Curried lamb rack - Instapot recipe

Curried lamb rack with a Mediterranean flavor

Ingredients

1 lamb rack
1 small onion
3-5 pods of garlic

1 whole jalapeno pepper (julienne cut)
1 teaspoon each of chilli, cumin, garam masala [Add more to suit your taste]

1 teaspoon coriander seeds 

1 cup olives 

1/2 cup readymade Hunt tomato sauce 

2 spoons pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves (for garnish)

Salt to taste

Step 1: Sauté diced onion, garlic, pepper and olives on the Sauté function of the Instapot for about 3-4 minutes. 

Step 2: Add the spices, coriander seeds and olives. Sauté it for another minute. 

Step 3: Add the tomato sauce and whole lamb rack. Pressure cook for 6-8 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. 

Step 4: Garnish with pomegranate seeds/coriander leaves. 

Step 4: Serve hot with rice or couscous. 

The Lantern House - my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Falls Church

 

Caramelized fish in clay pot

Not too long ago, The Lantern House, a Vietnamese restaurant, opened near our home. While the Eden Center (Little Vietnam of the DC area) is not too far from where we live, this place would actually be walkable on a nice day. 

We have already visited it twice for dinner and once for lunch and would not hesitate to crown it our current "favorite" restaurant in town. If you are in the Falls Church, you must try it - you wont regret it. 

Vietnamese food has become one of my favorite cuisines - mostly because it feels lighter in comparison to most Asian food, yet flavorful enough that I can develop an appetite for it. And most importantly, if you are like me, i.e. middle aged and counting your calorie intake, you don't end up feeling guilty after gorging on it.  

We tried their chicken Bahn mi sandwich for lunch. Served with pickled cucumbers, onion and extremely well flavored grilled chicken inside a fresh baguette, it was a delicious protein-packed lunch for a reasonable price of $10. You may be able to find a bahn mi at the Eden center for $5 (and I have had it there too) but this one definitely weighs more on the meat and you get to enjoy a nice(r) ambience (it has limited outdoor seating too - definitely a plus)! 

Chicken curry stew with noodles

For dinner, so far, we have tried their shrimp summer rolls (vegetables, vermicelli and shrimp rolled in a rice paper and served with a peanut sauce), lemongrass chicken with chillies, caramelized fish in a clay pot with sticky rice, and chicken curry stew (where you have an option of either pairing it with a baguette, or noodles). I would highly recommend the caramelized fish in the clay pot, which has always been my favorite of the dishes on a Vietnamese menu. It is fried fish in a sweet and spicy sticky sauce, served with sticky rice. To me, the lemongrass chicken resembled the "Indian style chilli chicken" - cooked with peppers, onions and soya sauce. Finally, the chicken curry stew with the vermicelli is simply so refreshing that you can't just have enough of it.   

There are lots of others dishes on their menu I haven't tried and I look forward to trying their popular soups (phos), salads, noodles, and other specialty rice dishes, after which I will update this blog. Lots of pork and beef on their menu too!

The last time we were there, the servers gave us a complimentary milk tea. There are several other drinks on the menu (e.g. the sugarcane juice) that I look forward to trying. 

Chicken Pineapple macaroni salad

 -- By Sania Nadkarni 

Ingredients: 

1 bell pepper

1 tomato

1/4th cabbage

7-8 pieces of pineapple

3-4 chicken breasts 

1 cup macaroni

12-15 pieces walnuts

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons Mayo

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Cut all vegetables [Capsicum or bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbage] into small cubes. 
2. Cut pineapples into tiny cubes, add a little bit of sugar and freeze it for 5 minutes. Don't miss out on the pineapple. It is juicy and really adds flavor to the salad. 
3. In a pan, add some olive oil and cook chicken pieces into cubes with salt and pepper. Keep the chicken aside. 
4. Toss the cut veggies in the same pan for a few minutes [ don't add more oil]
5. Cut walnuts into small pieces and add to the bowl. 
6. Boil macaroni pasta [in 5 cups of water] with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1teaspoon salt. 
7. Mix the chicken, vegetables, pineapple and macaroni in a bowl. Squeeze 1/4th lemon, mix and leave aside. 
8. For the dressing, mix the mayo with 1 teaspoon olive oil and little milk. [It should not be very thick or watery]
9. Mix and pour it over the macaroni-veggie mixture. 
10. Mix well and refrigerate for some time. 
11. Serve chilled. 

Posh toast!

Homemade Avocado toast

 Avocado Toast is my new favorite posh toast. Perfect for breakfast, it is healthy and ready in minutes. While I have had several avocado toasts on breakfast menus in restaurants, my favorite was the one I had at Philadelphia's Reading Market. 

Here's a recipe to a version I tried : 

Ingredients

1 ripened avocado (mashed) 

Sea salt and pepper
2 slices of bread of your choice 
1 teaspoon chilli oil (store bought Chinese chilli oil) or Chilli flakes and olive oil
Topping of your choice: smoked salmon, fried egg or smoked ahi tuna

Avocado toast with fried egg, Reading Market

Step 1: Mash avocado and add a little bit of lime.
Step 2: Spread it on toasted slices of bread. 
Step 3: Add toppings of your choice. I have tried smoked salmon, fried egg and smoked ahi tuna.
Step 4: Add pepper, salt, and sprinkle chilli flakes and olive oil. Alternatively, you can use the ready made chilli oil.