Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

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Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

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I recently watched this one episode of Black Mirror called Nosedive, a sci-fi show on Netflix that takes place in a world where technology takes over every aspect of life. I won’t spoil it for you or anything, but basically the premise of the episode is that a young woman lives in a futuristic society where people’s value is solely based on their social media presence.

And while it is supposed to be satire, I’m seeing the effects in our 2017 world.

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I love the fact that it gives people who otherwise are marginalized, a platform. I love that it gives people the means to express themselves. That it educates people. That it creates a family.

But I hate that you forget what’s reality and what’s not. What life is really all about. That this is just a self-image I’m projecting that can’t even come close to representing the full extent of me. That it makes you feel envious of what others have and obsessed with what’s missing. That your societal value is based on how many likes you get, how many followers and retweets you have.

Anyways, you came for the taco recipe. And how does this stuff relate? Because it’s the stuff you discuss over a plate of tacos. What’s the future of the relationship we have with technology? What is the world going to look like in fifty years?

These shrimp tacos are light and balanced and perfect for spring-time. For this recipe, I sautee shrimp in butter, cumin, coriander, paprika, and fennel with a little bit of diced onion. The butter makes the shrimp extra delicious and the onions add a slight sweetness that cuts the salty bite from the shrimp.

Shrimp with cumin, coriander, fennel, salt, onion, and butter

I also make home-made corn tortillas with masa flour (store-bought is completely okay, but if you have the time, I highly recommend making them from scratch!) To top the shrimp off, I make a beautiful mango salsa consisting of a mango, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, tomato. The sweetness of the mango pairs wonderfully with the acidity of the other ingredients. I also add a spicy mayo (just mayo and a good quality hot sauce) before topping the tortilla with the shrimp and salsa. This adds a bit of creaminess to your taco.

Spicy Mayo

And this guys is balance! Make this for a bunch of friends while you discuss climate change, driveless cars, the end of antibiotics, imminent nuclear warfare or maybe even that one guy or girl you swiped right on that dating app. Whatever it is, these tacos will get everybody into an active and lively conversation. And that’s really what good food is supposed to do.

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Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Servings 8 tacos

Ingredients

  • 2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp paprika or chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt (for shrimp)
  • 1 mango (should be ripe, yet firm)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 small onion (divided: 1/2 for shrimp, 1/2 for salsa)
  • 1 avocado
  • juice of lime (to taste)
  • 1 tomato
  • 3/4 tsp salt (for salsa)
  • 14-16 corn tortillas
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2-3 dashes of hot sauce (or to taste)

Instructions

  1. Prepare your salsa. Dice up all you ingredients - mango, jalapeno, cilantro, 1/2 small onion, avocado, tomato and combine. Add salt and lime juice to taste.

  2. On medium-low heat, add in your butter, garlic, and the remaining half of your onion (diced finely), and sautee until lightly brown. Turn the heat up to medium high and then add in your shrimp, salt, and spices. The shrimp only take a few minutes to cook. Once they are pink, turn off the heat.

  3. Take your corn tortillas and lightly toast them on a grill pan or regular pan. 

  4. Combine your mayo and hot sauce and add a little bit to the bottom of each tortilla.

  5. Add a couple of shrimp to each tortilla and top with mango salsa. Serve with extra hot sauce on the side.

Talava Ghosht

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Fried Mutton aka Talava Ghost

Fried mutton. It’s delicious.  It’s crispy. It’s spicy. It’s garlic-y. It will satisfy all your meat cravings.

For this recipe I use pieces of boneless lamb which I marinate in lots of garlic, salt, and turmeric.

To tenderize the lamb fast I use a pressure cooker. If you don’t have one, you can slow braise over medium-low heat for a couple of hours.

Once tenderized, I caramelize sliced onions in a separate pan. I then add in the meat and fry it up until it turns a bit crispy. I season with fennel, nutmeg, garam masala. Lastly, I add in a few squeezes of lemon and garnish with cilantro.

My mom likes to make this with some daal and basmati rice but you can eat it with roti and any other curry of your choosing. Heck, you can even put this in some tortillas, top it with some guac, and make some amazing lamb tacos or put it in white bread with slices of tomato and layer of mayo and make some killer sandwiches!

