Thai Stuffed Crab-shells (Poo Cha)

Thai Stuffed Crab-shells (Poo Cha)

(Deep-fried crab shells stuffed with crab meat & a host of other minced meat that has been pre-cooked in Thai-spices.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30 Min 6pcs 15-20 Min

Ingredients:

Fish sauce to taste
3tbsp Lime juice
1tbsp minced garlic
1tbsp sugar
1tbsp chili-paste
6 Crabs, small OR 1/2 lb Crab-meat
1/2 lb Ground pork (optional) or beef/chicken
1/2 lb finely chopped shrimps/ prawns
1/4 cup finely chopped green-onion
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp corn-starch
1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili paste
1 egg
peanut oil for deep frying


Cooking Instructions:

Combine fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar & chili paste & stir till sugar is dissolved. Take the fresh crabs, steam for 30 mins or until cooked. Remove crab meat from the cavity/shell being careful not to crack or break the shells. Mix this crab meat, ground pork/beef/chicken, chopped prawns/shrimps, green onions, coriander leaves, garlic, fish sauce, corn starch, soya sauce, black pepper, chili paste , salt & egg. Stuff shells with thie mixture & deepfry until golden brown. Drain excess oil out on paper towels & serve with thai chili sauce, soya-chili or garlic-chili paste.

Tip: If the shells break, then just form cakes of the cooked meat mixture & fry; Serve as above.

Seafood Coconut soup

Seafood coconut soup

(Soft fishy-bites, aromatic herbs and light veggies in a yummy coconut based soup)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 4 10-15 Min

Ingredients:

250g boneless white-fish fillets, cubed
3 cups water
400ml thick coconut milk
1 chopped white onion
1tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp any herb like fresh lemongrass or parsley
1 small red/green chili - chopped
1tbso fish sauce or oyster sauce
salt to taste
2 tbsp lime juice
100g finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander leaves


Cooking Instructions:

Smear salt on fish & set aside for a few mins. Combine all the ingredients except the fish& coriander in a saucepan & bring to a boil. Wash the fish & add. Simmer covered for 2 mins & then add coriander. Simmer uncovered until fish is cooked (abt 10 mins). Serve hot with garlic bread.

Veg. Stuffed Bell-peppers

Veg. Stuffed Bell-peppers

(Bell-peppers stuffed with a flavorful mix of paneer/cottage cheese & vegetables like carrots, peas & potatoes.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 20Min

Ingredients :

4 medium bell peppers of any color
200g paneer cubes (small)
100g grean peas
1 medium finely chopped onion
1 medium size potato - cut in small cubes
1 carrot - cut as the potatoes
2 green chilies - chopped
1/2 bunch coriander leaves
1/4 tsp red-chili pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
salt to taste
cooking oil
2 tbsp butter
some thick thread


Cooking Instructions :

Soak paneer in turmeric-water. Heat some cooking oil & fry the onions till pink. Then add the chillies & powder spices and fry well. Add the potatoes & carrots with a lil' water and cook for 5 whole minutes, tossing a few times in between. Drain the paneer & add along with some salt. Cook till its done, toss in the chopped leaves & then simmer open to dry out excess water. Cut a 'lid' off the top of each capsicum, empty the cavity & apply the butter to its inner & outer surfaces. Fill them equally with the veggies & cover with their lids tying with some thread to secure the lid in place. Grease a pan & shallow fry the stuffed bell-peppers, sprinkling some salt on them. Cover & cook till they are soft; don't overcook till they are soggy. Cut off the threads & serve hot as an appetizer or side to a rice dish.

Alternative: Grate some cheese onto the stuffed bellpeppers before tying & frying them. Stuffed & tied bell-peppers can be baked instead of shallow-fried.

Chicken Croquettes

Chicken Croquettes

(Super-yummy deep-fried cigar-shaped chicken starters for any occasion)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10Min 4-6 10Min

Ingredients :

1.5 cups minced chicken
2 tbsp minced onion
1 cup chicken stock or 1/2 cube chicken stock dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1.5 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp chili pwd
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tbsp fresh thick cream
1 beaten egg
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tbsp butter
2 cups ghee
salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions :

Melt the butter & stir in the flour. Gradually add stock & bring to a boil. Add lemon juice, salt & pepper. Then stir in the mince, onion & cream. Cool it & roll into cigar-shaped croquettes - coat them with egg & roll into bread crumbs. Deep fry in heated ghee till golden brown & drain on a paper towel. Serve hot with a tomato-chili sauce or as they do in Goa, as a spicy snack to go with your pre-dinner alcohol!

