Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Salmon Yoghurt Curry

06 | 12 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

Curry is the ultimate comfort food! In these harsh and bitter cold days nothing beats a warm bowl full of homemade curry and rice!From the moment you start cooking, the emanating redolence of warm spices fill the air resulting in hunger pangs all around!The aroma, the vibrant color and the unbeatable flavor of a good curry is a food lover’s ultimate joy. Its no wonder that a curry is so loved by people everywhere.If you’re a curry lover then this easy recipe will blow you away with its deliciousness. I’m sharing with you my Salmon yoghurt curry that I’ve learnt from my Dad and cook it all the time.If you don’t like Salmon, then Arctic Char or Tilapia will also work well.

Salmon Yoghurt Curry

I used my latest kitchen addition (my new Air Fryer) to fry the fish first before adding it into the sauce. I loved how the fish cubes developed a lovely golden color without the use of too much oil (I just drizzled a few drops) in a matter of minutes and I couldn’t resist eating a couple just on their own! The Air Fryer does a good job of cooking things really fast and I like using it. I will be trying more Air Fryer recipes and sharing it with you.

This curry does require a few ingredients from your Indian grocers like nigella seeds and Kashmiri chilies. The Kashmiri chilies are non-spicy and just used to give that vibrant color to the sauce. The yoghurt is added towards the end of the cooking and make sure to keep stirring it until its nicely incorporated into the curry and does not curdle.

Salmon Yoghurt Curry

The aromatic nigella seeds, cardamom and cinnamon are the first ingredients that flavor the oil. Some onions, ginger, cumin and coriander go next adding the next layers of flavor to this dish. Once the sauce simmers away its time to add the perfectly golden Salmon cubes and they don’t take long to come together since they’re already cooked in the air fryer.The resulting curry is a harmonious blend of wonderful spices with Salmon that’s sure to satiate your taste buds. Enjoy!

Here are a few other curries that you can try!
Easy Indian Chicken Curry
Pumpkin Masala
Paneer Tikka Masala
Chicken Tikka Masala

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Salmon Yoghurt Curry

Ingredients

    Fried Salmon marinade
  • 1 lb of cubed Salmon
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp red chili or cayenne
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Drizzle of mustard oil
    • Curry
  • 1 tsp Nigella Seeds
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1/2 inch cinnamon
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 1/4 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
  • 2 tsbp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 2-3 fresh green chillies (optional)
  • 2 tbsp beaten yoghurt
  • Salt
  • 3 tbsp mustard oil

Instructions

  1. Marinade the Salmon cubes with the 4 ingredients.Leave aside for 15 mins.
  2. Arrange the cubes in the air fryer tray and cook on 400 degrees for about 8-10 mins or until you see the pieces turn golden.
  3. Take them out and set aside.
  4. Heat the mustard oil in a deep skillet.Add the nigella seeds,cardamom and cinnamon.Cook for about 1/2 a minute and add the chopped onions.
  5. Saute the onions until slightly golden and add the ginger paste.Cook for about 1 minute.
  6. Add all the spices and mix well.Add the tomatoes and let it cook on low medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked and oil separates from the sides.
  7. Add water,salt and green chilies.Bring to a boil and let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 10 mins.
  8. Add the salmon cubes.Mix gently.Chk the seasonings.
  9. Add the beaten yoghurt and keep stirring until all incorporated.
  10. Serve hot with rice.
https://www.sonisfood.com/2018/12/salmon-yoghurt-curry.html

Fennel and Potato Soup

31 | 01 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

Winter months are the time when soups become a staple in our home.These days all my son wants for dinner is soup and although he loves his favorite Leek and Potato Soup , this time round I tried something different instead of leeks. I used fennel and boy was it delicious! We loved it,he loved it and I know I’ll be making it many more times in these cooler days.

Fennel and Potato Soup

If you know me, you know that I love fennel and use it a lot in my cooking.I love to combine it with cabbage in a simple Indian style stir fry or slightly roast it with some indian spices for a warm salad, but nothing comforts like a hot bowl of this delicious Fennel and Potato Soup especially when it’s cold outside!Fennel is also good for our bodies since its a natural anti oxidant.

