Lobster Makhanwala

Some time ago I promised our goddaughter Nikita some lobster makhanwala. Then I forgot to carry it to her house. So second time is a charm and this version is more authentic. It also helps that today is her birthday. Special people deserve special treats!

Lobster chunks are marinated in tandoori paste. The sauce comes together with sweated onions, ginger, garlic, ketchup, cream and a host of spices. The chunks are broiled and added to the sauce. Finished with kasuri methi and fresh cilantro, the dish is regally sumptuous.

LOBSTER MAKHANWALA

Serves 4

2 Lobster Tails

2 tablespoons store-bought Tandoori Masala

2 tablespoons Yogurt

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

2 small Onions

3 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup

1 cup Cream

2 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste

1 big Green Chile

2 tablespoons minced Cilantro

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder

2 tablespoons Lime or Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi

Fresh Cilantro for garnishing

Pry the lobster meat out of the shells and chop into large chunks.

Place chunks in a bowl. Mix tandoori masala, yogurt and lemon juice into lobster and refrigerate 5-6 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Chop onion fine. 

Mince chiles fine.

Heat oil in a saucepan.

Add onions to oil and saute till tinged light brown.

Pour ketchup into onions along with the cream. Stir to mix.

Add minced chiles, cilantro, chile powder, garam masala, roasted chile powder, ginger garlic paste, sugar, salt and lime juice to the sauce.

Crumble kasuri methi into sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes. 

Heat the broiler. 

Place lobster on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Broil for 7-10 minutes till tips are slightly charred. 

Add lobster to the sauce and simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with a little water. Adjust seasonings accordingly.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or naan.

The makhanwala makes it way south to Nikita....an edible birthday present for a sweet soul.... 

Persian Spiced Lamb Shanks

Easter is always special.  Flowers bloom, splotches of yellow forsythia and spring daffodils, dotting the landscape. Weather is on the warmer side and the kitchen smells heavenly. The latter is supported by family comments. 

I fiddle with a NYT recipe. Lamb shanks are coated with coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric and pepper. After an overnight stint in the fridge, they are browned before sitting in a long braise in the oven. The braising liquid starts with sauteed onions, saffron water, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, dried lime powder, orange peels and chicken stock. Tightly covered in foil, the shanks braise for almost two hours, till the meat falls off the bone. The strained broth thickened with arrowroot, makes a great sauce. Garnished with dill, parsley, lemon and orange zest, the shanks are awarded star status!

PERSIAN SPICED LAMB SHANKS

Adapted from David Tanis

Serves 4

DF, EF

4 Lamb Shanks

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Coriander powder

1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Saffron, crumbled

1 Lime

1 Orange

1 large Onion

1/2 teaspoon dried Lime Powder

6-8 Thyme sprigs

2 Bay leaves

5 cups Chicken Stock

2 teaspoons Arrowroot

Chopped Parsley

Chopped Dill fronds

Lemon Zest

Orange Zest

Place shanks on a baking tray. 

Coat shanks with salt. 

Mix coriander, nutmeg, black pepper an turmeric in a bowl. 

Coat shanks with spices.

Cover shanks and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking. 

Heat oil in  saucepan. 

Brown shanks all over. Place them in a casserole dish large enough to fit the shanks. Keep oil in saucepan make the braising liquid.

Put saffron in a small bowl. 

Cover with 1/2 cup hot water. 

Peel orange. Use skins in the braise. 

Chop onion into small dice.

Add to oil in which lamb was browned. Saute till translucent.

Heat oven to 375F/190C.

Add juice of one lime, orange peels. thyme sprigs, bay leaves and chicken stock to the pan. 

Stir saffron water in as  well.

Bring to a boil. 

Pour the sauce over the shanks. 

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, till the meat is falling off the bones. 

Take shanks out of the liquid and place on a serving platter. Tent shanks to keep them warm. 

Strain liquid into a saucepan. 

Let sauce come to a simmer. 

Whisk arrowroot with a little water. Add to simmering sauce and cook for 4-5 minutes. 

Pour some sauce around the shanks. Put the rest into a gravy boat or bowl.

Garnish shanks with chopped parsley, dill, lemon and orange zest and serve.

The shank meat is fork tender. Accompanied with hot honey butternut squash, shishito peppers and fingerlings, the meal pleases immensely. Easter blessings abound as we gather together joyously to celebrate. 

Stir Fried Pork On A Bed Of Herb Salad

A stir fry usually takes not time at all. Thin slices of pork tenderloin sit in a soy, rice wine and oyster sauce marinade. One more item lends itself very well to the pork. A heaping of cornstarch massaged into the pork, turns it silken as it cooks. Once the meat has cooked, it is piled on to a base of herb salad. An unusual combination, but it works so well.

