Dim sums and the glory of it!

I kind of like the title, don’t you? Well, any New Year that is on the horizon only gives us an extra reason to have fun. One of the ways for me to relax and have fun is to cook whether it is baking cookies or making a full fledged meal.
I love my Dim sums and make it a point to cook one variety or the other of it, at least, once every two weeks. You can make Dim sums as the steamed variety or the boiled ones or the fried ones. It is up to you. The thing to note here is that if you are planning to make fried ones, remember that olive oil can change the flavor altogether. So just use ordinary cooking oil for this purpose and forget all about the fat content of it and so on.

It is only once in a blue moon that you are making these dim sums so just use the cooking oil and not the olive ones. What is more it is only the trans fats that you should be worried about, so to use fresh cooking oil would not harm you much. Here, I am going off on to a different tangent altogether, so coming back to dim sums, they are very easy to make and you will enjoy the experience of making them.

My favorite dim sum is the chicken wontons and for this you will need 6 ounces of chicken breast, remember you can increase the amount of the ingredients and you will need to compensate. Now, you will also need some shallots, some garlic paste [makes it easier to cook with], some sesame oil or peanut butter [for that smoky aroma], some vegetables [ your choice, but I normally use carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts],2 tbs of soy sauce and some sugar. You will also need some chilly paste as well as some salt and a deep pan for the frying.

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the shallots, garlic paste and the chilly paste. Add the chicken and stir fry, remember that when the chicken changes color, which means that it is almost cooked. Tip: try to leave out the skins, as this will help the chicken to absorb the flavors quickly and cook well. Now, remove the pan and let it cool down. Take some of the wonton wrappers and place a small portion of the chicken curry mixture in the middle; now wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Use a second wrapper on the top and bring all the edges together. You can do it with the single wrapper but it is much better to use the two of them. You can then close it and make then ends as stylish as possible or not. It is all up to you.

Heat the oil again in the pan and start frying the wontons. Remember, do not keep the oil on high heat as that would sear the wontons and you do not want that. So, keep the flames on medium and fry the wontons until they turn golden brown. Enjoy your wontons and have fun at the same time. Good luck with your cooking and a Happy Chinese New Year!

The Potato fry!

The potato has certainly turned into one of the most loved veggies. The funny thing is that potatoes did not make their presence in the international arena until a few centuries back, before that, there were no potatoes, can you imagine that? A world without potatoes, a dreary world it must have been, indeed.
Anyway, one of my favorite dishes is the 'Potato fry' and it is very easy to make it. Take about 3-4 medium sized Potatoes, about 1/2 kilo of it and boil it for say 7-10 minutes or so. Then, peel it and cut into small bite sized pieces and keep it aside. Now take about 2-3 onions and cut it into slender long pieces and keep that aside as well.

Now, pour some olive/cooking oil in the pan and fry some garlic, add the onions and shallow fry the whole thing. After a few minutes of doing this, you can now add some turmeric powder as well as some cumin powder. Fry it for some 2 more minutes, now add the potatoes and mix it all very well until the potatoes get the color of the turmeric powder. Once that is done,add some chili powder and some salt and fry it some more. Then, add some coriander powder as well and fry it all some more, now add the coriander leaves and mix it all up very well. Your Potato fry is all ready to go!

potato,india,carbs,food,south india,cooking,alu fry,