Category: Cooking classes

Super Burgers!!

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To make about 5-6 good size burgers;

 

1 Cup cooked quinoa

1 Cup cooked (rinsed/drained) black beans (Keep 2 Tbsp aside)

1 Cup of Kale leaves chopped roughly without the ribs

1/4 cup of carrots chopped

1-2 Green chillies (optional)

2 Cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt and black pepper to taste

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Super Burgers!! Full of Super foods!! Quinoa, Kale, Black Beans!

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Chop/Coarsely blend fresh Kale leaves (without the ribs), Garlic, carrots and black beans to a chunky paste.

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Consistency should be as above.

 

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Mix the Quinoa with the Black bean mixture

 

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Mix the left over black beans in the mixture to add some texture. Add the salt, pepper and the spices.

 

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Make hamburger patties (about 1/4″ thick) and cook in a skillet with a tsp of oil. (4-5 minutes on each side on medium heat).

 

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Serve hot/warm or at room temperature. I served this with fresh Avocado guac and mango pineapple salsa.

 

Paranthas! (Griddle flatbreads)

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Growing up in a North Indian “Punjabi” home, “Paranthas” (Griddle flatbreads) are what sweet tea is to the South here in the States. It is absolutely essential! Paranthas are nothing but Griddle flatbreads stuffed with a variety of fillings. Seasoned Vegetables, minced meats etc. The most traditional Parantha is a potato (aloo) or cauliflower (gobi). Below is my recipe for a fresh “Methi” Fenugreek parantha. I added some boiled potatoes to it to cut the bitterness of the greens out. You can also make these with Kale, Spinach, Collards etc. Enjoy!

Parantha

To serve 2-3;

 

1 cup of fresh Fenugreek leaves

1 medium potato boiled (peeled and mashed)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp roasted cumin seed powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1-1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

3/4-1 cup of luke warm water

1 tsp ghee/oil

 

Oil/ ghee to cook the paranthas

 

Fresh "Methi" Fenugreek leaves; Washed, Drained, Chopped fine

Fresh “Methi” Fenugreek leaves; Washed, Drained, Chopped fine

Mix Methi with boiled potato and fresh minced garlic

Mix Methi with boiled potato and fresh minced garlic; Mash all the ingredients well.

Add the flour, oil and water. Season with Salt and pepper and knead into dough.

Add the flour, oil and water. Season with Salt and pepper and knead into dough. Use water sparingly as required. Kneading is key here to activate the gluten.

Make a hamburger patty almost and flatten it using the palm of your hands.

Make a hamburger patty almost and flatten it using the palm of your hands.

Roll the patty using dry flour.

Roll the patty using dry flour.

Cook on a non stick griddle/skillet on both sides to a nice golden brown. (3-4 min each side) with a tsp of oil/ghee.

Cook on a non stick griddle/skillet on both sides to a nice golden brown. (3-4 min each side) with a tsp of oil/ghee.

 

Enjoy hot with fresh yogurt, pickles and fruit jam (YES, It’s the best!!)

 

Out with the old, In with the new !! Year End Recap 2013

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We are a day shy from the New Year! I cannot believe how fast this year flew by. I know, I know we all say that every single year BUT somehow 2013 went by really fast! and what a year it was!!Before we ring in the New Year, I wanted to take a minute and recap the wonderful year Freaky Curry has had. I wanted to thank you all for the overwhelming support and love for me and my passion. I also want to acknowledge all my friends and family for humoring me while I “grew” and “matured” in my art. 🙂 Without you all, this wouldn’t have been possible. So…..

Thank you!! 

Before we go “Out with the old, In with the new..” Let’s do a quick recap of 2013!! 

(Trust me when I say that I couldn’t find a way to post the thousands and thousands of pics taken)
January: Freaky Curry travelled to India and found teeny tiny coconuts!!
And made a MEAN MEEN Curry 😉
February: We celebrated Valentine’s day and the flirty weather Carolinas is famous for!
March: A lot of finger foods!!
 AND participated in a mini culinary challenge:
April: We were all about healthy eating !
May: Destination eating and welcoming the grilling season!
June: All about summer entertaining
July:  Birthday celebrations and A lil bit of everything
Happy Happy to me!!
August: Come cook with me!!
Yumm!!
September: Getting ready for Fall!
October: Vineyard picnics and more!!
Picnic recipes!!
November: Thanksgiving!
December: Holidays and introding Luca’s friends cooking corner for charity!
Cooking with kids!!
Quoting from my favorite poem really apt for beginning a New Year,And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie’s a hand o’ thine,
And we’ll tak a right guid willie-waught 
For auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne!
Translation:
And there is a hand, my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we will take a goodwill drink (of ale)
For times gone by!For times gone by, my dear
For times gone by,
We will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by.And whatever your tradition is to ring in the New Year, Whether it is black eyed peas, cooked collards, tangerines or a shot of whiskey….
Always remember; Food is a great leveler; Respect it, Cherish it, Share it. 

