Colorful Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk (Chè Củ Năng 3 Màu)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water chestnuts, diced
• 1 cup tapioca/corn flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Some fresh pandan leaves
• Food coloring (green, red)

Method
- Mix a few drops of food coloring with water in separate bowls. Then add diced chestnuts and soak them for 10-15 minutes. Drain well and mix them with tapioca flour and sift the flour in a sieve.
- Boil water and put truffle to boil. Once cooked, they will come up to the surface. Then transfer them immediately into cold water.
- Heat coconut milk in a pot with pandan leaves, sugar and a pinch of salt over medium heat. Remember not to let it boil or else the oil will separate from the milk.
- Serve hot or cold with coconut milk.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Ingredients

* For the tandoori chicken:

• 450 g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp thick yogurt
• 2 tsp chickpea flour/gram flour
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1'' piece ginger, peeled
• 1 green chili 
• 1 tsp mild paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Pinch of cinnamon powder
• Pinch of saffron crushed (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Butter for basting
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salad and chutney to serve 

* For the butter gravy: 

•  1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup cooking cream
• 1 tsp Kasoori methi powder 
• Salt to taste
• Chopped coriander for garnish

Method

* To make the tandoori  chicken:
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chili in a wet grinder, blend all too a smooth paste.
- Mix the yogurt with the gram flour in a bowl to get rid of any lumps to form a thick paste. Add the ginger, garlic and chili paste, paprika, chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, the ground cinnamon, saffron and salt, stir well and tip in the chicken pieces, mix well. Make sure to coat them well in the thick marinade. Leave to marinate for a few hours or even overnight.
- Soak wooden skewers in water. Preheat the grill on medium. Shake off the excess marinade and thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers and place them on a wire rack.
- Cook them under the grill for 15-20 minutes on the top rack. Turn the skewers every 5 minutes and baste with melted butter until the juices run clear. They should be cooked through and slightly charred around the edges.

* To make the butter gravy:
- Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan and add some butter. Add green cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves, fry them for about 20 seconds then add onion and saute for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until light brown.
- Add the grated ginger and slit green chilies. Fry for a further minutes and add the chili powder, garam masala along with tomato puree. Stir well and cook for a couple minutes.
- Gradually add the cream stirring continuously to mix all the spices with the cream. Simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. At this stage, add a splash of water if the curry is too thick.
- Stir in the honey and the fenugreek powder. Season to taste.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces and simmer the curry on a low heat for 8-10 minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or roti.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup (Bún Riêu Cua)

Ingredients

* For broth

• 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 spring onions, sliced lengthwise ( the white part only)
• 6 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 liter of chicken stock
• 1 liter of water 
• 1 condensed soup seasoning for bún riêu (optional)
• 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
• 1.5 tsp fine shrimp paste (mắm tôm)

* For crab mixture

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 small can (150g) of minced crab in spices (Gia vị nấu bún riêu)
• 1 small can (150g) of minced crab meat
• 100g  dried shrimp
• 1/2 tsp fine shrimp paste
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten

* To serve

• Packed or fresh vermicelli rice noodles (bún tươi)
• Fried shallots 
• Vegetables mix, shredded 
• Fine shrimp paste (optional)
• Fine chopped fresh chilli
• Handful of roughly chopped spring onions and coriander leaves
• Lime wedges 

Method
- Soak dried shrimp in cold water for 1 hour or until soft, then drain and finely mince it.
- Heat water in a pot to a boil, add vermicelli rice noodles and let it cook for 5 minutes without cover, then turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid and let the noodles cook for further 3 minutes. Drain under cold water and set aside.
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the oil along with the white parts of spring onions. Saute for 30 seconds then add the tomatoes and saute for further 2 minutes (do not over cook the tomatoes).
- Add the stock and water into the pot, turn to medium high heat. Season the broth with fish sauce, shrimp paste and condensed soup seasoning. When it comes to a boil, let it simmer on medium low heat while preparing the crab mixture.
- In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, add the oil along with the minced garlic. Saute the garlic until lightly golden and fragrant for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer into a small bowl. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced crab in spices, minced crab meat, minced dried shrimp, sauteed garlic, fine shrimp paste, sugar and ground pepper. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
- Turn the broth's heat to high. When the broth is boiling, pour the crab mixture into it. When cooked, the crab mixture will come up to the surface of the broth.
- Finally, adjust the seasoning of the broth with additional fish sauce.
- Serve hot over rice noodle and other ingredients mentioned above. Make 8-10 servings.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

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.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

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.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

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.

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.

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. 

Follow Easy Cooking on facebook for more updates.