Spicy Baby Bok Choy with Masala

So my boyfriend is Fijian-Indian and his mom is hands down THE BEST INDIAN FOOD COOK EVER. Believe me, although I am not Indian, I am an avid Indian food eater and would consider myself a sort of Indian food connoisseur. ;) With the many visits that I make to my bf's house, I have managed to pick up some handy dandy cooking tips from his mom. <3

I randomly came up with this dish because all I had left to eat in the apartment was raw baby bok choy. Of course, I'm not trying to make a smoothie out of bok choy (that's weird...or maybe not...) and I'm not trying to spend money eating out everyday. SOOOO this left me with one option: making use with what I have. Let's just say I ain't complaining about the end results of my cooking adventure. ;)

Spicy Baby Bok Choy with Masala


Ingredients: 
1 tbsp oil
1/2 small onion 
1 head of garlic
1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds) (You can find them here if not at your local Indian grocery store or spice store.)
1 tbsp masala powder
1/2 tbsp chili powder (or even better, use real chili peppers!)
3 cups of baby bok choy
salt to taste
5 dashes of Cholula hot sauce (or any watery hot sauce you have on hand)

Directions:
1.) Finely chop your onion and garlic. 
2.) Heat up oil in a pot or pan. When hot, add in onion, garlic, methi, masala, and chili. You will know it's hot enough if you hear that charming sizzle from the hot oil. Heat and stir occasionally until onion is browned.
3.) Add in the bok choy and simmer until all the liquid that is released from the bok choy has evaporated. Stir occasionally so that the bok choy doesn't burn! (~15-20 minutes, so be patient!)
4.) Add salt and hot sauce to taste.
5.) Serve with brown rice or roti.

Makes ~ 2-3 servings. 

Side note: She doesn't use measurements. She goes with her gut, using all the knowledge that her mom taught her. Because she cooks everyday for her family, she just knows how much of each item to put into the cooking pot. I did my best to convert the ingredients into measurable ingredients for your convenience! :)

This tasted amazing! I'm really proud of how it turned out. You can always adjust the amount of spiciness to your preference. The most important part of this recipe to get maximum flavor is browning the onion in oil with garlic, methi, masala powder, and chili powder. Even if you don't like spicy, chili powder is an amazing ingredient that contributes greatly to this dish's flavor factor and I'm pretty sure there are chili powder varieties out there that aren't spicy. :) So for you non-spicy eaters, go find that non-spicy chili powder! 

Try out this delicious and healthy dish packed with vitamin A and C! If you make it, I'd love to see how it turns out for you and any personal twists you placed into it! :)

Enjoy! :)


Nutrition Info (per serving): Calories 78.5 Total Fat 4.8 g Saturated Fat 0.4 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.8 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 136.7 mg Potassium 208.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 8.2 g Dietary Fiber 0.7 g Sugars 1.7 g Protein 3.0 g Vitamin A 61.0% Vitamin C 39.2%

Calorie counter used: http://www.sparkpeople.com/calorie-counter.asp


Whole Wheat Turtle Bread with Chocolate Filling

Hello! I hope you are all are doing well this Thursday evening! :) I have a new recipe to share....Whole wheat turtle bread filled with delicious sweet chocolate! Can you say yummmmm??? ^_____^ It's really easy to make and it'll be a hit with the fam especially if you have kids~! But totally an all-ages enjoyable treat. :)


Whole Wheat Turtle Bread with Chocolate Filling


Here's an awesome cut open view of my turtle's chocolate innards (disregard missing legs...some of my kitchen helpers could not wait...):



Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (Note: You only need 1 1/2 flour for the first step.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute
1 egg
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (Note: Reserve 2 chocolate chips for the eyes.)

Directions:
1.) In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.
2.) In a small saucepan, gently heat water, milk, and butter until warm. (Or you could microwave until warm to touch.) Stir into yeast mixture. 
3.) Stir in egg. Stir in remaining flour. Knead the dough until smooth and springy. You may need to add a little more water if your dough is too dry or a little more flour if your dough is too wet. (Note: A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY, so be patient with you dough and see how it goes. :]) Cover with plastic wrap or a wet towel and let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. I like to let my dough rise in the microwave (Of course, not on!) 
4.) Lightly grease cookie sheet with cooking spray, margarine, or shortening. Shape a 2-inch ball-shaped dough for the turtle's head. Shape 4 walnut-sized ball-shaped dough for the turtle's legs. Shape a walnut-sized oval-shaped dough for the turtle's tail. Attach head, feets, and tail to body by placing one end of each under the body and pinching them together. Cover and allow your dough to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. 
5.) A few minutes before your timer goes off, preheat your oven to 400°F. Make a 1/2-inch-deep circular cut around the top edge of the body. Stuff the middle with all that yummy chocolate goodness! :D Place the top of the body back on and make crisscross cuts in the center like a turtle's shell. Bake 20-25 minutes until browned! 

Makes ~ 8 servings.

Side note: You can store the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you are planning on making this in advance. When you store it, grease a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn it all around to grease the dough all over. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. For an easier shaping process, let the dough stand at room temperature for 20 minutes after you take it out of the fridge. 

This was super fun to make & it tasted great especially with the chocolate filling~! If you end up making this recipe, please share your results with me! I would love to see how it turns out for you or hear about any suggestions on how to improve the recipe!

Enjoy~! :)

Nutrition Info (per serving): Calories 225.4 Total Fat 6.5 g Saturated Fat 3.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.6 g Cholesterol 23.5 mg Sodium 321.1 mg Potassium 50 mg Total Carbohydrate 39.4 g Dietary Fiber 5.9 g Sugars 9.1 g Protein 6.5 g

Calorie counter used: http://www.sparkpeople.com/calorie-counter.asp


Whole Wheat Chinese Steamed Buns (or Mantou 馒头)

This was my favorite childhood bread and I still enjoy it to this day. I remember my mom taking me out to Chinatown and buying a whole box of huge white squared steamed buns. Best served right out of the steamer. Some people like to eat it with condensed milk, but personally, I prefer it without. Today, I'm going to teach you how to make this recipe with whole wheat flour.

Whole Wheat Chinese Steamed Buns (or Mantou 馒头)



Ingredients:
3 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup warm water
6 g (1 packet) yeast
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp oil

Directions:
1. Pour yeast in warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder.
3. After yeast is activated, pour into the dry ingredients.
4. After they are mixed, mix in the oil.
5. Let it sit covered for 15 minutes.
6. Roll it out lengthwise like a French roll and tuck in the sides. Cut into squares/rectangles.
7. Let sit for 45 minutes to rise. 
8. Steam for 15 minutes.

Makes ~ 12 steamed buns. 

They taste delicious! It's very healthy, filling, and nutritious! If you end up making this recipe, please share your results with me! I would love to see how it turns out for you or hear about any suggestions on how to improve the recipe!

Enjoy! :)

Nutrition Info (per bun): Calories 169.6 Total Fat 1.9 g Saturated Fat 0.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 41.4 mg Potassium 2.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 36.0 g Dietary Fiber 4.6 g Sugars 8.3 g Protein 5.0 g

Calorie counter used: http://www.sparkpeople.com/calorie-counter.asp
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