Masala jheenga (Goan prawn curry) recipe

We got this recipe from here. It got rave reviews from the non-indians, but I rather liked it too. I think its a keeper! I thought there was too much masala, I think I will make a little less next time. Also, we don't get "Bart's" tamarind here, so I just used the usual thai tamarind paste and I needed a lot more than 1tbsp of that.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 tsp ground paprika
• 3 green chillies, deseeded and cut into strips
• 100ml coconut milk
• 400g large fresh prawns, peeled but with tail shells on and deveined
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (try Bart’s)
• For the curry paste
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 5 whole dried red chillies
• 4 tsp coriander seeds
• 21/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Method

1. Place all the ingredients for the curry paste into a food processor and blend well, adding enough water to make a thick paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat and gently cook the onions until golden. Add the curry paste and paprika and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the green chillies and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add enough water to thin the mixture to a sauce consistency. Add the coconut milk and prawns and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp, then season and cook for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to bowls and serve with steamed basmati rice and pappadums.

Mixed mushroom cream sauce

This was delish with fresh ravioli from Costco. Recipe from here.
Ingredients

• 4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 3 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 2 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 2 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 6 oz cream
• fresh thyme (about 1 Tbsp)
• salt and pepper 

Heat a large sauté pan on medium and add the butter. Let it melt and add the mushrooms. If your pan is not large enough, you may want to do this in two batches so as not to crowd the mushrooms. You want them to cook, not stew and they will let off a lot of water. When the mushrooms are dry and starting to brown, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by one third. Add the thyme and salt and pepper. 

Warm Strawberry Crumb Cake

This we got from the Huffington Post. It's delicioulous.
Ingredients
Strawberry filling

• 3 pound(s) strawberries, hulled and halved 8 cups
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch dissolved in 2 1/2 tablespoons of water
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Crumble

• 1/2 cup(s) lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• pinch(s) of salt
• 4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

Dough

• 2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 stick(s) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup(s) sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup(s) buttermilk

Method

1. Make the Filling: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch slurry and vanilla seeds and let stand until the berries release some of their juices, about 30 minutes. Pour the fruit filling into a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish set on a sturdy baking sheet.
2. Meanwhile, Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients with your fingers until a coarse meal forms; press into small clumps.
3. Make the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
4. Spoon the batter over the fruit filling, spreading it to the edge. Sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling, the crumb topping is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve the crumb cake warm or at room temperature.

Salmon and Eggplant Curry

This Thai curry turned out good – the eggplant tasted amazing!
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Thai yellow curry paste, (see Shopping Tip) or 1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant, (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce, (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 pound skinned salmon fillet, preferably wild Pacific (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add curry paste (or powder) and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add eggplant and cook, stirring, until the eggplant is coated with the curry mixture, about 2 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil; stir in salmon and snow peas. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salmon is cooked through and the peas are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in basil and lime juice.

Wrapped Salmon

This one is from allrecipes.com. It was excellent!
Ingredients

• 4 (6 ounce) fillets salmon, with skin and bones removed
• 8 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Cut the filets into log shaped pieces, about 2 inches wide by 5 inches long, keeping the filet portions separate. Take 2 sheets of phyllo dough, placing one on top of the other, and brush lightly with melted butter, covering the one side completely.
3. Place a portion of salmon (6 ounces), on the edge, nearest you, of the phyllo dough. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Coat the portion of salmon with 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
4. Fold the phyllo dough, nearest you, over the salmon and make one complete wrap. Take the sides of the dough and fold them towards the center, and continue rolling up the dough. Brush all sides with butter, covering completely and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat steps for remaining portions of salmon.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until phyllo dough is golden brown.

D-licious proscuitto wrapped chicken thighs, Garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli

Both recipes are from allrecipes.com.

Chicken with Mushrooms, Prosciutto, and Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 6 chicken thighs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 slices prosciutto (thin sliced)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Drizzle butter into a casserole dish. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon garlic. Wrap chicken thighs in prosciutto, and place in casserole dish. Sprinkle mushrooms and remaining garlic on top of chicken.
3. Bake in a preheated oven until juices run clear, about 1 hour. Remove chicken to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. Pour drippings from casserole into a skillet set over medium-low heat. Whisk in wine and sour cream, and cook until warmed through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour over chicken, and serve.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 medium head garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Drizzle garlic with olive oil, then wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Remove the garlic from the oven, and cut in half. Squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes. Blend potatoes with an electric mixer until desired consistency is achieved.

