I am back, well that is if you have noticed that I was off the radar for a few months now. That is with reasons–we are expanding our family with a second child on the way. We literally expanded our space–when we moved to our new home. In this context I cannot avoid but mention the expansion of my belly at the rate of this universe, almost rivaling the Hubble’s Constant.

This pregnancy was a tiresome one, with the added bonus of endless search for ‘the house’ and packing and moving and setting up the house to make it a home, which, is still a work in progress. And of course all this meant that I scaled back on experimenting in the kitchen quite a bit and relied mostly on everyday fare that my husband made or restaurant take outs. But once I was over the initial pregnancy blues, I was back in my element to pig out on whatever I craved….until I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Never imagined the changes I had to make to my diet (while being pregnant) to manage my blood sugar. Well it would not just suffice to say that I had to give up white rice and find other creative ways and substitutes to get enough calories with lower carb intake. More…much more on that later.

In this situation, one of the staples I would always fall back on for making a special dinner or for entertaining is Kadai Paneer, which literally means paneer (Indian Cheese) stir fried in a wok. It is one of the simplest delicacies of Indian recipes, which often is thought as laborious process or requiring too many ingredients. Well, this one debunks all those misconceptions. There is no page long list of ingredients, or ingredients that you can only find in the jungles of Malabar coast. And for sure it does not take all day to make. 25-30 minutes tops!

Now a word about paneer. I did not yet dare make paneer at home..so I buy it from Indian grocery store. It is usually sold as a block of 400 grams. Fried paneer is preferred when preparing stir fries or thick gravies such as this, as fried paneer holds up better during stirring. As an alternative to frying it can be baked with same or better results. Be careful not to over bake as it can make paneer chewy. You can also buy fried Paneer, but I find it usually stale after sitting on the shelf for, I don’t know how long. Unfortunately, many Indian grocery stores I see in the States don’t put a date on most of their products–so I always err on the side of caution…and flavor!

What you need (serves 4-6):
1 block of paneer (400 g), cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium onions
2 tbsp of tomato paste
8 cashew nuts
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 cup peas
Ginger paste-1 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
2 Green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro and julienned ginger for garnish

How to make it:

• Arrange the cubed paneer on a non-stick tray ( I lined it with non-stick Reynolds Aluminum foil..with impeccable results) and bake in 400 degree F oven for 5 minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown. This step is optional as you see above in the note. If not baking or frying, just be extra careful when stirring after Paneer is added.
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Cube 1 onion and pan-roast until lightly browned. Add the tomato paste and cashews and roast for another 2 minutes.
• Blend the onion and tomato paste along with cashew nuts into a paste. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan to collect any tomato paste stuck to it. This will help in blending as well.
• In the meantime, chop the peppers into 1-1 1/2 inch strips.
• Thinly slice the remaining onion.
• Wipe dry the frying pan, and add remaining oil. Once hot, add sliced onions, green chilies and fry till translucent
• Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric and red chilli powder, 1 tsp salt and saute for 2-3 minutes
• Now add all the peppers and cook on medium flame for 5-6 minutes or until just soft.
• Add the onion-tomato-cashew paste and mix well to combine with the veggies and cook for another 4-5 minutes. You will see the oil from the cashews separating out. If preferred, add 1-2 tbsps of water to thin out the gravy.
• At this point add the garam masala. Taste and adjust seasonings as required.
• Finally add the peas and paneer pieces and gently mix to combine them with the gravy. Close the lid and leave it on simmer for 5-6 minutes
• Garnish with cilantro and julienned ginger and serve hot with naans, rotis or jeera rice.

Paneer can be omitted, to make Kadai Vegetables, which is vegan. You may also add other vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots cut into sticks, french cut beans or potatoes and broccoli (although the last two are unconventional) to amp up the veggie quotient.