In the cooker

Lamb Tacos with salsa verde, feta, and onion

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Talava Ghosht

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs lamb (boneless, cut into pieces)
  • 7-8 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp fennel
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • lemon juice (to taste)
  • 1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, add your meat, garlic (chopped), salt, and turmeric. Let it sit.

  2. In the meantime, slice your onion into half-circle slices.

  3. If using a pressure cooker, add meat and water to the cooker. Turn the heat to medium, attach the lid and let it cook for about 20 minutes or about 6-8 whistles.

  4. Turn off the heat. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the lid (be careful not to let the steam burn you!).  The water should have evaporated but if there is a little bit left, cook on low heat to let it evaporate out fully.

  5. Sautee your onions in oil in a separate pan. Allow them to brown and caramelize.

  6. On medium high heat add in your meat and then your spices. Allow meat to brown up and get crispy on the edges.

  7. Lastly, taste and add additional salt if necessary. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice and cilantro.

Spicy Thai Red Curry Noodles

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Spicy Red Curry Thai Noodles

 

“Fatima where do you want to eat?”

“I’m down for anything. Where do you want to eat?”

“I’m down for anything.”

“You wanna do thai?”

“Hell yeah!”

Everybody has their go-to food when they eat out. You know, the restaurant or cuisine you always end up inevitably choosing even an hour or spending time looking through online menus, yelp reviews, google ratings – while simultaneously trying to take into consideration everyone’s tastes and appetites.

For my friends and I, that place is thai.  You put a warm bowl of yellow curry in front of me big fat plate of pad thai with a slice of lime and some toasted peanuts, and boy I am set. It’s comforting, flavorful, and great to discuss a wide-range of topics over, spanning from ways to dismantle structural oppression to the latest eye-shadow palette.

Chicken searing in a wok

 

For this recipe, I chop up some chicken thighs (or whatever protein I’m feeling that day – shrimp, tofu etc) and toss them into a hot wok along with a little bit of red-curry paste. (I don’t really have homemade red-curry paste lying around, so I use store-bought!) I then add in some veggies – here I opted for carrots, bell pepper, and green beans. For the sauce I combine fish sauce (a classic thai ingredient) with brown sugar which adds a slight sweetness that counters the saltiness of the fish sauce. Once the chicken and veggies are seared and done cooking, I remove them from the wok and add in some coconut milk along with the remaining curry paste. In order to make sure my dish isn’t too thin, I let the coconut milk simmer until it thickens up. Lastly, I toss in my noodles, cilantro, lime juice, and sprouts. And there you have it! A simple noodle dish that is sure to satisfy your carb cravings.

 

Veggies in stiry-fry

Coconut milk and curry paste simmering away

 

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Spicy Thai Red Curry Noodles

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tbsp red curry paste (depending on how spicy you want it) home-made or store-bought
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup carrot (julliened)
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper (diced into 1 inch pieces)
  • 1/2 cup bean sprouts
  • 2 chicken thighs (or substitute with favorite protein)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 12 oz thick rice noodles (may also substitute pasta) (3/4 of 16 oz package)
  • juice of half a lime (or to taste)
  • 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped) for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prep all your ingredients. Chop up your veggies (carrots, bell pepper, green beans) and protein into bite size pieces.

  2. Combine your fish sauce and brown sugar. Stir and make sure the sugar dissolves.

  3. Cook your noodles according to your package instructions. Make sure it is the right amount of noodles. If you add too little, your noodles will end up soupy and too salty!


  4. In a wok or pan with high sides, add your oil. Make sure it gets nice and hot.

  5. Add in your protein and 1 tsp of the curry paste and a tsp of your brown sugar and fish sauce mixture. Make sure protein is nice and seared and cooked through. This will take only a few minutes. Remove from wok and put it on a plate to the side.

  6. Now add in your veggies and a little bit of your brown sugar and fish sauce mixture. Make sure they get a nice sear while remaining their crunch. Again, this will only take a few minutes. Remove from wok.

  7. Now add in your coconut milk and remaining red curry paste and fish sauce/brown sugar mixture. Let the coconut milk simmer and thicken up.

  8. Add in your cooked noodles, veggies, and protein. Toss and combine. Turn off the heat, add in your bean sprouts, cilantro, and lime juice. And there you have it!