is little modified here to suit our Indian taste –buds, so I happen to add red pepper powder to make it spicier. I don’t have the usual ingredients like “belacan”- which is dried shrimp paste, galangal and lemongrass in my pantry, but then I replaced them with what ever I had in my pantry. Fresh root ginger, lemon juice and fish sauce that is what I had and yes it has all of them. I guess it is more or less a refined version of "Johor Laksa" which comes from southern Malaysia.
Please use the recipe as just mere guidelines and if you are looking for traditional laksa soup, then visit some other place. But come to think of it “traditions”, is all about what one believes in and what ever we happen to pass on to next generations ahead of us. My family tradition might be slightly different form yours , but the core of the thing is “believing” in it and “practicing” it.

Laksa Soup
Recipe requirements

• About 2-3 nests of fine egg noodles or
• 2-3 nests of Rice noodles
• Half a can of thick coconut milk
• 200 Gms of shrimps
• 3-4 cups of broth or water
• 2 cups of 2 inch long cut strips of green beans
• Any other vegetables of your choice like
• Bean sprouts
• Bok choy
• Baby corn etc 
• For the spice paste of laksa soup

• 6-7 shallots
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• ½ inch fresh ginger root or galangal
• 5-6 blanched almonds
• 2 whole dry red pepper
• ¼ tsp of shrimp paste or
• ½ tsp of fish sauce
• 2 tsp of lime juice
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• ½ tsp of cumin powder
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 1 tsp of sugar
• ½ tsp of salt or as per taste
• 3-4 tsp of cooking oil

 Method

1. Marinate cold water cooked shrimps with turmeric powder and salt. We mostly get  cooked shrimps which are already cleaned here. But if using fresh shrimps then it’s necessary to properly clean and de-vein shrimps, removing shells as well. Keep aside for half an hour.
2. Now heat up a fry pan and sauté them for 2-3 mints. Take them out and reserve it to be added at the time of assembling the soup.
3. Now prepare the laksa paste
4. Since I didn’t have shrimp paste also known as “belacan” at the time of making this soup and also I generally don’t use them either. Instead I like to use fish sauce in any Oriental inspired recipes. But we needed the meatiness of shrimp as well. So, while preparing the masala paste for laksa, I did add sautéed small shrimp which provided that meaty texture of the paste.
5. In a blender, blend in shallots, garlic, ginger, about 7-8 sautéed cold water shrimps, blanched almonds, whole dried red pepper, lemon juice, fish sauce and oil. Blend all to form a uniform laksa paste.
6. Now heat up a deep bottom pan, add in water and let it come to boil. Add in egg noodles, little bit of salt and a tsp of cooking oil. Cook the noodles and make sure they don’t get soggy. Even if they are partially cooked; they will be cooked once being added to the simmering soup.I personally like egg noodles but you may even use spaghetti noodles as well.Egg noodles cook quickly as compared to spaghetti pasta noodles.
7. Drain the water and reserve cooked noodles.
8. Now add cooking oil in a heated deep bottom pan and add in prepared laksa paste.
9. Stir/fry the laksa paste well for 6-7 mints.Add in red pepper powder and cumin powder. Adjust it with salt and sugar. Since fish sauce is salty which we already have added ,take precaution while adding salt to soup at this time. It will be appropriate to taste soup at this time and then add in salt if required.Even belacan is also bit salty in case you are using it.
10. Now add in coconut milk, mix all well. Let it slowly simmer a while.Then add in about 2-3 large cups of warm water or broth if using it.
11. While the soup is simmering, stir/fry other vegetables like beans, bean sprouts, baby corn or bok Choy just for 3-4 mints to retain the crunchiness. Note- to retain color of green vegetables , put them with cooking noodles in hot water, take them out 2-3 mints later and then proceed to sauté them for a short time about 3-4 mints. This way they will retain the green color and also will turn out crispy. Then add them as garnishing at the time of serving laksa soup.
12. After about 10-12 mints when the soup has blended well with the fried laksa paste. Add in cooked noodles. Take it off from the flame.And keep it covered.
13. Now have and serve with other garnishing such as fried shrimp, green beans and a slice of lemon wedge.
14. You can even add sautéed chicken breast strips or cooked crabs.

Note-

This recipe for laksa soup is adapted to suit our taste buds. Traditionally laksa soup is made with- dried shrimp paste, galangal and lemon grass. I have used fresh ginger root in place of galangal, and fish sauce in place of shrimp paste. Lemon grass was replaced with fresh lime juice. Shrimp paste is available now in many super-markets, if you really want to use it then sure go ahead.You can even try it out with any ready-made Thai red curry masala paste.Watch this youtube video to know more about it.