I wish you and yours health, hope and a presence of mind because everything else will follow. 

Happy New Year! 
Please “like” Freaky Curry on Facebook to get updates on 2014 Cooking classes and recipes.

Come cook with me at Amelie’s!! Scrapbook

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words.. I hope this scrapbook of pics and posts convey the energy, the excitement and the fun we all had at Amelie’s (THE BAKERY in town) where we gathered to cook together.. 

Happiest when my hair is up and am cooking 🙂

Our fabulous class!

Setting up !
Garam masala and Saffron
Let us begin.. 

Chopping.. and then some more

Smelling the delish saffron!

Chop away!
Grinding the saffron and sugar

Mixing with the mascarpone cheese
Chop chop chop away

Hamming it up for the camera!

Did not get the memo on closed toe shoes.. hmmm.. 😉

Chopped.. finally!

Well.. hi there!
The spice box..
umm… spices… 

Big pot means BIG THINGS are happening!! 
The Indian spicebox.. 
Mixing it up.. 

Stefanie showing us how to grate ginger
Let the cooking begin.. 

 

Saffron pilaf
Say Pakora!!!
When you cook, you shall taste!! Love the spirit of our “Home Chefs”..
Chicken makhani cooking away.. yummm
Did I mention, it was “them” who cooked and not me  ?? 😉
Shahi tukda stuffed with saffron infused mascarpone cheese

Frying pakoras.. delish!
Nothing like enjoying garam garam (hot hot) pakoras..
These ladies were so cool.. 

Chicken Makhani and Saffron pilaf
Loved these kids.. so much fun.. !
Dessert time !
Some heavy conversation happening there.. 
Enjoying the fruits of our labor..
Fun times!
Delish!! 
 A heartfelt Thank you for cooking with me!

Q&A time at the dinner table.
Let’s eat!

Come cook with me !! at Amelie’s!! Sneak peek..

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So, Freaky Curry had an opportunity to cook with some of Amelie’s fans last night.. 
What’s Amelie’s you ask ? 
SHUT UP!! (That’s the 13 yr old in me).. 
You don’t know ? It’s like the best bakery in town.. It’s like heaven on Earth.. It’s like the best coffee in Charlotte.. It’s like.. you get the picture.. It’s Amelie’s for crying out loud!! Salted carmel brownies ? 
SCB babies!! They make them.. It’s all Amelie’s!! 
I cannot talk about them enough.. 
So, I finally had a chance to cook at Amelie’s as a part of their cooking series that they host at their special catering and events location off of Plaza rd… At the Annex.. 
The Annex is a beautiful venue.. Great space for church gatherings, book clubs, showers and even weddings!
Do check them out the next time you are looking for a cool and a funky space to host your event. Stefanie Haviv and team are a pleasure to work with. 
Here I am.. Getting all set up for the class !

The menu and recipe cards for all the “students” to take home

Lil Amelie’s goodie bags.. filled with leftovers !
Umm.. Vino.. 

Something to nibble on with their wine and beer.. So thoughtful.. 

Battle ground.. lol .. The kitchen.. 

Our fabulous sous chef.. ..

Me just posing.. The folks below did all the cooking 🙂

Our fabulous class!! Really enjoyed everyone’s spirit in class..
What a treat to cook with you all..

Detailed post with pics coming up soon!! Watch this space closely 🙂

"Destination- eating": Weekend away to Charleston

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So if you remember my past blog on Destination Eating, my hubby asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said “I want to eat” 🙂 .. so I guess my girlfriends read my blog and took that and my desire to be at the beach to heart and treated me to a lovely weekend in Charleston, SC.  (My home away from home).
So here we are all set at 6:30 in the morning for our beach/culinary weekend!!

We have ARRIVED!! at the beautiful Isle of Palms.