I’ve used fresh and ground fennel here and the fragrant anise-like flavor comes through quite nicely. The potatoes are a great addition and balance the flavors in this soup. The potatoes also make it rich and creamy and all you need is a crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness. Enjoy and stay warm!

Fennel and Potato Soup

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 large fennel bulbs diced
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • Butter-2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp ground fennel
  • 2 % Milk-1 cup
  • Water-1 1/2 cups
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a pot heat the butter and saute the onion until translucent.
  • Add the garlic and saute for another minute.Add the ground fennel and mix.
  • Add the potatoes and fennel and cover for a minute.
  • Add milk, water, salt and pepper.
  • Once it comes to a boil, cover , reduce the heat and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and fennel are fully cooked.
  • Check the seasonings.Carefully transfer into a blender or use a hand blender and blend until all smooth.
  • Garnish with some fennel fronds and serve hot.

Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing for #Thanksgiving

22 | 11 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Thanksgiving side dishes are a great way of adding a good mix of items on your table. There’s the sweet potato casserole, mashed potato and roasted veggies that are super delicious. But my biggest hit last Thanksgiving was this Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing that my guests couldn’t get enough of.

Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing

This is one easy dish that takes no effort and tastes like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen! Its flavorful, looks beautiful and is a great side dish for your vegetarian as well as meat loving guestsI just love this and it seemed like the perfect dish to share with you for Thanksgiving.

I’ve used Dave Liberman’s recipe and made it pure vegetarian by using vegetable stock.You can use store bought vegetable stock or make your own. The mushrooms are a great addition to this meatless stuffing and you don’t miss the meat at all!The combination of sage and thyme works wonderfully. I’ve used a mix of cremini and shitake mushrooms along with red onions and the flavors are to die for.Serve alongside your other favorites and enjoy!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Vegetarian Sourdough Stuffing for #Thanksgiving

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Ingredients
  

  • Soudough Bread-1 lb loaf
  • 8 oz pack of cremini and 4 oz pack of shitake mushrooms
  • 4 Celery stalks with leaves
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 ½ cups of vegetable stock
  • 10 sage leaves and some fresh thyme
  • salt to taste
  • pepper
  • 3 tbsp of butter

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a baking dish.
  • Slice the mushrooms and chop the celery and onions.
  • Cube the bread into 1 inch cubes and place In a large baking sheet.Bake until they're slightly golden and toasted.
  • In a skillet heat 2 tbsp of butter and add the mushrooms.Cook until they turn slightly golden.
  • Add the onion and celery and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add the stock, salt and pepper.Mix well.
  • Place the toasted bread pieces into a large dish and pour the veggies along with the liquid.Toss to combine.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 mins.

 

 

 

Jackfruit Shami Kebabs (Kathal ke Shami Kebab)

27 | 09 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

It’s the festive season for Hindus with Navratri leading up to Dushehra and Diwali. It’s the time when guest lists and menus are prepared in full swing. Gatherings are the norm during this time in India and even for us living abroad, this is a busy time of the year with various parties to celebrate these festivals. As you can imagine, there will be lots of food and cooking going on in every household. Food consists of mostly traditional delicacies both sweet and savory. I’m looking forward to all of that in the coming weeks!

Jackfruit shami kebabs

My recipe today is a delicious vegan twist on a traditional kebab that’s typically made using mutton or chicken.My Dad made the best Mutton Shamis that I’ve ever had and I’ve used his recipe and substituted meat with jackfruit here.It tastes out of this world and you just cannot stop at one!Its one of those special recipes that needs to be added to your repertoire when you need an impressive appetizer for your guests.Your vegan guests will surely be pleased but so will the meat eaters!They won’t miss the meat with this one :).

Jackfruit whilst technically a fruit can be eaten ripe or unripe but unripe jackfruit tastes very different from the ripe.Unripe jackfruit is cooked along with different spices to make mouthwatering savory dishes in North India and the ripe ones are eaten as a fruit and used in desserts in South India. Due to its meat like stringy consistency, it is an ideal meat replacement and takes on different flavors very well. Whole Foods sells them fresh but chopping them is a pain since the skin is pretty hard and oozes out sap that can be very sticky. I prefer their ready to use pack, since all the work is done for you and you can create your recipes instantly. You can also find canned unripe jackfruit in Asian Stores or your local Indian grocers.Curries using unripe jackfruits taste amazing and I will be adding them on my blog but first lets talk about my Jackfruit Shami Kebabs.

