Tamago Omelette

D thinks it is not easy to give me presents for anniversaries and birthdays. There might be some truth to it. Not because I am difficult to please, just that I never feel I deserve anything special, so, it overwhelms me when I get something I didn't really need, and it shows...

But, to get around this, we had established a wish-list system at home when we got married, where we could list things that would be nice to have, but, life can go on fine without it... practical things, usually, but, sometimes some intangible stuff as well...

Anyway, for Christmas 2007, D gave me a rectangular Tamago Pan since I had written some kitchen things on my wish-list. I do like getting kitchen items or any household items as presents as they are practical and usable.

It came with instructions for making Tamagoyaki, Japanese rolled omelette. It seemed a bit intricate and would need some practice to get it right. I decided to try a simple version anyway a few weeks ago...

Basically, it involves making thin layers of omelette and rolling them back, and making more layers and rolling them back and so on, and then assembling them all together, cut into thick slices/slabs, and served with Donburi, or with some sushi rolls, or just enjoyed it as-is for breakfast.

Ingredients
4-6 eggs
1 Tbsp mirin OR 1 tsp castor sugar, or powdered sugar
2 Tbsp shoyu or soy sauce
1 Tbsp dashi stock, or a pinch of dashi-no-moto (optional)
vegetable oil for frying

optional: spring onions, bell peppers

Preparation

1. Beat the eggs, and combine the rest of the ingredients, mix well
2. Pour a quarter of the mixture on the tamago pan, or any regular pan, allow it to set but not cook through
3. Then roll or fold (I couldn't roll neatly using chopsticks as suggested, so, I used a spatula and sort of roughly folded it back) the partially set omelette farther away from you, and add another quarter of the mixture and repeat till all the egg mixture is used up and a big roll/slab is formed, and is cooked through
4. Cut into blocks as desired and serve with Donburi, or with some sushi rolls, or just enjoy it as-is for breakfast

Eggplant Tofu Curry with Brown Rice

It is no secret that eggplant is one of my favorites...

This meal here is nothing earth-shattering, but, is simple, wholesome and satisfying. Eggplant and tofu is cooked together with some onions, celery, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt and a touch of sambal oelek for the spiciness. Brown rice is cooked with some vegetable (or chicken) stock and water.

Blend some of the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, celery to a fine paste to make a thicker gravy-like consistency for the curry base. Use the rest of them chopped in the curry. Simmer together with favorite seasoning. Serve warm with brown rice or wild rice.

Nutty Vegetable Korma

Since D's birthday was kind of a wash-out as we were all sick with some viral thing, I decided to make him a special meal the following weekend when we all felt a little better.

This is a rich gravy, so, I don't make it often. We usually have a jar of mixed nuts at home as snack for Ana (and for us adults, of course). Rather than just rich almond or cashew curries, I decided to throw in a batch of the mixed nuts we have - hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, plus of course almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts - and it turned out quite yummy that I decided to post it here :)

Ingredients
for the gravy:
1½ cups mixed nuts:hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3-4 serrano chilies
3 Tbsp grated ginger
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
spices:
1 star anise,
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi jeera)
a 2" piece Indian cinnamon bark (dalchini)
1 Tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
1 small clove

1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream or half-and-half(optional)
Vegetables: red/green bell peppers, carrots, green beans, broccoli, potatoes, peas
(or chicken pieces, if preferred)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp ghee or oil

Preparation

1. dry toast the spices and allow to cool a bit; then, combine the gravy ingredients with the toasted spices and grind to a fine paste
2. heat ghee in a pan, add the ground paste and sauté till rawness of onions and garlic mellows out, add the veggies, some salt, cover and simmer till veggies are cooked through but not mushy
3. stir in the whipping cream or heavy cream if using; adjust salt to taste
4. serve warm with basmati rice or roti or naan

Spinach Mor-kozhambu

Mor-kozhambu is one of my favorite simple foods. I love to have it with rice and paruppusili. And, among the mor-kozhambus, my favorite is, of course mambazha mor-kozhambu :)

Since D, Ana and I are recovering from some viral thing that gave us high (102-103°F) fever and severe cough, I was craving for some comfort food. Rasam is my first choice, of course, when I am sick or recovering, but, this time, in addition to rasam, I was craving for this spinach mor-kozhambu. I was too pooped to make any paruppusili, so, I just had to settle for plain old green jackfruit poduthuval.

