Ankitha Gadag shares a recipe for cooking corn with a spin!
Here at Ankitha Gadag recipes, we love all things exotic with an abundance of FLAVOR! Ankitha’s cooking motto is flavor=God when it comes to serving dishes. Ankitha Gadag recipes is not new to African cuisine, so this recipe is definitely one for the books! Enjoy!
Corn is a staple food in much of Africa. Cooking it with coconut is one of the favorite ways of preparing corn. Somali Corn in Coconut Sauce/Galey iyo Qumbo is usually served as a side dish and it goes well with meat or vegetables and steamed rice – by Tara’s Multicultural Table. What a crazy month this has…
Ankitha Gadag shares an original recipe for a savory delicious chili…with an exotic twist!
I don’t know about you guys but I love a week-night meal that keeps on giving. Giving heartiness, nourishment, warmth, fulfillment… what I call healthy soul-food. A delectable meal that gets prepared in a batch-style quantity, yet you don’t get bored of it two meals later. That is precisely what this savory spicy chili is.
I used ground beef (85% lean) for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever protein floats your boat. If you are health conscious and looking for a protein dense meal, use bison. If you want a more melt-in-your-mouth chili, use a less lean version of beef/pork/turkey. If you’re trying to keep it vegetarian, try using Tofu crumbles, Tempeh crumbles, Seitan, or even just red beans. Make the recipe YOURS!!! 🙂
OK, let’s get started…
You will need:
2 carrots (chopped)
2 celery sticks (chopped)
1/2 onion
1-3 green chillies (1 = mild; 3 = spicy)
1 cup veggies of your choice (I used mushrooms & bell peppers)
1 lb protein of your choice (ground beef, turkey, red beans, tempeh, tofu, other)
2 cloves garlic
bay leaf
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp chili powder
3-4 cloves
salt & pepper
*optional: 1 tbsp smoked paprika
*optional: 1 can garbanzo beans
To prepare:
Start by chopping all your veggies in bite size pieces
Saute the onion and garlic in about 1 tbsp of oil of your choice. Pro-tip: Add salt here, it makes the onion lose it’s water content to cook it faster.
Add in the rest of your veggies
Add in your seasonings. Cover and let it cook for about 10 mins.
Now add in your protein
Add in some water or broth and let it simmah simmah.
Enjoy in about a half hr to an hr!
Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for reading! P.S- this tastes great with some crumbled tortilla chips or avocado and toast!
Impress your guests with this easy Sudanese side-dish with only 5 ingredients!
Hello & Welcome to Ankitha Gadag Recipes where all the recipes you will find are unique, exotic and curated by myself, Ankitha Gadag. If you are a new follower to Ankitha Gadag Recipes – Welcome! If you are a loyal follower – then I apologize for the long delay in curating a new recipe 😦
To catch you guys up to speed, I have been busy on the art front, I gave you guys a little snipped of some of my creations in my last blog (Ankitha Gadag’s Baked Whole Snapper Recipe!) Butttt, let me tell you, selling and establishing your artwork is no easy feat! How do you entrepreneur artists make it out there? I am open to any and all advice, suggestions 🙂 I have also been working on framing and customizing packaging for customers. Here is an example :
Apart from the art, I have been busy working on my portfolio website for my technology consulting business. (Yes, I am an artist and a tech-geek :)) If you haven’t checked it out already, make sure you go visit Ankitha Gadag Portfolio – and don’t forget to send me feedback.
Alright, enough with catching you all up on my life. Back to business. Now, you are probably wondering, what in the world is Salata Aswad and why would I want to make it? Well, let me explain…
Salata Aswad is a wonderful eggplant & peanut butter dip that originated in Sudan. Although there are variations of this dish within South and North Sudan, the version were going with today is the most authentic. The flavors remind me a lot of baba ghanoj, except better, and all credit is due to the creaminess from the peanut butter. This dish was inspired by my Sudanese friend’s mother who is an amazing cook herself. I feel so fortunate to be able to share this treasure of a recipe with you all today! It is so easy to make with all the ingredients you most likely already have. Why would you NOT make it, is the real question?!
This recipe can be eaten as a dip with some pita bread, or served as a side. I personally love to spread it over my scrambled eggs in the morning.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
2-4 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1 lemon
2 heaping tbsp peanut butter
1 serrano pepper
1 tbsp cumin powder
Instructions:
Start by cutting your eggplant in half and drizzling some olive oil on both sides
Set your oven to broil and bake the eggplant for about 10 mins. You will want to flip the eggplant halfway through
Your eggplant is done baking when the outer skin is crispy and the inner meat has browned a little
With a fork, scoop out the inner flesh of the eggplant and dispose of the outer skin. In a bowl add in the remaining ingredients.
