Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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

Appetizers

Thai Beef Salad Nachos

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Nachos are one of my favorite things to make for an iftar party. They are super versatile because literally anything will taste delicious on a hot bed of tortilla chips and melted cheese.  

I created an Indian version last year – my chicken tikka nachos (please do check that out!) that was a real hit, but this time I wanted to do a simple Thai version that required a little less work.  

I came across the dish – Nam Tok a few months ago –  a lovely salad consisting of tender strips of beef seasoned in soy sauce and fish sauce and palm sugar and garlic with a fresh salad consisting of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and basil. When turned into a nachos dish, it’s a much lighter take than a traditional beans, ground beef, and cheese combo but still incredibly savory.

Instead of salsa, I top my nachos with a good amount of sriracha for extra heat. You can of course add extra condiments like sour cream, guacamole, etc. But these are great just as written too!

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Thai Beef Salad Nachos

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Beef Marinade

  • 1 lb beef or lamb (cut into strips)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp palm sugar may substitute with regular or brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 serrano chilie

Salad

  • 1 green onion
  • 1 Tbsp basil optional
  • 3 Tbsp cilantro
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2-3 small cucumbers (or 1 large)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 lime
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Nachos Assembly

  • 3-4 cups Tortilla Chips
  • 8 oz cheese of your choice (shredded)
  • 2-3 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce
  • sour cream, guacamole, salsas optional – to taste

Instructions

Thai Beef

  1. Combine marinade ingredients (fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, palm sugar, chili flakes) and mix well. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. You may also leave overnight in the fridge.

  2. If using a less tender cut, add meat to pressure cooker to tenderize. Afterwards add to a hot skillet with oil and fry until crispy and caramelized. You may also add a serrano chilie if you like for extra heat. Squeeze some lime juice over the top and taste and adjust for seasoning.

  3. Salad

  4. Dice onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, green onion finely. Add salt, pepper, and lime juice. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  5. Assembly

  6. Set your oven broiler to 500 F. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper, add one layer of tortilla chips.

  7. Toss the meat and shredded cheese evenly. Place in oven for about 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.

  8. Once the cheese has melted, remove and add your salad. Squeeze some sriracha all over. Feel free to add extra condiments such as sour cream, beans, guacamole, and various salsas and hot sauces. Your nachos are ready to serve!

Chicken Spring Rolls

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Are you ever just completely lost when it comes to figuring out what to bring to a  potluck?

Someone’s bound to bring a sad veggie dip, a soggy casserole, an underseasoned chili – 10 people bring store-bough cookies because they can’t be bothered or can’t cook, one person brings something that’s actually really tasty but by the time you get there it’s all gone…and that’s about it.

I’ve got a great solution for you.

These chicken spring rolls take a bit of effort and time but are so worth it. There are incredibly flavorful, juicy, and the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and hot.

I first start off by making some shredded chicken. I take boneless chicken tenders and simmer them in chicken stock and bay leaves.

For the filling I use about 3.5 cups of veggies for 1 pound chicken. Don’t bother with a knife and cutting-board. Get out your food processor and grind until extremely fine.

The secret to these babies is cooking down everything in a good amount of ginger-garlic paste. This will add tremendous background flavor. I also like to add  in some turmeric and chilli powder (because I am brown) along with some soy sauce and oyster sauce.

My second secret is a bit of msg. Whenever I make anything Indo-Chinese, I always pour a little in. I know some people have reservations about this notorious seasoning – but let me tell you that literally every processed food has msg in it – from chips and crackers to breads and sauces. A little goes along way with flavor enhancement and brings these to the next level.

Lastly, I squeeze in a generous amount of lime juice for brightness and acidity.

Assemble these, fry them up, and serve these up with some good old sweet chilli sauce. Your co-workers or classmates are sure to be impressed.

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Chicken Spring Rolls

A super flavorful spring roll - perfect for your next potluck or holiday party!

Ingredients

shredded chicken

  • 2 lbs boneless chicken (may use breast and/or thighs)
  • 1 chicken bullion cube
  • 1 bay leaf

Filling (total yield = 7 cups of veggies)

  • 4-5 medium carrots
  • 1/2 cabbage
  • 1/2 bell pepper (don't use green)
  • 4 green onions
  • 7 tbsp oil
  • 2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce or to taste
  • 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 2 1/2 tsp chilli powder or to taste
  • 1 tsp msg
  • lime juice to taste

Instructions

Shredded Chicken

  1. In a large pot filled half-way with water, add in your boneless chicken pieces along with the chicken stock cube and the bay leaves. If you don't have chicken stock (halal chicken bullion is sometimes hard to come by) then just add some salt and extra aromatics of your choice (ex - black peppercorns, extra bay leaves etc).

  2. Bring water to a boil then lower to a simmer. After several minutes you will notice a layer of white foam form on the top. Remove with a spoon. 

  3. Allow the chicken to cook and tenderize. This will take at least 1 1/2 hours or even longer. If the water evaporates too quickly, just add more. Once it's done, it should be shredded and tender. 

Filling

  1. Throw in your veggies - bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, green onions into a food processor and blitz until completely fine. You should have a yield of about 6-7 cups of veggies. 

  2. In a large wok or wide pan, add in your oil on medium-high heat. Now add in your veggies. Allow them to cook down for a minute or two.

  3. Add in your turmeric, chilli powder, and ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the rawness of the ginger-garlic paste goes away.

