South Indian inspired mutton stew with coconut milk and curry leaves

1. Marinate leg of a goat(cut into curry pieces) with salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and lemon juice overnight.
2. Slice 1 large red onion, fry with mustard oil in a frying pan with curry leaves, 1 bay leaf, an inch of cinnamon stick broken into smaller pieces. 
3. Grind coriander seed, peppercorn, fennel. Use 1 tsp each. Adjust according to taste. 
4. Add ginger paste and slit green chilies. Quarter potatoes, sprinkle salt and saute until the oil separates.
5. Transfer the meat to a pressure cooker. Cook till done. Add a dollop of desi ghee if you want.

Garlic shrimp in coconut milk

1. Marinate shrimp with lemon juice ( or white vinegar), 1 tsp of minced garlic, salt, turmeric, garlic salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, crushed pepper and coriander seeds




2. In a wok heat oil, add 5-7 slit green chilies, 1 finely chopped New Mexico chili, 1 tsp minced garlic and whole coriander seeds. Add the marinated shrimp.
3. Stir fry, turning often. You might add thinly sliced red onions here (optional).



4. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, chopped green onions. Cover and cook. Taste for salt when done.

The flavors are distinctly different from Chingri Malaikari, which is another favorite if you have jumbo prawns waiting to be devoured.

Chicken with soy sauce and coconut milk

Cooking, like most other things in life, is a quest. It can be more than a means to satisfy hunger. It can be an adventure, a spiritual journey and a way to show love. I am thinking about the mother who cooks for the daughter she hasn't seen for years, the kid who makes chicken soup with inept hands, the husband who makes French toast for breakfast. It need not be elaborate. The expressions vary. We might forget the details of a particularly flavorful dish, but we will always  remember how it made us feel. Comforted. Warm. Happy.

Years ago, my father made a spicy chicken dish in soy sauce and yogurt on my brother's birthday.  It was so long ago that he has forgotten the recipe. We can seldom recreate our own creations, but this is as close as I could get. I used coconut milk instead of yogurt and added curry leaves. Tweak to suit your taste. Search for your own perfection.

Method using wok or frying pan :

1. Clean, pat dry with paper towels and dice 2 lbs (1 kg) boneless chicken thigh into serving size. Marinate in salt, turmeric, ground cumin-coriander, red chili powder, ground black pepper, lemon juice overnight.
2. In a wok or nonstick frying pan, fry 1 big onion (finely chopped), minced ginger, crushed garlic, minced green chilies, 1 medium sized tomato, and 10 curry leaves.
3. Crush whole garam masala like 1 stick of cinnamon, 4-5 green cardamom, 5 -7 cloves, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds and 1/2 tsp peppercorn in mortar and pestle. Add to the wok.
4. When the onions have been fried well, add the chicken. Keep stirring. Do not cover yet.
5. Add 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp (or drizzle) low-sodium soy sauce. Stir and cover.
6. When the soy sauce is almost dry, add coconut milk. Cook till the oil separates.

Use whole green chilies instead of minced if you want it less hot.

Alternate method:
You may also use the ingredients to make a spicy roasted chicken. Use a cornish hen with skin on and rub the marinade inside the sking and over it. Cook 30 mins at pre-heated oven at 375 F (190 C) for 30 mins and turn to cook another  20-25 mins (or until the skin is crisp). Broil the last 10 mins. If you are using coals, place the chicken sufficiently distant from the heat so the chicken cooks through before the skin gets too brown.

Chingri Malaikari (Jumbo prawns cooked in coconut milk and yogurt)

1. Clean, remove shells and de-vein the jumbo prawns.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Rub salt, turmeric, red chili powder, a squeeze of lemon juice. Keep aside.
   
3. In a non-stick, heat mustard oil and saute the prawns on both sides until red. Remove from oil.
   
4. Add 1 tsp ghee and finely minced onions. Fry a little then add minced garlic, ginger and green chilies. 
5. Add 2 tsp of plain yogurt. Add 3-4 tbp of coconut milk. You may add 1 tsp of tomato paste for tanginess. When the gravy is about done, add 1 tsp sugar and then add the fried prawns. Cover and simmer. Flip once.
6. If the gravy is too thick -add 1 cup of warm water. Taste for salt. You may sprinkle crushed pepper if you like. You may also add a pinch of  home made garam masala and/or bhaja masala.

Best served with steamed rice

Egg curry with coconut milk

1. Boil 4- 6 eggs in a sauce pan with salt and water on medium heat.
2. Mince onions, garlic, ginger, serrano chilis and cilantro and fry in olive oil along with whole cumin seeds or mustard seeds, crushed cardamom and cloves.
3. Fry till the oil separates, add coconut milk, stir.
4. Peel  the egg shells,  make shallow slits all over and add to the gravy. Turn on low and simmer gravy thickens further. Add freshly chopped cilantro.

You can cook paneer/tofu or soft vegetables like carrots, squash in similar fashion.

Vanilla custard with mangoes

Here are two methods to do it A and B.

1. You can use (A) milk, vanilla custard powder of you choice or work with (B) coconut milk, egg yolks and vanilla essence.
2. Use ripe but firm mangoes, cut them into bite sized cubes.
3. (A)In a saucepan, bring milk to boil, add 4 tsp of custard powder and 2 tsp condensed milk. No sugar needed. OR alternately, (B) you can bring coconut milk to boil and whisk in 3 egg yolks, sugar to taste and vanilla essence. In either case, stir continuously so no lumps are formed.  You may also strain the custard through a sieve as an extra measure.
4. Pour into ramekins, add the mango and cool. Serve cold.

My mom makes it differently (the best way so far)- In step 3, she reduces the milk in saucepan while she mixes the custard powder in a little cold milk and add its later on.

In case there are lumps, you can sieve the custard to remove them.

You can also skip the mangoes and pour caramel over the custard to make vanilla creme brulee.