Su's Patata Bravos

By Sunita Shenoy

This is an ideal for Tapas menu. There are many online recipes for Patata Bravas, this is my version to suit the Indian palate.

4-5 large white or red potatoes chopped into bite size cubes and soak in water for a few min

(apparently removes extra starch and makes it crispier)

4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 small scallions finely chopped (can substitute regular white onion too)

Olive oil for roasting and sauce

1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

pinch of sugar

1 cup tomato pasta sauce (any variety will do. I used marinara)

salt to taste (add salt  later as sauce may already have sauce)

1/2 tsp of chili powder/paprika (adjust to your spice tolerance)

pinch of italian herbs (dry bottled is fine like McCormick s) or simply rosemary or oregano.

green onions or parsley for garnish

First toss the potato cubes in olive oil, salt and pepper and italian herbs.

Keep aside in the fridge till ready to cook. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and bake

the potatoes, when they are done (a fork goes through), turn the broiler to high (if you 

have that feature) till it lightly browns. Let it stay warm in the oven till ready to serve.

Make sauce and keep ahead.

fry garlic and scallions till they turn translucent. then add chilli pwder, balsamic vingar, sugar, salt

and tomato sauce. let it all simmer to together for a couple of min till it becomes nice and integrated.

 

Just before serving, heat the sauce and toss in potatoes and garnish.

Su’s Shrimp Masala Stir Fry

By Sunita Shenoy

Recipe: 

Marinated 1 lb shrimp in a 1 TBS each of little yoghurt, turmeric, ground paste of ginger-garlic-curry leaves-greenchillies-pepper, salt to taste. Fry slices of one medium onion, then 1 sliced tomatoes, add some garam masala,  salt ( add less as shrimp already has) and mix in the shrimp. Stir fry and cook till done.

Versatile Green Chutney

By Sunita Shenoy

This is a Baliga family special chutney sandwich that we grew up taking on picnics and long car trips. This a a versatile make-ahead  green chutney that I store in the fridge and use in multiple ways from cucumber sandwiches, just as savory spread on toast, in omelettes or a quick chapati veg or chicken curry. Recipe for chutney: 2-3 bunches of cilantro, 1-2 g chillies (and optionally mint leaves. I prefer cilantro only). Grind into a paste. Fry 1 large chopped onion till it starts to brown and mix in the chutney and salt to taste. Let it cook though. That’s it!

Crunchy Indian Spiced Peanuts

Recipe by Guest blogger, Sunita Shenoy
Wash 2 cups shelled raw peanuts and add chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafetida powder, and salt as per your taste. Also add 1-2 fistful of minced curry leaves. Mix the mixture till the nuts are well coated with the spices. Let it rest for half an hour or so. Sprinkle a tiny bit of besan(gram flour) on the nut mixture and mix to coat the peanuts. Grease an oven proof tray with oil, pour in the nut mixture and bake in an oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or so.

Optionally instead of asafetida powder and curry leaves, you can use Garam Masala and crushed garlic.

Recipe adopted from Shailaja Nayak, San Jose, CA.

‘el pastor’ chicken taco

My simple version of ‘el pastor’ chicken tacos.
Guest blogger, Sunita Shenoy

Marinate thin strips of chicken breast or thigh meat with lemon, chili powder, cumin pwdr, oregano and salt. On a cast iron griddle on stove top (or oven) add some olive oil and roast the chicken. Serve with avocado, red onion, red onions, cilantro and salsa on top of your choice of tortilla.