Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Tandoori Salmon

18 | 02 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

I love Tandoori preparations.So simple, yet packed with flavor and irresistible!They look great on any table and are versatile enough to be served as an appetizer or a main dish.They look elegant, smell heavenly and are always a crowd pleaser.They’re one of my most popular party appetizers and I’ve made many different versions both Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian.
Tandoori Salmon 4
They’re surprisingly easy and flavorful and do not require much effort.You can marinade them overnight and grill them the next day!I love using local ingredients and creating dishes with an Indian twist and this is one such example where I’ve combined my favorite preparation with my favorite fish Salmon!
Often you will find Tandoori dishes having a reddish color,that is due to the addition of food coloring and is purely optional.I have made mine without any coloring here.Enjoy!

Tandoori Salmon 1

 

Tandoori Salmon

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Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients:
  • Salmon-2-3 fillets either whole or cut into cubes
  • Yoghurt-2-3 cups of thick yoghurt
  • Tandoori Masala-2 tbsp
  • Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Lemon juice-1 tbsp
  • Oil- 2 tbsp
  • Chaat masala- to sprinkle easily available at your Indian Grocer's

Instructions
 

  • Put all the ingredients except oil and chaat masala into a zip-lock bag and marinade in the refrigerator for about 5-6 hours or overnight.
  • Place the pieces on a greased foiled lined baking sheet.
  • Drizzle oil all over the pieces and grill on medium high for about 20 minutes or until Salmon is just cooked and has the beautiful grill marks.
  • Arrange on some salad leaves, red onions and lemon wedges and sprinkle some chaat masala all over.Enjoy!
 For a vegetarian version try my Tandoori Paneer Tikka !!

 

Beet Cutlets-Indian Inspired

15 | 02 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Isn’t it amazing that so many memories in your life revolve around food?My friend Cucina from Cucina49 has been talking about a book she read titled “Let us Eat Cake-Adventures in Food and Friendship” that in her words “is a remembrance of friends told through the foods that they ate together” and that got me thinking about my food related memories.Growing-up I have fond memories of my Dad making his signature mutton every Sunday (which he does even today!).I was his assistant and taste tester, handing him over all the spices and learned a lot from him just by watching him cook.That’s how my interest in cooking began.

Beet Cutlets

In the same way, I remember my Mom’s Vegetable Cutlets that we had for our snack often and even demanded it for our breakfast on the weekends!They were heavenly.She made them by stuffing different veggies like beets, carrots and peas inside a ball of mashed potatoes with a crispy coating of breadcrumbs and it tasted wonderful.The recipe here is inspired by Mom’s vegetable cutlets.I’ve used beets as the base and added some potatoes to the mix.

Beet Cutlets 1

These make for a great party appetizer your guests will absolutely fall in love with.The sweetness of the beet is balanced by the spices and the moment you taste it,it just explodes with flavor and all the beet goodness!Enjoy.

Beet Cutlets

Beet Cutlets-Indian Inspired

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Ingredients
  

  • Beetroot-3 medium
  • Potatoes-2 small
  • Ginger-1 tbsp crushed
  • Ground Cumin-1 tsp
  • Ground Coriander tsp
  • Green Chillies or jalapeños-2 chopped
  • Coriander leaves-1 cup chopped
  • Salt- to taste
  • Oil-to deep fry

For the Batter

  • All purpose flour-1/2 cup
  • Water-1 1/4cups

For the Coating:

  • Breadcrumbs-2 cups

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix the flour and water to form the batter in a bowl.Keep aside.
  • Keep the breadcrumbs/panko ready in a tray.
  • Place the beets in an aluminium foil, drizzle some olive oil and salt.Cover it and cook for about an hour, or until tender.Alternatively you can also boil them with salt until cooked
  • Peel and mash both the potatoes and beets in deep bottomed dish.
  • Mix all the ingredients except oil into the beet/potato mixture.

For the cutlets

  • Take a small amount and roll them between your palms to make oval shaped patties.
  • Dip these into the flour batter and then roll them in the breadcrumbs
  • Deep fry them in hot oil until all golden and crispy.
  • Serve them hot with Green Chutney,Ketchup or hot sauce.



 


Indian Spiced Baked Sweet Potatoes

12 | 02 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Its 5pm on a Wednesday and I haven’t prepared dinner yet.I go into the kitchen and am looking for ideas to cook something that’s not too time consuming and with minimal effort as DD needs help with her homework and DS very irritable and cranky,for some unknown reason (you know how 3 year olds can be sometimes!).

I remember that I have actually defrosted the Trout, so Trout its going to be!The oven is preheating and in the meantime I have taken out a rectangular dish, added some chopped onions, tomatoes, spices and all it needs now is the Trout.Suddenly I remind myself that Trout is a delicate fish and might be lost with the peppers and onions etc..and I’ve made a decision!I’m going to add Sweet Potatoes instead of Trout into the dish.So,I chop-up my Sweet Potatoes into small chunks and add them to the mix and that’s it!Bake it in the oven till done.

Trout is going to get a spa-like treatment with a delicate rub of salt, pepper, paprika and lemon juice!Yeah, dinner dilemma sorted!Without any effort literally.The sweet potatoes cook in about 25-30 mins, absolutely perfect and delicious with all the aromatic Indian spices in there.I grill the Trout about 10 mins before we sit to eat and serve it with some salad.Perfecto!

With Valentine’s day round the corner, this could be a perfect vegetable dish to be served!Follow your meal with my Chocolate Decadence for a perfect Valentines’ Day Dessert!

