Spicy & Crispy Indian Fish

A dear family friend of ours is an AMAZING cook and she recently made her specialty fish dish for my mom when she was recently unwell. This is my attempt to recreate it from what I remember, but this is an adaptation since I have added coriander powder and tested my own variation on how much of each ingredient goes into the paste. My favorite part of this dish is the crispy exterior and succulent interior combined with the spicy, garlic paste that the fish is coated with.

Pair this with rice, bread, tortilla, or eat it by itself withs one veggies for an absolutely gorgeous weeknight (or weekend!) meal. 🙂

Enjoy!

Love,
Priyanka

Ingredients

6 white fish filets of your choice (tilapia works really well as it is flat and crisps beautifully!), but you can use other fish
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1.5 teaspoon red chili powder (you can reduce or increase this based on your spice preference or to make it more kid-friendly)
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon of ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
the juice of one lemon (or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice)
Optional garnish ideas: fresh cucumber, red onion, avocado

Directions

In a blender, pureé all of the marinade ingredients until well-incorporated. Using gloves (to avoid smelling like fish as well as saving yourself from the hot chili powder), spread the marinade paste all over both sides of the fish filets. If you have a few minutes to spare, let them sit in the marinade for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up your skillet over medium-high heat.

Once the skillet is hot, turn down the heat a notch and add the filets.

Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish you are using), undisturbed so you get a nice crispy crust. Flip the fish and cook the filets until cooked to your liking.

[Note: when I am using tilapia, I cook the first side for about 4 minutes, and the other side for approximately 3 minutes for a total of 7 minutes.] Plate the fish, sprinkle it with Kosher salt, drizzle fresh lemon juice on it, and enjoy fresh & hot! 🙂

Grilled Corn with Cotija Cheese, Cayenne & Lemon

Hi my loves! This summer, you MUST get outside and grill some beautiful corn! This preparation of eating whole corn on the cob is a mix of my experience eating road-side roasted corn in India with my love for Mexican flavors (i.e. the salty Cotija cheese!). This is an easy appetizer to complement your grilled vegetables and meat at your next outdoor soiree. Enjoy!

Love,
Priyanka

Ingredients
4 corn on the cob, husks removed but stem attached for easy handling on the grill
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese (available at most mexican supermarkets)
1 lemon, cut in half

Directions
Grill the corn on the cob directly on the grill until done to your liking. Meanwhile, prepare your cayenne-lemon paste. In a small bowl, juice the lemon halves and add the cayenne pepper. Using one of the lemon halves as a ‘spoon’, mix these two ingredients into a paste and reserve this lemon half to apply the paste to the corn! Just leave it in the bowl.

Once your corn is grilled, apply the cayenne-lemon paste to the corn using the lemon half. Finish the preparation by sprinkling the beautiful cotija cheese on top and enjoy hot! 🙂

Japanese Broiled Fish

Have you ever been in a rush to put together a delicious meal? Well, I certainly have. And there have been many (perhaps too many) nights where I’m craving a delicious, yet healthy fish dish but I don’t have the energy to marinate overnight or be fancy about things. This is by far, my favorite and quickest Asian-style fish recipe that makes my taste buds tickle with happiness. The beautiful color of the fish and the charred bits from the grill are the most beautiful part of this dish. The simplicity of the flavor (and low calorie count) make this recipe a true winner!

Try it out – you won’t be disappointed! 🙂

Love,
Priyanka

Ingredients

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon miso paste (yellow miso, not red miso)
1 fish filet of your choice (can use salmon sea bass, cod, or even mackerel)
Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Directions

Method: You can either broil the fish in your oven, use an indoor grill pan, or use an outdoor grill! I like putting my fish indirectly on the flame as pictured below, which I am told is the best way to cook the fish! [Note: if you cook it the way I did, remember to line your stove with aluminum foil as I did for a quicker clean-up!]

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and marinate your fish filet while you heat up your grill (up to 20 minutes, but less is fine!). Once your grill (or oven) is hot, cook the filet for about 5-8 minutes, flipping and basting occasionally until the fish is flaky and cooked to your liking.

