Family Fridays #5 Okra Omelette

It's that time of the week again. Everyone is finishing up their last few things before the weekend can begin! Today, we're celebrating the weekend with a delicious new recipe!!Glee is the editor and founder of HappySis.com, a quarterly women´s magazine written by Christian women. She wrote the Happy Sister Devotional: 61 Days of Happiness and Inspiration to help women find happiness in having a close relationship with God. Visit her site to download your free copy.

I don´t exactly know the name of this Filipino dish but I call it “Okra Omelet”. I learned it from a Home Economics class in second year high school when I went to an exclusive Christian boarding school for only a year.It´s a Seventh Day Adventist Academy in the Philippines, and yes, I´m an SDA. If you´re familiar with the SDA schools, they´re usually located away from cities, on top of mountains or hills, with lots of trees.I remember one quiet afternoon in 1996; we sophomore students were engrossed with our cooking group activity at the cafeteria, a small building located at the far back of the campus, almost isolated from the rest of the school buildings and facing a rich, virgin forest. It was on that afternoon when I was introduced to this quick but delicious dish which would later become one of my (future) husband´s favorite dishes.It´s really quick and easy to do, and yummy too! I bet kids would also love it.We don´t have an abundant supply of Okra here in Germany, so we have to purposely drive to a Turkey store and stock up on okra if it happens to be available. If we have enough Okra, we definitely make this dish, although lately I´m also learning to make the yummy “Okra Curry, Indian Style”.Ingredients:½ kilo Okra4 eggsHalf union1 big tomato (or 6 tiny tomatoes)Some cooking oilDirections:Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces. Beat the eggs (seasoned with salt, garlic + pepper powder) in a bowl.Boil the ladies fingers (okra) until half cooked. Then put the half-cooked ladies fingers (okra) on a flat plate. Season them with salt, and then flatten them using a fork.Mix the chopped onions, tomatoes, the beaten eggs, and the flattened okra in a big bowl.Heat a pan over medium heat. Fry the mixed eggs and okra on a flat pan until brown. Flip the okra to fry the other side.Serve with a small bowl of hot rice.Cooking isn´t my passion but since I got married, my cooking skills has improved a lot and I´m learning to love it. It´s one of the ways I express my love to my husband. I´ve learned and discovered many recipes and I´m open for more learning. There´s nothing like a tender “thank you” kiss from hubby after we said our grace, and before we enjoy a delicious meal.I mostly cook Filipino dishes, which, thankfully, my Filipino husband who grew up in Germany love. But when he´s not busy at work, he comes home after five, gives me a hug and a kiss, and tells me to relax for he´s taking over the kitchen. He´s a real great cook and he loves making his own recipes. He likes cooking German foods.But the Okra Omelet is a great dish to try. So if you´re ready to have something new, visit an Asian store, look for some Okra, and let me know how it goes. Enjoy.

Family Fridays #4 German Marble Cake

Linda Dunsmore is German/American but lives and works in South Korea. She has a lovely Korean fiancé and writes about their intercultural relationship. Linda has a wonderful blog and also writes about life in South Korea, China, language learning and traveling.You can find her at her blog: www.lindalivinginchina.comOn facebook On twitter  One of the many advantages of growing up in Germany was the traditional cuisine. My mother and grandmother are master chefs and bakers which results in regular coffee and cake time and elaborate dinners. Cakes and pies take up a great amount of German cuisine and it’s common to drink coffee and have pastry or cake with it in the afternoon. One of y favorite cakes is “German Marble Cake”.I grew up in a bicultural household – my mother is German and my father is American. Even though I consider myself “German American”, I see Germany as my home and it’s where my heart lies. Now that I live in South Korea, it’s hard to stay connected with where I am from. German restaurants are a rare sight here and without the proper tools it’s hard to create authentic German dishes. The expat life isn’t always easy, especially when you miss home a lot and cannot find homemade food. However, even just one recipe can turn the world around make you happy in an instant when you’re having a bad day in your host country.If you want to know more about Germany or life in South Korea, visit my blog.

German Marble Cake

(Original recipe makes 1 -10 inch tube cake)

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons dark rum

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs, then the milk and almond extract.
• In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Turn half of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa and rum.
• Layer the light and dark batters by large spoonfuls and then swirl slightly with a knife.
• Bake the cake in at 350 degree F (175 degree C) for about 70 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick. Transfer to a rack to cool. Makes about 14 to 16 servings.

