Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Rice Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms

02 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Happy New Year!I was out of town for Christmas and New Year’s eve and had a great time vacationing with family!Hope you all had a great time as well.The amount of food we eat during the holidays is just unbelievable!The midriff keeps expanding and when its all over, that’s when you start thinking of how to get rid of those extra pounds or kilos that you’ve gained during this period.Time to start eating healthy and time to start exercising, getting back into shape.

Kicking off 2012, I have a great recipe, quite healthy and delicious, quick and easy at the same time!My family loves Chinese food and since I haven’t added any Chinese recipes here yet, I thought now would be a good time to do so.This recipe is inspired by the numerous noodle dishes from the Chinese restaurants in China Town in London’s West End that we frequented on a regular basis.

I use Yellow Peppers, Baby Bella or portobella mushrooms and boneless chicken thighs.The use of Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce is very common in Chinese dishes and they impart the savory flavor to the dish.You can make it spicy or non-spicy according to your preference.

Rice Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms
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Ingredients:


Rice Noodles-1 pck
Boneless skinless chicken thighs- 6 cubed
Yellow peppers-1 sliced
Portobella or Baby Bella mushrooms-1 pkt Cubed
Onion-1 chopped
Garlic-3 sliced
Dried Red Chillies-3
Oyster Sauce-2 tbsp
Soy Sauce- 3 tbsps
Fish sauce- 1 tsp
Brown Sugar-1 tsp
Oil ( Peanut, Sesame or Vegetable)-3 tbsp





Process:


Cook the Noodles according to instructions.Keep aside.
In a separate bowl mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar.

In a wok heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the chicken pieces.Season with salt.Continue to cook until slightly browned.Remove the chicken pieces.Add 2 tbsp of oil.Add the garlic and red chillies.Follow with onion and mushrooms, cook until they are golden and then add the peppers.Add the sauce mix.Throw in the chicken and the noodles.Mix well.Check and adjust the seasonings.Serve hot!


Poached Pears in Red Wine

18 | 12 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

The second recipe in my 2 back-to-back desserts is Poached Pears in Red Wine.Probably the perfect and most elegant dessert during the holiday season!!The fruit,the spice and Red Red Wine is what makes it so special.Its got just the right colors that compliment the holidays,so why not try making these for a change to serve your guests!


Its a dessert that not many people make on a regular basis.Wonder why, considering its pretty easy to make.Or maybe it just waits for a special occasion to get its due! Its a dessert that’s forgotten in the scheme of things during holidays since most people think of cookies and cakes to be made at this time.


In any case, I have decided to do justice to this and present it to my guests!As I’ve mentioned earlier we love fruit based desserts and this is one of our favorites.The sweetness from the pears and the Red Wine perfectly compliment the spices and the result is a luscious, rich,red dessert that is just so exquisite!You can also create this dish with peaches instead of pears or a combination of both!Its a delightful dish that can also be a stunning centerpiece at your next party!


Poached Pears in Red Wine
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Ingredients:
Pears- 4 Peeled
Cloves-6


Red Wine Sauce:
Red Wine-1 cup
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup
Cinnamon-1  stick
Star Anise-1


Process:


Poke the cloves into the pears and keep aside.




Meanwhile place the sauce ingredients in a pot and bring it a boil.Add the pears.Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked but firm.
Take the pears out and arrange in a serving dish.Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens.Drizzle the sauce over the pears.Cool and serve!
You can also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.


Easy Indian Chicken Curry

13 | 12 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

The recipe I have for you today is easy and absolutely delicious!It is a baked Chicken Curry recipe without all the effort to make you enjoy a curry in a far easier and quicker way than the traditional method without compromising on any of that delectable taste.The flavors combine beautifully in the oven, while you can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine or any drink that you prefer.The only process that needs to be taken care of is the browning of the onions.That can take a few minutes, but makes all the difference in a good curry.So here it is, my Easy Indian Chicken Curry!

Easy Indian Chicken Curry

Easy Indian Chicken Curry

Print this RecipeIngredients:Skinless Chicken Thighs with/without bones or Breasts-6 piecesOnions-2 Medium chopped

Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp

Tomatoes-2 medium chopped

Ground Coriander-1 tbsp

Ground Cumin-1 tbsp

Turmeric- 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder/Cayenne-1 tsp(depending on your heat preference)

Garam masala-2 tsp

Water-1/2 cup

Oil-3 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Process:

Preaheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a skillet heat oil and add the onions.Cook until golden brown.Then add the Ginger garlic paste.Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the tomatoes.Follow with salt and all the dry spices and cook until the spices release their aroma (about 5-10 minutes on medium heat).You have the basic curry masala ready.

 

Now puree the mixture in a blender/grinder.Transfer into an oven proof dish and add the chicken pieces.Mix them properly.Add water and bake them covered in the oven for about 35-40 mins until all the chicken is fully cooked.Boneless pieces will take shorter time.Adjust the seasonings.

Enjoy with Rice or Rotis/Naans!



