Salmon kebabs - Memories from Alaska

This week we were on vacation in Alaska. Wherever we went for meals, we found that two types of fish were really popular there -- Halibut and Salmon. Although we savored the famous Alaskan cuisine, I have to confess that my Indian taste buds were getting homesick by the end of the trip. I couldn't help but remember how salmon would taste if I spiced it up a bit. So, it seemed only natural that I wanted to share this simple recipe for this week.

Ingredients:

Salmon – 2lbs Steak pieces further cut into 2” cubes
Coriander seeds – 2tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Peppercorns – 1tsp
Green Cardamom – 6-8
Mustard powder or Dijon mustard – half tsp
Lemon juice – 1tbsp
Cinnamon small pieces – 3-4
Cilantro – ½ bunch
Garlic cloves – 2 cloves
Ginger – 1 inch
Green chillies – 6-8
Salt to taste
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Non stick spray

If the ingredients look the same to you as that of Chicken Cafreal Roast, you are right. I had prepared a larger quantity of the dry ground spice and used what was left to marinade the salmon. The additions were mustard powder and lemon juice. Mustard and fish go well together and hence, the addition. I used steak cut salmon instead of fillet because the fish oils around the bones and in the skin keeps the fish moist and tender when cooking.

If you haven’t read the chicken cafreal recipe yet, here is how I had made the spices: I dry-roasted the spices and ground them in a coffee grinder. The cilantro leaves, garlic, ginger and chilli were ground to a paste with a little water in magic bullet grinder.

The spices & cilantro puree were added to the salmon, along with salt, oil and mustard powder. They were left to live happily ever after – for 2 hours only ☺ … after which they were barbecued on the grill. As finishing touches, I drizzled the lemon juice on the hot grilled fish.

I had prepared this dish for my friends few weeks back and they insisted that I share the recipe on the blog! So, here it is. Imagine you are sitting at a beautiful waterfront restaurant and enjoying this dish with rice pilaf ..... yumm! :-)

Squash is yummy

Last weekend, my husband had bought some beautiful green summer squash. A first look at them, I knew I wanted to stuff them and then bake them for dinner someday. Luckily, that someday was today. I looked in the refrigerator and pantry, and found the following things:

Summer squash - 3
Red onions - 1 small chopped
Mashed potato instant mix - 1 cup prepared by mixing with hot water
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Sugar - a pinch
Dry garlic powder - 2tsp
Dry mango powder - 1tsp (optional)
Cilantro chopped - 1tbsp
Olive oil
Pepper jack cheese slices - 1.5 cut into 6 triangles.

I chopped of the squash heads and cut them into halves. After that I scooped the insides with a tough steel spoon to shape them like boats. Then I peeled alternate stripes on the skin side. I learnt this technique from my maa when she makes a typical Bengali gourd called 'Potol'. She said the alternate striped peeling of the skin not only makes it look beautiful but also cooks the gourd to tenderness and lets the flavors go into the vegetable.

The squash boats were tossed in olive oil, salt and black pepper powder and then baked in a preheated oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. I know what you are wondering: "Where was the toddler of the house?" Well, scooping the squash takes skill and concentration, so thanks to the grilled corn that hubby prepared for the little one followed by Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse on iPhone, I was able to prep the squash for baking.

To prepare the stuffing, I heated some olive oil to which I added onions, chopped squash core, garlic powder, mango powder, salt, paprika, a pinch of sugar. After sautéing this for about 5 minutes, I added the mashed potato and cilantro.

After the squash had undergone baking for 30 minutes, I stuffed them with the above mixture and baked them for additional 15 minutes; this time at an increased temperature of 400F. The finishing touches were added by topping the squash with the cheese triangles and broiling them for 2 minutes exactly.

Dinner was satisfying today for everyone. The little one loved it -- Tell me, since time immemorial, why do mothers feel proud and satisfied when their children eat vegetables? I blamed my mom of the crime of making her kids eat vegetables and am now guilty of the same :-)

Btw, hubby said this was one of the best squash dishes he has eaten. That made my day!

Mango Saffron Kulfi (Ice-cream)

Nothing like the taste of cold ice-cream on a hot, sultry summer afternoon, right? When I heard the jingling of a popsicle cart in the streets outside my house, I craved for some ice-cream. But I was not looking for the standard flavors that we get in grocery stores. I wanted something Indian and was soon nostalgic about the mango ice-cream my parents would make during my childhood. I remember that it was a whole day ordeal, back in those days, with prepared grocery list atleast a week ahead. We would longingly wait the whole day for dessert after dinner….Well, I don’t have the luxury of time here and also needed to use things that I get at my nearby grocery.

Ingredients:

Fresh mangoes (pulp) – 4
Condensed milk - 1 can
Cool whip – 8 oz container
Sugar (depending on the sourness of mangoes)
Saffron - few strands
Yellow food color – a pinch or few drops(optional)

Serves 12

I blended everything in a blender and poured them into traditional aluminum kulfi moulds which I already had. This was frozen overnight. You can also freeze in individual disposable ice cream cups or paper cups but be sure to seal them air-tight before freezing. Just cover with a press-n-seal film.

The mangoes I used were not ripe enough. So, I used some sugar to counter the sour taste. You can also use canned mango pulp to save some time -- however nothing like the flavor and taste of fresh mangoes.

This was a simple dessert that we savored for days, taking out one at a time from the freezer whenever we wanted to beat the hot summer temperatures! And sometimes had to compete with my toddler to prevent her from putting big chunks of cold ice-cream directly in her throat. My Ma told me she had to do that too when I was a kid ☺