Dal (lentils) is one of my top comfort foods. Cooking lentils is pretty much an everyday deal for me, and typically I don’t consider it a special occasion food, or something I would like to cook for guests. But the game changes when it is Dal Makhani, which literally means buttery lentils. By no means it is an ordinary fare, but it is extraordinarily simple to cook. Of course it is not just lentils and butter, but has a host of other spices you would expect in Indian cuisine, making it a delightful accompaniment to Naan or lightly spiced Basmati Rice. Taking a tip from my sister, I pressure cooked the lentils. While pressure cooker is not essential for this, if you have it–use it, as it makes the lentils well cooked and creamy. To get the same ‘creaminess’ without a pressure cooker, you can blend 2-3 tbsps of cooked lentils and add that to the gravy. Another trick I learned from my sister is to use Red Kidney beans to lend extra creaminess. If you choose not to, just use all Urad Dal instead.

And, I confess, I used only half the amount of butter usually called for in this recipe….after all this is Dal (lentils) Makhani (butter)!

What you need (serves 2-3):
3/4 cup Whole Urad Dal (Black gram–found in Indian grocery stores) soaked over night
1/4 cup Red Kidney beans, soaked over night (optional, see note above)
4 tbsp Tomato paste
1 tbsp Ginger paste
1 tbsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
4 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Corriander powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kasoori Methi (found in Indian grocery stores)
1/4 cup Cream or low fat Half & Half (optional)
How to make it:

• Cook the lentils in good amount of water with 1 tsp of salt, until tender. They should be tender enough to be mashed easily between your fingers when pressed. Save about 1 cup of this water and drain the rest.
• For added creaminess (as noted above) blend 2-3 tbsp of lentils, adding a few tablespoons of water.
• In a wide pan on medium low, add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot add Cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Add ginger and garlic paste and turmeric and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, salt and chilli powder and cook on low for 8-10 minutes, until cooked thoroughly.
• Add corriander powder and cook for another minute.
• Add the remaining butter and when melted add about 1/2 cup water from the lentils and cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add the cooked lentilsl and lentils puree, if using.
• Add tsp crushed Kasoori Methi and Garam Masala powder.
• Cook on low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cream, if using and turn the heat off.
• Serve hot with naans or cooked Basmati rice.

Naan is one of those eats, which gives an impression of restaurant-only type. For long, I was guilty of that misconception too, partly because back home typically nobody owns a Tandoor (coal-fired clay oven generating very high heat, up to 800-900 F) in which naans are made. Well of course you may find them in some homes in the state of Punjab, where this type of cooking originated. But rest of us depend on restaurants, big and small or Dhabas (eating shacks typically found in the outskirts of the city, or on highways) that are equipped with these ovens. But there are creative ways to get close to Tandoor cooking in household ovens or gas stove tops. In fact I had two recipes one using yeast and the other with baking soda, which I have been wanting to try for a long time. And in the name of research I tried them both. Both turned out to be good, although I preferred the one with baking soda, as they were softer and puffed up more. It simply boils down to what you have on hand or if you prefer baking soda over yeast.

The best part of making naans is that there are no expectations on what the shape should be! The slightly elongated shape seen traditionally is obtained as the flattened dough is stuck to the Tandoor walls to bake on radiant heat. You can elongate your naans to get that Tandoor cooked look. Definitely a positive for someone like me, who is terrible in rolling dough into perfect (or even reasonable) rounds.

You will have to crank up the oven to its highest heat setting, 500 F in many. If you can really get your oven to higher temperatures, your naans will be much fluffier and softer. I doubt that my apartment oven reached that heat although I had it all the way up. If that is the case naans will need a bit more time in the oven, at the risk of them drying out. But that can be minimized by brushing the naans on both sides with water prior to baking–which is what I did and got great results. For that reason, the exact time in the oven varies, so  with the first naan in the oven get a feel for how long it would take to nicely brown on the bottom. You would need about a minute on the other side.