Goan Style Shrimp Curry

06 | 12 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

Every region in India has its own unique method of preparing dishes.This dish here is inspired from Goa that is popular not only for its natural scenic beauty but also for its spicy Goan cuisine with the use of coconuts, vinegar,tamarind and red chillies.Being a spice buff, I’m quite fond of Goan dishes and was looking for an easy recipe for some time.

I stumbled upon this one during one my many internet searches.Its adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur’s Devi (their restaurant in NY) and featured in NY Times.Glad to have found this because, its very easy, quick and delicious to say the least.I have made some minor changes, like adding tamarind  and using a little vinegar, but if you don’t have those ingredients you can omit them and still enjoy this recipe.

The aroma is unbelievable, while I’m cooking this.I wish you could smell my kitchen right now!!The heat from the red chillies is balanced by the tanginess of the vinegar and the sweetness of the tomatoes and coconut milk.You can substitute chicken, vegetables or any other fish instead of shrimp.It will surely be a crowd pleaser at your next gathering.Go on give it a try!

Goan Style Shrimp Curry

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Ingredients:

Large Shrimp peeled and deveined- 1 1/2 lbs
Ground Black pepper-1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Cayenne pepper(red chilli powder)-1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
Canned Tomato- 2 cups
Onion-1 finely chopped
Dried Red Chillies- 4
Ground Coriander-2 tsp
Curry Powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp-1 tsp
White Vinegar- 1 tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Coconut Milk-1 1/2 cups
Fresh Coriander(Cilantro)-for garnish

Process:

Place Shrimp in a ziplock bag and mix with some salt, cayenne.Mix well and refrigerate.
In a deep skillet, heat oil.Add the dried red chillies.Stir for 1 to 2 minutes.Add black pepper and cook for another minute.Add onions and saute for a few minutes, until translucent.Add ginger garlic paste, coriander, turmeric and cook for  a few more minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low and add the tomatoes and keep stirring often.Increase the heat to medium high and keep stirring for about 5 minutes.Add the tamarind pulp and vinegar.Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute.Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and add the Shrimp.Bring to a simmer and cook unitl the shrimp is opaque about 3-5 minutes.Garnish with cilantro.Serve hot with rice!

Source-NY Times

Cookie Bloghop: Apple Spiced Glazed Cookies

03 | 12 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

Oooh, my house redolent of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the air.Reason?I’m making these scrumptious cookies for our cookie bloghop for this month.Perfect for the holidays, tasty and super easy!





My kids love apple based anything,that’s why I keep looking for new apple recipes ever-so-often.I made these for the first time, but seeing my kids gobble them up I think I’ll be making these again and again.
The inspiration for this recipe came from http://www.easy-cookies.com.I added vanilla essence and used all spice and cinnamon.


Apple Spiced Glazed Cookies
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Ingredients:


All purpose Flour-2 cups
Eggs-2 beaten
Brown Sugar- 1 1/2 cups
Baking Soda-1 tsp
Cinnamon-1 tsp
All Spice-1 tsp
Vanilla essence-1 tsp
1 stick of butter- softened
Apples-1 cup chopped
Salt-1/2 tsp


Glaze
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp milk


Process:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix butter and sugar together.Add in the egg and vanilla.Combine the flour,baking soda,salt and the spices and add into the butter-sugar-vanilla mix.Throw in the apples and mix them all together.
Grease a baking tray and spoon equal amounts of the mix about 2 inches apart.Cook for about 13-14 mins.Cool and pour the glaze over the top.




I’m co-hosting this bloghop with these 26 amazing foodies.

Please join in on the #cookielove fun by linking up any cookie recipe from the month of December 2011.


Co-Hosts

Badger Girl Learns to Cook– Kimberly-  @BdgerGrl
Baking and Cooking: A Tale of Two Loves– Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker– Erin-  @BigFatBaker
Bloc de Recetas,- Salomé- @Blocderecetas
Bon a Croquer– Valerie- @valouth
CafeTerraBlog– Terra Baltosiewich- @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess– Lora – @cakeduchess
Creative Cooking Corner– Karriann Graf- @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats– Three-Cookies-
Georgie Cakes– Georgie Kubarych- @georgiecakes
Hobby and More– Richa- @betit19
Knitstamatic– Deb- @knitstamatic
Mike’s Baking– Mike R.- @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos– Junia- @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies– T.R.- @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake– Jessica Hose- @jesshose
Queen’s Notebook– Elizabeth Quirino- @Mango_Queen
Savoring Every Bite– Linda Geiler- @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem– Reem- @simplyreem
Soni’s Food for Thought– Soni- @sonisfood
Teaspoon of Spice– Deanna Segrave-Daly- @tspbasil
That Skinny Chick Can Bake– Liz- @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food– Laura- @TAofCRF
The Spicy RD– EA Stewart- @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian– Susan Pridmore- @chezsuzanne
Vegetarian Tastebuds– Raji- @vegtastebuds
Vegan Yack Attack– Jackie