Chinese salt, good or bad ?

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The debate continues on the use of Chinese salt commonly known as Monosodium Glutamate (or Ajino moto as we say). Although we use it very regularly in our Chinese recipes, we have never given a thought on whether its good for our health or not.

Many people have been reported for side effects after eating this salt and we never give a thought to whether it really enhances the taste of our food or not. Most people add it in their food just because they think it’s a necessary element of Chinese food.  But in reality it is not. I never used it in my recipes and still get the same taste from my Chinese recipes.

Ehow gives an insight into the Effects and Side effects of using the salt.

Paalak Paneer (Spinach with cheese)

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Uptil now, I used to make Paalak (spinach) in the same traditional way as Paalak Gosht (with meat) and was now searching for something different. Had frequently heard the name of Paalak Paneer but did not have the recipe as easy as this one. When I tried it out, it turned out to be super yummylicious. It might not look very attractive from the pic I have uploaded (my photography skills, you know :p), but believe it or not, it was really worth trying…  

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves              500g

Paneer (Cottage cheese) 150g (cut into ½ inch squares)

Oil for deep frying

4tbsp ghee or oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground roasted cumin

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp ground turmeric

Salt to taste

225 g tomatoes finely chopped

Recipe:

Boil the spinach in water for a few minutes until the spinach is tender. Cool, then blend to a smooth paste in blender. Fry the paneer in a deep frying pan until golden brown. Drain.

Heat oil in a wok, fry the onion with ginger garlic paste until golden brown. Stir in the ground spices, salt and tomatoes and cook until ghee appears on the surface. Add spinach and paneer and simmer for about 10 minutes until the paneer is soft and spongy. Add a little water during cooking if necessary. Serve hot with naan or chapatti.

Crispy Fried Chicken

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This crispy yummy chicken is very easy to make snack. You dont have to do a lot of preparation for this.
Just take:

3 tbsp Soy Sauce        

1 tsp Red chilli powder          

Salt to taste

Egg                              1 beaten

Bread crumbs               1 cup

Ssame seeds                 1 tsp

Chicken pieces 250 gm

Oil for deep frying

Recipe:

Put slits on the chicken pieces with a knife so the marinade can absorb inside the pieces easily. Mix red chilli powder and salt in soy sauce and rub over the chicken. Let it marinate for about half an hour. Dry the chicken with the marinade in a frying pan on low flame. When the chicken dries up, take it off the flame. Mix the sesame seeds with breadcrumbs in a bowl. Heat the oil in a pan. Now take a piece of chicken, dip it in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs and fry them in the pan on a low flame. When the chicken pieces are lightly browned, take them out. Serve with ketchup or chilli garlic sauce.

Spicy Potatoes (chatpatay aaloo)

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This one is for the spicy tongues… found this recipe in one of my cookbooks… changed it a bit according to my taste and here it goes, another yummy recipe…

Ingredients:

Potatoes                       3 to 4 medium size

Cumin seeds                  1 tsp

Red chilli powder            1 and half tsp

Salt                               to taste

Garam masala               1 tsp

Turmeric powder            1 pinch

Lemon  juice                  1 tsp

Green chillies, fresh coriander for garnish

Recipe:

Boil the potatoes in their skins, then drain, peel and cut into ¼ inch pieces. Heat oil in a pan and fry cumin seeds over medium heat until they turn lightly brown. Stir in the potato pieces and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the chilli, salt, turmeric and garam masala. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until water has been absorbed. Pour in the water, bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle with garnish.

Spice List

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Now you don’t have to go to the market every time you try out a new recipe. I have compiled a list of some basic Pakistani spices alongwith their Urdu as well as English names which you must have in your kitchen shelves and they make up almost all Pakistani recipes. You can still let me know I something is missing.

Red Chilli Powder / Pisi Lal mirch

Whole red chilli / Saabat Lal mirch

Red Chilli flakes / Kuti Lal mirch

Salt / Namak

Corriander powder / Dhania powder

Corriander Seeds / Dhania beej

Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder

Ginger Powder / Adrak Powder

Garlic Powder / Lehsan Powder

Cinnamon / Daar chini