These soft melt in your mouth kebabs have a unique flavor profile from earthy spices like black cardamom and cloves and taste amazing.An easy crowd pleasing recipe that can be made ahead, these look delightful and are pretty easy to prepare.The use of chana dal or bengal gram (available at your Indian grocer) is what differentiates these from other kebabs and also adds as a binding agent here.The process is very similar to making traditional shami kebabs where all the ingredients are boiled and then blended. The mixture is then formed into patties and shallow fried until slightly golden.They are meant for special occasions such as this festive season, so make a big batch and serve these beauties with green chutney.Enjoy and Happy Dushehra to you all!

Jackfruit shami kebabs

Jackfruit Shami Kebabs (Kathal ke Shami Kebab)

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 20 oz can of green jackfruit
  • Onion-1 medium chopped
  • Ginger- 1/2 inch chopped
  • Split pea Lentils chana dal soaked for 4 hrs or overnight-1/2 cup
  • Coriander Seeds-1 tsp
  • Cumin Seeds-1 tsp
  • Black Peppercorns-3
  • Whole Cloves-3
  • Green Cardamom-3
  • Black Cardamom-2
  • Salt-to taste
  • Water
  • Oil-1 tbsp and more to shallow fry

Instructions
 

  • In a deep skillet heat a tbsp of oil and add chopped onions,ginger,coriander,cumin,peppercorn,black and green cardamoms,cloves,chili,chana dal and jackfruit.Add sufficient water just enough to cover the jackfruit and some salt.Let it come to a boil.
  • Cover and reduce the heat.Let it cook for about 15mins.
  • Transfer the mixture into the food processor without any liquid.
  • Blend into a paste.Add a few drops of water if too thick.
  • Empty into a separate dish.Add chopped coriander leaves and check the seasonings.Shape into round patties.
  • Heat some oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties until golden on both sides.
  • Serve with your favorite condiment.

 

 

 

Almondina Toastees #Review and #Giveaway!!

08 | 02 | 2017
By Soni Sinha


We’ve been enjoying Almondina Brand cookies for quite sometime now,and,they recently sent me their delicious Toastees for a review and giveaway!Yes, you can enter to win! Almondina Toastees are essentially all natural twice-baked almond crisp with just a few ingredients, as you’d expect Almondina Brand to be. That’s the reason we love them.Thank you Almondina.
Almondina Toastees

Almondina Toastees have no cholesterol, no added salt, fat, trans fat or preservatives and are dairy free. They’re nutritionally good for you with 1-2 gms protein and only 60-70 calories per serving (4 pieces).My pack contained three different flavors-

  • Cranberry Almond-I love the tang of dried cranberries in this one, my favorite!
  • Sesame Almond– flavors from sesame comes through in this one.Really good.
  • Coconut Orange Almond-dual nuttiness of toasted coconuts and almonds combines with citrus here and its delicious!

Each flavor combination is unique and they’re great out of the bag for road trips, office or school events and also as kids’ snack or as a crunchy ice-cream or yoghurt topping.I love them with my coffee!

Almondina Toastees

Almondina is a family owned business and it all started with Grandmother Dina’s most secret recipe that she called Petit Gateau Sec. After her death, the family became aware that the remarkable characteristics of this nutritious cookie fell in line with today’s health conscious consumers. Today Almondina Toastees are being carried coast-to-coast by stores including all Sprouts Markets, Bed Bath & Beyond, Publix, Fairway Markets, Kroger Michigan, Amazon, Almondina.com and others.

Almondina toastees

Giveaway!!One lucky reader will get a free sample pack consisting of 3 flavors of Almondina Toastees and this giveaway is open to all US residents!Please note that previous winners of Almondina giveaways are ineligible.
What is your favorite flavor?Please leave a comment below and enter to win!The winner will be announced on Wed the 15th of Feb and notified via email.If no claim is made within 24 hours then the prize will go to the next claimant.Good Luck!!
The winner of my giveaway is Danielle Mulkey!Congrats!

This Giveaway is closed.

Disclaimer: I received a sample pack of Almondina Toastees from Almondina Brand and all opinions are my own.