Sprinkle a little salt on top of the fish and serve on top of a fresh arugula salad and squeeze a lemon wedge over your fish and salad. Dinner is ready! 🙂

Chipotle Marinade – Chicken or Tofu!

I know there has been a lot of recent buzz around ‘Chipotle’ food having a lot of sodium and calories – and being unhealthy, in general. So, what better way to tackle those cravings than to make your own, delicious ‘chipotle’ meats at home? 🙂 Sites like LiveStrong.com, and others, have posted tips on how to keep your calorie count low while eating at a Chipotle (e.g. ‘How To Eat Healthy at Chipotle‘) too, in case cooking at home isn’t an option.

However, for those of you that can spare a few minutes, this chipotle marinade recipe of mine is AMAZING on proteins like chicken, fish, and even tofu! This can be a spicy dish, depending on how much chili powder you put, and how much spice you can handle, so try the marinade BEFORE you put the chicken into it to make sure you can handle it! This marinade keeps incredibly well in the fridge for up to a week in case you make a little extra and keep it away before you use it on the chicken. It’s also great to brush onto fish when on the grill! 🙂

I hope you try this out – Enjoy!

Love,
Priyanka

Ingredients
1/4 cup chipotle pepper, from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce, from the canned chipotles
4 tablespoons olive oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 large white onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Protein: chicken (cut of your choice: drumsticks, legs, thigh, etc) or cubed firm tofu

Directions

Add all ingredients a food processor or blender and process until well-combined and pureed.

Transfer mixture to a bowl or ziploc bag, add chicken (or tofu) and let sit in marinade overnight. [Note: if you don’t have time to marinate, no problem! It will still be delicious!]

Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side on a hot grill, or roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees F. Let it rest, covered with foil, for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to settle (you will end up with a much juicier and tender chicken!)

Spiced Grilled Carrots with Mint Yogurt

My husband and I recently discovered a DELICIOUS, new restaurant in Redwood City called ‘Vesta‘. All I can say is, WOW – their menu is creative, simple, yet delicious and fresh. We ordered a wonderful pizza, accompanied by some grilled carrots that were both a beautiful presentation and outright delicious. I had no choice but to replicate it at home for a get together recently, and they were a smash hit (and a healthy one too!). The natural sweetness of the carrots mixed with the paprika and cumin, dipped in a spiced yogurt sauce is perfect. Just when we almost forgot that grilling carrots in a beautiful manner was even an option, the perfect crispy, yet charred taste through this cooking method is divine. This is the perfect side dish to any meal.

I hope you enjoy this in your kitchen as much as it was enjoyed in mine! ❤

Love,
Priyanka

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

4 carrots, cut into strips (don’t worry about making these even – this is a rustic and beautiful dish!)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic paste
Kosher salt, to taste

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup of yogurt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt, to taste
2 teaspoons fresh, chopped mint

Directions

Heat up your grill or grill pan and make sure it is hot! Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the carrots, spices, and extra virgin olive oil. Make sure the carrots are well-coated with the spices.

For the yogurt dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside. Place in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Can be made 1 day ahead.

Once the grill is hot, place the marinated carrots onto the hot grill and let them get a nice char by not moving them for 2-3 minutes. Rotate them to allow beautiful grill marks all over them and serve hot with the yogurt dipping sauce!!

Marinated Mediterranean Chicken

DISCLAIMER: This recipe doesn’t take 48 hours to COOK – it’s a 48 hour marinade so don’t run off quite yet! 😉

If you enjoy tender, delicious meat – this recipe is for you! If you need to take a short cut (e.g. cutting down the marination time to 4-6 hours, or even 24), do it and you will still be glad you tried this out! Simple but satisfying flavors that are beautiful cooked on the grill (or on a grill pan), but you can just as easily oven-roast the chicken in your oven.

Do notice that I prefer using skin-on chicken simply because the chicken ends up being more succulent. Often times the skin will come off/burn off during the grilling period anyway, but having that extra layer to lock in the marinade while in the fridge is essential. Stick the marinated meat on a hot grill, get a beautiful char on it, and there you have a scrumptious meal.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe!

