Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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

Indian Fusion

Spiced Butternut Squash and Orzo Soup

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Alright I’ve got a wonderful recipe for all your soup-lovers! Hearty and healthy, sweet and warm, thick and smooth – this spiced butternut squash and orzo soup is the perfect concoction for a cloudy October day, especially if you’re watching your calories.

To start this soup off, I chop and cube up a butternut squash. With its sweetness and versatility it’s one of my absolutely favorite seasonal vegetables and its vibrant orange color certainly a show-stopper in this soup.

I also use leeks, carrots, and kale. All autumn vibes. All good stuff that’s nutritious and guilt-free.  

For starch, I add in a nice serving of orzo. Now, orzo looks like rice but is actually made of semolina flour – and dare I say it, orzo in a soup tastes even better than rice in a soup. I used a brown whole wheat version which makes me feel even better about eating it from a health-wise perspective, cause you know complex carbs are better than simple carbs and all. But you can use whatever you like!

As for stock, I use concentrated vegetable stock that comes in the jar – I prefer this  product because I think it tastes a lot better than boillion cubes and the stock that comes in big boxes. Plus with this method, you can control how much flavor and salt goes into your soup – not to mention, it will last in your fridge for several months!

Many people complain that vegetable soups are bland – but this soup has a secret ingredient which elevates it into another realm – a heaping tablespoon of garam masala. The warmth of cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, and all the other spices in your mix brings out tremendous depth and works amazingly with fall vegetables.

And there you have it! A healthy and comforting vegetable soup spiced with Indian flavors. Save your run to Panera and make this soup at home instead. You won’t regret it.

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Spiced Butternut Squash and Orzo Soup

A hearty fall soup consisting of butternut squash, leeks, carrots, kale, orzo, and seasoned with garam masala - a warm Indian blend of spices. 

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 6 cups butternut squash cubed equivalent to 1 squash
  • 1 cup leek about 1/2 a leek
  • 1 cup carrot
  • 1 1/2 cup kale
  • 2/3 cup orzo
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp concentrated vegetable stock paste (will be added to water to make stock) can substitute with 4-5 cups vegetable stock
  • 7 cups water (or to taste, depending on how thick you want your soup to be)
  • salt or to taste
  • 2 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Chop up your vegetables - butternut squash, leeks, carrots, and kale. Set aside.

  2. In a large soup pot on medium-high heat, add in your olive oil.

  3. Now add in your vegetables. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add in the salt and bay leaf. (Do not cook all the way through.)

  4. Add in your orzo. Stir. Now add in your vegetable stock paste along with the water. 

  5. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat. 

  6. Stir in your garam masala, black pepper. Taste and adjust for salt. Your soup is ready! Serve with crusty bread. 

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. 

Achaari Fried Rice

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This dish is quite nostalgic for me because I used to make it a lot back in undergrad. It’s the perfect I-don’t-have-enough-time-to-make-a-full-fledged-course-but-I-need-to-stop-eating-out-so-let’s-whip-up-something -quick-and-easy-from-the-four-things-I-have-in-my-fridge-type of meal.

The idea for the dish came together naturally on its own – I think one day I wanted to make some simple fried rice and it just hit me that I could use the homemade lemon achaar my mom had packed for me as a spice paste to make it extra flavorful and spicy.

I took whatever veggies were in my fridge, some day-old basmati rice, ginger and garlic, some soy sauce, a couple teaspoons of mom’s achaar -fried it all up and topped it all with a runny yolk egg for some extra protein and comfort.

Now of course you do not have to use homemade achaar – this is very much a use-whatever-is-in-your-pantry type of dish so a store-bought achaar will do just fine. Use whatever type you like – lemon, cabbage, ghosht, kerala – as long as you like the brand it will taste good.

This is a simple fusion that came together accidentally – but as proven time and time again, sometimes the dishes that are the least deliberately planned end up being the best.

And there you have it! A super easy and fun Indian twist on a fried rice dish – perfect if you want a little something that’s satisfying with minimal effort.

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Achaari Fried Rice

An Indian version of fried rice that uses achaar as a spice-paste for extra spiciness and flavor

Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup day-old basmati rice may use regular short-grain rice
  • 3/4 cup chopped veggies of your choice I use 1/4 cup of cabbage, carrot, and green beans each
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2.5 tsp achaar of your choice
  • 2 1/2 tsp oil
  • 1-2 1/2 tsp soy sauce (or to taste)
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 tbsp cilantro

Fried Egg with Runny Yolk

  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp oil

Instructions

  1. Chop/jullienne your vegetables and set aside. 

  2. Add your oil in a wok on high heat. First add in your veggies. After 1-2 minutes, add in ginger-garlic paste and then your rice.

  3. Using your spatula, separate the rice kernels and allow them to fry in the oil.

  4. Add in your achaar and and soy sauce and incorporate into the rice. Allow the rice to brown. 

  5. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You may need to add more or less soy sauce depending on how salty your achaar is. 

  6. Set your rice aside and work on your fried egg. In a small frying pan, add in your oil. Then crack in your egg. Once the edges start crisping up, remove the egg with the spatula and drain the oil on a small plate lined with paper-towel. (If you want a runny yolk, make sure not to leave it in for too long. Gently press on the yolk to see how far it is cooked. It shouldn't take more than 90 seconds!) Top your fried rice with the egg and garnish with green onions and cilantro.