Blend well and add salt, pepper and cumin powder. Garnish with parsley (optional)
Serve with some hot pita bread! Enjoy and let me know how you made it yours!
A great week night recipe when you are running low on energy and time. Another Ankitha Gadag original recipe!!
Fellow Bloggers & Readers,
First off, I, Ankitha Gadag owe you all an apology. I cannot believe it’s been over 14 days since I have posted a recipe to Ankitha Gadag recipes! This is not the Ankitha Gadag treatment I would like to uphold for my readers.
That said, boy do I have a treat waiting for you guys. Before we get into that, let me update you guys on what has been keeping me busy these last few weeks.
ART
Yes, my passion. I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to take the plunge and give my artwork the fair shot of being visible to the masses. That was really my only goal. I had no idea HOW or WHAT I was going to do to make this happen, but I took it step by step. Started by researching a few shows nearby, and submitted my work to one that looked easy enough to apply to… and VOILA! Ankitha Gadag is a featured artist at the upcoming Pancakes & Booze art show. That was the single catalyst that has gotten the ball rolling on all the work I have been procrastinating for… since forever. (Just to give y’all a sneak preview, here’s one of the pieces I’ll be showcasing 🙂 )
Any who, back to why were all here: FOOD!! Today’s recipe was a little challenging for me, but if y’all know me you know me, you know I love a challenge! I love fresh fish, and I wanted to try cooking a whole fish, but I requested that the butcher take out the eyes. He looked at me perplexed, but did it anyways. I didn’t want to have the added anxiety of eyes staring up at me while I was garnishing the fish’s interior.
I used a beautiful red snapper, I highly recommend you request the butcher to de-scale and de-bone the fish!
Notice: No eyes
Here is what you will need:
Fish of your choice ( I used a red snapper)
compound butter (I used a garlic herb butter)
2 clove garlic
lemon pepper seasoning
lemon
salt/pepper to taste
basil
Method:
Melt the butter and add the seasoning and garlic into the butter.
Cover the cleaned finish with the butter seasoning mix. Make sure to dress the cavities of the fish thoroughly
Top with the lemon slices and basil
Cover and bake for 15-20 mins & enjoy!
How easy is that?? Literally 20 mins and great for a late weeknight meal. Pairs wonderfully with a simple cucumber avocado salad or fresh greens!
An easy recipe for a Sunday brunch recipe that’s all vegan!
As you may have picked up by now, I, Ankitha Gadag, am NOT a vegetarian or vegan or any variation of that. Ankitha Gadag is and will always be, a (proud) Carnivore. No offense to anyone who is Vegetarian/Vegan/Other, but I am still primitive in the sense that my hunter-gatherer ancestors and I had one thing in common – our love for MEAT!!!!
That said, this recipe will blow you away. It’s dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, etc and it still tastes delicious. I had to get creative when cooking brunch for a vegetarian friend (FYI, brunch options get REALLY limited when you can’t use eggs…).
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it. It’s relatively easy to make and needs few ingredients!
Ingredients:
1 package of firm tofu, drained and pressed
3/4 can of coconut milk
1 tbsp of ginger
½ onion, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ red bell pepper
4 white mushrooms
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon of salt
Lemon zest
Paprika
1 serrano pepper
1
Method:
Saute onions, garlic, ginger and sliced serrano pepper in some olive oil to let out the flavors
Add in the bell peppers and mushrooms and let it cook till soft
Spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Curry with tangy pickling spices
Okay guys, so this curry is truly a GEM and an Ankitha Gadag original recipe. I promise you, reactions will be nothing short of jaws-dropping if you decide to put in the work to give this a try!
For one, this recipe has taken a few weeks to perfect. I was first inspired to re-create this curry after tasting the most amazing Achari Chicken Curry at a local Hyderabadi restaurant. It was unlike anything I ever tried before – it was tangy, it was spicy, truly tantalizing your taste buds in every way. Of course I had to dig further and put my skills to the test.
Turns out Achari (Pickle) Murgh (Chicken) Curry actually originated in the Northern region of India (Punjab). Pickling of mangoes, limes and other vegetables would require a variety of spices all batched together for pickling. So, what do you do with the leftover spices? Make curry, of course!
This curry has now been modified to fit South Indian taste buds (a.k.a – made spicier). Don’t fear, the heat is so well balanced with the unique flavors from the kalonji (onion seeds), fenugreek, and yogurt 🙂
On to the recipe!
