Guldasta

Baked Atlantic Salmon

The other day my friend, Erin, and I went shopping so that I may get a 101 on the countless sauces, herbs, and what not that can be found in food stores. I was keen on learning how to dish out quick and healthy meals, and Erin did a fantastic job of getting me started. She gave me just about enough information to feel educated without feeling overwhelmed. And, since I relish sea food she conjured the most simple fish recipe one could imagine. Finally, she gifted me one of her casserole dishes and with that I was all set for my first ever baking adventure  🙂

Today, I gave the recipe a shot and am amazed how flavorsome the fish turned out to be. Yummy!

Baked Salmon (recipe by Erin Gallimore)

1 cut of Atlantic Salmon

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

½ Tablespoon Liquid Smoke

Salt and Pepper (few dashes of each)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Mix all ingredients, except Salmon, in casserole dish. Add Salmon to casserole dish. Move the Salmon around in the dish until all sides have come in contact with mixed ingredients. Place Salmon in the dish skin side up orientation. Add 1 tablespoon of water to dish.  Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, depending on thickness of salmon cut (I baked for 15 mins).

Total time to cook and serve: 20 mins (not including oven pre-heat time)

I served the fish with fresh cut cucumber and tomatoes. On a whim, I decided to top the tomatoes with green chillies cut along the length. It turned out to be a nice touch; hot chillies with juicy tomato slices was fun!

toor dal

Cooking dal was a moment of pride for me. Let me accept that. In the last few weeks, I have cooked toor dal (featured here) and split moong dal. Dal is a general term used to describe the many varieties of pulses and is part of the staple diet all over India. Recipes vary by region, but the most common form of dal is when cooked in a watery suspension, which is how I cook it.

My recipe for dal is very similar to how I cook pulao, except that I do not add potatoes or peas in the dal.

Next on my ‘learn cooking’ agenda is a chicken recipe from the best chick in the world (I can so clearly see the amused look and the raised right eyebrow when she reads this).

Basmati rice with potatoes and beans; garnished with coriander

The cooking saga continues! I made pulao using Basmati rice and potatoes and beans. Since my culinary skills are rather ordinary, I try and keep the damage minimum by sticking to single pot cooking. So, if the end result isn’t palatable, at least I can keep the cursing low with fewer dishes to clean 🙂

I start by heating some olive oil, add cumin seeds, followed by diced frozen onions (yeah, short-cuts!). And then freshly cut tomatoes and green chillies. Followed by ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala, and salt in that order. And then some water to prevent the paste sticking to the bottom. When the water comes to boil, I add fresh cut potatoes and let simmer. A few minutes later, I am ready to add rice (plus 2 times water) and frozen cut beans, put the glass lid and let cook for about 15 minutes. Finally, garnish with coriander. Total cooking time: 45 minutes.

Khichdi with mushroom and brussel sprout vegetable

Who would have thought that some day I will be able to put up a photo of something I cooked? Not me!

But here I am, the zero cooking guy who is no more. For some time now, I have been cooking most of my meals, and while my cooking is not going to win any awards, it is usually palatable. Pictured here is what I cooked many months ago, a rather simple dish called khichdi (rice and yellow lentil) with stir fried mushrooms and brussel sprout. Quick and dirty fix!