Happy Cooking Friends

Shrimp Pad Thai - an Indian version

The fallen leaves all around our space of living and on our walking trails, tells us that winter is near our neck of the woods. Although I still want to believe and want to feel the warmth of summer sunshine eternally, but to be honest it seems a story from a far away land, perhaps from down under. But for that I have to travel many miles down under, now which seems nearly impossible for the time being.Anyhow there are other means to feel some warmth, one is eating a delicious warm bowl of Shrimp Pad Thai, reminding us of some tropical sun-shine and warmth.

To all who read My Blog's FB Page  updates, I had mentioned about many moons ago that I had made Pad Thai, but somehow that never made it up to here on the blog.

Today seems a nice day to write it about here with the half term holidays and Halloween, although it’s nothing spooky about it. The hotness and the taste coming from the stir/fried rice noodles with small shrimps and eggs, somehow makes the atmosphere little warmed up here. One can imagine a cozy evening with a bowl of freshly made Pad Thai and listening to some old Hindi music, a great way to warm up after all the illness for the past one month in one’s home. That's something I am thinking of doing in coming days, provided everything goes well again.

And top it all, that day; I cooked shrimps after a considerable gap of time. Although dear husband, skipped shrimp, so I avoided shrimp in his bowl. But we, mother and daughter duo liked it very much as we are fond of chingri/shrimp.

We don’t really eat shrimps frequently, but small cold water shrimps have a nice texture and flavor. Ask any Bengali he would go weak on his knees for all the - “golda” /”bagda” chingri/Tiger Prawns, “kucho chingri”/small shrimp and these are always relished in every Bengali home. This preparation with rice noodles or vermicelli really gets thumbs up from my daughter. Try it someday, kids will like it.

Shrimp Pad Thai noodles - an Indian version

Recipe requirements

• 200 Gms of fine rice noodles
• 2 -3 eggs
• 2 -3 cloves of garlic
• ½ tsp of ginger grated
• 1 purple onion finely chopped
• 2 cups of bean sprouts
• 1 cup of cooked small shrimp
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 3 heaped tbs of tamarind pulp
• 3 heaped tbs of tomato ketch-up
• 4 heaped tbs of soya sauce
• 1 tsp of fish sauce
• 3 green chilies chopped
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 tbs of sugar
• 5-6 tbs of cooking oil/sada tel

Method

• Soak the fine rice noodles in hot water for 10-15 mints or till turn just soft.Note- Super fine noodles requires less time than the medium rice noodles.I do like to use super fine noodles for Pad Thai, but many go with the traditional way of using medium noodles.Use as per your own likings.
• Marinate small shrimp in some salt and little turmeric powder, just enough to add some color to shrimp, otherwise if you don’t feel, don’t add them.
• Now heat up a saucepan at medium-high heat and 1tbs of cooking oil. Add in 2 eggs; stir/fry them breaking the egg yolks, and stir-frying them finely. Take out in a separate plate.
• Now add in 1 tbs of cooking oil, sauté shrimp at medium -high flame for 3-4 mints. Take them out in a plate.
• Fried eggs and fried shrimps will be added later on. Actually if you are comfortable then you can easily continue cooking them with noodles. I just thought it’s better to sauté them separately and add later on when the noodles are well fried, just prior of serving.
• At this time, add rest of the cooking oil, stir/fry the chopped garlic, ginger and onions for about 2-3 mints  at medium-high heat.Add in cooked noodles.Toss all well if you can and have a deep wok, otherwise just keep mixing without breaking the strands in a saucepan.
• Add in sugar, salt, fish sauce, tamarind pulp, tomato ketchup, and red pepper powder and soya sauce. If you like, mix the sauces-soya sauce, fish sauce, tamarind pulp, tomato ketch-up  and salt, sugar, red pepper powder in a bowl very well and then add this sauce to the fried noodles to coat well. Mix well with noodles. Note- Fish sauce is very salty, so it’s better to add less salt in the preparation. And use fish sauce carefully, too much and it will ruin the stir/fry.
• Add in bean sprouts and other vegetables if you wish to add like- green beans,bell pepper,mushroom, carrots etc.Keep on stir/fry at medium-high heat, tossing and stir/frying continuously.Note- Add in little bit of cooking oil approx- 2tbs of oil and 2tbs of water if all of them seems dry and starts to stick.
• Now add in fried eggs and fried shrimp, mix well, cooking it up at  medium flame.
• Taste and adjust sugar and salt or hotness. If you like some more spice and hotness then chop green chilies and sprinkle over the cooked noodles.
• Serve immediately and with a lemon wedge if you like even tangier pad Thai.Since I have added tamarind pulp, I don’t think lemon juice is required.
• Sprinkle chopped spring onions, some red chilly flakes or toasted peanuts enjoy this bowl of warm, spicy Thai Pad noodles.

Updated to add this recipe link -----

And here is a similar Pad Thai recipe with chicken at  My Kitchen Treasures..

Happy Cooking and enjoy Halloween.