What I love about this recipe is that the cake looks really difficult to make due to the marble look but is actually easy to bake! Also, you can keep the cake for a long time and don’t have to eat it all up in a couple of days! It’s great for breakfast and/or a snack at school or work!Nobody can say no to a German Marble Cake!-Linda 

Family Fridays- Chicken Tikka Masala

 It's my favorite time of the week, Family Fridays!! This week we're doing it a little differently. Instead of a reader sharing a recipe on here, I'm sharing a recipe on Mixed Roots Stories. Today's super delicious recipe is Chicken Tikka Masala! This is probably the most popular recipe I've shared. Who doesn't like moist chicken in a creamy tomato sauce paired with some really good naan? Exactly. I learned this recipe about four years ago. We went to visit my in laws and we all decided to spend the weekend enjoying great food. We had chicken curry, naan, parathas, fish cutlets, and more. One night, while we had a few pots of Indian food simmering on the stove, Stevie-nanna (my father in law's brother) taught me how to make Chicken Tikka Masala. I've made it three times a month since! I even got so bad while I was pregnant with Levi and made it three times a week. What can I say? I had to give the baby in my belly what he wanted and he wanted himself some amazing Chicken Tikka Masala. If you'd like to see the recipe, go check it out at Mixed Roots Stories. 

Family Fridays #3 Junnu

I'm very excited about this week's Family Fridays edition! I was able to get a recipe for my brand new pressure cooker! I've never used one, but everyone here assures me it makes life much easier! Instead of an Indian dish taking a full day to cook, it only takes 30-45 minutes! This week's recipe is brought to us by Padma. She is going to teach us how to make Junnu. Her and her husband have two beautiful children and she wants to share a bit about her family with us. What makes this dish special to you?My three siblings and I grew up eating Junnu. I missed it after moving to the US, but didn't know how to make it. One day, a friend of mine brought it to my Telugu fellowship. She shared the recipe with me and now I can make it whenever I want!  JunnuIngredients:3 eggs1 cup sweetened condensed milk1 1/2 cups half and half milk Few peppers1 tsp of cardamom                         Directions:Beat 3 eggs in a big bowl and add condensed milk. Mix. Add half and half and combine. Add in crushed peppers and cardamom on top of it and put the lid on. Pour some water in your pressure cooker. Put the bowl inside the pressure cooker and close the it. Let it cook for 40 to 45 minutes over low flame.Do you want to share a family recipe? If so click here. Did you like this post? If so don't leave before you sign up for my weekly newsletter!

Family Fridays #2 Drumstick Sambhar

(To hear more from Alexandra, check out her blog!)This sambhar is my husband's favorite and one of the classic comfort-food recipes for any Indian wife. It has a perfect amount of vegetable, protein from the dal, and spice. There is no chilli powder and not much oil in it, which makes it a versatile dish. It is very popular in South India and you can get it at any restaurant, or as Indians say "hotel"! Plus, it's a sure way to any South Indian man's heart!

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1 cup toor dal

- 2 cups water

- 8-10 pearl onions, whole

- 2 drumsticks (mulakkada) 

- 1 carrot

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp sambhar powder

- 1/2 cilantro

 

Tempering ingredients:

- 1 tbsp oil (peanut or sunflower)

- 1 tsp mustard seeds

- 1 tsp cumin

- 2 dashes asefotida

- 10-15 fresh curry leaves

 

Directions:

 

Wash dal, drain it, and put it in the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. 

Take the skin off the pearl onions and add them whole into the pressure cooker.

Peel the carrot. Chop the drumsticks and carrot in half, and then cut to finger-length size pieces. Add to pressure cooker.

Add the turmeric, salt and sambhar powder to the pressure cooker.

Pressure cooker for 8-10 mins, then turn off and let it cool down.

 

Open up the pressure cooker and add 1-2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.

Add 1/2 cup cilantro to the boil.

When it gets to the perfect consistency, start the tempering.

 

For the tempering, in a small omelette pan, pour 1 tbsp oil over medium heat.

Add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. 

Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the asefoetida and cumin.