Now, the recipe is the same as the opo squash mor-kozhambu, except I cut down on the chilies, and used some left over low fat sour cream that needed to be used up. The result was creamy and yummy.

Grilled Chicken Stir Fry

D had grilled some marinated chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) a while back. There was enough leftover from that simple Chicken Breast Sandwich meal. And since D was in the mood for something Chinese, this dish sort of came about one evening.

The stir fry with the sauce is nothing extraordinary, but, the grilled chicken gave it an extra layer of flavor that made this worth remembering :)

The marinade was just some soy sauce, cider vinegar, some handy dry herbs. But, any other favorite home-made or store-bought marinade can be used.

Ingredients
2 marinated and grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
stir fry veggies - cabbage, onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, green beans, broccoli
green or red chillies, sliced
chives or spring onions for garnish
canola oil
for the sauce:
¼ cup dijon mustard (or just yellow mustard, whichever is handy)
1 medium orange, juiced fully, (save some orange zest for garnish)
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
2-4 Tbsp sambal oelek (or cayenne pepper powder)
¼ cup tomato sauce (adjust to taste)

Preparation

1. heat the oil in a pan, add the veggies and stir fry till crisp-tender; then add the chicken pieces and stir fry some more
2. combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and drizzle it over the stir fry till desired sogginess
3. garnish as desired and serve warm with rice or noodles

Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

Lasagnas are one of the easiest make-ahead dish - can be prepped and frozen till ready to be baked, or can be cooked/baked fully and stored for a day or two in the fridge. In fact, I prefer lasagna that has been aging for a day at least in the fridge.

I don't like it soggy, so, usually make the sauce fairly thick, and serve some extra sauce on the side.

Basic procedure for typical lasagna is simple: cook the strips of the pasta per package directions, drain and pat dry; prepare the stuffing mix: spinach, cheese, herbs, flavorings, and any other veggies; have some pasta sauce ready; layer a casserole dish with sauce, pasta, stuffing mix, in as many layers as preferred; perhaps even throw in some shredded mozzarella; top with some cheese and bake in a 350°F oven for about 30-45 minutes till done.

And to do the Lasagna Roll-ups, rather than layer the pasta and stuffing in the baking dish, simply spread some stuffing on each strip of pasta and roll it up, one at a time. Then, arrange the rolled up bundles in the baking dish, with extra cheese and sauce thrown in if preferred, and bake as usual.

As to the filling, anything goes, really. One of my favorite combination is: fresh spinach leaves from the home-garden when in season and some chopped broccoli florets sautéed together with some onions and garlic; chopped olives, sundried tomatoes, and some mozzarella + Feta + Colby Jack cheese.

Ingredients
1 package dry lasagna (or fresh lasagna)
1 jar (about 32 oz, or more) of favorite pasta sauce (I used home-made)
dry herbs: parsley, oregano, marjoram, crushed red pepper, rosemary
4-6 cloves of crushed garlic
optional: chopped olives, chopped onions, chopped broccoli florets
1 small tub low fat ricotta cheese (or as much as you prefer)
1-2 cups fresh grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated colby jack cheese
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, or fresh spinach leaves
salt to taste
olive oil

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta per package directions; drain, pat dry and lay out the strips on a towel while getting the stuffing ready
2. Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze dry with paper towel; sauté the spinach with broccoli and onions; off heat mix the herbs, spinach, cheeses together
3. Spoon the spinach + cheese stuffing onto each strip of pasta and roll them up
4. Cut each rolled up stuffed lasagna strips in half for a pretty presentation, if preferred
5. Pour some pasta sauce into the baking dish, some crushed garlic, arrange the rolled-up lasagna, cover with foil; poke some holes in the foil with a fork to let steam escape
6. Bake in a 375°F oven for 30-45 minutes or until done
7. Warm up some pasta sauce on the stove and serve on the side, if preferred

I like to let it cool, cover it, and leave it out overnight, or refrigerate it, and serve it for dinner the following night.