Wine and pasta...need i say more?!

I chanced upon this fantastic chardonnay called Domaine de Pellehaut while rummaging through our wine cabinet and i was hooked for life!

I kid you not, I must've done my fair share of drinking out there but i really never found a white that i really liked. The moment i chanced upon this, it became my holy grail!!! 

Now, every time hubby goes travelling...all i say is "make sure you stop by duty free and get some wine!" Forget about about buying me a souvenir, all i need is the entire cellar :)

This should go wonderfully well with this super easy Spaghetti Aglio Olio Peperoncino e Gamberi! It's a quick fast dish you can whip up in a jiffy when you have unexpected guests drop in for dinner...provided you have all the ingredients, of course :)

I actually saw this recipe on tv by some italian chef called Gino and the original recipe called for lobster but I have modified it a bit ....after all, who keeps lobster on hand for unexpected guests? :) 

Hope you get to try it!

Spaghetti aglio olio peperoncino e gamberi

1 pack spaghetti pasta (preferably an italian brand)

1 c. extra virgin olive oil (aka EVOO)

3 thai red chilies, chopped (or more according to taste)

1 kg. medium size shrimps, shelled and deveined

1 glass white wine

1 chicken stock cube

1/4 c. italian parsley leaves (also called flat leaf parsley, very different from chinese parsley)

1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and chopped

Salt & pepper according to taste

Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. In another pan, heat 1 c. EVOO for 1 minute on a low fire.
3. Add chopped garlic, red chilies and stir for 30 secs. Don't let garlic brown, otherwise it gives a bitter taste.
4. Throw in the shrimps, stir for 1 minute. Then add the chicken stock cube.
5. Add 1 glass of wine (remember the rule, cook with wine that you can drink)
6. Increase the heat and stir for 1 minute  letting the alcohol evaporate.
7. Add chopped parsley, turn off heat then add drained, spaghetti pasta. Mix well.
8. Put on serving dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!

MIL's cooking!

My in-laws are vacationing over but will be going back to Calcutta by the end of next week. I am surely going to miss MIL’s (Mom-in-law) awesome cooking! She is a fantastic cook and is like a fairy in the kitchen! If there is one thing we can really bond over, it is the love of food and cooking!

Last night she made an out of this world, melt in your mouth Mughlai lamb curry!  She made it all from scratch and didn’t follow a recipe so I have made it my quest to replicate it sometime soon. So, I sat on the sofa and quizzed her on the ingredients and the “how-do-you-do-it” specifics ….almost like Barbara Walters interviewing Martha Stewart! J

Here it goes…..

Mughlai Lamb Curry

1 kg lamb shoulder, cut into cubes

400 gms. plain yogurt, liquid drained

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

4 tbsps mustard oil

½  tsp. Chili powder

¼ c. olive oil

½ c. onion paste (chop 5 big onions then put in a blender to make onion paste)

1 big tomato, chopped

2 tsps  cumin seeds, roasted then ground into powder (you can also use ground cumin seed powder but make sure you dry roast in a pan)

1 tsp coriander powder, dry roasted as well

½  tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder, dry roasted (A typical Indian version of garam masala contains: black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, black and white cumin seeds, black, brown, and green cardamom pods). The word garam means hot but actually refers to intensity of the spices rather than capsaicin content.

1 tsp sea salt (add more as per your taste)

Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Directions:

Marinate first 6 ingredients together for at least 2 hrs, overnight is best.

Heat olive oil for 1 minute, add onion paste and fry for 2 minutes then add the remaining ground spices. After 1 minute, add the marinated lamb including marinade, turn often whilst frying so it doesn’t burn. After 2 minutes of stirring, add the chopped tomato. Stir for 3 minutes – this recipe is a good workout for your arms J

Add the salt, stir then cover. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 -1 ½ hrs till lamb is tender and yogurt gravy thickens.

Serve with hot, steaming basmati rice! 

New Year afterblues!

After wining and dining my way around the holidays, I've now come to the realisation that this is definitely the time to diet...if only to be ready for the two weddings happening in May and July this year!

I wouldn't normally bother with dieting if I was wearing your regular "wedding guest" dress but since I will be wearing a sari, I have to keep those bulges in check! Hahahaha!

In case you haven't guessed yet, my hubby is Indian, so those weddings will definitely be big celebrations...and a lot of eating!  Going to post about that when the time comes!

But for now, my healthy eating starts off with some homemade vietnamese shrimp spring rolls!

Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

12-15 thawed medium-sized shrimps with shell intact and veins removed

7 ounces dried thin rice vermicelli noodles

About 10 rice papers (clear spring roll wrappers)

Bean sprouts

Tofu

Shredded carrots

Shredded Cucumber

Fresh Coriander leaves

Fresh mint leaves

Directions:

In a pot of boiling water, cook rice vermicelli noodles for 5 minutes, or until tender and cooked through. Drain noodles, rinsing with cold water to remove all starch from noodles. Rinse noodles with very hot, steaming tap water. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

In a small pot of lightly boiling water, add shrimp. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink, opaque, and cooked through. Drain shrimp and cool with cold water. Remove shells from shrimp and discard shells. Using a small knife, cut the shrimp in half lengthwise, from the tail end to the other end.

Assemble the rolls one at a time: wet one rice paper wrapper thoroughly in water for a few seconds, shaking off any excess water. Lay the rice paper on a large plate, allowing the paper to sit for one minute to become pliable.

Neatly lay down 3 shrimp halves in a line, cut side up, on the end farthest from you, making sure that shrimp are at least 1 inch away from the round border of the rice paper. Lay down no more than 1/3 cup of cooked noodles on the wrapper. On top of the noodles, add torn mint leaves, coriander leave, cucumber, carrots, tofu and beansprouts, making sure not to overstuff spring rolls.

Fold the right and left sides of the rice paper about 1-2 inches inwards over the filling and press to seal. Pull the edge of the wrapper closest to you upwards so that the filling is tight. Proceed to press down on the ingredients, packing them tightly together, and begin to roll away from you. Continue rolling until you reach the end of the wrapper furthest from you. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Get your dipping sauce ready!

Basic Dipping Sauce (makes ¾ cup)

3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh)

2 tablespoons sugar or more, according to taste

½ cup water

2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

1 or 2 Thai chilies, thinly sliced

1. Combine the lime juice, sugar and water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Taste and ask yourself this question: Does this taste good? Adjust the flavors to balance out the sweet and sour.

2. Finish with fish sauce. Add the fish sauce, minced garlic and Thai chilies. Taste again and adjust the flavors to your liking, balancing out the sour, sweet, salty and spicy. After all, it depends on what you like!

Hope you get to try this!