Crispy Duck with Apple and Plum Sauce - Herman's version!

Marinate the Duck breast overnight in:

• 50g (2oz) brown sugar
• 75ml (3fl oz) white wine vinegar
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• Star Anise 

Place the duck breasts skin side down in a saucepan and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes until the skin begins to brown, lots of fat will be released during this process so drain if necessary. 

Turn the heat to high and cook the breasts on the underside for 1 minute. Transfer to a roasting dish.

Cook in the oven for 8 minutes on 180 C, remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Apple and plum Sauce:

4 apples

6 plums

2 table spoons Honey

Finely chopped Garlic

1 table spoon white wine

Reduce till thick, 

on the side saute the pak choi with a dash of rock salt and chopped garlic

I spiced up some potatoes with Smoked Paprika, chilly powder, turmeric powder and seasoned with salt. 

And Ta Da!..... layer the crispy duck over the pak choi and plate up! 

Spicy Crabs

Though most like a Crab in gravy, or stuffed, both of these recipes are on my blog, this time I thought I would do a Dry variation of Crab. 

Depending on the Size, the below works for around 1 Kg of crabs! Take the shells of and clean the crabs. 

In a wok, season  1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 6-8 curry leaves and a finely chopped onion in a table spoon of oil, in that sequence, adding a teaspoon of Tamarind paste once the onion has turned translucent. Add the washed and drained crabs to the seasoning. 

Lightly roast and grind to paste: 

2 tbsp Coriander seeds, 6 to 7 pods of Garlic, 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds , 1 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds, 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds, 10 to 12 Kashmiri Chillies, 1/2 cup grated Coconut. 

Add the paste over the simmering crabs and let it cook, Mix well and if any water is left over let it dry while stirring over high flame.

Enjoy your Spicy Crabs, too bad the picture did not come out as well as it should have! 

 

Southern Fried Chicken with mixed peppers and pasta

Hi! Most of you would be familiar with this, well at least the chicken part but I gave a Goan Twist to it! 

Make deep cuts across the chicken thighs (better then chicken breast as they remain moist and  juicer) I a bowl mix plain flour, salt, pepper and Xacuti masala. For those of you that do not have it, you can use any seasoning like Garam Masala! 

Dust the flour mix over the thighs, pat it deep into the cuts. 

Drizzle Olive oil over the battered thighs

Shallow fry them in a pan to brown the crust

Once browned on both sides, place them on a tray and into the oven, 180 degree for 1/2 hour

This is an interesting product I came across which I will use in my mixed peppers! 

Chopped peppers, chicken stalk, mixed herbs all in a pan over high flame! 

Once reduced down till dry, top up with the bacon bits! 

Plate it up with pasta, (with you favorite pasta sauce)  and the chicken! 

Chorizo and Chicken

This is what I would call a Goan fusion dish!. Chicken with Goan Sausages! The Vinegar and spice of the sausages gives a lovely tangy taste to the normally bland chicken! If for some reason the sausages are overly dry, you could add a spoon of Masala.

Cut the sausage from the guy, and saute with chopped onion, I have used two large onions here, and about 8 "beads" of sausage. 

Once the sausage has given our a bit of its fat and the onion is translucent add cubed potatoes and fry well.

Depending on the variety of potatoes used, say about 5 mins it should be ready for the chicken to go in.

Mix the chicken well and let it brown a bit.

Depending on the consistency you like, add water and if need be a spoon of Rechiado masala.

It goes so well with white rice! 

Ham, egg and cheese muffins!

Well these are not exactly muffins... but then you will see what I mean!

Get a muffin tray and lay strips of either lightly fried bacon or ham and crack eggs over it!

 Top the eggs with cherry tomatoes

 And Grated cheese!

Off into the oven at 180 for about 10 mins!

Scoop the "muffins" out carefully .....and guess what!.. You have the yummiest breakfast!

