Taste of Saras

Chicken Pot Pie Soup In Puff Pastry Crust

While as a newly married couple for our first Valentine's Day we went to a restaurant in Bugis (Singapore) for dinner and they were specialized in making different type of soups in bowl. The best of all is - Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Crust..The taste was out of the world and no words can describe that creamy slurp taste of the soup.A pack of frozen pastry puff was laying in my freezer for a very long time and I was getting bored of preparing the same old puffs and decided to give pot pie a shot - made them exactly the same with my twist of add garlic and other ingredients. To my surprise the soup came out perfectly in taste and shape...indeed pleased with my afford in surprising my hubby with the pot pie soup when he's back from hard work..

Ingredients
Serving Size: 5

2 cups cooked chicken cubed
1 Small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can green peas, drained
1 can corn, drained
6 tbsp.…

Tempting Breakfast With a Twist

Ingredients
Serving Size: 5

For Egg Rava Dosai:
2 cups semolina
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp hing powder
salt to taste
1 inch ginger
4 green chillies
10 curry leaves
2 tbsp peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
eggs

Preparation Methods:

Blend rava, rice flour and buttermilk to make a thin batter, add hing powder and salt Let the batter stand for at least 6 hours. Wash and finely chop the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.
Crush the peppercorns and cumin seeds. Heat the ghee and roast peppercorn and cumin seeds in it and add to the batter. Mix the chopped greens, into the batter. Stir well.

Grease a non-stick tawa, smear little oil. Pour a ladle full of the batter and spread by swirling the tava. Pour a tablespoon oil around and on the dosai. Break the egg onto the dosai. Cook till it is crisp and golden in color. Remove and serve hot with different type curries with tomatoes:

1. Spicy Pearl Onion Chutney
2. Simple Tomato Curry
Spicy Pearl Onion Chutney
Ingr…

Source: Wikipedia
The quail family of birds includes edible game species. The Common Quail was previously much favored in French cooking, but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticated Japanese Quail. The Common Quail is also part of Maltese cuisine and Portuguese cuisine, as well as in Indian cuisine such as a bhuna. Quails are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them. Quail eggs are considered a delicacy. They are sometimes used raw in sushi and often found in Japanese Bento lunches. In Colombia, quail eggs are less exotic than in many other countries, and a single hard-boiled quail egg is a common topping on hot dogs and hamburgers, often fixed into place with a toothpick. In the Philippines, kwek-kwek is a popular street food delicacy, which consists of soft-boiled quail eggs dipped in orange-colored batter before being skewered and deep-fried.Quail eggs are often very …

Egg Tofu With Oyster Mushroom

Source: Wikipedia
Tofu or bean curd is a food of Chinese origin,[1] made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.Tofu is low in calories, contains a relatively large amount of iron and contains little fat.I happened to find these Egg Tofu in Asian Market one day and prepared this recipe which usually done by my dad when we were in Singapore very frequently. Well I can finish the whole plate myself just with plain steaming white rice and my son's favorite too. Anything made with bean curds is his favorite dish after eggs..



Ingredients
Serving size: 5

2 tube soft egg tofu
1 egg beaten well
1/2 cup minced chicken
1/4 cup thinly sliced oyster mushrooms
3 shallots finely…

Source: Wikipedia
Curry puff (Malay: Karipap, Chinese:咖哩角, Thai กะหรี่ปั๊ป, IPA: [kàrìː páp]) is a Malaysian, Singaporean and Thai, snack which is of Malay origin. It is a small pie consisting of specialized curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried pastry shell. In Malaysia, this snack is found at many stores, especially at Indian and Malay food stalls and Indian food stalls in Malaysia, it is quite common to find vegetarian curry puffs with potatoes, carrots and onions as fillings. The Malay curry puffs tend to be sweet while the Indian curry puffs are usually spicy.In Singapore the most popular curry brands are:- A1 Curry Puff, Old Chang Kee and Sim Sun Pastries. Polar Puffs and Cakes introduced the curry puff with western puff pastry, which has a different taste and shape.