What you need (makes 6-8 naans):
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup warm milk* (this may vary on the flour type)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oil
Optional toppings-Minced garlic, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, or all of them

*Quantity of milk may slightly vary. So add half the milk first and add the rest as necessary.

How to make it:

• Mix flour, baking soda, sugar and salt.
• Make a well in the center of the flour. Add baking soda, sugar, salt, yogurt, milk and oil.
• Mix well until the dough reaches a sticky consistency. The dough will be messy!
• Slightly oil your hands, form the dough into a ball and let it rest for 30 minutes under a damp towel.
• Once rested, the dough will be springy. Oil your hands and knead for 2-3 minutes before dividing into 6-8 balls.
• Dust your hands with flour and flatten the dough into naans. Try to keep them under 1/4 inch thick. Don’t fret about the shape.
• Brush one side with water and place them on a non stick cookie sheet, with water side down.
• Brush the other side also with water, add the desired toppings and put the naans in the oven for 2-3 minutes. If your oven heats up well, you may need only 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye until you get a hang of it.
• Check the bottom and if you see brown spots, turn them over and bake for another minute.
• Once out of the oven, rub them with a stick of butter and serve immediately.
• If you are not serving immediately, you can reheat them in the microwave, brush with butter and serve.

When ordering from a menu, the quirkier the name, the more intrigued I am. And sometimes it is hilarious to know what they mean or how they got that name. Who knew Thai chillies’s Thai name, means “mouse s*** chillies”. But when I saw Pad See Ew on the menu, my reaction was anything by ewww (although I say it that way playfully). Of course the description described the virtues just by listing the ingredients–and I was sold. However every restaurant I had this dish had a different look and feel and taste. So it was time to put my version out there to contribute to the chaos and confusion!!

I made this recipe based on several sources (including Drunken noodles). Although it was good–1) It did not have the look I was after, as it was too dark with all that dark soy sauce 2) Sourness was too toned down. So I adjusted that in the below listed ingredients, which should yield a lighter looking dish (as in color, not calories!). If you like slight sweetness balanced by the tang, you will love this combo–heat or no heat is up to you. Frankly, once you make the sauce, you can adjust it to your preference by adding more of what you want. With all the adjustments, you may end up with more sauce, which I am sure will be used up when you want to make this again….very soon!

What you need (for 4 servings):
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce/oyster sauce
3 tsp of sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch of red pepper flakes or 1/2 tsp chilli paste
2 tbsp oil
2 eggs
8 oz rice flake noodles/flat rice noodles
3 cups Kai Lan*
1 cup Broccoli florets
1/4 cup cooked Edamame (optional)
4 oz Chicken sliced thin

* If you don’t have Kai Lan, you can use Broccoli Rabe, as it closely matches Kai Lan’s slightly bitter flavor.

How to make it:

• Mix the soy sauces, fish sauce (or oyster sauce), sugar, vinegar and pepper flakes or chilli paste to make a sauce.
• Soak the rice flake noodles in cold water for 5 minutes and drain.
• Bring a pot of water to boil and add the rice flake noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. When almost cooked, turn off the heat and transfer them to cold water or drop a bunch of ice cubes into the same pot. This is to stop cooking and prevent them from sticking.
• Heat a wok on high heat with 2 tbsp oil. Once hot, add garlic and fry for few seconds.
• Add chicken and stir fry until done, 5-6 minutes
• Add the eggs and scramble.
• Drain the noodles and add to the wok.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles and stir fry until the sauce coats the noodles.
• Add Kai Lan, Broccoli florets and Edamame, if using and stir fry on high heat.
• Once Kai Lan wilts, it is done. Broccoli will be done while retaining good crunch.

