Short cut Chinese sweet corn soup
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In every other street corner of India, with the Paav Bhaji, Sandwich & Dosa vendors, you will, and must see the Chinese food street vendor. Now don’t go thinking this will be like the real Chinese food you once had at an authentic Chinese restaurant and hated the smell of. This, is what Indians have named Indian-Chinese. Just like Jain Pizza, Vegetarian Burgers and Indian Chai, each of which morphed from a different, original form of preparation, Indian Chinese is our very own brand of Chinese food that is so uniquely Indian, I think it’s far from being anywhere in resemblance to the authentic Chinese food!
It all began in the 18th century when people from China started immigrating to India, to pursue work at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) port (Yes, India has immigrants too!). Generations later, descendants of these first Chinese settlers are a notable part of the Indian population. What was first prepared by Chinese families at their home, got sold by street vendors first in Kolkata, and now, is a delicious street food meal in major Metros in India.
As a child, my mother would come up with inventive ways to replicate restaurant-quality food at home. By then, Indian Chinese became a common section in major restaurants’ menus. I remember how she made Chinese sweet corn soup, using multiple time-consuming steps including grinding the raw corn kernels at home, using chicken stock made from scratch, and even improvising on the sauces and spices used. I came up with this shorter recipe for the spicy, tangy soup, which takes just 15 minutes to make, all in one pot.
Short cut chinese sweet corn soup
You will need:
- 1 can of cream style sweet corn soup
- 1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 finely chopped sticks of green onions
- 5 to 6 sliced button mushrooms
- 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- ½ tbsp of finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp of canola oil
- ½ tbsp of chili oil (optional)
- 1 egg beaten (optional if you are making a vegetarian soup)
- 1 tbsp of corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
- 1 tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of white vinegar
- ¼ tsp of black pepper
- ¼ tsp of red chili flakes (optional)
- Salt to taste
Method:
- In a medium size cooking pot add the canola oil and chili oil.
- When the oil is lukewarm, add garlic, ginger, green onions and mushroom. Saute for about 2 minutes until the mushrooms are 50% cooked through. They will cook more as the soup cooks, so leave them a little uncooked.
- Then add the can of chicken or vegetable broth. When the broth begins to simmer, add the vinegar and soy sauce.
- Then add the sweet corn, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well and let it come to a boil.
- Through a fork add the beaten egg, this will cook the egg in the soup and will look like white ribbons! This is the most important part of the soup and adds a lot of flavor.
- Finally add the corn starch to thicken the soup. Taste and add salt if necessary or you could also add more soy sauce. Garnish with some chopped green onions.
Serve hot with a side of Chinese pot stickers or fried rice!
Poha – Flattened Rice breakfast
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Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day and until recently, the meal was incomplete without some type of egg preparation. After moving to the US, I experimented with the Frittata and many different types of omelets and simply loved all of them. I honestly didn’t think I’d get bored with eggs, but a few weeks ago, I did. Pushed by my boredom and my husband’s constant requests to learn how to make a few Indian breakfast dishes, I took the recipe for Poha from my Mother.
Poha is a form of flattened rice that has a lower cooking time than regular rice grains. It absorbs liquid when soaked in Milk or water and essentially becomes good to eat right away, which makes it a very convenient, yet nutritious food. Different regions of India use the grain in a variety of preparations. The grain is used in main courses, crunchy snacks, desserts and breakfasts. My recipe for Poha is a Breakfast dish that hails from the state of Gujarat in Western India, where most people are vegetarians. I’ve seen people from some ethnic communities in India have it as lunch and some serve it as a snack with evening chai as well.
Poha grains
The grain is available in large packets at Indian grocery stores. 2 different varieties of Poha are available – Thick Poha & thin Poha. For the breakfast dish, we need to use the thick poha.
Poha packet
Prepared with peanuts, curry leaves and potatoes, this humble breakfast dish is spiced with black mustard seeds, whole green chilies and curry leaves. I have noticed that when I have a big bowl of Poha for breakfast, I feel less hungry and have fewer cravings the rest of the day.
A bowl of prepared Poha
To make Poha for 2 people, you will need:
- 3 cups Thick poha
- 1 medium sized potato, finely chopped
- About 1/2 cup sliced onions
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- A handful of unsalted roasted peanuts
- 2 small green chilies, slit lengthwise
- 3-4 fresh curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- A pinch of turmeric
- Chopped Cilantro and lemon juice for garnishing
Method:
- Wash the Poha in a large bowl just like you would Rice. Small pieces of husk will rise to the surface of the water, which you need to drain off
- Soak the Poha in water that just covers all the grains. Keep aside
- While the Poha soaks, start chopping up the vegetables
- In a utensil, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds
- As soon as they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves, green chilies and peanuts
- Allow to fry for 15 seconds or so and add the onions
- Fry the Onions in the oil on medium heat. As soon as they begin to turn translucent, add the potatoes
- Fry the potatoes till they are cooked through. This shouldn’t take much time – about 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, drain the Poha in a sieve and squeeze out all extra water using a large spoon
- Add a pinch of turmeric powder after the potatoes are cooked through, and mix well. Add salt to taste as well
- Finally add in the soaked Poha and mix well. Turn down the heat and allow the Poha to cook in it’s steam for 2 minutes
- Serve in a bowl. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped cilantro leaves. Enjoy with a cup of Masala Chai
Salmon Cakes
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When I promised myself to start eating healthy home-cooked food a few years ago, I began with what was closest to me, Indian food. Over time, my imagination, coupled with tons of inspiration from the chefs at the Food Network (I LOVE that channel) led me to make more and more of what I’d like to call Indian fusion food.
In this post, my inspiration came from Crab Cakes. I love the texture of crab cakes and the way it feels when I bite into them. I also love Salmon. I combined the 2 loves and came up with this yummy recipe for Salmon Cakes one wintry evening, using some Indian spices to create familiar flavors in the dish. I served it with some seasoned couscous and voila! I had a new dish to please my family with.
Salmon Cakes served on a bed of couscous
You will need:
- 16 oz salmon fillet (with skin on)
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 4 stems of green onions or scallions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup of cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ cup of red bell pepper finely chopped
- ¼ cup green bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of low fat mayonnaise
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup of grated Idaho potato (I use frozen uncooked hash browns)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (I like using Panko bread crumbs but I have also used Italian bread crumbs for extra flavor)
- ½ tsp of Indian chili powder
- ¼ tsp of Garam Masala
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Season the salmon fillet with salt, pepper and drizzle it with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake the salmon fillet in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes until it is cooked through. Then fork the fillet (to get chunks of salmon meat) and set aside.
Salmon fillet
In a large bowl mix the salmon, green onions, cilantro, bell peppers, mayo, egg, grated potatoes and spices. Make small flat rounds of mixture and coat with bread crumbs. Refrigerate the cakes for ½ hr. This will prevent them from falling apart and help marinate the shredded fish.
Make small flat rounds of the mixture and coat with bread crumbs
Shallow fry the cakes with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Squeeze a few drops of lemon on the cakes and serve hot on a bed of freshly cooked and seasoned couscous.
One Life to Eat 