STIR FRIED PORK ON A BED OF HERB SALAD

Serves 4

1 Pork Tenderloin

2 teaspoons Cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

Fresh ground Pepper

1 tablespoon Garlic Paste

2 teaspoons Oyster Sauce

1 teaspoon low sodium Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

HERB SALAD

1/2 Red Onion

6-8 Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 English Cucumber

1 cup Baby Spinach leaves

1/2 cup Cilantro

1/2 cup Mint leaves

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons Water

Ground Black Pepper

Slice the tenderloin thinly. Place in a bowl.

Add sugar, cornstarch, pepper, garlic paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce to pork. Massage pork well. Keep aside for 15 minutes. 

Whisk the sugar. rice vinegar, water and pepper in a bowl. 

Slice the onion very thin. Place in a sieve and rinse well. Let all the water drain. 

Slice tomatoes in half. 

Slice cucumbers into half moons. 

Heat oil in a cast iron saucepan till it shimmers. Use a large pan or cook the meat in two batches.

 Add meat  to the oil. Make sure all the meat touches the surface of the pan so it gets a good sear. Let meat sear undisturbed for at least 5-6 minutes. Stir fry after that till meat is cooked. 

While meat cooks, toss onions, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach and herbs in the dressing. Arrange the salad on a platter. 

Once all the meat has cooked, spoon it over the salad. 

Serve immediately with hot rice.

The pork cooks up very soft. The herb salad adds piquancy and freshness....a delicious walk down the Silk Road.

Soba Noodles with Kimchi Dressing

The craving for Korean food starts when I'm halfway through reading Crying in H Mart. This gut-wrenching memoir about maternal loss speaks volumes to me. No one really gets over the loss of one's mother, but cooking her repertoire helps assuage the loss. Then I read and watch Pachinko and the same themes reverberate. So I step into the kitchen.

Cooked soba noodles are drenched  with a heap of kimchi which is chopped up and added to a soy and rice wine dressing. It adds the requisite spiciness. Cucumber batons add crunch. This is my riff on the traditional cold soba noodle salad with local character.

SOBA NOODLES WITH KIMCHI DRESSING

Serves 4

DF, VG, EF, V

1/2 lb Soba noodles

1 cup Kimchi

2 teaspoons light Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar

3 teaspoons toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons toasted Sesame Seeds

1 English Cucumber

Cook noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. 

Place noodles in a bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into noodles.

Chop kimchi into small bits. 

Cut cucumber into 2" batons. 

Whisk soy sauce, rice vinegar, rest of the sesame oil, sugar and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. 

Add kimchi to dressing. 

Spoon the dressing over the noodles. 

Top with cucumber.

Scatter sesame seeds over noodles. 

Serve noodles at room temperature or cold.

Cool and refreshing, this salad makes a perfect accompaniment to any meal, not just Korean. 

Amritsari Fried Fish

Once in a blue moon or two, I am sorely tempted by the idea of a crisp fried piece of fish. Having eaten all kinds of fried fish from a young age, a deep fried nugget of fish is an oomph factor with any meal. It could well  be masala pomfret, pan fried cod, roasted monkfish, blackened tilapia or flounder, but today I make catfish...cause I do love some fried catfish.

North Indian style fried fish comes ablaze with warm spices. Small filets are marinated in lime juice, mustard oil, kasuri methi, and ginger garlic paste. The batter is made by whisking rice and chickpea flours, chile powder, yogurt and ajwain. Ajwain has a licorice like flavor. Yogurt is what binds this thick batter along with the liquid from the marinating fish. No water needed! The coating becomes deep red and crisp as it fries.  This recipe is best deep fried, allowing all sides of the fish to brown evenly.  Dusted with chaat masala, it is fingerlickingly good! 

AMRITSARI FRIED FISH

Serves 4

GF, EF

4 Catfish filets

2 teaspoons Lime Juice

1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenugreek leaves

1 tablespoon Mustard Oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher  Salt

1 teaspoon Rice Flour

2 teaspoons Chickpea flour or Besan

2 tablespoons Yogurt

1/4 teaspoon Ajwain or Carom seeds

1 tablespoon Mustard Oil

Oil for frying

Chaat Masala

Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut each fillet into half or thirds depending on how large they are.

Place fish in a bowl and add lime juice, ginger garlic paste, crumbled methi, mustard oil and salt. Let fish marinate for 15 minutes. 

Whisk rice flour, besan, chile powder, yogurt, mustard oil and carom seeds  into a thick paste. 

Add the marinated fish into the thick batter.  It will look lumpy at first.  The residual liquid from the fish will thin out the batter. Make sure the fish is coated all over.

Heat oil in a kadhai or wok. Use enough oil to submerge the fish halfway. 

Fry a few pieces at a time the hot oil. 

Once the undersides have browned, flip fish and crisp up the other side. 

Drain on paper towels.

Dust fish with chaat masala before serving.

We are happy people today! Shauna especially! Fries brings smiles!