Indian Spiced Baked Sweet Potatoes
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Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes-4 medium chopped into small chunks
Onions-1 large chopped
Yellow Pepper-1 chopped
Tomato-1 chopped
Garlic-3 cloves chopped
Ginger-1/2 inch crushed
Turmeric-1 tsp
Ground Cumin-2 tsp
Ground Coriander-2 tsp
Lemon Juice-2 tbsp
Red chilli powder(optional)-1 tsp
Coriander leaves-few leaves chopped
Salt-to taste
Oil-2 tbsp

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
In a oven proof dish mix all the ingredients together and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until cooked.Serve hot!


Serving suggestions:
Vegetarian/Vegan- I would suggest serving this along with some veggie patties and salad for a light and healthy meal.

Non-Vegetarian-Goes well with grilled fish/chicken alongside some salad.


What vegetables are you going to eat this Valentines’ Day ?

Paratha (Pan fried Indian flatbread)

27 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Growing-up in a North Indian family, Parathas were the order of the day.At mealtimes Mom often served us hot Parathas with a dry vegetable or meat dish.Parathas are very common in the Indian sub-continent.They’re made by kneading whole wheat flour with some water to form a dough.You then roll out the dough, shape it and pan fry on a tava or pan.I use a non stick pan because it uses less oil.Traditionally in India they’re made using ghee, but I use canola oil to cut out the fat content.Parathas are packed with energy and perfect for a filling meal for either breakfast, lunch or dinner!

paratha 1

There are many variations of Parathas in the Indian sub-continent.You can make them plain like I’ve done here or you can make  stuffed parathas using potatoes,cauliflower,paneer or even ground chicken or lamb.Stuffed parathas can be eaten on their own with a knob of butter and some yoghurt.Plain parathas require some dry vegetable or meat dish.They can be round, triangular, or square.
Nothing feels better than a nice hot paratha with a steaming hot vegetable or meat on a cold winter day to warm you and fill you up.

Parathas (Pan fried Indian flatbread)
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Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour-2 cups (easily available at your Indian Grocer’s)
Some water
Oil-2-3 tbsps

Process
You start by taking about 2-3 cups of flour in a deep vessel.Make a hole in the center and fill it about 3/4 of a cup of water.Start mixing it with your hands, add more water little-by-little until it starts coming together and forms a dough.The dough should not be too wet or too dry.It should be soft to touch.Once done cover it and put in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

When you’re ready, take it out and flour your surface.Take a small amount of the dough in your palms and make into a ball.Flour it on both sides, flatten it a bit and start rolling it on the surface to get a circular shape.

 

 Spread some oil evenly all over and fold it from the middle.Spread some oil all over and fold once again to make a triangle.This is the shape we need since we’re making the staple parathas in my house that are triangular. Start rolling the dough until you get a decent size triangle.Don’t forget to flour your dough after every fold and as you’re rolling.

The paratha is ready to go into the tava or pan.Heat the pan to medium high and place the paratha. Oil the side that’s up first and flip it over.It should now puff up.Oil the other side as well and just cook until you get nice golden spots telling you that its cooked.Press it all over with a spatula so that its cooked evenly.Your paratha is ready!Serve it hot with my Aloo Gobhi (which was also my first blog post,so please excuse the pics!)or any vegetable of your choice!

 

 

Tandoori Paneer Tikka

09 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Paneer is a fresh cheese commonly used in Indian cooking.Its a good source of protein for vegetarians.Its such a versatile product that can be used in a thousand ways, sweet and savory.This dish is a very popular North Indian appetizer that you will find in most Indian restaurants.I love this dish for its simplicity, flavor and its appearance.

tandoori paneer copy

Paneer is easily available at your Indian Grocer’s.It can also be made at home by heating a Gallon of Whole milk and when it comes to boiling point just add 2 tbsp of vinegar or 4 tbsp of lemon juice to curdle it.Collect the curds in a cheesecloth and squeeze it.Tie at the top and leave it hanging so that all the whey has strained out.You can then set the curd in a rectangular shaped dish in the refrigerator and once it has set, cut it into pieces and use it to make all kinds of preparations.If you’re not prepared to do all the effort,you can just get store bought paneer from your Indian Grocer or even Whole Foods!

tandoori paneer

The key to making good Tandoori Paneer Tikka is to marinade it for about 4-5 hrs at the least, so that the flavors penetrate.You will also need to soak some skewers in water for about 30 minutes (if using wooden skewers) before putting them in the grill.Its a great make-ahead appetizer for parties, gatherings and potlucks. Marinade it the day before and grill it just before the guests arrive!!

tandoori paneer tikka

Tandoori Paneer Tikka

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Ingredients
  

  • Paneer 300 gms- cubed 2" I use store bought
  • 1 medium Green Bell Pepper Capsicum-cut in squares
  • Thick Yoghurt-2 cups
  • Ginger Garlic Paste-1 tbsp
  • Tandoori Masala-2 tbsp available in most stores
  • Lemon juice-2 tbsp
  • Chaat Masala readily available in Indian Stores-2 tbsp
  • Oil-2 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • In a zip lock bag put all the ingredients except chaat masala and tightly seal it.Mix the contents well together and leave it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hrs or overnight to marinade.
  • Place the marinaded Paneer and Bell Peppers into skewers on an aluminium foil on a baking sheet and broil(grill) on high heat for about 8-10 mins turning once until its all golden around the edges, but not overcooked.Sprinkle some chaat masala over the top.
  • Arrange the Paneer with or without skewers in a serving tray with salad and lemon wedges.Serve hot with Coriander Chutney!


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