One thing that I missed badly when I moved from Michigan, other than friends, was the Lebanese food. For those who has never tried it, Lebanese food is mild and flavorful without being hot. It is dry–no sauces or gravies–with lentils, and kebabs and meats akin to dry barbecue. It is subtly spicy and filling and perfectly portable–as in pita wrapped sandwiches. In addition to mom & pop restaurants, there was a chain restaurant which served excellent Lebanese food (yes, chain restaurant!), well at least in my opinion. I must have tried most of their menu (where raw meat was not included) but my all time favorites to this day are Chicken Shawarma (equivalent to grilled chicken pita wrap) and Majadra (lentils and bulgur wheat, eaten with pita bread and yogurt). I have seen many variations in spelling ranging from Mjadra to Mujaddara. I believe it depends on the region and whether rice or wheat is used. For a trove of info on this look up Wikipedia.

As I no longer has access to that wonderful food, I attempted making it at home. But my research on Google, most food blogs, cookbooks gave me the version with lentils and rice. There were a few with bulgur, but did not seem to yield the end product I had in mind. So I tried to figure out what must have been used to achieve that flavor balance. Garlic and Cumin for sure, maybe black pepper or red pepper for heat? I tweaked this combination, adding some and taking away some. All of which passed the taste test of my guinea pig (aka husband). But the best I liked and which was very close to the restaurant kind was with Garlic, Cumin, Salt and a pinch of Red Pepper flakes.

What you need (for 2 servings, and a bit more):
1/3 cup Bulgur (coarse, if available)
1 cup Brown lentils, cleaned, washed and soaked for 1 hour
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 large clove of Garlic
1/2 tsp Red Pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt to taste
Greek yogurt, beaten until runny
Sumac (optional, can be substituted with Paprika)
Parsley for garnish
2 Black tea bags* (optional, see note below)
2 large Onions** (sweet/yellow onions) for caramelization

* I used a couple of tea bags in the water to cook lentils and bulgur to get a rich brown color.
** You may want to make a bigger batch as they take a while to caramelize. You can use them in so many ways….Omlette topped with caramelized onions, anyone?

How to make it:
Caramelizing the onions:

• Slice the onions and spread them in a wide pan heated on medium-high with 2-3 tbsp oil.
• Once the onions start turning golden at the edges, bring the heat down to medium low and toss to spread the caramelization.
• Add a pinch of sugar to aid the caramelization process and cook of low for 15-20 minutes, until the onions are soft and uniformly brown.

Cooking Lentils:

• Meanwhile in a large enough pot, add 3 cups of water and enough salt so that it tastes like sea water.
• Once boiling add a tea bag, and the soaked lentils.
• On medium heat boil the lentils for 20 minutes or so until tender but not mushy.
• Remove the tea bag and drain excess water.

Cooking Bulgur:

• While lentils are cooking, bring 1 cup water to boil in another pot with a pinch of salt.
• Once boiling add a tea bag and infuse the color.
• Remove the tea bag and add a tablespoon of oil and bulgur.
• Bring the heat down to medium and let simmer, covered, until all water is absorbed, about 10-12 minutes. When done bulgur should be soft but a bit chewy.
• If any excess water is present at this stage, strain and spread it on a wide plate, drizzle a tablespoon of oil and fluff with a fork. The goal is to allow the bulgur to stay separate and not clump up.

Assembling Majadra:

• In a wide non-stick skillet, add about 4 tbsp oil and heat on medium.
• When hot, grate the garlic clove directly into the oil and saute until fragrant.
• Add the cumin powder and black pepper powder and red pepper flakes and lightly fry for a couple of minutes.
• Now add the bulgur and let it saute for 4-5 minutes or until the aromatics incorporate with bulgur and it turns lightly darker.
• At this stage add the cooked lentils, and fold carefully avoiding clumps.
• Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
• Top it with generous amounts of caramelized onions and garnish with parsley. Eat with beaten yogurt sprinkled with Sumac or Paprika.
• Best served with warm Pita bread–Cut the pita into half and fill the pocket with Majadra. Drizzle yogurt and top it with caramelized onions and parsley.

