Crispy Okra with Tomato Curry

Ingredients

* For the gravy

• 4 medium tomatoes, to make 1-1/2 cup puree 
• 1/4 inch piece of ginger 
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• A pinch of hing
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch

* For the fried okras 

• 300 g okra, sliced from center and cut in half
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mango powder
• 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• Approx. 3 tbsp water
• Oil to fry

Method
* To make the gravy
- Mix corn starch with three tablespoons of water and keep aside.
- Blend the tomatoes and ginger to make tomato puree.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat, add cumin seeds, hing and stir for few seconds, then add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili, salt and sugar, stir fry for few seconds and add tomato puree, cook it for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add corn starch and cook for about 3 minutes. Keep it aside.

* To make the fried okras 

- In a bowl, add the okras, all the dry ingredients, salt and mix it well. Add the water slowly, the okras should be nicely coated with spices, the mix should not be runny.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat, the pan should have about 1 inch of oil. The oil should be moderately hot, when you put the okras in, it should float right away. Fry the okras until golden brown. Take them out over paper towel.
- Serve it hot over the gravy.

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Chicken Masala with Spicy Gravy

Ingredients

• 500g chicken curry cut or chicken wingettes 
• 2 onion, finely minced
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• 5 garlic cloves
• 5 dried red chilies 
• 1 cup of chopped fresh coriander

Method
- In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, yogurt, all spices, salt to taste and mix well. Marinate it in a fridge for 30 minutes.
- Grind the garlic cloves, dried chilies and a little bit of water in a grinder until it becomes a fine paste. Set a side.
- Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, add the minced onion, ginger-garlic paste and saute until fragrant. Add chopped tomato, a touch of salt and curry powder, sauté for a few minutes. 

- Then add the marinated chicken, stir and cook and under cover for 2 minutes, after that give it a final stir and cook under cover for further 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic-chili paste into the wok, stir and cook under cover for 2 minutes. Season it with a touch of salt if required. Then add chopped coriander, stir and remove from the heat.
- Serve hot with steamed rice or chapati.

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Aloo Puri (Potato Curry with Fried Puffed Bread)

Ingredients

* For Puri (Fried Puffed Bread)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp semolina
• 1/4 tsp carom seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Oil for deep-fry

* For Aloo

• 3 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/8 tsp hing
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp mango powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 green chili, roughly sliced
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

Method
- To prepare the dough, in a big mixing bowl, combine flour, carom seeds, salt, oil and mix well, slowly add the water and keep kneading the mixture until it becomes smooth dough. Apply a bit oil evenly outside the dough to keep it from getting dry. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, add cumin seeds, hing and stir, then add onion and saute until lightly brown, add ginger, green chili and stir until the raw smell of ginger is gone.
- Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, crushed fennel seeds and red chili powder into the pot, stir for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, salt, mix well with the spices and cook under cover for 3 minutes.
- Add 2-1/2 cups of water into the pot. After the water comes to a boil, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Add mango powder, garam masala and chopped coriander leaves into the pot, stir and cook under cover for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- To prepare the oil for deep-fry, heat enough oil in a wok over medium high heat.
- To make puri, devide the dough into 10-12 small portions, grease your palm with some oil and roll them to make smooth patties. Keep them cover while rolling.
- Grease the rolling pin with a bit of oil, gently roll a patty until slim and round then fry it immediately, repeat the steps until we finish all of them (do not roll all the patties at once and fry them later because they will not puff, do it once at a time).
- When frying the puri, make sure the oil is not too hot. When you put them into the oil, they should sizzle and come up very fast, gently press them with a sieve, they will puff, then turn them around, and fry for a few seconds. Remove from oil and set aside.
- Serve hot with potato curry.

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Vietnamese Thick Crab Noodle Soup (Bánh Canh Ghẹ)

Ingredients

• 500 g crab/snow crab legs
• 500 g crab chunks
• 200 g prawns, deveined
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• A bunch of spring onions and coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 or 2 packages of Vietnamese Tapioca noodles (or Japanese Udon Noodles)
• 2 liters of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of corn starch
• 2 tbsp paprika 
• Fish sauce and sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped spring onion
• Fresh herbs (coriander leaves, Vietnamese mints...)

