Fish & Seafood « Signature Concoctions

cooking therapy

Its been quite a while since my last post! Well, after a fun-filled Summer and Fall at home with my family, I’m now busy working in the clouds

I’m back to work and it’s so much fun as I get to taste a little bit of San Francisco everyday! Even if it is for a few minutes, I try to step out for lunch and explore the foodie hot spots in downtown area. There are such amazing places to eat around my office building and then my favorite place in the foodie city, the Ferry Building, is just a hop, skip and a jump away . On balmy SF afternoons, I get out and join in the hustle-bustle of the farmers’ market or go strolling inside the building, getting inspirations and relishing the flavors of the marketplace.

Life’s certainly busier than ever before and I just haven’t had time to write about my signature concoctions lately. But, that doesn’t mean I have stopped cooking and clicking! When I’m done with work, I look forward to coming home and getting me some “cooking therapy” . I guess it’s my passion for cooking that makes it such a relaxing and therapeutic activity for me to do at the end of the day. And it also gives me a great sense of satisfaction to have fed my family with fresh, home-cooked food everyday.

In the last few weeks, I have been making my go-to jhatpat subzis or some weeknight quickies, primarily staying in my comfort zone. And then there were the other days when my creative juices were overflowing and I made concoctions like pasta with shrimp, grape tomatoes and baby spinach in a light wine sauce, a hearty pasta dish with fresh, clean flavors or spicy lentils with steamed brown basmati rice, a traditional Maharashtrian dish packed with proteins and carbohydrates that will leave you feeling re-energized at the end of the day and finally, baked masala fish packets, a full and delicious meal that’s done in a little pouch, making the clean up easier that ever.

These dishes are a great way to treat yourself after long hours at work – weeknight wonders that are ready in minutes and completely satisfying! Try making one of these and enjoy the therapeutic experience of cooking.

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“halibut st.”

Welcome to Foster City, my new neighborhood. As I walked around the city, I found myself in the “fish street” neighborhood one day, where streets are named after different types of fish! And there, I stood under a sign that read …

…when an idea popped in my head! I thought it would be cool if I blogged about it by creating a couple of concoctions using “Halibut” as the star ingredient.

Halibut is one of my favorite fish to cook or eat. Like most of the fish you find here in the US, it’s low fat, heart-healthy and doesn’t smell fishy at all! With its delicate sweet flavor, snow-white color and firm flaky meat, there are endless possibilities to using this versatile fish in the kitchen, be it baking, broiling, pan-frying, deep-frying, poaching or barbecuing. I decided to make two dishes that are a world apart to showcase the wonderful flavor and the firm texture of the fish - one, a Ceviche using the raw meat of the fish and the other, a grilled fillet marinated with freshly grated ginger, garlic and an Indian favorite, the”Tandoori” spice.

So, come down to Foster City and join me on the “Halibut St.”

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inspirations from spring

Yes it is here… and about time too!

And with it comes all that is bright, fresh and yummy. Walking through the aisles of Montclair’s weekend farmer’s market, it was very exciting to see the spring in full bloom with vibrant vegetables and fruits. I was like a kid in a candy store – grabbed a huge bunch of things – fresh snow peas, bundles of asparagus, strawberries and much more!