Crab Malai Curry

I did not learn to appreciate crabs till my aunt fromm Kolkatta came to visit us in  Cochin. She insisted on buying some crabs and cooking them. From then on, my brother and I would wait for when Ma would buy crabs and cook this dish. Over the years, I have cooked this multiple times and after many variations, this is the recipe I am most pleased with. Serve over steaming hot rice and enjoy!

Ingredients

• Two whole crabs, cut in to 4 pieces and claws separated
• 2 table spoon maida
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 onion grounded in to a paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of haldi, chilli powder, dhania powder
• 1/4 tsp of cumin powder
• 1 can coconut cream/milk
• 5-6 green chillies
•  1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3 green cardamom
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4-5 cloves
• 5 green chillies slit in half
• 1/2 cup oil
• coriander leaves to garnish
• garam masala, bengali style

Directions

• Clean crab thoroughly. dry and then coat with flour and salt. Leave aside.
• Put 1/4 cup oil in a hot wok and let the oil heat. Add crabs and fry lightly on high.
• Remove crabs and drain excess oil on a plate coated with a paper towel. Add the whole spices to the oil , when it splutters, add the onion paste. Fry in medium heat till it is light brown and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for 30 secs and add tomato paste
• Once this mixture has lost the raw onion smell, add the dry masalas. Add salt to taste ( 1 teaspoon)
• Reduce heat to low and cover the wok , let the juices intermingle . If the paste is too dry, add a little water. Keep watching to make sure the paste does not burn.
• Once the oil starts separating from the paste, add the fried crabs and half the can of coconut milk. Let the mixture simmer at low-med heat for 10 mins. Now add the remaining coconut milk and bring the whole mixture to boil.
• Once it has boiled, add 1 teaspoon bengali garam masala and garnish with coriander leaves.
• The same dish can be substituted with prawns for chingri malai curry. Wash and devein shrimps, add a little turmeric and salt and fry insteadof flour and proceed in similar way. Reduce cooking time as shrimp will cook much faster than crab. simmering for 2-3 minutes is more than enough for shrimp.

Home Style Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 rusett potatoes/ yukon potatoes
• salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 can chicken broth

Directions

Boil the potatoes with salt till skin is about to peel, drain water and transfer to a big mixing bowl. Start mashing the peeled potatoes and add the butter  to it. When it is mashed, add broth and use a hand mixer to fluff up the potatoes. Transfer t serving dish. You could additionally add 1/2 cup sour cream and some cheddar cheese, but I like it just plain.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk (or 2 cups half & half)
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark, depending on taste preference)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (french bread works best)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk (or half & half) just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.

3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

4. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

If you make the sauce to put on top of your bread pudding, adjust the brown sugar in the bread pudding recipe. Reduce the amount in the recipe to 1/3 cups dark or light brown sugar (the sauce has the other 1/3 cup in it, in the form of white or light brown sugar).

Bread Pudding Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup granulated white sugar (light brown sugar can be substituted)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon flour
dash of salt

Directions:

Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding. Optional: Add 3 tablespoons of brandy to the sauce while the sauce is warm if you want a rich brandy flavor. 

Green bean Casserole

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®) 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash ground black pepper 4 cups cooked cut green beans 1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions 

Directions

• Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling.  Stir the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining onions.Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.
  
  
  Source: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/Recipes/RecipeDetails.aspx?recipeId=24099

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

Ingredients

• 16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
• 1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed ( you could substitute chicken sausage for people who don't eat pork)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 
  

• Directions

  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

  Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

  Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

  In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

  Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

Cranberry sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and dried
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1-2 jalapeno/thai chillies, cut in small pieces
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 
  
• Directions
• In a medium pot, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Stir to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the cinnamon stick, allspice and jalapenos. Stir to blend and simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole. Add the orange juice and zest, stir and allow to cool before serving.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic ( you could sliver them to release the aroma), salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Alternately if the Oven is busy

 Microwave the clean brussel sprouts till it is semi cooked ( I put it for about 10 mins) Heat the oil in a wok till it is very hot ( you can see the steam rise) . Add the garlic first, when it is slightly brown, add the steamed brussel sprout . Do not mix. Let them stay till one side browns in the oil, after about a minute, turn it on the other side and let it brown. Serve hot. This method takes much less time to cook.

Thanksgiving 2012

Its hard to believe that a whole year has passed without posting any recipes! This thanksgiving is going to one with many firsts. First and foremost, Ahon will not be here, which takes away from my enthusiasm to cook. Then we will be doing Thanksgiving on a wednesday for the very first time and finally the Chattopadhyays will be joining us from Boston too for the very first time. My goal today is to post the recipes for a complete Thanksgiving meal so that in future I am not trying to look for recipes and in stead have the whole meal in one place.

Having been at work till 1:30 pm, its going to be a challenge to get everything done before 7 pm. The menu for today includes, Prime ribs in barbecue sauce, turkey with gravy ( turkey breast from Costco) , stuffing with sausage, roasted brussel sprouts, green bean casserole , mashed potatoes and bread pudding!