After a few hours of soaking in the sun and sand.. It was time to start the culinary part of the trip.. First stop Hucks!! 
Glorious shrimp tacos with a pickled red onion topping (Try Freaky Curry’s own recipe for pickled red onions for your tacos the next time)
Delish Fish tacos with fresh feta!! salty and oh so crumbly… The fish was lightly battered and fried. Crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside. 
Homemade ice cream!! Say what ?? YES PLEASE !!
Cinnamon honey, watermelon sorbet, classic Vanilla.. 
YES, YES and YES!!
Perfect sampler to share. not too sweet and oh so light.. Cinnamon honey was everyone’s favorite, hands down!
After a scrumptious lunch, it was time to check into our hotel in historic downtown Charleston.. 
Champagne check in at the fabulous French Quarter Inn right in the middle of the historic downtown district.
What fabulous service!! (As I finish my second glass of champagne)..
 After a little rest and primping  up, we headed downstairs for a wine and cheese reception.. 
Oh Fabulousity!! LOL

Getting ready to hit the town!! 
Yes we match ! We know and we love it !! and so did folks in Chucktown..;)
Tried to get into Husk but no bueno.. miscommunication between us and the hostess plus it was too much to ask them to seat 5 of us together at the same time.. Mind you they don’t take reservations and yet they were committed for the night.. It was around 7:30 PM.. so I’m not sure what gives.. hmmmm.. 
Dinner and a birthday serenade at the amazing Magnolias..Had to wait an hour for a table but that gave us a chance to strut our stuff downtown and have a cocktail at the High Cotton which was hoppin’ !! Good looking patrons everywhere !! Good sights 🙂

Ah the smells and sights at Magnolias.. Delish.. Food smells and sights..  🙂 (I know what you were thinking).. 
None of us drank as we were swimming in wine and champagne by this point.. stuck to good ole’ H2O!!.. 🙂
Pickled Shrimp housemade benne seed crackers

Pickled shrimp –Almost like ceviche.. with a sesame cracker.. 
Boiled Peanut Hummus pickled okra, hot pepper relish, Charleston flatbread
Peanut hummus with almost fried wonton like strips for dipping and pickled okra.. a lil nutty and dense .. different.. a little chalky but a neat concept.. 
Salt and Pepper Fried Shrimp blackened grit cake, green tomato chow chow, peach jezebel sauce.

Salt and pepper shrimp—- DELISH!! came with a sweet and tangy relish..polished this off in a second.. 
Pan Seared Lump Crab Cakes lowcountry succotash, tomato butter

Crabcakes.. ’cause you are in Charleston baby.. you gotta have crabcakes.. delish, petite, light on breading.. nice sauce as an accompaniment. 
We girls were on a mission.. I loved it that everyone partook in the celebration of eating.. Yes I just called eating a celebration.. LOL.. 
We are not shy about our eating good food and drinking good vino.. Love my ladies..  🙂
After this, we also shared a filet, a salmon and a chicken entree’.. (No pics.. sorry).. Too busy eating and laughing I guess.. 
The girls tricked me into getting serenaded by this amazing man.. 
He sang “Happy Birthday” to me Opera style.. You have to ask for him the next time you go there.. I had goosebumps.. literally.. 
My birthday Creme Brulee’ medallion!! Made of chocolate..  🙂
Perfect for me and the rest of the girls to nibble on..  
So full at this point that we are not thinking or walking straight..Dresses are feeling a tad tighter, heels are hurting.. then we get asked by a random (happy on alcohol) man, if we were here for Salsa night.. and then we said “Lets’ go for salsa”.. 
Checked out the Saturday salsa night at the Southern Brewery.. 
Saw some “real” Salsa dancers put up a great performance.. 

Fun times.. So glad we went !
Got back to our comfy beds around 1:30 AM.. 
Night Night..

Next morning, after a leisurely Parisian breakfast at the Inn which included savory and sweet pastries, fruits accompanied by Mimosas and the works, we headed into the market for some sight seeing and walking around.. Found a great little restaurant Barbara Jeans.. Excellent service and El cheapo.. 

The pic below doesn’t do justice but the crab cakes (yes again) were falling off the fork.. the Fried okra was crisp and NOT greasy.. the red rice (not too heavy on the tomato) and the dirty rice were both distinct in flavors and oh it had flavor!!

Oh well.. We came, we saw and we ate.. and we ate and then ate some more… 🙂
Adios!! We’ll be back soon!! What a fun trip.. 

Thanks to all my chicas for bringing me out here to jump start my birthday celebrations.. Here’s to many more !!


Eating Uptown Series… Part Two – Dandelion Market

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So this week, my funny and very sweet co-worker and fellow blogger (http://www.thedishandmore.blogspot.com/ ) were in day long meetings!! Well, OK so it was a couple of hrs long but C’mon !! 12-2!! We were famished..and it really didn’t help us because we had already decided where to go for lunch.. 

