Doi Maach

Fresh Fish Steaks / Fillets  - 4 (I used red snapper here)
Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 4
Bay Leaf - 1
Red Onion - 1 small, finely grated
Plain Whole Milk Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Gramflour / Besan - 1 tsp (optional)
Turmeric Powder
Green Chili - 4 or 5, depending on your taste
Rock Salt
Raw Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Apply a little bit of turmeric and salt to the fish pieces and keep aside. Beat the yogurt well. Add a tsp of besan, salt, sugar, turmeric, mix well and keep aside

Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard oil and once the oil is hot, add the whole spices and half the green chilies. Then add the grated onion and cook on low fire till the onion begins to caramelize.

Make some space in the middle of the pan, increase the heat and add the fish steaks. Cook for 2 minutes and once the bottom begins to brown, flip carefully and cook on the other side for a minute more.

Remove the pan from the heat and keep aside for a few minutes. Slowly add the yogurt mixture and remaining green chilies and bring the pan back to low heat. Do not move the fish pieces much as they tend to break easily. Gradually increase the heat on cook on medium heat till the gravy reaches desired consistency. You could also reduce the gravy considerably and make it a dry curry.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

My Lunch - Sauteed Radish, Baked Sweet Potato & Fried Cod

Sauteed Radish, Baked Sweet Potato & Fried Cod 

Oats, Coconut, Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - 1 cup
Any Puffed Grains - 1/2 cup (optional, I used puffed millet here)
Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
Golden Flax seed Meal - 1/4 cup
Peanut Butter - 1 cup (softened)
Raw Honey - 1/3 cup
Dates - a handful, finely chopped
Slivered Almonds or chopped Walnuts - a handful
Dark Chocolate Chips - a handful

Toast the oats, puffed grains, shredded coconut over low heat for a few minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well.

Make small balls and store in an airtight container.

 

 

My Lunch - Okra, White Sweet Potato, Crispy Flounder with Apricot Sauce

Lunch Plate - Okra, Roasted White Sweet Potato, Crispy Flounder with Apricot Sauce

My Lunch - Baked Eggs, Potato & Adzuki Beans

Baked Eggs over veggies, Potato with Poppy seeds, Mejdool Date and Adzuki Beans

Sauteed Bok Choy with Ginger & Garlic

Bok Choy / Chinese cabbage - 1 big bunch,
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Ginger - 5 cloves, minced
Garlic - 1 tsp, grated
Green Chili / Jalapeno - 1, chopped
Rock Salt
Water - 1/2 cup

Trim the thick end of the bok choy and separate the stems. Wash well and keep aside.

Heat a pan / wok over high flame. Add the olive oil and immediately add the green chili, garlic and ginger. Saute for a couple of seconds.

Add the bok choy stems and saute on high heat for a few seconds. Add the water, salt and cover and steam for a few minutes till the water is evaporated and the bok choy is tender.

Serve immediately as a side.

 

 

Almond Coconut Brown Rice Energy Balls

Dry Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
Slivered Almonds - 1/2 cup
Puffed Brown Rice - 1 cup
Sunflower Seeds - 1/4 cup
Mejdool Dates - 1 cup, finely chopped
Almond Butter - 1 cup
Honey - 1/3 cup

Toast the puffed rice in a skillet over low heat until crispy. Add the shredded coconut and the rest of the nuts and roast for a couple of minutes more. Remove and keep aside.

In the same skillet add the almond butter and melt over very low heat. When the butter has completely melted, add the honey and add in the dates and toasted mixture. Toss well and remove from heat.

Once it is cool enough to handle, make small balls. If they are sticky, wrap individually in cling wrap. Store in an airtight container.

 

My Lunch - Shad, Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potato

Fried Shad, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Sweet Potato 

My Lunch - Crispy Flounder, Sweet Potato, Bok Choy

Cornmeal Crusted Crispy Flounder, Sauteed Bok Choy, Roasted Sweet Potato

Maple Sandesh / Fresh Cheese sweetened with Maple Syrup



Organic Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon
White Vinegar - 1/4th cup mixed with 1/2 cup water
100% Pure Maple Syrup - 1/2 cup (may use a little less or more depending on sweetness desired)
A few raisins for garnishing

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.