NOTE ON MY PICTURE: This recipe is the line of chicken that is second from the left. If you add paprika and chili powder to the below recipe, you will end up with chicken looking like the line of meat all the way to the left 😉 The cedar-planked salmon and Korean style beef are just accessories at my grilling party! 😉

Yields: 8 generous servings

Ingredients

14-16 chicken thighs (skin-on) or 8 chicken breasts

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
the zest of one lemon
3 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (or onions)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Directions

Mix all ingredients except chicken together into a large and deep bowl and whisk until well-incorporated.

Add your chicken and toss so that the meat is well coated with the marinade.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours (The meat is just blissfully delicious after a 48 hour marinade!! Do it on a Wednesday (like today!) for a Friday meal! :))

Halfway through your marination period, use tongs to toss the chicken in the marinade once to evenly distribute the marinade.

1 days later (or 2 days after marination began)….

Drain meat and grill on a hot grill, basting with marinade until meat is cooked through. Serve hot and use leftovers to make exquisite quesadillas, salads, burritos, and more! 🙂

Grilled Pizza with Fresh Arugula

I love pizza. It’s versatile, delicious, kid-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, meat-friendly, everyone-friendly. Also, a lot of my love for it has to do with the fact that no two pizzas have to be the same – ever! Toppings and sauce choices make pizzas SO fun and SO delicious. For example, who ever said that if you have two people at home who have different tastes, you can’t make half a pizza with one set of toppings, and the other half with another set? (see picture below from a fun pizza night at my place – I’m the mozzarella lover, hubs like everything else ;-)).

If you’re a meat lover or vegetarian alike, you will LOVE my grilled pizza recipe. Not only is the crispy texture of the pizza dough heavenly, but this recipe uses store-bought pizza dough which makes everyone much much happier!! Don’t get me wrong – homemade pizza dough is AMAZING, however it does take practice and it does take some time. Why fret all of that (especially on a weeknight) when both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sell 1 lb bags of pizza dough (in the refrigerating sections!) ranging from whole wheat, garlic herb, regular plain pizza dough, and whole grain? And just when you thought it didn’t get better, they sell them for around $1.29 a pop.

Oh wait, and there’s more. I make 2 pizzas out of each bag of dough. If you’re on a budget but like eating DELIRIOUSLY DELICIOUS food, this recipe is for you. 😉 So what if you don’t own a $6,000 wood-fired brick oven pizza? After this recipe, you won’t even miss it 😉

The ending step of adding fresh, peppery arugula on top of the fresh, hot pizza makes this recipe even healthier and more delicious – it’s like a pizza salad! 🙂

P.S. – the pictures I have included below were so beautifully taken by Derrick Jang of Derrick Jang Photography at a recent party I hosted for one of my dearest friend S’s big birthday party! 🙂 He’s incredibly talented. Thank you! 🙂

Enjoy!

Yields: 1 beautifully thin and crispy grilled pizza!

Ingredients

1/2 1 lb. store-bought fresh pizza dough (if you want a thicker pizza, use the whole ball of dough for one pizza!)
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup of either tomato sauce or pesto (it’s your pizza so it’s your choice!) 🙂
1.5 cups of shredded cheese of your choice
chopped vegetables for toppings, if desired (my favorites are: red onion, thinly sliced zucchini, fresh mozarella, tomatoes, olives, and sliced garlic!)
sliced meat, if desired

Garnish: fresh, organic arugula and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

On a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin, roll out your dough as much as you can to the thickness you enjoy (I like mine thin!). Just be careful not to rip holes in the dough.

Coat your pizza tray with cooking spray and lay out the rolled dough on it, using the edges of your fingers to expand the dough to fit the pan properly. Push along the edge of the pan/dough and pat it down gently.

Using a fork, gently prick the dough throughout to prevent the pizza from having large air bubbles (which makes spreading sauce on it very difficult!).

Brush the extra virgin olive oil onto the dough and sprinkle salt on top, evenly. Place pan directly onto heated grill and let it heat up for 3-4 minutes. Remove from grill and top the pizza with sauce of your choice, cheese, and toppings of your choice.

