Valentines day special Shrimp 65

Guy's you might wonder why am I posting my Valentines day recipe now, although it's been a while and we all even forgot how we celebrated it! I know, but I have an answer and the answer is that I have already started my research now and I am working in two fields one is Thesis and the other is a special topic that I am interested in. I was always fascinated by cancer research this is what I wanted to do my entire life. I was looking for an opportunity and you know what it knocked my door, but in a wrong time because I already stared my thesis on the other topic. And I also do not want to loose this opportunity so, I accepted it. Now my days including weekends are loaded with work. I love it, I love to be busy always but I love only when the experiment works, and last weak our experiment flopped!! :( I cross my fingers and hope that it works this time!

Now coming to the recipe and todays recipe is "Shrimp-65", sounds great isn't it!
My hubby is a big fan of chicken 65, I always used to make this on the special occasions in my house, and this time I made it for the Valentines day. But, this time I wanted to try different and you are right I did it with small shrimp. It came out really wonderful, my hubby never enjoy shrimp but he liked it so badly that he asked me to make it daily!!!! :)

I used the frozen small shrimp that was available at Kroger as "Cocktail small shrimp" in the frozen section. You can also find it at wal-mart and other super markets, and you are always welcome to use a fresh shrimp.

Ingredients

Shrimp small-40 in number
Egg-1
Pepper powder-1/4tbsp
red chili powder-1/2tbsp
salt to taste (Remember this shrimp already has some salt in it)
corn flour (corn starch)-1/2tbsp
Fresh ginger-garlic paste-1/2tbsp
oil for deep fry
cumin seeds-/14 tbsp
cumin powder-1/2tbsp
coriander powder-1/2tbsp
garam masala-1/2tbsp
Green chili-2  sliced along length wise
Curry leaves few
Freshly grated ginger
Freshly grated garlic
red color (optional)


Method:

If you are using a frozen shrimp like me thaw it first under the cool running water for 2min and remove the tails (the scales on the tail were attached for the shrimp that I bought so, I have to remove them before use, if your shrimp do not have any  scales then you can directly use them).

Blot the shrimp on paper towel to remove any excess water, and add the shrimp to a large mixing bowl. ADD in cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, cum,in seeds, red chili powder, pepper powder, corn flour, ginger-garlic paste and garam masala. Mix all the ingredients well, then add egg and mix well. Now this mixture is ready to deep fry.

Heat oil enough for a deep fry in a pan and under the medium flame fry 10 shrimp's at a time, and fry them till they turn golden brown. Repeat for all the remaining shrimps. Take this shrimp on to a paper towel to remove any excess oil. If you use lot of shrimp at a time to deep fry it may not come out good and you may be left with an undercooked shrimp or it may take a long time to fry.

once you are done deep frying them, heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan and add fresh grated ginger, garlic saute till raw smell starts to disappear and add in green chili, pinch of red color and curry leaves and now you can adjust salt or chili powder to your taste (I did not add it to my shrimp as they came out perfect). Dump in all shrimp and mix well. Serve hot with chat masala or enjoy with a hot steamed rice.

Lauren's Valentines day Icing for Cup Cakes

Lauren is one of my wonderful friends. She is very charming, cute and a typical American girl. I can chat with her the whole day, time just flies away when I am with her. She made some delicious cup cakes for her boyfriend on Valentines day and also shared some with all our friends. Here is the recipe for icing that I took from her. I am sorry the cupcakes are so delicious that I even forgot to take a snap. But next time we will ask Lauren to make some more and make sure to snap them!

Icing for 12 cup cakes:
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup Crisco
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Method:
In a bowl mix Crisco, salt, vanilla and 2 cups of sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar alternately; mix until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar or milk if needed for good spreading consistency.
I hope you like this wonderful recipe for icing. 

Guest Post by Ms. Kendra Thornton:Asian Almond Chicken Salad: Take Home the Taste of Honolulu

Time for a guest post, few days back I received an email from Ms. Kendra Thornton saying that she wanted to write a guest post on my blog. I didn't know who she was before but after a little research I found out a lot of interesting things about her. I feel very honored to share this article of her on my blog.  Here, about Ms. Kendra - in her own words:

"My name is Kendra and I am a long time travel expert who has been packing my bags and traveling the world since I was 3 months old!

My passion for travel is only eclipsed by my passion for my three beautiful children. I’ve been lucky to combine the two, and am often featured as an expert in family, luxury and adventure travel for FOX News, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CW networks.

Personally, I've been to 28 countries on 6 continents, and have been quoted in the news about seasonal travel trends and destinations all over the United States. Now stepping out of the corporate spotlight to take on my role of being the number one mom and wife to a family of three, I've found my utmost desire in life is right here in my own home. I have mixed my excitement for travel by bringing the taste of authentic cuisine to my own home with some of my unique recipes".

Now here follows the wonderful recipe along with her experience and memories of travel. I hope you enjoy it. 

Asian Almond Chicken Salad: Take Home the Taste of Honolulu

One of my most favorite things about traveling is to try new foods.  Hawaii was a surprise to me because, although it is in the same country, its flavors are a world away.  This time I stayed at the Halekulani Hotel, amongst some of the top hotels in Honolulu, and what a jewel this place was!  

Situated on the famous Waikiki Beach down Kalia Road in Honolulu, this place has been serving people in style for more than 100 years.  After a heavenly day of sunning on the beach and playing in the blue ocean, I tucked into the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat.  I ordered a salad off the menu thinking a light lunch would be best for the beachwear.

I ordered a simple Asian Chicken Almond Salad, but was gob smacked by the rich flavor.  Before I left the island, I had ordered this salad a dozen more times.   I knew that I would have to figure out this recipe to bring it back to the East Coast and share with my friends and family.  So I set to searching online and found this recipe inspired by the same salad from Halekulani Hotel.  Try this Nom Nom Paleo recipe and find a whole host of substitutions to make this salad your very own signature dish.

Asian Chicken Almond Salad 

Dressing Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons creamy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons Red Boat brand fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of coconut vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Salad Ingredients:
• 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 8 small kohlrabi roots, peeled and sliced (you can sub in jicama or sliced apples)
• Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
• Handful of basil, cut in chiffonade
• Large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• Handful of blanched slivered almonds

Method:
First prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients from the dressing ingredient list, and whisk to emulsify.  Next, build the salad by slicing the kohlrabi and with julienne peeler shred the carrots.  Toss these vegetables and slivered almonds into a bowl. Add the dressing, the chicken and the herbs and toss all together.  Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

I hope you enjoy this meal just as much as my family and I do!