Chatpata Chana, roughly translated as Zesty Chickpeas is a minimum effort tea time or coffee time snack. The best part is it can be made under 10 minutes. All you need is a can of chickpeas and Chaat Masala. Rest of the embellishments are up to you.

Many variations of these could be found as street food in India. Most often they are made with Kala Chana (black miniatures of the familiar chickpeas). Street vendor’s version includes soaking them overnight and boiling in water (ahem, from questionable sources), with a pinch of salt (no pun intended). They carry them around in their portable baskets also containing garnishes such as chopped onions, tomatoes, lemon, cilantro, green chillies and Chaat Masala. If you don’t question the hygiene aspect, they are the best tasting. I ate them all the time as a kid and even as a grown up on several occasions–as long as it was not during the monsoon season. That is when the water sources become really questionable! I used to wonder how the street vendors managed to keep the cooked chickpeas from spoiling in a hot climate like India. But may be its the throughput that keeps them from getting stale. And if it is any evidence, we did not get sick often, considering how frequently we ate such street food.

I made it recently with sauteed onions (optional), chillies, mint, cilantro and Chaat Masala. It provided just enough tang to compliment a chilli infused hot chocolate. Spicy!!

What you need (for 2 servings):
1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 Green or Red Chilli, finely chopped
1/4 cup (or 1 small) Onion , finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped Mint leaves
1 tbsp chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Chaat Masala (found in any Indian Grocery store)
1 tbsp oil
1 pinch Turmeric (optional)
Salt, to taste
1/2 Lemon juice

How to make it:

• Sauté the chopped onion and chilli in a tablespoon of oil until golden brown
• Add the chickpeas and turmeric, if using. Toss to combine and lightly sauté on medium for 3-4 minutes. Chickpeas will just start to turn golden brown.
• Stir occasionally until they appear dry and browned all over, in about 4-5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and sprinkle the Chaat Masala and chopped herbs.
• Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon

So, I got home with an arm load of this stuff and was contemplating how best to use them…Beet Halwa, Borscht, Hummus, Tapenade…. The inconsequential thing was that I did not have to debate….I had that many beets on hand! But I got fixated on trying something totally different–Beets Hash!! Thats it!! Since I had colors to play with I threw in some potatoes for their pale blandness to contrast against the color explosion and essentially made it into Root Vegetable Hash…sounded rustic enough that I chose to add modern twist in presentation.

I would have eaten this anytime of the day, but it happened to be brunch time, so did not have to search for a reason to top it with a lightly fried egg with yolks running. It was a riot of colors on the plate as the runny yolks flowed over. The brunch was perfectly balanced with a nice cup of coffee. The earthy flavor of purple beets dominated golden beets, which were sweeter and milder. Different textures played up the eclectic combination. It would make an impressive brunch course especially when the farmer’s markets start brimming with spring produce and early potatoes. Can’t wait for that!!

What you need (2 servings):

1 Purple beet (diced)
1 Golden beet (diced)
1 Potato (diced)
2 Eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tsp oil
1 tsp Sambal Olek or hot sauce (optional)

How to make it:

• Heat a pan and add few drops of oil and separately saute saute the potatoes, golden beets, purple beets (in that order) with a pinch of salt and pepper. This way you can just use one pan and not cross-contaminate the colors.
• Using a ring mold, plate them in colorful layers. Or you may choose to just toss them all on the plate–either way the colors would be lovely
• Top with a lightly fried egg, yolks runny
• If you prefer, top the egg with Sambal Olek or some hot sauce.

Without looking up I said, “Its too late now, sweet pea, and we don’t have any at home. Lets get some from the store tomorrow. Okay?”

‘”No Mommy, I want this likkle (little) ice cream. Make it” she said pointing to the Pot de Creme cups. And that made my day…or week!! And the fact that the weather is not oven-friendly anymore did not stop me from making this….just because she asked.