Mankeo (Squid /Calamari) Curry

Ingredients:

Squid -500g(It shrinks on cooking)
Green chilli-4
Ginger-25g
Garlic-25g
Tomato Puree-1 cup
Onion-2 large-chopped thin
Cocum juice-1/2 cup
Chilli powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder-1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Refined oil-as required
Salt-as required

Method:

Clean the squid and make gashes on it.Dry roast chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,fenugreek seeds and a sprig of curry leaves for a couple of minutes.Heat oil in a wok.Saute onion,ginger,garlic,green chillies till they become soft.Now wait for a minute or two to cool the sauted ingredients(the powders too) and grind it into a coarse paste.Now add the tomato puree to the paste and whisk it for a minute.Now pour this mixture over the cleaned squid.Add salt as required.Leave it for 10 minutes.Now add the cocum juice and enough water for the required consistency and cook it over a medium flame for nearly 8-10 minutes or till the squids are cooked properly.Finally add a sprig of curry leaves and mix well.(You may add a pinch of sugar,for a good twist).Now remove from the stove and serve it hot with chappathi/rice/tapioca.

(This squid curry again tastes better the next day).

Dry Prawn Kismur!

Nothing like a Prawn Kismur, on a rainy day!

This post is one of my pictorial ones as its so very easy to make!

Saute roughly chopped onion in coconut oil and keep aside..

 Wash the dry prawns to clear impurities and saute in coconut oil

 Add a couple of slit green chillies

Once crispy, add a grated coconut and mix well

Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 2 teaspoons chilly powder.

Mix well and fry for a while .

And well there it is.. ready to be served !

You can make the similar version with mixed dry fish 

Beef Roulade

Ingredients for Marination:

Grind the below to a paste!
1/2 tsp - garlic ginger paste
4-5 - cardamoms 2 - green chillies
1 cup - mint leaves
2-3 cups - coriander leaves
1/2 tsp - cumin seeds
1/2 tsp - pepper corns
1/2 tsp - turmeric pwd
1&1-2 inch - cinnamon stick
4-5 - cardamoms
4-5 - cardamoms
Salt to taste

Method:

Slice (or ask your butcher to slice it for you) 1 Kg Beef into 3" x 2" flat slices that can be rolled

Flatten the slices with a Tenderizer

Marinate for about 2-3 hours in the above paste, preferably overnight covered with a cling film.

Lay a slice at a time flat on a cutting board

Lay  julienne of carrot, green chilly, potato and (Goan Sausage or Spanish Chorizo)      

Roll the beef and tie with with a strong thread

Lay the rolls into a pressure cooker (or slow cook them in a pot) , and pour in the remaining marination into the pot.

Depending on the quality of your meat, once you put off the fire, take the rolls out and cut the thread just before you serve! 

Image courtesy

CUCUMBER CHICKEN

Contribution by Sanghita Pal

INGREDIENTS:

*Chicken- 850 gm-1 kg

*Potatoes- 2- cubed/diced

*Cucumber- 1 big (finely chopped) for marination; 1 medium- for garnishing

*Yoghurt- 1 cup

*A thick paste of 1 capsicum, 2 big onions, 1 tomato, 2-3 pods of garlic, small ginger piece (of two soya chunks’ size!)

*Salt to taste

*A pinch of sugar

*Cardamom, Cinnamon- 2 each finely grounded

*Turmeric powder- ½ tsp (for marination); ½ tsp (for cooking)

*Red chilli powder- ½ tsp (for marination); ½ tsp (for cooking)

*Coriander powder- ½ tsp (for marination); ½ tsp (for cooking)

*Cumin powder- ½ tsp(for marination); ½ tsp (for cooking)

*Chicken Masala powder- 1 tsp

*Green chilli- 2-3 (slit)

*Mustard oil- 2 tsps for marination; 2 tsps for cooking

FOR MARINATION:

Marinate chicken with yoghurt, cucumber, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, sugar, mustard oil and keep it aside for 2 hours. 

METHOD:

In a wok, fry the potato cubes till golden brown. Keep them aside. Now nicely fry the thick paste till the oil gets separated and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt to it one by one. Add the marinated chicken, chicken masala powder, fried potatoes, green chilli and cook until done. Season with cardamom-cinnamon powder. Garnish with cucumber pieces and serve hot with rice/chapattis/ any type of bread. 

(Note: You can use 2-3 sprigs of freshly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves as a substitute for cardamom-cinnamon powder.)

Pork Stew with Bell Peppers

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs pork stew
2 large potatoes, chunks
1 medium red bell pepper, strips
1 medium green bell pepper, strips
1 medium yellow bell pepper,strips
1 medium onion, chunks
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pork stock cube
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
salt to taste
cooking oil

HOW TO COOK
Heat cooking oil in a pan or wok.
Saute garlic & onion.
Add the pork. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Add the fish sauce and cook for 3 minutes.
Add water. Bring to a boil then add pork stock cube.
Add the potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
Add the bell pepper and tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce gets thick.
Add the fish sauce.
Remove from heat & transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve with hot steamed white rice. Enjoy!