Method
- Season the crab meat, crab chunks and prawns with salt, pepper, fish sauce. Set aside for 15 minutes
- In a large pot over medium high heat, add some cooking oil and saute the minced garlic until fragrant. Add the marinated crab meat and prawns, stir-fry until cooked. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add some more oil in the same pot and stir-fry the crab chunks until cooked.
- Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season to your taste with seasoning powder, sugar, salt and fish sauce. Dissolve the cornstarch with cold water then add into the broth to thicken it a bit. You can either add the cooked noodle directly into the saucepan or boil and drain it separately.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small pan, add the paprika, keep stirring for about a minute, then quickly pour the mixture into the pot. This step gives the broth a vibrant red color.

- Ladle to a serving bowl. Top up with stir-fried crab meat, prawn. Garnish with some chopped spring onion and Vietnamese mint. Serve hot. 

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Pandan Rice Cake (Bánh Đúc Lá Dứa)

Ingredients

  * For the cake:

• 4-6 pandan leaves, finely chopped (available in Asian grocery store)
• 600ml water
• 4 tbsp rice flour
• 4 tbsp tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp mung bean starch (opt)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• A few drop of pandan extract

  * For the syrup: 

• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tsp tapioca/mung bean starch

  * For the coconut sauce: 

• 250 ml coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
• 2 tsp tapioca/mung bean starch

Method
- Blend the chopped pandan leaves with 620 ml water. Strain to get 600 ml pandan water.
- To make the cake paste: combine the rice flour, tapioca starch and mung bean starch with pandan water. Add sugar and a pinch of salt. Then add a few drops of pandan extract for more vibrant color. Stir well to dissolve. Microwave the mixture for 6 minutes, remember to take out and stir after every 2 minutes. It helps cook the mixture evenly.
- Grease a 20x20 cm mold with some vegetable oil. Fill the mold with the cake mixture, use a spatula to flatten the surface and steam for 20 minutes.
- To make the syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar with 3 tbsp water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, occasionally swirl the saucepan to help sugar dissolve. Mix 1 tsp tapioca/mung bean starch with 3 tbsp water in a separate bowl and add to the syrup. Cook a few more seconds to thicken the syrup.
- To make the coconut sauce: In a saucepan, combine coconut milk with sugar and a pinch of salt. Add pandan leaves and bring to a boil, occasionally swirl the saucepan to help sugar dissolve. Mix 2 tsp tapioca/mung bean starch with 2 tbsp water in a separate bowl and add to the coconut milk. Simmer on low for a minute or until thickened.
- Chill the rice cake until completely set (preferably overnight). Cut into cubes or slices, drizzle the coconut milk and sugar syrup on top. Serve chilled with a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds.

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BBQ Chicken Spare Ribs

Ingredients

• 500g chicken spare ribs
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp rice wine/cooking wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• Salt to taste & ground pepper

Method
- Whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl, then add the spare ribs, and toss until well coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, tossing at regular intervals.
- Heat oil in a griddle pan over medium heat, add the spare ribs and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it's cooked to your liking.
- Serve hot with salad.

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Mutton Karahi

Ingredients

• 850g goat curry cut
• 2 onion, finely sliced
• 3 tomatoes, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder 
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp kasoori methi 
• 1/2 tbsp meat masala (opt)
• 1/2 cup beaten yogurt
• 2 green chilies, sliced
• 1/2 cup cooking oil, salt to taste
• Chopped coriander leaves

Method
- Heat oil in a big wok or pot over medium heat, saute ginger-garlic paste for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of ginger goes off. Then add in the mutton and sear it for a few minutes.
- Add chopped onions and tomatoes into the wok, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, kasoori methi, meat masala and salt to taste, stir well to combine. Let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Beat the yogurt then add it into the wok, stir well. Add a bit of water if you prefer more gravy. Cook it over medium low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add chopped green chilies and coriander leaves. Let it cook for further 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with steamed riced or chapati.

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