Shrimp Balchao

My brother made this really, as in REALLY, spicy HOT shrimp dish, called Shrimp Balchao, and believe you me, my tongue was on fire! And yet, since I am this crazy hot & spicy fanatic, I thoroughly thoroughly (yes, I had to say that twice) enjoyed it.

Traditionally, Balchao (pronounced Baal-Chow) is a form of cooking meat, usually pork, or sea food in a hot-sour-sweet sauce, that incorporates vinegar, red chilies, sugar, and tomato paste. It is almost like pickling, and the dish, or the pickle, really, can be easily stored for a few days. 

Here's my take on Shrimp Balchao, taking inspiration from my brother: 

The Balchao part: 

Ingredients: 

1 Onion

10 cloves of garlic (oh yeah!) 

1 inch (or more) ginger

I use 4-5 habanero chilies (My brother used 12-15 thai chilies!) 

Note on habanero: 

Like any other hot chili, don't touch your face after you have handled the habanero! I can assure you that you will be in trouble!! 

Habanero

1 tablespoon vinegar (rice vinegar) for the tang

1 tomato 

A couple teaspoons of sugar

Method: 

I take all the above ingredients, and blend them all together in my food processor. Easy! Don't be tricked by the color- that paste is fiery! 

Balchao Masala

The Shrimp:

I marinate the shrimp with salt, garlic powder, and pepper for 30 minutes or so (or overnight, if it needs to be thawed in the fridge). 

Shrimp marinating

When it is time to cook, I sauté the shrimp in a little bit of oil. You know that the shrimp is done when it turns pink, and curls up. Takes max 2-3 minutes! 

Cooked Shrimp 

Final Steps (I have underlined the extra ingredients you need):

1. I take a pot/pan/kadhai and pour in a few teaspoons of oil, and get the heat going. 

2. Splutter a teaspoon of mustard seeds, followed by some curry leaves (optional), a pinch of turmeric powder, and then throw in the Balchao paste. And start frying it all. 

Frying the Balchao paste

3. Fry it until the paste has gotten rid of the water, and oil has separated from the rest of the paste. At this point, I add salt to taste, as well as a teaspoon of garam masala. Fry it again for a couple minutes. 

4. I add about a cup to a cup and a half of water- based on how much shrimp I'm using (it is all about estimating!). And then, just for more color, I mix in a couple teaspoons of concentrated tomato paste. I give this a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. 

5. In the end, I fold in the cooked shrimp, and simmer for another 5 minutes. I don't like to simmer too long, else the shrimp gets overdone. 

Folding in the shrimp 

*My daughter doesn't like shrimp, and so for her, I add a couple potatoes. I first cook the potatoes in the balchao gravy, and then in the end, throw the shrimp in. 

Shrimp Balchao

Eat it with steaming hot, plain rice, and get ready to set your tongue on fire!! Don't forget to cool off with a nice, cold cup of buttermilk! 

Set your tongue on FIRE!! 

Cracked Wheat Pilaf/Dalia Upma

Cracked wheat is basically whole raw wheat kernels that have been crushed into smaller pieces. Cracked wheat and bulgur look very similar, however, they are different, in that the latter cooks much faster, because it is already pre-cooked. We call cracked wheat dalia or broken wheat back in India. The popular dishes they make are dalia khichdi, dalia upma, and also dalia kheer (sweet version- which is yum!). And of course, since this is whole grain we are talking about, this stuff is loaded with nutrients, is diabetic-friendly, good for the heart, etc.

Cracked Wheat/Broken Wheat/Dalia

Here's how I make cracked wheat pilaf, or dalia upma:

Ingredients: 

1. 2 cups of cracked wheat

2. Veggies- I like to use finely chopped onion, some green chilies, maybe a potato, carrots, bell pepper, and peas. Since I like tomatoes, I add a tomato as well

3. Peanuts- about a handful- I just like the crunch factor

4. A few teaspoons of oil

5. Mustard seeds, salt, chili powder (optional), a pinch of turmeric powder

6. Water (lots of it, to cook the cracked wheat)

7. Curry leaves- if I want a South Indian twist to the dish, just for the fragrance (available at the Indian Store)

Curry Leaves

Method: 

1. I first toast/dry roast the cracked wheat. Just to get the nutty flavor going. And then set it aside.

2. Meanwhile I get the pan/pot going, add a few teaspoons of oil, heat, fry the peanuts, temper some mustard seeds, followed by a pinch of turmeric powder, and then I throw in the chopped onion+green chilies+curry leaves, and fry for about 5-7 minutes. I then add the other veggies. At this point, I salt it, and add some red chili powder.

Note: I sometimes add "vaangi bhath" powder, for extra flair. For those of you who may not be familiar with this, "vaangi bhath" powder is a special spice blend, that is used in South Indian cooking.