Image Courtesy

Herman's Pork Sorpotel

1 kg Pork ¼ fat and ¾ meat on it! 

1/2 kg (Combination of Pork Liver + Tongue+ Kidney + Heart)
Dried Pork Blood : 1 Tbsp/100 gms
3 medium sized Onion
3-4 Green chilli
Oil for frying. ½ cup
1 peg Feni (Coconut, Cashew)
Salt

For the Masala:
4-5 tbsp Vinegar
A walnut sized ball of tamarind (Soak the tamarind in water and remove the pulp)
20 Kashmiri chillies
1 tsp Cumin Seed
12 peppercorns
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
6 Cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
10 cloves Garlic
2 tea spoons sugar
1 inch Ginger

How to make Sorpotel:

Make a fine paste of the ginger, garlic, red chillies, cloves, cumin seeds etc (Ingredients listed under “for Masala”) with vinegar, and if needed very little water, preferably stick to vinegar!

Wash the Dry blood thrice, squeeze and set aside. Wash and boil the pork and liver, tongue (delicately remove the rough skin from the top of the tongue off) kidney and heart.

Once the meat is tender, take it out and dice it fine into small cubes.(even the fats, they will give flavor and melt anyway). Keep the meaty water stock aside, we will need it later on!

Fry in a pan without using any oil till the meat attains an even brown colour. (Fry in batches, the fatty pieces first so that they will release the oil, then the meat and then the insides)

Heat oil in a big cooking pan, add the sliced onions and fry till they are golden brown in colour.
Add the ground paste and fry till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the fried pork and dried blood along with meaty water stock that we kept aside, salt and Feni

Cover and cook on a low flame till meat is tender.

Add slit green chillies and cook further on a low flame for 10 minutes.

For a special flavor twist, cook it the following day for another 20 minutes and again for 1-2 days more. Sorpotel tastes better if it is allowed to ‘pickle’ for a couple of days after being prepared

Serve with steamed rice or bread.

Pickled Pork

Recipe by my cousin Collins Do Carmo Souza

Ingredients:


2 Kg pork with a little fat
weak vinegar[1 part vinegar 3 parts water]

Grind to a paste:
15 red chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard dal
1" piece ginger
15 cloves
15 cloves garlic
13 peppercorns
100 ml coconut feni..
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar

Method:
 Cut meat [You could boil it before if you wish] into small pieces,rub with a handful of salt & keep aside,turning every 6 hours,after 24 hours,wash meat in weak vinegar.Grind all spices and mix well with meat..


Image Courtesy

Egg Masala

A contribution by
Shweta Shanbhag

Method 

 1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add 5-6 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1 inch ginger finely chopped and saute. 

2. Add 2 finely chopped onions, 1/2 tsp salt and saute till the onion is slightly brown in color.  

3. Add 1 sprig on curry leaves, 2-3 slit chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and saute all till the raw smell of the masala is gone.  

4. Add 1 finely chopped tomato and saute till the tomato is mushy. 

5. Now add 1/2 a glass (4 tbsp coconut milk) (I prepare coconut milk using coconut milk powder), 1 to 2 tsp tomato puree and mix well. 
Add 4 boiled eggs (I made some slits on them) to the base, mix well  and cook for 4-5 mins on a slow flame. 

6. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.  






Original recipe 

Aubergine with Bacon!

As most of you know, I have been nicknamed the Bacon King.... and well my love for Bacon is no big secret! Today I bring to you another of my Bacon fusion!.... Its so very easy and well, if you are a Bacon Lover,  once you start you won't stop!

Ingredients:

1 Large Aubergine
125 gms Bacon strips
1 Large Onion
2 tsp Garlic Salt
1 tbsp Olive Oil 

Method:

In a pan, fry the bacon till semi crispy, take it out, leaving the bacon drippings behind.
Next chop the onion fine and saute in the Bacon drippings till translucent
Chop the Aubergine  in small cubes, and add to the fried onion and sprinkle the Garlic salt.
Let it cook for 5 mins and add bacon and toss till well mixed.
Serve hot!