Semlor

This we got from semlor.nu.
Bullar

• 50 gram jäst (för söta degar)
• 175 gram smör
• 5dl mjölk
• 2 dl socker (160g)
• 2 tsk stött kardemumma
• 1 tsk salt
• ca 1,5 l vetemjöl special (900g)

Fyllning

• 200 gram mandelmassa
• 8-9 dl vispgrädde
• (3 msk socker)

Gör så här:
20 stora semlor

1. Smält smöret i en kastrull och tillsätt mjölken. Värm till 37 grader. Smula i jästen i en degbunke och tillsätt kardemumma. Häll över mjölk- och smörblandningen och rör runt tills jästen löst sig. Tillsätt mjölet under knådning, se upp så du inte får för mycket mjöl, då blir bullarna torra och jäser dåligt! Blanda ner salt och socker och arbeta ihop till en smidig deg. Knåda nu degen i ungefär 15 minuter, helst med matberedare/degblandare. Låt degen jäsa till dubbel storlek i bunken, cirka 30 minuter.
2. Ta upp degen på bakbord och dela i bitar om cirka 80 gram. Rulla till bullar och sätt av på plåt med bakplåtspapper eller smord plåt. Låt nu bullarna jäsa till dubbel storlek, cirka 50-60 minuter. OBS! Det är väldigt svårt att säga precis hur länge bullarna ska jäsa - det beror på en mängd saker. Men många jäser bullarna för kort stund och får då torra och kompakta bullar. Låt storleken på bullarna avgöra - de ska minst ha dubblat sin volym.
3. Grädda bullarna i nedre delen av ugnen på 225 grader i cirka 10 minuter. Låt svalna på galler.
4. När bullarna svalnat helt: Skär av ett lock på varje bulle. Gröp ur bullen något med en gaffel. Ta tillvara inkråmet och blanda det med mandelmassan och några matskedar grädde. Rör eller vispa massan slät. Klicka ut mandelfyllningen i alla bullarna. Vispa grädden, eventuellt tillsammans med sockret. Grädden ska vara så tjock att den går att spritsa men inte så tjock att den börjar gryna sig. Fyll en spritspåse med en stor stjärntyll med grädde och spritsa en krans på varje semla. Lägg på locket och pudra semlan rikligt med florsocker innan servering.

För att lyckas bra med dessa semlor tänk på att: Använd vetemjöl med hög proteinhalt - vetemjöl special. Knåda bullarna länge, och med maskin. Jäs ordentligt - dubbel storlek!

Momofuku Bo Ssam

We got this from the New York Times, here, and from Working Class Foodie on Youtube, here.

Pork Butt

• 1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 7 tablespoons brown sugar

Chili-Garlic Sauce

• 2 jalapeños
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt
• pepper
• dash of soy sauce
• dash of vinegar
• neutral oil

Ginger-Scallion Sauce

• 2½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
• ½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
• 1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Ssam Sauce

• 2 tablespoons fermented bean-and- chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
• 1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• ½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)

Accompaniments

• 2 cups plain white rice, cooked
• 3 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
• 1 dozen or more fresh oysters (optional)
• Kimchi (available in many Asian markets, and online).

Method

1. Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
2. When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 300. Remove pork from refrigerator and discard any juices. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) At this point, you may remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion sauce. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding salt if needed.
4. Make chili-garlic sauce. Chop chilies and garlic, put in blender. Add salt and pepper, and a dash of soy and vinegar. Blend. Drizzle in neutral oil until it looks pretty. Try making multiple sauces using different chili mixes - they come out very different depending on which chilies you use.
5. Make the ssam sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well.
6. Prepare rice, wash lettuce and, if using, shuck the oysters. Put kimchi and sauces into serving bowls.
7. When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork. Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.

Serves 6 to 10. Adapted from “Momofuku,” by David Chang and Peter Meehan.