Colorful!

3. I then add the toasted cracked wheat into this, and mix it all. Meanwhile, on the other burner, I have a pot of water boiling. This water will be used to cook the whole pilaf/upma.

Cracked wheat+veggies

4. After about 5-7 minutes of frying everything together, I add the hot boiling water into the mixture of cracked wheat and veggies. (Be careful here, the contents of the pan/pot tend to splatter a little bit-- so watch out!) I add water so as to cover the entire mixture- so say, about an inch higher than the mixture.

Ready to cook....

 5. I bring this to a boil, and then cover it with a lid, and simmer it. It takes a good 30 minutes for the cracked wheat to really cook. After about 20 minutes, I add peas, and then let it all simmer again. Another 10 minutes, and I remove the lid, and this is usually what I see:

Done!! 

Note: I taste it (of course!), and if I think that the grain needs to be more tender, I just add some more of that hot water, give it a quick mix, cover, and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Cracked wheat pilaf or Dalia Upma is ready to be enjoyed! Super delicious, and super healthy! I like to spoon in a little bit of ghee or clarified butter on top--- mm mmm! ;)

Dalia Upma/Cracked Wheat pilaf

Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi

Gatte Ki Sabzi is a Rajasthani delicacy that my brother, and I were introduced to by our next door neighbor "Aunty," back in school days. Whenever she would make it, which seemed like pretty much every day, she would give us some, and it was so delicious, that we would literally gobble it all up within minutes! And then of course, our mom learned the recipe, and she would make it for us. And now I know how to make it too. Sadly, neither my kids, nor my husband really care for it, therefore I don't cook it very often. The only time I get to make it is if my brother happens to visit, which he did, a couple days ago.

Before I start off with the recipe, to those of you who may be unfamiliar with this dish, Gatte ki Sabzi is basically chickpea dumplings in a mildly spicy, tangy, yogurt based sauce. Can be eaten with Indian bread, or plain simple rice. This is not one of those quick recipes, so gotta give yourself at least an hour. Also, be warned that the gatta/chickpea dumpling making can get a bit messy. Typically the gattas, or the dumplings are shaped like sausages, but I like to shape them into discs. More about the shape towards the end.

The Gattas/Chickpea dumplings: 

You need: 

Besan (chickpea flour): If this is your first time, I'd start off with a cup and a half besan. Once you have figured out how to deal with this, you can increase the quantity.

Salt per taste

Red Chili powder- per your heat level

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Garam Masala powder (or coriander powder+cumin powder)- 1/2-1 tsp

1 teaspoon ghee/Clarified butter or a couple teaspoons of oil

Water to mix- you will need maybe 1/4 cup, or even lesser.

Gatta making: 

1. Mix up all the dry ingredients, followed by ghee, and then start adding water, in small quantities. As you add the water, start mixing the dough with your fingers (like you would knead dough for rotis/chapatis or pizza). Yes, it'll start sticking to your fingers, but be patient- use a butter knife to sort of scrape off the gooey dough off your fingers. This is how it'll look once everything is mixed:

Sticky mess! Not to worry! 

2. Then spoon in some oil on your other (clean) palm, and start making balls with the dough.

Ghatta on its way!

3. I would stop here, but if you prefer the sausage shape, you can go right ahead, and keep rolling until you get your desired shape.

Gatta 

4. Finish making all the gattas, like so:

Gattas ready to be cooked

Cooking the Gattas:

Now that the gattas are ready, they need to be cooked.

1. Pour some water (enough to hold all the gattas) into a pot/pan, and bring the water to a boil.

2. As the water starts boiling, start adding the gattas very gently, one by one into the boiling water. And reduce the heat a tad bit, and let them all cook for about 7-10 minutes.

Gattas cooking 

3. After they have cooked (you can check by cutting up a gatta- if it is hard, you know it is done), remove them from the water, and set them aside to cool. Don't be put off by the color- it'll come back! And do not discard that water- you will get to use it in the sauce. It has all the flavor!

Cooked gattas

4. After they have cooled off a bit, you can either leave them the way they are, or, if you prefer smaller pieces, like I do, just cut them up into whatever size you like. And see, the color comes back!

Gattas cut up into smaller pieces 

Phew! The major part of the cooking is done! The next part will take only about 15-20 minutes.

The Sauce:

1. Take about 1/2 a cup of yogurt, and whip it so it is nice and smooth.

Yogurt

2. Chop some onion, green chilies, garlic, grate some ginger. In a frying pan/pot/kadhai (wok), pour in a few teaspoons of oil. Get the heat going.

