Salmon Tandoori

The tandoori dish is made from an Indian recipe to prepare chicken or fish in a clay oven called a tandoor. The spices used for marinating to make the tandoori dish are cumin, graham masala, Indian chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, and lime juice. Some tandoori dishes use more spices depending upon the region of India. Most of the spices used to make Indian dishes are sold in Indian grocery stores. Some American grocery stores do not carry Indian spices. I think semi-homemade tandoori fish is possible to make at home. I found the tandoori sauce in some American stores, such as Aldis or Walmart and that gave me an idea to create this recipe for you. The already made tandoori sauce gives the depth of flavor of cumin and graham masala and other Indian spices. Other ingredients are easy to find in American grocery stores. Nowadays, many ovens will have a function similar to an Indian tandoor. I make this dish in a countertop oven or grill in a cooktop, and it still turns out with very good taste.

Ingredients:

Two 8 oz. salmon fillets

Marinade ingredients:

1/4 cup ready-made tandoori sauce

2 tbs nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tbs lime juice and zest of the lime 

2 garlic cloves, ground into a paste

1 small piece of fresh ginger – skin removed, ground into a paste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp salt

1 /2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sugar 

1 tbs grape seed oil

Other ingredients:

1/2 onions, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

 Directions:

Cut salmon fillets into big chunks and place in a bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well.  Adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste.

Pour the mixed ingredients over the salmon. Let salmon marinate for 30 minutes to an hour, but not more than 1 hour.

How to bake the salmon:

Turn oven to 400°. Place chopped onion on the baking dish and place salmon chunks on top of the onions and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the fish over halfway through the baking time to get even cooking.

To grill the fish:

Turn up the outdoor oven. Brush some oil over the pan to prevent the fish from sticking. Place the onion in first and then the fish over the onion. Grill fish for 5 minutes and turn them twice to get the desired doneness.

Serve with cooked rice.

No-Knead Soft Milk Bread

Making bread is fun for most, but a headache for some, especially if you are not patient. I always find an easy recipe to follow for most of my bread recipes because I am one of the people who do not have patience to make bread the traditional way. This sweet milk bread is best made by a lazy person, but the result is still fantastic. This bread is soft and sweet with a hint of coconut milk. This recipe bakes up with just a few quick steps with very little mess. Making this bread for breakfast or for a snack can be enjoyed often.

Ingredients:

Wet ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup coconut milk or regular milk

Dry ingredients:

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour or bread flour

2 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast

Other ingredients and equipment:

1/4 cup soft butter

1 egg 

Large baking tray lined with parchment paper

Large bowl with lid

Directions:

In a glass container, combine the sugar, salt, and coconut milk. Warm it up in a microwave for just 1 minute because then the milk will not be too hot to kill the yeast nor not too cold to activate the yeast.

Add egg and mix well.

In a bowl, combine the flour and yeast. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk until no dry flour remains. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, stir in the soft butter. Use your hands to mix the butter into the dough.

Cover with lid and let it sit at room temperature to rise until double in size.

When the dough is double in size (about 60 to 70 minutes depending upon the temperature in your kitchen), sprinkle flour on the countertop and place the dough on the flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. 

Flour your hands and stretch each portion of the dough into a long strip (about 5 inches long).

Place each strip side by side touching each other onto the prepared baking tray. 

Cover with a towel and let rise a second time (about 40 minutes).

After the dough has risen for a second time, break an egg and brush it over the dough.

Bake in the preheated oven at 350° for 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

Red Been Mochi

The cakes, known as Mochi, are cute round buns made of soft and chewy rice.  This sweet rice cake is a Japanese tradition served at New Year. The traditional way to make this cute sweet rice cake is complicated. The resulting sticky rice dough then formed into a final Mochi shape, normally will be a round shape, then baked or boiled. Families traditionally celebrate New Year by cooking a vegetable broth in which they heat the Mochi and drink it. The filling for this cute cake is made of red bean paste, mung bean paste, black sesame seed, or nowadays ice cream.  The Mochi is popular all over the world. With a fast moving society that we are now living, the simplest way to make Mochi will be worth it to try at home. Making fresh Mochi at home and filling with your favorite stuffing with this easy Mochi recipe will make all your guests happy.

Ingredients: 

For the dough:

1 cup sweet rice flour (sticky rice)

1 tbs wheat starch (optional)

2 pandan leaves roughly chopped

1 cup water

2 tbs sugar

For the filling:

1/2 cup dry red beans

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup coconut powder or flakes (optional)

Other ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch

Equipment

4 inch diameter glass bowl 

Sauté pan

Instant pot

Directions: 

Soak the dry beans overnight and drain.

Place the soaked beans into the instant pot. Add 1 cup water; close the lid and turn pressure cook for 8 minutes (this assumes that you already know how to use the instant pot). However, you can cook the beans in a pot until soft.

Place all the cooked beans with water into a food processor and grind the cooked beans into a paste.