This is such a simple dessert to make for such a fancy name-Pots de Creme. It is pronounced po-de-creme (or khreme if you want it sounding Frenchish–which I never mastered). Anyway, all it takes is eggs, sugar, cream and vanilla (or rose essence/pineapple essence/cardamom powder or whatever you choose). This time I made the Pina Colada (virgin) version using Coconut milk and Pineapple extract instead of cream and vanilla. I also used honey instead of sugar to amp up the flowery tropical flavor. The result was amazing. Maybe its the coconut milk, that the custard was so smooth and so perfectly done that when you put a spoon in it, it slowly sinks!! It was a perfect little tropical dessert…and my daughter just loved it!!

What you need (for 6 servings):
6 egg yolks
1 egg white
2 cups coconut milk*
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp Pineapple extract

If you prefer you can use one cup coconut milk and 1 cup low fat half and half (though I did not try this combination myself)

How to make it:

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• In the meantime, warm the coconut milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute to bring it just above room temperature. Do not over heat, or it will curdle. This will help mixing honey easier.
• Add the honey and Pineapple extract and mix well. You can taste and add more honey if you prefer. (The sweetness and Pineapple flavor you have here will be brought down a notch after you add the eggs yolks and bake)
• In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks and the egg white until they are well blended. Make sure that there are no unmixed whites.
• Add this to the coconut mixture and fill the mixture in 6 pots or ramekins (Strain it before if you suspect any solid particles)
• Place the pots in deep baking tray and fill it with hot water up to the sides
• Bake them for 25-30 minutes until set but the centers are jiggly. Remove from the oven and cool.
• Once cooled to room temperature, chill them in the fridge over night or at least 2-3 hours (if you are impatient like me) before devouring them!

Ever since I first ate etouffee I was enamored. I am used to curries, but this dreamy creamy concoction grabbed a special place in my repertoire of favorites. And it was the first time I ever heard or ate crawfish, which I assumed from the name that they would be fish-like. I was pleasantly surprised that they resembled shrimp, more than fish.

I dug up the history and you name-it everything I can find about an etouffee and was impressed how simple it was. But only (slightly) turned off at the amount of butter it requires!! I could not put it off for too long though, when a craving for some etouffee hit me. I had to give in to my temptation, to keep the engine running. So I turned to my dust collecting cookbooks, especially The Dooky Chase Cookbook. I bought this book when I heard about this restaurant extolled on TV. Well to be frank, many of the recipes did not jump at me because each involved a ton of butter AND deep frying. I don’t usually attempt deep frying as all rules of moderation fly out of the window if there is fried food around me. However, there are some classic southern comforts, that I cannot wait to try. Overall it was an interesting read with unusual recipes like squirrel pie and turtle stew.

I made etouffee earlier, but something was missing (no, I don’t skimp on the butter). I read somewhere that the key to etouffee was shrimp stock, although the recipe in the book did not call for it. So I went all the way out, got whole shrimp and made stock–which made the whole difference. It is irreplaceable and worth all the extra effort (of my soux chef, aka husband) in peeling and deveining the shrimp. My etouffee is adapted from the book with some intuition and substitues. Here we go.

What you need for etouffee:
2 lb whole shrimp, peeled, deveined (save shells for stock)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp oil
2 cups shrimp stock
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 tbsp Creole seasoning
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 tsp of hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
2 Spring onions chopped (green part only)
1 tbsp of parsley, chopped (for garnish)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

What you need for stock:
Saved shrimp shells
5 cups of water
1 Onion, sliced
1 Lemon, sliced
2 Celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 Bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs of Thyme (or 1/2 tbsp dried)
1 tsp crushed peppercorns
1 tbsp salt

How to make the stock:

• Add all the ingredients for stock to a pot and bring it to boil. Once boiled turn down the heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Let it cool and strain through a fine mesh seive. This will make around 3 cups of stock.