After a very long time I'm making these curry puffs. When I was in Singapore if I have a urge to have these curry puff I will just a walk to the MRT station where the Old Chang Kee is located and I have …

Mutton Dhalcha
I can see that many would be wondering what is fancy dish is" Mutton Dhalcha" right? It's nothing just sambar prepared with Mutton. It might sound unusual for adding mutton to sambar but that's a very traditional to have as an accomplishment with chicken biryani or mutton biryani . Dhalcha is actually prepared and served in weddings (nikkah) which is the Indian Muslim community in Singapore and Malaysia. You can never find a Indian Muslim wedding without mutton dhalcha. During one of my classmates wedding I got the chance to taste and was very rich. The common vegetables which are added are carrots,potatoes,drumsticks and eggplants.A different twist in preparing sambar.When buy rotiparata from hawker centres in Singapore they commonly serve them with Dhalcha with mutton fats but hardly you can find mutton chunks..It would be very delicious when the roti is soaked with the curry....hehhehe just couldn't wait to go back there...

Serving Size: 5
Ingre…

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Source:WikipediaGreen curry (Thai: แกงเขียวหวาน, literally sweet green curry) is a variety of curry in Thai cuisine. The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish. The main ingredients for the sauce consist of coconut milk, green curry paste, aubergine, pea aubergine, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and thai basil leaves. The consistency of its sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk used. Green curry paste is made by pounding in a mortar green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, fresh turmeric, shrimp paste and salt. The paste is briefly fried in split coconut cream, then coconut milk, meat or fish, and vegetables added along with a pinch of brown sugar. Finally, kaffir lime leaves, phrik chii faa ("sky-pointing chilies", large mild chilies) and Thai basil are added just at the end of cooking for fragrance. Thai green curry can be made with meat, duck, chicken, fish or vegetables and is usually eaten as an accompan…

Coriander Mushroom Masala

Ingredients
Serving Size: 4

For the Masala:
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
a handful of mint leaves
3 curry leaves
3 shallots or half onion
half tomato
3 garlic cloves
a small ginger
1/4 tamarind juice
1/4tsp fennel seeds
2 dried chili
a little salt

Grind all into a fine paste..you can roast them with 1tbsp oil before grinding too..your choice.

1 cup chopped button mushrooms or canned ones
1 onion
1/2 mustard seeds
1/2 cumin seeds
1/4tsp turmeric powder
curry leaves salt to taste

Preparation Methods:
Coat a skillet with oil and add mustard. Once it starts to crack add the curry leaves,cumin seeds followed by the chopped mushrooms and a little turmeric powder and salt. Saute till the onions are browned and add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until they are half tender, then add the grind paste. Cover with lid on low flame and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the lid adjust the level of salt . Transfer to a serving bowl with chopped coriander leaves.

Source : Wikipedia
Chole Bhature
Chole bhature (Hindi: छोले भटूरे) is a combination of chole (spicy chick peas) and fried breads called bhatoora (made of maida flour).It is mainly eaten in North India and along with chole seems to be have originated in Punjab.It is a street food sold by vendor, and is commonly eaten for breakfast. Chole bhature are very popular in major urban cities.It is a heavy breakfast which is generally accompanied with lassi. There are different varieties of bhature available in the market such as aloo bhatura (bhatura filled with boiled potato), paneer bhatura (bhatura filled with cottage cheese) etc. Chole bhature are served with onions,lime and achar.It is also called Chola poori since the bhatoora resembles a poori.

Ingredients
Serving Size:4

2 cup all purpose flour
1/2cup rava slightly roasted
1tsp baking soda
1/2tsp baking powder
1cup hot milk as needed to make the dough
1 cup fresh yogurt
1tsp salt

Preparation Methods:

Mix the ingredients together and knead till a smo…

Curd RiceIngredients:1 cup curd 1/2 cup cooked riceSalt to taste1 green chilly seeds removed and finely minced1/4 milk

For Seasoning:1/4 tsp mustard seeds2 dried chillie fewfew curry leavesa pinch of hing
Preparation Methods:Combine the rice, curd,milk and salt-mix well. Teat the ghee in wok add the minced chillies,dried red chillie,mustard seeds,curry leaves and hing. Pour over the rice and mix well.