Pour the bean paste into the sauté pan. Add sugar and coconut flakes and slow cook this paste until it is completely dry, adding the butter at the end which will make the bean paste look glossy. 

You can use the red bean paste in a can. It will save you time for this step. The red bean paste in a can sold at a Korean grocery or Japanese store. 

When the bean paste cools off, wet your hands and divide the bean paste into 12 round portions.

To make Mochi dough:

Place roughly chopped pandan leaves with water into a mixer and blend well. Pour the pandan mixture through a sieve. Discard the leaves.

In the glass bowl, add sweet rice, wheat starch, and sugar. Mix well.

Pour the pandan water into the rice flour mixture and mix well.

Cover the bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Take it out and stir the mixture to prevent any lumps, and put it back into the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes or until the dough looks shiny.

To assemble the Mochi:

On a clean countertop or piece of wooden board, sprinkle the cornstarch onto a work surface big enough to handle the cooked dough.

Pour the cooked dough into the cornstarch mixture. Let it cool off enough for you to handle the dough (about 2 minutes). Form the dough into a baton and divide the dough into 12 portions.

Dip your hand into the cornstarch to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Flatten the dough and place the red beans ball into the center of the dough and pinch the dough to cover the filling. This technique will take time for the beginner to make it right. 

Place Mochi into the small muffin paper liners. If you do not eat the Mochi right away, keep them fresh in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring it out into the room temperature for 10 minutes and enjoy the Mochi.

Tip: if you do not have fresh pandan leaves, you can add vanilla to the dough and use a food coloring to make dough with a different color as you wish. 

Basic Small Cake

Have your cake and eat it too is a phrase that indicates the simple way to do everything. I like this phrase very much and start to implement it with my cooking. I will introduce small-batch desserts or savory special cake for birthdays, even though I am not a baker and never will claim to be. The small-batch of any recipes will make it easy to follow. However, if it does not turn out right, it will not break your bank with only a small investment for the ingredients. Also, for people who like to taste a sweet cake but are afraid of gaining weight, the small-batch recipe will help to prevent that whenever you are hungry for thick layer cakes, pie, cookie, or muffins. This recipe is easy, and the available variations to add different kinds of fruits are simple enough without overdoing it.

 Ingredients:

 Dry ingredients:

1 ¼ cups self-rising flour

 Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

1/3 cup milk

 Other ingredients:

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups chopped apples (gala, pink lady, or Grainy Smith)

 Equipment: 

6 inch diameter round cake pan

Small parchment paper

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut the parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan and use soft butter to grease the cake pan.

Put all the wet ingredients into a KitchenAid blender and beat for 5 minutes.

Sift the flour and add to the eggs mixture. Add vanilla and apples.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Enjoy!!!

With this basic cake, you can add carrots, zucchini, berries, bananas, etc. Feel free to explore all the available choices to add that suits your taste.

 

Quick Orange, Dates, and Nuts Bread

Most of the quick breads are very dense, but this quick bread recipe results in less dense and moist bread, with the flavor of fresh orange zest and orange juice. This bread also is very good for leftovers.  I make this recipe using dates to sweeten the bread without using too much sugar. Toast a slice of this bread for a sweet breakfast treat.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped pitted dates

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp orange zest

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Use oil or melted butter to lightly grease a 4” x 8” loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.

In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and use a hand mixer to beat the wet ingredients until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend well.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Do You Know How To Overcome Fear?

In daily life, we have hundreds of thousands of things to fear, but in fact, we should not combine them all into one because not all fear is bad. In general, we can somewhat classify fear into two types: instinctive fear and psychological fear. Every day, newspapers and media publish a lot of negative news (such as an epidemic situation) that easily makes us anxious. That fear is instinctive. And other fears, such as fear of failure, fear of standing in front of a crowd, fear of losing honor, etc., are fears stemming from psychology. When starting a relationship, getting a job, or moving to a new place, it's often natural to feel a little anxious. Maybe you're afraid it's the wrong decision or you're afraid you'll fail in your new unknown environment. Sometimes, this fear becomes so strong that it paralyzes and prevents you from moving forward and consciously seeing what will happen. Instead of avoiding it, you should "look deep" into your own fear and learn to deal with it.

 “No matter what decision you make, there will always be someone who will say you were wrong. There is always an obstacle that can easily lead you to believe that the criticism is true.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

But if you are aware in every decision or choices, you listen and follow the voice of your heart and simply do your best, there is nothing worth calling a failure. We won't talk about "failures" in friendships, love affairs, work or life calculations, but rather the lessons that should be learned from these experiences. If your entrepreneurial venture doesn't work, use it as a lesson for future decisions. It's all just one step in the long journey ahead!

Usually, fear is known as a very general concept. If we examine that fear, we may discover that there are other fears hidden behind. These are exactly the ones you fear. For example, we may fear failure, but failure is often associated with other concepts such as self-esteem. Practice dialogue with yourself. Be rude or gentle, as long as you feel most comfortable. The truth is that the more you talk to them (fears), the more cliché they feel, and then there's no reason to be controlled.