3. Temper some cumin seeds, and then throw in the chopped aromatics, fry until it is done.

4. Then add the cooked gattas into this, and stir fry it all. Add salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric powder, some red chili powder, if you so desire, followed by that water that you saved after cooking the gattas. Don't add all the water- just enough to cover everything. I like to add a chopped tomato, though the traditional recipe doesn't really call for it.

5. Finally fold in the yogurt. And stir everything.

Looks yum already! 

6. And now just simmer it, until ready to be served! Well, don't simmer it too long, though- because the more you heat it, the thicker the sauce becomes, because of the chickpea flour in the gattas. Make sense? So once you have achieved the desired consistency, you can switch off the stove.

Serve over a bed of jeera (cumin) rice, or alongside some rotis/parathas (Indian bread). Mmm mmm!

Gatte ki Sabzi

The Bizarre aspect: 

To a first-timer, gatte ki sabzi might appear a bit off-putting- especially if the gattas are shaped like sausages. I am trying hard not to say this-- but OK, I'll just go right ahead and say it- you might think it looks like turd curry! But give it a try- be open, you will like it! I'm pretty sure Andrew Zimmern would love to try this one. It is definitely not as bizarre as most of the foods he gets to eat on his show, but it could still pass off as bizarre, because of its appearance.

Final Note: Before I sign off, I'd like to point out that this dish is very diabetic friendly, because of all that chickpea flour.

Foodie's Garden

We finally get to see some sunshine here! In preparation for those summer BBQs, and well, just because I love nature, I have started putting my personal touch to our lovely backyard. The good thing is that there was already a lawn, and some plants, when we moved in. So all I'm really doing is prettying it up. Eventually, I hope to grow some vegetables as well. Hey, a foodie has got to grow her own vegetables!

Since I also like clicking photos-- here, do check out some pictures that I put up on my Facebook page. 

Looking forward to some much-needed sunny days!!

Exclusive Culinary Experience, anybody?

Most of us, Seattleites, are familiar with  Full Circle. They launched their Farm Dinner Sweepstakes last week. 5 lucky winners will win 2 tickets (a $400 value!) to an Outstanding in The Field event. The event consists of an exclusive culinary experience, in an exquisite setting. I believe a local chef will prepare some beautiful food, with all local, and organic ingredients. The idea is to connect us with our food source, and to honor our local farmers and artisans who cultivate it.

Here is the link to their entry form: http://info.fullcircle.com/hs/farm-dinner-sweepstakes.

The last date to enter is May 15th 2013.

And I'm off to starting this new month by entering this sweepstakes. I wouldn't want to miss this! I wonder if writing about this has increased my chances of winning!? I hope the folks at Full Circle are reading this! ;)

Birthday Loot!

March 20th happens to be not only the first day of Spring, but my birthday too! Go on, wish me a Happy Birthday! Blow those party horns now, will ya?! ;)

The husband (and the kids) got me an excellent gift this year- a  Mod Pizza gift card! I was so delighted! I don't remember screaming out this way when I got those gizmo gifts, or that salon gift card in the previous years.... this time, he nailed it! Ever since they opened Mod Pizza here in our neighborhood, pizza nights have never been the same. Mod pizza simply rocks! Their 10 signature pizzas are not your typical kind that you find in other pizza places, well, except for maybe the classic cheese, and perhaps the Mad Dog. They actually have legit (I'm using my kids' lingo now!) pesto for a topping! Check out their menu, and you'll see what I'm saying. The best part is that all their regular pizzas are just under 7 bucks, and you can choose whatever toppings you want.

So my birthday lunch today was a beautiful Tristan, topped with mozzarella, asiago, marinated roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and pesto. I also asked for red onions, black olives, artichokes, and grilled chicken. That's correct, a 9-topping pizza, all for under 7 bucks! Pretty sweet deal!

My birthday gift ;) 

The Tristan, with 4 extra toppings- yumm!

My next birthday gift came from my brother, and sister in law, and I will call this the ghost pepper gone wild! I don't think I will ever find the need to buy any more crazy hot sauces ever again!! Look at this collection! There is also a packet of dried crushed ghost pepper, that I transferred into a spice grinder, that came with it all. My eyes are still watering...... that is how strong this stuff is!!! What an overly thoughtful gift!!

Ghost Pepper Gone Wild!

Definitely a fantastic birthday loot for this crazy spice-loving foodie!

Pre-Spring guest blogging

I got to guest blog for Full Circle again! This time on the Top 10 Spring Ingredients to look forward to. You know, there are no "real" Spring veggies or fruits now a days- I mean, you get all of it, all year round! Except, perhaps those fresh green peas, and garlic spears. Anyway, here is the link, and please note, that the picture at the very beginning, the picture of the garlic spears, and the kumquat picture, were all taken by yours truly.....

http://hub.am/WTC0QG

And tomorrow, March 20th is officially the 1st Day of Spring! Yeah!!