As the milk comes to a boil, add the vinegar water mixture gradually and stir the milk gently. When the cheese starts separating from the whey, turn off the heat.

Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth or handkerchief.

Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for at least 3 minutes, and squeeze well to remove as much liquid as possible.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the cheese by dragging the palm of your hand hard for at least 15 minutes until the cheese almost rolls into smooth soft dough.

Add the maple syrup little by little and knead for a few minutes more.

Make small flat balls of the mixture, put a small dent in the middle and place a raisin on top. Place in the refrigerator immediately. The sandesh will harden slightly in the cold. Must be consumed within 2 days.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir Fried Vegetables

Mixed Vegetables - Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Carrots - 2 cups, thinly sliced
Shitake Mushrooms - 1/2 cup
Sweet White Onion - 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
Garlic Cloves - 5, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Green Chili / Jalapeno - 2, chopped
Sesame Oil - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Low Sodium Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Heat a large iron wok over high flame. Add the sesame and olive oil and immediately add the ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds and add the thinly sliced onions. Saute on high flame for a minute.

Add the remaining vegetables and mushrooms and cook on high heat stirring continuously. When the vegetables are cooked but still crisp, add the soya sauce. Mix well and remove from heat.

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve immediately. Can be served over steamed brown rice or whole grain pasta or with cooked shrimp.

Labra

Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp.
Paach Phoron - 1 tsp (a mix of whole five spices like black mustard, cumin, methi, fennel, radhuni)
Green Chilies - 3
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Mixed Vegetables - cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin, eggplants, carrots, spinach, cabbage, radish

Cut the vegetables into similar sizes.

Heat a tbsp. of mustard oil. Add the paach phoron and green chilies. Then add the chopped sweet potato, carrots, radish and pumpkin. Sprinkle some turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes.

Then add the rest of the vegetables (except spinach), cumin powder and salt. Mix well and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and mix again. Continue to cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked and soft and has a slightly liquid gravy.

Serve hot with khichudi.

Bhaja Mug Dal Khichudi with Fried Onions

Yellow Mung Dal - 3/4 cup
White Rice - 3/4 cup (Use Gobindabhog or Kaljira rice)
Water - 5 cups
Salt
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp.
Red Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced
Green Chilies - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch, finely chopped

Heat a heavy bottomed pan or a pressure cooker pan. Roast the mung dal over slow heat till it emits a nice aroma. Add the rice, salt, turmeric and red chili powder and 4 cups of water and mix well.

Cook over medium heat without any cover stirring once in a while. If required add another cup of water and cook till the rice and dal are done but not mushy. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a separate pan and add the sliced onion, green chilies, garlic and ginger. Cook till the onion caramelizes. Pour this over the khichudi and serve immediately.

My Lunch - Potato, Kale Chips, Cucumber Salad, Shrimp

Mashed Potato, Kale Chips, Cucumber and Carrot Salad & Spicy Pan Sauteed Shrimp

Jumbo Shrimp in Coconut Cream / Chingri Macher Malaikari

Fresh Jumbo Shrimp - 20, shelled and deveined, but tail intact
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp.
Onion - 1/2, finely grated
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Garlic - 1 clove, grated
Coconut Milk - 14oz/ 400ml - I used Trader Joes Light Coconut Milk
Salt
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 1 pod
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 5
Bay leaf - 1

Marinate the shrimp in a little turmeric and salt. Heat a pan, add a tsp of olive oil and cook the shrimp for a couple of minutes till they are just done. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining olive oil and mustard oil to the pan. Once heated add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. After a few seconds add the grated onion. Cook on low flame till the onion gets transparent and begins to caramelize. In between, add the ginger and garlic paste also.

Now add the turmeric, chili powder, salt, sugar and the coconut milk. (If you don't have coconut milk, you can add grated coconut and water and run it in the blender to make coconut milk).Cook till the gravy reduces in consistency.

Add the shrimp pieces and cover and cook for a couple of minutes more. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.