When the cumin starts to brown, add the fresh curry leaves and saute for 10 seconds.

Then pour in the tempering into the boiling sambhar, mix and turn off.

 

This sambhar is great along with idly, dosa, over rice, or as a soup.

 

Don't forget to check out our very first Family Friday post! 

Family Fridays

In starting this blog, I had the intention of finding like minded people. I wanted to share what I've learned in my marriage and parenting biracial children. I've been surprised by what I found. I didn't just find a few people that wanted to hear my story. Instead I found a huge community of people in similar positions, a little family. I love talking to people in intercultural relationships! My definition of an intercultural relationship even changed. I thought it was two people from two completely different cultures coming together. I realized it doesn't necessarily mean two different countries. We've all been raised in different cultures and starting a relationship means blending the two. This blog is about family. It's about sharing experiences and a little something that can help you in your own life. I love being able to share my family with all of you. Now, it's your turn. I'm starting a new project called, Family Fridays. It's an opportunity for all of you to share your family with us. What better way than over a good meal!? Family Fridays will be a chance for you to showcase a family recipe and share a bit about your family. If you're interested in taking part in Family Fridays, email me at almostindianwife(at)gmail(dot)com. Let me know a little about you and what recipe you'd like to share. Then I will email you back details. Check out our first guest post here!  

Family Fridays #1 Chile Salsa

Hello Almost Indian Wife followers! I feel like Brittany should create a catchy name for you, a la celebrity fans like Beliebers or Little Monsters…she’ll have to think on that one.Brittany knew that I had married into a culturally rich family like her and asked if I could write something about my experiences in living that life. Being ¼ Mexican, I think I always craved the experience of rich culture that had been so watered down by the time it got to me.  Seriously, when Toula was complaining about being Greek in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I was ready to jump through the screen, push her out of the way and start yelling “opa!” while snapping my fingers in the air.It comes as no surprise to me that I ended up marrying someone with the last name Muzzalupo-Rivas.  My husband is half Mexican, half Italian (yes, he is as gorgeous as you might imagine) and while these cultures may not be as foreign to most Americans as the Indian culture, there are still certainly some gaps to leap over as the Mexican/Italian version of being a “thella.”  The first time I made my husband burritos he politely over-looked my canned Rosarita beans, under-seasoned ground beef and Pace salsa but the moment I tried to heat my tortillas in the microwave, I thought he might leave me. You can just call me Blanquita! For the record, the proper way is to heat them in a pan until they are pliable and slightly crispy.When I first met Luis’s grandparents I was so nervous and really had no idea what to say.  They both have very thick Mexican accents and I struggled to correctly answer his grandfather’s questions without just nodding, smiling and giving vague “yeah, it’s really great” answers.  Grandma was suspiciously and nerve-rackingly quiet and after a slightly awkward moment of silence about 15 minutes into the visit she finally said, “So, you cook?” After bumbling around a bit I finally managed “yes, actually, I love to cook.” We’ve been pretty cool ever since.  I grew up eating PB&J’s, Mac ‘N’ Cheese, and vegetables out of the can.  Bleak, I know.  Being a part of this family has been a culinary revelation! I’m talking homemade tamales, guacamole, POZOLE, chile…the list goes on and on.  I really am so grateful to be part of my own “Big Fat Mexican Family” but let’s get real…I’m there for the food. Just kidding. Kind of.  I thought I would share with you all Grandma Rivas’s chile recipe as it especially close to my heart. And stomach. Enjoy!You may be wondering what that even is! I think I’ve come to take this knowledge for granted.  Chile is the “salsa” that many Mexicans use in authentic cuisine.  It is a smoky, spicy, a little salty but mostly just amazing concentration of charred hot peppers, tomatoes and garlic. It’s awesome on grilled meats, beans, or shoot, just try it on anything!

Chile Salsa

16-20 small chiles of your choice (guajillo, mora, arbol, red jalapeno pepper , chipotle)1 small whole tomato3 clove garlic1/4 cup waterSalt

Cooking Instructions

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat; add all ingredients to the pan. Cook each chile, until slightly blackened, garlic until lightly browned and tomato until tender.Puree the vegetables and chilies with 1/4 cup water in a food processor into a coarse salsa. Season with salt to taste.