Do not criticize yourself if you are always in a state of fear because everyone has their own weaknesses, and above all, fears arise for a reason. First of all, accepting their existence as an inevitable part of life will help you regain the initiative. Next, empathize and understand yourself better to find out where the fear comes from. These two steps will help you find a way to deal with your problems more thoroughly and effectively.

When the mind is dominated by fear, we often turn to negative thoughts. You should put hypothetical situations for yourself to better understand anxiety, such as what is the worst that will happen? Or what if the situation is not as bad as I thought? What are the resulting values ​​and meanings? If the value in return for yourself is great enough, why not rush forward to try, etc.? In that way, you will not get caught up in negative thoughts.

When you exaggerate, you fall into the trap of assuming the worst will happen. From there, you allow fear to lead thoughts out of control and turn them into more negative thoughts. The advice is to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and stay calm. Now, when you look back, you'll see well it wasn't as serious as I thought and there was a solution, right?

When you can't control your fear, it will make you always in a state of stress. This is a normal psychological problem, but if it lasts, it will turn into a disease. In addition, being under too much pressure can lead to depression or increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease. To overcome, you should work hard to exercise because movement not only helps the brain a lot, but also makes the mind busy but more comfortable. Besides, you will also find the energy to balance your life.

Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” Fear can hold us back from our dreams and ambitions. Therefore, letting yourself accept as many challenges and overcome as many fears is a way to build this habit. Courage comes with fear; otherwise, it wouldn't be called brave. After all, if we don't fuel fear, it won't exist.

Of course, I don't mean that you won't feel disappointed when things don't go your way. What I want to say is that you should not be tormented by the thought that you have failed. Think about it. Are you kind and generous to that person? Do you make decisions on the basis of trust at work? Then why blame yourself? Why should I assume I am at fault? If you can gradually remove such blame, the fear will also subside.

"Learn to get up when you fall"

~ Himalayan proverb

Have you ever been afraid that if you succeed, you will have more responsibility, and that burden will be heavier if you ultimately fail. I think this is one of the many types of expectations that are pervasive in modern society. There are people who are always seen as failures, and this is negative. Others are so pressured to succeed at all costs that they want to give up and run away. Children must surpass their parents, friends must surpass each other, and neighbors must compete for wealth. Many great talents have not been able to develop more, simply because they know that success always comes with such pressures. They are afraid that the higher they go, the more painful they will fall.

That is why we often talk about the Middle Way in Buddhist philosophy. When you keep your balance on your journey, don't deviate from the outside while keeping your chosen lane. You won't be hindered or slow down out of fear and will be able to really go far. You are not in a hurry to seek success or be afraid of it, but just accept things slowly, and gently make decisions with a clear, pure mind. You are no longer afraid of failure because this will become a valuable lesson, a memorable moment in the ups and downs of life.

Let's move forward together in life with a relaxed, alert, open mind, without a forced cliché. In that way, we will get rid of the meaningless things and directly feel the value of life. Try following this guide naturally. I am sure good changes will come to you and your loved ones.

The most effective way to understand and face our fears is to return to love and compassion. As our compassion is cultivated, the ego itself shrinks and the fear dissipates. To do this, we need a lot of time because the ego is strong and resilient. First, you must learn to accept yourself, then you will learn to accept others. Let love spread, first to your family members and gradually to everyone without distinction. There is nothing stronger than love! It is the greatest source of power in this world, and it will bring you fearlessness and freedom.

From the internet

Vegetarian Fish Sauce

We have always mistakenly thought that vegetarian dishes were very frugal, with little or no taste because we could not use a variety of spices and ingredients from animals, especially the fish sauce which is the main ingredient to create many Asian dishes. But in fact, today many chefs who create vegetarian dishes are geniuses, because they make the most out of the flavor of each ingredient. For example, it is possible to make vegetarian fish sauce from salt, pineapple, soybeans, tamarind, mushrooms, cashews, and coconut water. This sounds strange, doesn’t it, because we always think fish sauce is made from fish, so vegetarians can only use soy sauce.  But actually, there is a recipe to make fish sauce with ingredients that are completely suitable for a vegetarian. As for vegetarians, they always use soy sauce in their meals.  However, the vegetarian fish sauce recipe today is very easy to make at home. Also, it can be kept in the fridge for a long time, the following recipe I think is perfect. If fresh coconut water is used, that is best; however, the coconut water that is sold in Costco or other grocery stores will be fine for this recipe. I use a small piece of seaweed that will create a fishy taste of the ocean  that enhances the flavor of this vegetarian fish sauce. This recipe is very simple. I invite everyone to try it.

Ingredients: 

4 cups coconut water

4 cups water

1/2 cup salt

8 oz. rock sugar or granular sugar

1/4 cup light soy sauce for color

1 small piece of seaweed 

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the rock sugar dissolves. Remove the seaweed. Turn the heat off. Let cool and pour into a jar with lid.