  4. Now add in your shredded chicken, soy, sauce, oyster sauce, and msg. Mix well. Make sure your mixture is dry and doesn't have too much moisture or else you're spring rolls will be soggy!

  5. Add in your lime juice. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You may require more soy sauce. 

Assembly

  1. Take a bunch of thawed spring roll wrappers. Carefully separate each layer without tearing them. (NOTE - these are not the same as wonton wrappers! They are a bit larger in size and thinner. My favorite brand is Spring Home - "TYJ Spring Roll Pastry". You can find these in the asian frozen section of your supermarket!)

  2. Take a spoonful of filling just bellow the center. Form into a log shape and fold the ends tucking the sides like an envelope. (If you are confused, there are plenty of good youtube tutorials that will break this down for you in much better detail than I can describe here!)

  3. Make sure to cover your spring rolls with a damp paper towel or cloth so they don't dry out. 

  4. Bring a wok or large pot with at least an inch of oil to 350 F. Slowly add in your spring rolls and fry until golden brown.

  5. Your spring rolls are ready! Serve with sweet chilli sauce. 

Indo-Chinese Shrimp Pot-stickers and Dumplings

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I’ve only had shrimp dumplings once in a Korean restaurant – (much to my disappointment most shrimp dumplings are also paired with pork which as a muslim I don’t eat leaving my experiences with traditional dumplings quite limited.) So I wanted to try my hand at making my own version of a flavorful shrimp dumpling, but with of course my own Indian twist.

I’ve had quite a few Indo-Chinese dishes – hakka noodles, chili chicken, vegetable Manchurian – but much to my dismay, I have yet to come across and Indo-Chinese dumpling which is quite a shame.

For the filling I went with ingredients you would find in a typical dumping – carrots, green onions, shrimp but also opted for adding one of my favorite Indian vegetables- Tindora. Tindora looks like fat little green fingers and tastes delicious and sweet when fried– perhaps the most similar common vegetable to it in taste is zucchini.

 

Instead of adding chili flakes for heat, I added in a serrano chilie and for flavoring I went totally Indian with some turmeric, achaar, and ginger-garlic paste.

 

 

 

To my understanding, with dumpling filling you blitz everything up in a food processor, combine your seasonings and start assembling. But when I did that I found the tindora to still be slightly raw and the ginger-garlic paste to be way too overpowering. So for this recipe I did cook-down the tindora a little bit in oil along with my ginger-garlic paste and I instantly noticed the difference in taste.

 

 

When it comes to dumpling folding, I am a complete amateur and am quite lazy (kudos to all the people who have the ability and patience to fold wonton wrappers in intricate designs) so I simply folded them in half and sealed them with some water and cornstarch.

There are two directions you can go with these – the steaming route or the frying route.

Steaming is a wonderfully healthy way to enjoy your dumplings. If you have a bamboo steamer, you can align it with some parchment paper and place it in a large pot filled with an inch of water. If you do not, no worries. You can improvise with a colander and a pot. (Just make sure to lightly oil the bottom so the dumplings won’t stick – I learned this the hard way!)

If you fry these, you simply cannot go wrong. You can now call them potstickers and serve them as an appetizer for your next party!

 

 

These dumplings are mind-blowingly good. The achaar, turmeric, and ginger-garlic paste make these incredibly flavorful and very-Indian tasting. As potstickers they are crunchy and fun. As steamed dumplings they are chewy and guilt-free.

 

 

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Indo-Chinese Pot-stickers and Dumplings

An Indian-Chinese fusion shrimp dumpling seasoned with achaar, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 green onions
  • 1/2 bell pepper (orange, red, or yellow)
  • 1 cup chopped Tindora (may substitute with another vegetable)
  • 2 serrano chilies
  • 1 1/2 tsp achaar of your choice
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp lime juice (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 packet wonton wrappers
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (combined with water for sealing) may also substitute with eggwash

Instructions

  1. In a food processor combine your shrimp, carrots, chilies, bell pepper, green onion. Set aside.

  2. Finely chop your tindora vegetable. In a small pot/pan, add in some oil on medium-high heat. Cook down your tindora. Once softened, add in your ginger-garlic paste, achaar, and turmeric. Allow it to cool.

  3. Once cooled, in a medium-sized bowl - combine all your ingredients from the food processor along with the cooked down tindora and seasonings. Add salt and lime juice to taste. Mix well. 

  4. In a small ramekin or bowl, combine a tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix thoroughly. This will serve as your glue. You may also use egg-wash if you'd like. 

  5. Lay out your wonton wrapper. Place 1 tsp in the center. (Try not to overfill by adding too much). Using your clean finger or a brush, cover the border with the cornstarch/water mixture. Seal the edges shut. (Make sure to cover the wonton wrappers with a damp kitchen towel so they don't dry out while you work!)

Potstickers - Frying Method

  1. Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or pan with an inch of oil. Allow to come to a temperature of about 350 F. 

  2. Add a few potstickers at a time. Fry on each side until golden brown. This should not take longer than a few minutes. Let them sit on a plate lined with paper-towel to drain excess oil.

Steaming Method

  1. Fill a large pot with an inch or two of water. Place on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.

  2. Line your bamboo steamer with parchment. If you do not have  a steamer, you may use a colander. Lightly grease it. 

  3. Place your dumplings into the steamer and place the lid on top of it. 

  4. Allow dumplings to steam for about 15 minutes, or until translucent. (Try not to keep opening the lid to peak, this will only make the cooking time longer.) Make sure there is enough water in the pot at all times. If there isn't much left, add more.