The Dandelion Market.. ( www.dandelionmarketcharlotte.com/).. 

My husband and I had gone there for brunch with another foodie couple friends of ours.. and we really enjoyed the food, the service and of course the company was great too.  So I was really excited to go there with my friend.. 

We had been dreaming of lunch since morning so 2 PM couldn’t get here fast enough! Once the meeting was done, we walked fast to the restaurant. .. well when I say fast, as fast my 4″ heels could carry me I guess.. 

So we got there and there were only a couple of patrons which is pretty typical if you are trying  to get lunch at 2:30 !! The decor was very tasteful. exposed brick walls, wooden furniture.. very charming.. 

We were greeted and shown to our seats quickly.. that just meant we were a step closer to our food.  🙂

Both Melissa and I ordered the house mint Iced tea which was VERY refreshing.. Didn’t even need sugar to sweeten it up.. We both also ordered the grilled cheese and the tomato soup combination.. We added prosciutto and tomato (for me) to the sandwich. 

WOW!!!

Look at that thick cut of bread, tomato and the meat sticking out! Toasted well with butter.. . Delish.. 

This is after! Could barely finish the sandwich .. The soup was good enough to dunk the sandwich in.. 

Melissa delirious after eating… 


 Check her out on her blog.. (http://www.thedishandmore.blogspot.com/ )

Yeah I am tired after eating so much.. !! and the weather is humid today.. My hair can tell you that.. LOL!

but this was fun kids! Looking forward to another great Eating uptown series.. Next week ?? Hmm any suggestions ?

Eating Uptown Series… Part One- Metropolitan Cafe

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So, I have started working uptown in Charlotte, NC now. I love love love it!! The sights and the sounds of people walking by, the traffic, the vendors and most importantly the restaurants and eateries scattered all over.

In this series “Eating Uptown Series” I am attempting to give you all an honest reviews of my dining experiences at these local food hot spots. Some of them are fancy and some, not so much..I hope to give you my personal review of the food. One thing you can be all assured of is that I’ll be honest with you.

(I am definitely going to be making new friends with this one. Sigh.. )

My coworkers brought me back lunch today from the  Metropolitan Cafe in the Latta arcade as I had day long meetings.. (Thanks Christophe, Melissa and Jarod)..

Earlier in the week, I was super excited to hear that we were all planning to go this Turkish Cafe uptown..The last memory I have of Turkish food is Sofram.. (Read my post on that).. so obviously I was VERY excited.. Unfortunately my calendar filled up rather fast and I was unable to accompany my team mates for lunch.. Well, “take-out” to the rescue 🙂

I quickly looked at the menu and ordered the Mediterranean platter from the appetizer section.. My theory behind ordering this was : This will give me a chance to taste all the staples of a typical meal.. and also I have been eating lighter these days so no meat for me today.

This is what they brought back.. . for under $8!

I know impressive.. 🙂 

I started with a fork full of hummus.. chalky.. 🙁 took another bite, this time with a pita.. no flavor.. I felt the chickpeas were still raw.. 🙁 .. couple of bites more and I gave up.. Couldn’t taste the lemon, garlic or Olive oil.. Disappointed.. The pita tasted like it had been brushed with previously used oil.. maybe oil they use for frying the falafels.. 

The falafels were nice and big, like oversized golf balls. The exterior was nice and crispy but the middle was soft, doughy and uncooked.. The dough kind of just popped out of the exterior crust.. (as if saying “Am outta here”!!) 

Soooo not cool. 


Moving on to the grilled eggplant salad.. First taste I got was of “heat”.. After the bland hummus and falafels, that’s all that my tongue could register. “Heat”.. slowly I tasted the grilled flavor of the eggplant.. I kinda liked it.. I would have loved it, if the eggplant flavor was not diluted.. I felt that the salad was too watery and that maybe diminished the “eggplant” flavor.. 

Last I tried the grape leaves.. They were good…. Tangy leaves stuffed with the typical mushy rice mixture..  They were my favorite followed by the eggplant salad. SO overall, I was not impressed by the food at all.. 

In the same vein, one of my co workers rated the restaurant a 6 out of 10. 

But then for under $8, what do you expect? 

Wait a minute!! I expect a whole lot.. Maybe I will try going in person and seeing if the service was any better than the food 😉 ?? We’ll see.. 

Here’s to more eating this weekend… Next post up from Charleston! You heard it.. I’ll be in Chucktown this weekend so more good eating reviews soon!! Happy Friday!