Mee Hoon Goreng

Theme for the Online Contest : " HEALTHY NUTRITIOUS WHOLESOME RECIPES"
I entered for a online contest and my entry for the RC 13 was Fried Rice Noddles With Minced Turkey Breast And Mixed Vegetables.Actually this recipe is know as Mee Hoon Goreng which is very popular Indian recipe of Singapore which has minced mutton and potato as main ingredients but I'm omitting both here to the taste of my family members. I'm add tofu,carrots,bok choy and beans sprouts as the vegetables which has all the necessary vitamins,fiber and minerals. Eggs and minced turkey breast has the proteins and of course the rice noddle is source for the carbohydrate in the recipe. Fats are found in olive oil.

Ingredients
Serving Size: 4

2 cups of cooked rice noddles
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup chopped bok choy
1 cup diced firm tofu
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup minced turkey breast
2 eggs
1 medium onion chopped
3 garlic clove minced
1tbsp chilli flakes
1tsp chilli powder
1/2tsp garam masala
1tsp…

Chicken Sambal

Sourse: Wikipedia
Sambal is a condiment popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as the Netherlands through Indonesian influence, and in Suriname. It is typically made from a variety of peppers, although chili peppers are the most common. Sambal is used as a condiment or as a side dish, and is sometimes substituted for fresh chilis; it can be very hot for the uninitiated. It is available at exotic food markets or gourmet departments in supermarkets in many countries

Ingredients:
For the Sambal Paste:
1 chopped onions
2 chopped tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
10 dried chillies (soaked in hot water for 1hr)
2tbsp crushed chillie flasks
5 garlic cloves
A small ginger
1tsp sugar
1tbsp tomato paste
1tsp shrimp paste (optional)
1tsp grounded anchovy (fry dried anchovy in 2tbsp oil and grind it)
3tbsp lime juice

Coat a frying pan with 2tbsp oil and roast all the above mention ingredient and grind to a smooth paste once cooled-keep aside.

Marinate for…

Sunday Delight
What so special about Sunday???That's the only day when we have a feast of all our favorite dishes to enjoy. Normally I don't cook much variety on weekdays as my son and home are not at home for lunch. My hubby doesn't like to bring heavy lunch to office..therefore Sunday I prepared different dishes or enjoy myself eating buffet either in Chinese or Indian Restaurant..rather than going for fast food. I tried out the following dishes and the taste perfectly. What a causal lunch to enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon with tempting meal for the tummy. Here goes the recipes for you to try ,taste and give comments:The serving size for all the dishes about five people......Serve these dishes with steaming plain rice or any variety of rice dishes like tomato rice or ghee rice...

Shrimp In Coconut GravyDeep Fried MasalaPomfretLong Beans FryShrimp In Coconut Gravy

Ingredients:
For the coconut Gravy:
1 cup freshly grated coconut or coconut powder
1tbsp hot chilli powder
1tbsp cor…

A Friendly Treat of Singapore Recipe and Party Menu:
As everyone knows I was brought up in Singapore. It's neither as big as India or USA. Just a small dot on the world map. Everything could be found easily. After marriage I hubby got job in USA and before coming here I was in India with my kids for sometime. I'm always surrounded with fun and people. When I first came here in 5 Oct 2007 I was feeling very lonely and we had a terrible time on flight as my daughter got fever. My luck got worst when Owasso was hit by ice storm after 25yrs . We had no electricity for 10 days and have to stay with my hubby's friend in Weatherford Texas. Then I got to know all my hubby's college friend and had gathering to have the feeling of home but we were the only Tamil speaking family. When I go for any functions or gatherings I had a very difficult time expressing myself to others and some cannot understand me. Wait that doesn't mean I cannot speak English ok :)We can feel homely w…