How to make etouffee:

• Heat a non-stick pan on medium and add oil and butter.
• Once butter is melted add the flour and cook it for 5-6 minutes to make a golden colored roux. Keep an eye on this as the golden color can quickly turn into darker brown and nuttier tasting. I prefer golden colored (or blonde) roux.
• Add the onions, green pepper and celery and Creole sesoning and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add 1/2 cup shrimp stock and incorporate the flour mix breaking any lumps. Add rest of the stock and simmer for 10 minutes, while occasionally stirring.
• Add salt (shrimp stock is already salty) and adjust to taste.
• Add shrimp, hot sauce and spring onions and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the desired consistency is reached.
• Taste to adjust any seasonings.
• Garnish with parsley and spring onions and serve it smothered over hot cooked rice. Don’t forget the beer!

I am looking for a job. Of course I am not quitting my day job, which I like, by the way. I am looking for something in the kitchens of some of my favorite restaurants….so that I can learn their special techniques in whipping up my favorites. I could be a fly on the wall, and take notes…but since flies are not welcome in a kitchen, I am exploring alternate ways. We have a Thai place near by and I eat so often from there, that they would be glad to hand over the recipe for Thai Fried rice just for giving them so much business. But sadly they don’t know my face, as we have lately become the take-outers. We never once sat in that restaurant to eat or for that matter any restaurant in the last few months. The thought of chasing our toddler who wants to dash through the tables and come dangerously close to knocking off the waiters carrying food is enough to deter us. And also the scary thought of engaging her through the dinner while she is continuously trying to get herself off the high chair and very clearly verbalizing it, if you know what I mean. The last few times we went to a restaurant, we would sit at the table, as if on-call for emergency response, and ready to doggy bag our food and leave if situation becomes uncontrollable.

So we are content to have food delivered or picked-up rather than enduring the drama at the restaurant, and leaving huge apologetic tips to take care of the mess created at our table. I have tried to recreate their fried rice at home several times and with much practice have come very close to it. I used dry shrimp soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, but preferred fresh shrimp and hence modified the recipe here accordingly. Also I added soy-marinated tofu, but you won’t miss it if you don’t have it. So until I can get that job in their kitchen, I will be content with this. And I assure, you will not be disappointed either!

What you need (for 2 servings):

12 shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Thail Basil, loosely packed
4 shallots finely sliced (or 1/4 medium onion)
2 Thai chilies, finely chopped (deseed or omit altogether for milder heat)
1 tbsp Nam Prik Pao (Thai Chili Paste. Chilies and dried shrimp are the key ingredients)
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup of greens (bok choy-green parts, kai lan or finely cut broccoli florets)
1 tbsp Soy bean paste (also known as Yellow bean paste)
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tbsp oil
2 cups cooked rice–preferably made the day before or at least cooled for a couple of hours
1 cup bean sprouts
1 pinch MSG (optional)
Salt to taste*
Finely shredded Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Cilantro leaves and Lime wedges for garnish

* Be careful of adding additional salt as Nam Prik Pao, Soy bean paste and fish sauce have good amount of salt in them.

How to make it:

• Heat the wok on high and add 2 tbsp oil to coat. Add minced garlic and toss till fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the chilies, shallots and Thai Basil and saute for 1 minute.
• Add the shrimp and toss until they turn pink
• Move the stuff in the wok to its sides, and in the center add 1 tbsp oil, and add the beaten egg. Once the bottom of the egg starts setting, scramble it and toss with rest of the stuff.
• Add rice and break up any clumps with your spatula while tossing.
• Add the fish sauce, nam prik pao, soy bean paste, brown sugar and msg if using and mix.
• Add the greens and toss well, cooking for an additional 2 minutes
• Taste and adjust salt as needed.
• Turn off heat and add the bean sprouts and lightly mix them in. They will cook slightly in the residual heat but still retain their crunch.
• Serve it piping hot with a garnish of shredded carrots, cilantro leaves and lime wedges.