You will need:
1 cup curry leaves
4 lbs chicken thighs
10 thai chillies
3-4 dried red chillies
2 bay leaves
3 onions chopped
Ginger-garlic paste (4 tbsp)
Kalonji (onion seeds)- 1 tbsp
Methi (fenugreek) seeds- 1 tbsp
Jeera (cumin seeds)- 1 tbsp
Saunf (fennel) seeds- 1/2 tbsp
Tomatoes- 2 (finely chopped)
Yogurt- 1/2 cup
Lemon juice- 2tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Mustard seed oil – 1/4th cup
Pickling spices – (you can get a pre-packaged packet of this) – 4 tbsp
Mango Pickles – (1 tbsp)
Phew, that’s a handful, yea?
Method:
Start by marinating the chicken, you can marinate as long as 12 hrs or as short as 2. Add lemon juice, chillies, half of curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, half of pickling spices, salt, yogurt, and mustard seed oil to the chicken. Mix and set aside.
In some oil (about half cup), add the onions and fry until they are translucent. Add in curry leaves, dried red chilies, bay leaves, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, kalonji, and ginger garlic paste.
Add in the tomatoes and any remaining spices. Mix into the spices until soft.
Add in the marinated chicken and cover on low-medium heat for about 30 mins
The water from the chicken and yogurt should have formed a gravy. At this point add in the mango pickle.
Stir and cover for an additional 30 mins
Warm up some hot naan or some basmati rice and Serve!!
Thanks for checking out my recipe. Let me know how you liked it!
Easy step by step method to brew your own pour over coffee with an added touch – sweetened shredded coconut!
Mornings aren’t mornings without my ritualistic cup of coffee. Problem is, I am a perfectionist and if my coffee isn’t absolutely perfect, I will justify splurging at the nearby hipster coffee-shop (there are PLENTY of those in Austin). A meager $5 cup of coffee a day quickly turns into a $35/ week habit and pretty soon I might as well have invested in part ownership of the hipster coffee-shop…
That is why I have invested in a manual pour over coffee drip. The one I have is called a Clever, and it is excellent. You can pretty much find a similar version at your local grocery store/ coffee-shop. I highly recommend that you also grind your own coffee beans as well, that way you can control the grain size (fine or course). Finer grains tend to be more bitter, while coarser grain tends to lack the robust flavor – clearly, it’s an art of balance. Either way, it isn’t a requirement.
My coffee tends to have another element in it which adds a touch of sweetness, body and balances out the palette. Sweetened coconut flakes gets mixed into the coffee grinds and trust me when I say this magic. You really have to taste it to believe it.
Alright, on to the recipe.
You will need:
-grinder (optional – but highly recommended)
-pour over coffee-maker
-6-8 oz hot water (212 degrees F)
-3 tbsp coffee beans ( I love the Ethiopian roast!)
-2 tbsp coconut flakes (Optional – but highly recommended)
Method –
Start by rinsing out your paper filter. This removes the paper taste and allows for the flavor of the coffee bean to penetrate.
Cover your drip with the coffee filter. Add your ground coffee into the cup
Add in the coconut flakes
Add your boiling water. While you are adding the water you want to pour slowly and in a circular fashion to allow the grinds time to aerate. Then,cover with a lid. Wait about 1.5 minutes, remove the cover, and stir to mix the grinds with the coconut flakes. Recover for an additional 3 minutes.
When the infusion time is up, stir one last time and place the dripper directly on top of your coffee mug.
Enjoy!
That’s it, hopefully you are now on a path of financial savings from making your own perfectly brewed cup of coffee at home!
Tequila is reasonably versatile, contrary to popular beliefs. Most people think of one thing when they think tequila… shots. Get it over as quickly as possible. I am here to convince you that tequila can inspire your creativity as much as any other type of liquor.
I find that silver tequila is the best for infusions. Of course you can infuse with pretty much anything, however, I find that tequila + spice creates a smokiness to the drink that is unique and refreshing. I love smoky tequilas especially mezcal, and I find this to come close to the same effect that mezcal has in cocktails/margaritas.
What you need:
Jalapenos ( 3-4)
Silver Tequila (30 Fl oz)
an air tight container ( I used a decanter, but you can use an old liquor bottle, mason jars, old wine bottle)
Method:
Slice the jalapenos as finely as possible. Save the seeds!
Add the tequila
Infuse as long as you need. The longer you keep it in the more concentrated it gets. I don’t ever take the seeds out, since I like to dilute it with other liquors. Some prefer to only infuse for a few hours to make it a stand alone liquor.
Ankitha Gadag Recipes 