Fish Cutlets

Fish cutlets

(Shallow-fried tuna cutlets make a perfect snack, appetizer or even a side-dish with your entree)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10Min 4 15Min

Ingredients :
1 tin white/light meat tuna flakes/chunk
4 bread slices
1 beaten egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped coriander
salt to taste
1/4 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
1 finely chopped small onion
1 tbsp vinegar
1-2 chopped green chili
oil to shallow fry

Cooking Instructions:

Dry roast onions till transparent & then add garlic-ginger paste and chilies & fry for a minute. Separate brine from fish and add the spice powders, vinegar, salt, chopped coriander & the fried onion-garlic-ginger mix. Immerse a bread slice in a bowl of water & squeeze it between your palms. Add this to the fish mix & repeat with the other slices. Mash the mix together firmly with your hand (taking palm-fulls and squeezing out through the fingers of your clenched fist each time). If its too dry, add some brine. Make golf-ball size balls & press gently in your palm, roll out along the edge to make a flat round cutlet. Repeat with remaining mixture & then roll each cutlet in the beaten egg followed by bread crumbs, dusting off any excess crumbs. Shallow-fry till golden brown on each side. Serve with any sauce of your choice.

Shahi-Paneer Bread Pakora

Shahi Paneer Bread Pakora

(A hot tea-time or rainy-day snack made by deep-frying mini paneer/cottage-cheese sandwiches soaked in a spicy gram-flour batter)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
2Min 3 15Min

Ingredients :
6 bread slices
3 tbsp spicy mint chutney/sauce
3 tbsp sweet tamarind chutney/sauce
4-6 5mm thick paneer slices
2tbsp butter
1 cup gram-flour
1/2 cup beaten curd/yoghurt
1.5 tbsp chaat masala
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/ tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp sugar
water to make the batter
salt to taste
oil to deep fry

Cooking Instructions:

Marinade paneer slices in butter & chaat masala - set aside for 10-15 mins. Make a smooth batter (ribbon - consistency) of the flour, sugar, salt, yoghurt, turmeric, red chili pwd, cumin pwd, ajwain with some water. Trim the edges off the bread slices & apply tamrind sauce to 3 slices & mint sauce to the other 3. Place paneer slices between a slice of tamrind sauce & 1 with mint sauce. Repeat with the remaining bread & paneer. Cut into half or diagonally to triangles. Wet your hands & press each sandwich between moist palms to ensure slices stick together & don't slip apart. Heat oil in a deep-frying vessel (kadai). Insert triangles delicately into the batter, coat evenly & safely immerse into the hot oil. Turn over when its golden-brown beneath & fry to get an even color all-round. Leave to drain on paper towel & serve with chutneys, ketchup of any sauce of your choice.

Paneer Kathi rolls

Paneer Kathi Rolls

(Paneer/ cottage cheese stir-fry rolled in a roti/ burrito bread & served with sauces/ chutneys of ur choice. )




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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 3 10 min


Ingredients :

6 rotis/ burrito breads
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese
1-2 green & red bell peppers - finely sliced
1 medium onion - finely chopped
1 green chili
salt & pepper to taste
finely chopped 1/2 " ginger
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin pwd
sauces/ chutney of your choice (mint/ tomato-chili, etc.)
1/4 cup lime juice
butter
cooking oil

Cooking Instructions :

Heat cooking oil & fry onions, then add green chili, ginger & bell peppers. Add the powder spices, salt & pepper. Then add the paneer with 2-3 tbsp water, cover & cook till soft. Roughly mash paneer & vegs and then add 3-4 tbsp lime juice & the sauces as per your taste. Cover & toss. Simmer for 2 mins & set aside to cool.

On a pan/tava, brush on some butter. Place 1-2 tbsp of the mix on each roti, fold in 3 corners & fold the roti over, forming a roll. Place it on the heated pan with the lose end touching the pan. Keep Repeat for other 5 rotis. Keep turning the rolls so they are uniformly brown on each side. Serve with sauces/ chutneys of your choice.