[Note: If you look at this picture of me grilling pizzas, you see that I am using BOTH a pizza stone and a pizza pan. It’s really your choice if you want to invest in a pizza stone, but I love the result from both methods of grilling pizza. Just be sure to a) preheat the stone per the directions on the package and b) spray the pizza stone with cooking spray so that your pizza doesn’t stick!]

Close the grill hood to allow the cheese and toppings to cook, and allow further grilling for approximately 3-4 minutes. At the very end, remove the pan from underneath the pizza if you desire grill marks on the bottom of your pizza, and let it grill for 30 seconds-1 minute (note: your grill might be hotter/cooler than mine, so use your judgment on cook times!)

Slide the pan back under the pizza, remove from heat, top with arugula and freshly cracked black pepper, slice, and enjoy hot! 🙂 [Note: If you want to try this out, there are more economical pizza peel and pizza stone sets! Cooking well doesn’t always have to break your bank! 😉

ENJOY ENJOY! 🙂

Maple Mustard Grilled Salmon

There are many recipes out there that call for salmon to be basted with a simple maple syrup and mustard glaze. However, I have tested my recipe below many times and have found the perfect balance of sweet and savory in this more complex taste profile for beautifully grilled fish. I hope you enjoy this in the summer on an outdoor grill or in the winter on an indoor grill pan! Either way, you will end up with a delicious meal fit for royalty! 🙂

If you have a little extra time to whip up the perfect accompaniment (as pictured), serve this exact dish on top of a bed of my spiced butternut squash and nut cous cous! The tang and sweetness of the maple mustard glaze pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the butternut squash and crispy nuts and spiced cous cous – it’s a pairing that I love putting together for a fun date night at home or even a dinner party you are hosting! 🙂

Ingredients

Glaze:
3/4 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (or dried thyme leaves)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried dill (although fresh, chopped dill is always the best!)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on
Vegetable oil, for oiling the grill and fish
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high (about 350°F to 425°F).

Meanwhile, place all of the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until combined. Cook over a medium-high flame, whisking for 3-4 minutes until vinegar evaporates and the consistency becomes more glaze-like.

Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry with paper towels (make sure it has been scaled and cleaned of bones). Brush both sides of the fillets with vegetable oil and season both sides generously with salt and pepper, per your taste.

Rub the grill grates with a towel dipped in oil (or, if you are using an indoor grill pan, brush vegetable oil on the pan).

Place the salmon on the grill skin-side down and cook undisturbed until grill marks appear and the skin is starting to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, brush the glaze onto the side facing up. Then, using a fish spatula, carefully flip the fillets over and brush the skin-side that is facing up with the remaining glaze, reserving a few spoons to serve with the finished dish. Continue to cook the salmon until it is just opaque in the center, about 2 to 4 minutes more.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately, passing any remaining glaze on the side and drizzling lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil around the fish. Serve on top of my Spiced Butternut Squash and Nut Cous Cous for the perfect pairing of flavors!

Machli Kabab Tikka (Fish Kebabs)

This recipe is in honor of the opening of our newest restaurant, Amber Dhara on Valencia Street in the Mission District of San Francisco TODAY! (www.amber-india.com) 🙂

This recipe is not on our menu nor an ‘Amber’ recipe by any means, but I thought I would post one of my most versatile Indian-style fish kebab recipes for all of you to enjoy on this special day. 🙂

This is the perfect weeknight meal that you can put for marination in the morning, and come evening, you can grill it on a grill pan, on a BBQ, or even roast it off in the oven! Or if you want to impress your friends, grill this up at your next weekend party! It’s healthy, delicious, and unbelievably easy to put together!

This is a spicy recipe, so if you want to tone down the spice factor, cut out one (or both!) of the green chilis from the marinade!

Last but not least, for my lovely vegetarians out there, try this with TOFU instead of fish, and you will have yourself a delicious tofu kebab! 🙂 Use firm tofu, make shallow slits in the tofu pieces to allow the marinade to soak in, and follow the same exact directions!

