Kung Pao Sauce

Many weeks back, I watched Chef Ming Tsai stirring up this wonderful Kung Pao sauce. I got this immense urge to try the sauce immediately and made this Kung Pao Tofu. Ever since, I might have made different Kung Pao dishes many times. The sauce is "Simply" magical!

What you need to make this tasty sauce:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 inch ginger, minced well,
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
8 medium sized garlic cloves, mincedgarlic
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup soy sauce (I've used Lee Kum Kee's)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste

• In a wok or saucepan, heat canola oil over high heat.
• Add ginger, garlic, saute for a minute. Add sambal oelek. Mix well for 10 seconds.
• Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Bring to boil quickly.
• Slowly add the cornstarch mix, whisking continuously. Cook until the sauce thickens.
• This makes about 2 cups sauce.

Ullikaram - (Spicy onion paste)

This is a simple, pungent and delicious preparation that takes less than a two minutes to make, that too it uses only four ingredients! But the usage options are endless. This paste can be used to make 'Karam Dosa' (lentil and rice crepe smeared with spicy paste), can be added to 'igurus' (Andhra dry curries), can be mixed in roti or parantha dough or simply served with rice with heated sesame oil or smear on a slice of bread while making sandwich or burger.

What you need to make this paste:
1 medium sized onion
1.5 tbsp good quality spicy red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
Peel onion and chop roughly. Place all ingredients in food processor and process to a coarse paste. Use immediately or store in air-tight container in refrigerator. Keeps well for a week if refrigerated.

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Spaghetti with Spinach pesto and Asparagus

Presto Pasta Nights

Two days back dinner was spaghetti with spinach pesto. I have been toying with the idea of making pesto with spinach, but, was skeptical how it would taste. And then, I saw on some show (sorry forgot the name....oops) baked fish served on green pea paste. I was thinking, if a paste of frozen green peas (thawed, of course) could taste good, my spinach pesto should also taste good (not sure what kind of psychological logic this would qualify under....may be just meanness? :-) )
So, I set out making spinach pesto, within seconds, realized, no pine nuts! I found some peanuts and some cashews. Dismissed peanuts as I couldn't contemplate the taste of peanuts, spinach and basil together (must try some other time). Finally decided on cashews. The result is spinach-Cashew pesto, which is out of this world. I would highly recommend trying out this pesto; you won't be disappointed.

What you need to make this spaghetti dish:

1 package spaghetti (I used whole-wheat)
4 asparagus stalks
1 medium sized tomato
salt and black pepper powder to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves

To make Pesto:

5-6 fistfuls fresh baby spinach
1 fistful fresh basil leaves
3-4 medium sized garlic cloves, peeled
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 fistful cashews, dry roasted
salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, enough to make pesto
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 pinches red chili flakes (optional)

Prep work:
Break Asparagus where the stalk breaks, cu into 1-inch pieces.
Since the fiber in Asparagus in the skin, do not discard the tough piece. Peel it and use with rest.
Dice tomato.

Method:

• Make pesto by either grinding in mortar and pestle or in food processor. Start with spinach, basil leaves, cashews, salt, garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes. Keep adding olive oil to get manageable coarse paste. Add Parmesan cheese, blend lightly.
• Boil Spaghetti as per directions on the package. Take Spaghetti out into a bowl with tongs. Pour some 'spaghetti water' (water in which its cooked) over to prevent sticky spaghetti.
• In the same water, cook asparagus for 2-3 minutes until its done, but crunchy to bite. Take out and add immediately to ice cold water. Once cooled, drain and keep aside
• In a wide sautepan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil. Add dried basil, Asparagus, Spaghetti. Mix well.
• Add one cup 'spaghetti water' and pesto. Break pesto carefully and fold gently so that it coats spaghetti well. You may add some olive oil to ease the folding. Adjust salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately, garnished with diced tomatoes.

Easy All-Purpose Masala Paste (Indian Spice Paste)

This is from my mom. Every household in India has at least one version of all-purpose masala. The handling of spices is for most part learned from observing how the elders in the house are cooking and eating the food made by them. Yes, we train implicitly from early on :) But, hey, I'm not complaining about it!

This paste can be used almost in every curry, pulao (yes pulao too!). Don't be put off by the list of ingredients. Once you have all of them, you are just few minutes away from the paste. The amount and choice of spices can be changed according to personal tastes. If using in a dish for kids, moderate the amount of cloves, peppers and chillies.

What you need to make this paste:

1medium sized Onion, roughly chopped
1 medium sized Tomato, roughly chopped
1 inch Ginger piece, roughly chopped
4 - 5 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup Mint leaves (optional)
4 green Chilies
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut or 3 tablespoons dry coconut.

2 tablespoons Coriander/Cilantro seeds
1 tablespoon Jeera/Cumin seeds
1/2 Star Anise
1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder
4 - 5 teaspoon Cloves
1/2 inch Cinnamon piece
2 - 4  Cardamoms (elaichi)
1 dry Bay leaf
8 -10 Cashew halves

How to prepare:
Roast all dry spices and cashews in a saute-pan.
Mix all ingredients including the dry spices, add 1/2 cup water and grind fine in a blender. Do not add too much water. Add water only if the blender is not moving well. When using in curries or pulao, this paste needs to be cooked in couple of tablespoons of oil to extract the flavor.
This makes approximately 2 1/2 - 3 cups of paste. You may store it in refrigerator for 2 -3 days or in freezer up to a month.

Alternately, you can saute onions, tomato, ginger and garlic in 2 tbsp oil with salt, cool and grind together with dry roasted spices, cashews. Of course, with some water! This version keeps in refrigerator up to a week.