Butter-garlic Prawns

Prawns and veggies. And a butter overload.

First off, the husband has made a come back with photographing this experiment. Hes been hiding away, while I juggled the camera through the last few experiments that I have posted here.

Part of the reason he was so enthusiastic to shoot this was because hes been dying to eat prawns at home forever and we finally found a supermarket close to home that has started selling fresh fish that they clean right in front of you. No more bloody visits to the bloody market. And I mean that "bloody" quite literally..eeruughh! Call me faint hearted, but I cant stomach that assault to my senses.

Moving along..todays experiment was a simple prawns in butter garlic sauce. Something we eat a lot here in Goa. This is however the very first time we tried our hand at it at home. It was gorgeous. Taste-wise. And looks-wise too. Prawns photograph so well!

What we used:
500 gms prawns, shelled and cleaned
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
8-10 pods of garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1-1.5 lemons
Some freshly chopped coriander

How we made it
To begin with, clean out the prawns and set aside. The husband and I had our first shot at deveining the prawns even though they were supposedly cleaned at the supermarket. And it was quite an experience. We decided to spare you of the pictures.

Next, finely chop up the garlic.


In a pan, heat the oil and the butter, till the butter melts and mixes with the oil.



Add in the finely chopped garlic and let it sizzle for a bit. Saute the garlic, making sure that it doesnt burn.


When the heady aroma of sauteed garlic begins to drive you crazy and you can take it no longer, add in the lemon juice, and almost immediately add in the prawns.

Saute and watch as the prawns shrivel up into tiny coral curls. They're gorgeous. Its amazing how ugly they look before being cooked and just how pretty pink-orange they get when cooked!



And thats about all there is to it. Saute the prawns until theyre cooked, which doesnt take longer than 3-4 minutes at max. Turn off the heat and let the prawn sit in the butter-garlic sauce for a while. Garnish with a little coriander, for just that extra flavour.



I must say that I didnt need to add any salt because I used salted butter. But for those who like everything a little extra salty, you might want to season this a little more.
Done!

We decided to keep it simple today. And had the prawns with some lightly steamed and sauteed veggies. It made for an intensely satisfying meal and I suspect all that butter had something to do with it :)

Vegetable Pulao. My way!

When I decided to get brave and let the experiments begin

Its been a while since I made a veggie pulao at home. Mostly because I have never been able to get it right, spot on. Yeah its always just short of hitting the spot and leaves us feeling like "something's missing", without being able to really say what that something was!

Today though, I decided to give it another shot. I decided to trust my instincts and the many months of experience I have added on to my culinary repertoire. I decided to go with my gut and throw things in as I felt they would fit, combining a few lessons and tricks I have picked up along the way, with my sense of smell and flavour. Dont look so confused. I did say this was going to be about being brave and letting the experiments begin.

What you need
For the pulao:
Assorted chopped veggies. I used potatoes, carrots and beans, but feel free to add in whatever you want.
Rice, soaked for at least 30 mins before cooking. I used 2 cups, and it was enough to feed 3 hungry people.
One handful of roughly chopped mint leaves

For the pulao masala
1 large tomato chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 a handful coriander leaves
2 green chillies
A large-ish piece of ginger
3-4 cloves of garlic

Dry masalas for the rice
1 tsp jeera (whole)
2-3 cloves
1" piece of cinnamon
1-2 bay leaves
1 star anise (if easily accessible)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp dhaniya powder

What you need to do
Wash and clean the rice. Leave it to soak in water for at least 30 minutes (until you get all the rest of the preps done).


Chop up all the veggies you need and keep them aside.


Grind all the ingredients for the wet masala to a fine paste.



Dont add any water to begin with as the tomato and onion releases juices. If it is too dry you can add a wee bit of water, just enough to grind it easily.


In a pressure cooker/pan, heat some ghee/oil. When its hot enough, throw in the whole spices like jeera, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise, and saute till it smells divine.

Next, add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1/2 tsp dhaniya powder. Then, add the wet masala and saute continuously till the masalas cook well, dry out a bit and the oil begins to separate.


Next, throw in the vegetables and mix it well with the masala. Add salt to taste at this stage. It will release a bit of water, so dont add any extra water just yet.



Add the soaked rice and slowly add the required amount of water to cook it through.



Finally throw in the chopped mint leaves and mix well. Shut the lid and let the pulao cook to as many whistles as your pressure cooker would need to cook rice.



Done!

If I started off by calling this an experiment, I must say it ended being a successful one. The pulao was fresh-tasting (thanks to the coriander and mint) and light and flavourful. I tend to enjoy a pulao when its not overly packed with masala. While I did use a wide variety of spices, using them in smaller quantities balances it out, giving just the right amount of flavouring.

I can already see this recipe being repeated at our home on a night when I cant think of what to make and dont wish to spend too much time in the kitchen!

Chickey Curry. My way!

..OR what to do with marinated meat

This is a product of what happens when you have leftover meat that must be used pronto, and youre out of seemingly innovative recipes.

Im bored of the regular chicken curry I make at home, and I suspect the husband is too. Trouble is, I had some marinated chicken leftover from the batch I contributed to the BBQ lunch we went to on Sunday. I would have hated for the whole batch to go to waste, so I decided it must be put to good use.

The outcome was tasty, and the process of making it was quick and uncomplicated. The gravy was home cooked yet had that hint of "something special", out of the ordinary home-cooked menu. I think theres definitely going to be a repeat of this one.

Heres what I did..
What I used:
Chicken (enough for 2 people)
3 tbsps tandoori masala
3 tsps freshly made ginger-garlic paste
Juice of half a lime
4 tbsps thick curd
A pinch of salt (lesser than you would require)

2 medium tomatoes chopped
2 small onions chopped
2 green chillies chopped
A small handful of chopped coriander
A small piece of cinnamon, some cardamom and 2-3 cloves

How I made it:
First of all, I must say that the chicken I used, soaked in the marinade for over a day, so that probably made a huge difference. However, I think a few hours (3-4) should do the trick all the same.

Chop up the chicken and let it soak in the lime juice and salt for 15-20 minutes. Then, add in the curd, tandoori masala and ginger-garlic paste and let it sit for a good long while.



To prepare the gravy, in a little oil, saute onions, chillies, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves till the onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and continue to saute till tomatoes are cooked well.



Once this is done, turn off the heat, throw in the chopped coriander and mix well. Set aside and allow this to cool completely.



Once completely cooled, blend the onion+tomato+coriander in a mixie till smooth.

In a pan with a little bit of oil, add marinated chicken and saute till semi cooked. Add the pureed onion+tomato+coriander and simmer till chicken is fully cooked.



Done!