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients

1 lb of firm white fish, such as cod, halibut, or sea bass, cubed (make sure the fish is de-boned and fresh!)

Marinade
1/4 cup of yogurt, plain
2 green chilis, ends cut off but whole
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
Optional: 1 tablespoon melted butter, for basting

Directions

Make the marinade by putting all the marinade ingredients in a blender. Pulse/blend until well-incorporated into a liquid marinade.

Place the marinade in a glass bowl with the fish cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours. [Note: make sure the plastic wrap is on tight so that the fish does not send odors into your other foods in your fridge, or use a tupperware set that has a tight closing lid!]

Thread the ingredients onto oiled skewers (metal or wood), and barbecue or grill for about 5-7 minutes until the fish is cooked through. [If you don’t mind a few extra calories, use the melted butter and brush the cubes with butter frequently to prevent the fish from sticking].

Finish by sprinkling with Kosher salt, to taste.

Serve hot with lime or lemon wedges. I highly recommend serving it with hot naan as well and a cucumber salad! 🙂

Panzanella – An Italian Bread Salad

It’s been a few years since I was first introduced to this delicious, colorful, and healthy salad. I was invited to an outdoor play a little north of Berkeley, California (CalShakes, for you locals!), and they allow you to bring your own picnic dinner. My friend’s contribution was a panzanella salad and it was so good (Thanks E!)!

Flash forward a few years and here I am sitting in a phase of my life where I am pretty obsessed with tomatoes (all kinds: heirloom, cherry, beefsteak, early girl, etc.). And then I ended up with half a baguette of a few-days-old bread and didn’t know what to do with it. That was when my love for this salad was truly reborn.

The acidity of the balsamic, against the buttery quality of the olive oil, paired with the freshness of the tomatoes and basil, with a soft earthiness of the red onion, finished off with the crunch of the roasted bread can best be described in one word: heavenly. 🙂

To be honest, I never asked my friend for her recipe and don’t know if my recipe is truly ‘authentic’ the ways Italians do in Italy. But my goodness, is this EASY and SCRUMPTIOUS! I made this two times already in the past one week (once for a family style dinner and once for a July 4th potluck) and it has always proven to be a beautiful vegetarian dish that is easy on the eyes and the stomach. So here we go, ladies and gentlemen – and I don’t doubt you will be surprised just HOW easy this recipe is. 😉

Sometimes the best things are life are the simplest ones.

For you foodies who are history buffs too, here’s a bit on the history of panzanella – who know that it started out as an ONION recipe?!? 🙂

A note on this recipe: try to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar – it really makes a huge difference since olive oil can have odd bitter after tastes and balsamics can have a strong acidity that can overpower this entire dish!

Enjoy!

Yields: 6 generous servings, family style

Ingredients

For the ‘bread’ part of the recipe
4 cups of cubed baguette bread (can be sourdough, batard, anything you enjoy eating really!) – best when it is 2-3 days old
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

For the ‘dressing’
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To finish off the recipe
4 cups of ripe tomato wedges (cut each tomato into 4 pieces)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 cups cubed mozzarella cheese (Optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cubed bread, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Using your hands, mix the ingredients well so that the bread is well-coated evenly. Pour bread cubes onto a parchment paper or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 15 minutes (or until cubes are browned). Take the sheet out halfway during this period, and using tongs, carefully toss the bread cubes once for even roasting. Once roasting is complete, cool the bread cubes.

[Note: you can grill the baguette on a hot grill or indoor grill pan and cube it after if you wish to bypass the oven step!]

Meanwhile, on a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to your taste. (Remember to always taste test your marinade before adding to the serving bowl with bread!). This step can be made ahead and be stored at room temperature for 2 days.

In the bowl you will serve this dish in, add the cooled bread cubes, quartered tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, red onion, and basil. Add the marinade 20 minutes before you want to serve it, and toss to combine.

Serve immediately and Enjoy! (Although, I have enjoyed this recipe 24 hours after making it, and thoroughly enjoyed the juicy bread cubes that had soaked up all the wonderful flavors overnight!). So don’t throw away your leftovers thinking they will be awful and soggy! 🙂