Appetizer on Dan Tasse dot com

Blackened sweet corn chaat

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:46:00 +0000

4 ears corn or 24 oz sweet corn cans/frozen
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
handful of sev (chickpea noodles)
1 lemon, quartered

Boil corn for 8 minutes and slice off kernels, if not already cooked. Heat cumin, add butter, then when it starts to smoke, add corn. Cook 6-8 minutes, letting it blacken and caramelize. Add black pepper, red pepper, salt, and lemon juice, cook until it sizzles off. Sprinkle with red onion, sev, and lemon; serve with lemon wedge.

Source: Fresh India by Meera Sodha

Hong You Qie Zi

Sat, 26 Dec 2015 22:18:00 +0000

Steamed Eggplant with Chile Sauce

2 large eggplants or 6-8 slender Asian eggplants
salt
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp Chinkiang or black Chinese vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp chili oil with chile flakes
1 tsp sesame oil

If using large eggplants, trim them, cut in half, and sprinkle with salt, leave for 1/2 hour to draw out bitter juices.
Steam eggplants over high flame for 5-10 minutes until tender. Peel if desired. Cool, cut into chunks or cut lengthwise.
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add oils.
Serve eggplants with sauce as a dip.

Source: Land of Plenty by Fuschia Dunlop

Lu Hua Sheng

Sat, 26 Dec 2015 22:15:00 +0000

Boiled aromatic peanuts

1 pint water
8oz raw peanuts in husks or just pink skins
2 tsp salt
1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1-2 slices dried ginger
1 cao guo (optional) (aka tsao guo, cardamom-like)

Boil water. Add peanuts, salt, and all spices. Simmer 40 minutes, drain, discard spices, leave to dry.

Source: Land of Plenty by Fuschia Dunlop

Samosas

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:24:00 +0000

For dough:
250g white flour
1/2 tsp thyme seeds
2 serving spoons vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water (approx)
- mix into a hard dough, cover and rest 1 hour.

For stuffing:
2 serving spoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chat masala (used for snacks)
2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
4 medium boiled potatoes, cubed
100g peas, boiled

1. heat oil, add cumin, remove from heat and add all spices except chat masala and cilantro.
2. put back on heat, add potatoes and peas, mix, cook 2 minutes.
3. remove from heat, add chat masala and coriander, mix.
4. roll out a ball of dough like a chapati, dust with whole wheat flour, roll flat.
5. cut dough in half. put water on edges, roll up like ice cream cone.
6. put stuffing in cone, close up top. Deep fry on medium. Serve with spicy mint chutney.

Source: Nisha at Taste of India cooking class, McLeod Ganj, India

Cottage cheese rolls

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:45:00 +0000

200 grams (about 1/2 lb) paneer
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
2 green chilies, chopped
3 tsp coriander
1/2 c. grated mild, soft cheese like cheddar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c. bread crumbs
oil for deep-frying
1 tsp corn flour
1 egg

Mash paneer in a bowl with all other ingredients except oil, egg, and crumbs. Roll it into an oval, shape it like a cutlet, dip it in egg and bread crumbs, and fry it.

Source: cooking class in Delhi

Shrimp cakes

Thu, 22 May 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Shrimp Cakes Recipe

Fridays are fish days in our house, especially during Lent. And during Lent the dish I look forward to the most is my dad’s shrimp cakes. He uses sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and spices them up with jalapeños and cilantro.

Ingredients:

1 lb tan-skinned sweet potatoes
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 Tbsp (or more) vegetable oil
8 oz peeled, cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2/3 cup finely ground breadcrumbs (Japanese panko)
2 Tbsp finely chopped preserved jalapeño chili
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons Latin Spice Mix (recipe included here)

Latin Spice Mix Recipe

1/4 cup cumin seeds
3 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Combine cumin, peppercorns, and coriander in a heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly. Finely grind toasted spices in blender. Transfer to a small bowl. Mix in sugar and salt. Makes 1/2 cup.

Method:

1 Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Bake in microwave for about 15 minutes until done. Rub a Tbsp of oil over unpeeled garlic. Cook in microwave a few minutes, until soft. Cool garlic and potatoes slightly. Remove peel from garlic. Remove skins from potatoes. Combine potatoes and garlic in a bowl. Mash until smooth.

2 Add shrimp, cilantro, bread crumbs, chili, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Latin Spice Mix. Stir to blend well. Season with salt. Form mixture into six 3-inch-diameter patties.

3 Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat cakes in flour. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cakes in batches until brown, adding more oil if necessary, about 2 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Tastes great served with lemon, tartar sauce, and coleslaw.

Makes six large cakes.

Dan’s note: these are very good!

Eggplant Stewed in Honey and Spices

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Eggplant Stewed in Honey and Spices

http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2007/5/2/a-happy-medium-with-eggplant.html

I love eggplant in all its forms, but this is one of the best ways I’ve ever eaten it - meltingly soft, sweet, sour and spicy-hot. You can easily make this dish with baby eggplant, widely available in Asian or Middle Eastern shops, and if you like you can leave the stems attached - handy if you want to serve them as finger food. Also, if you have a grill you can easily cook them that way instead of in skillet - I imagine a smoky-charred flavor would add to the mix nicely.

Source: adapted from Modern Moroccan by Ghillie Basan
Yield: serves 4 normal people as part of an appetizer spread, or two eggplant lovers

2 large globe eggplants/aubergines, stemmed and thickly sliced, or 1 1/2 lbs (750g) baby eggplants, halved
salt
1/3 cup (80ml) (approx) olive oil
5 tablespoons (75ml) clear honey
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon harissa or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
handful chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, for garnish

Lay the slices of eggplant out on a towel or cloth and sprinkle all the cut surfaces generously with salt. Let the eggplant disgorge for about 15-20 minutes, then wipe the pieces dry with paper towels.

Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of each eggplant slice with olive oil and cook in the skillet, not overlapping the slices, until well browned on both sides. You’ll no doubt have to do this in batches. Remove the slices to a plate and set aside.

In a bowl combine the honey and lemon juice with about 2/3 cup (160ml) hot water, stirring to dissolve. Heat your skillet again, adding a little more oil if there is none left. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring for about thirty seconds, then add the cumin and harissa, stirring for about another thirty seconds. Stir in the honey-lemon water and bring everything to a boil.

Lay the eggplant pieces into the pan, overlapping if needed, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning the pieces as necessary to ensure all are coated with the sauce, until it has been reduced to a thick glaze and the eggplant pieces are completely soft (add a bit more water if the sauce reduces before the eggplant is ready). Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.

Let cool, sprinkle with a handful of chopped cilantro/coriander, and serve at room temperature with chunks of fresh bread, preferably as part of a meze or appetizer spread.

Dan’s note: about 1/4 inch thick would be perfect, I think. The glaze is nice- sweet with a hot aftertaste.