Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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

Recipes

Low-Carb Pad Thai

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Pad Thai is a phenomenal noodle dish, but if you’re trying to watch the calories it isn’t always the most ideal thing to eat.

Luckily, I stumbled across an amazing solution.

I found these fabulous shirataki tofu noodles that absolutely do the trick. Unlike rice or flour noodles, shirataki noodles are made out of the fiber of yam – which allow them to be a low-calorie option. The trick to preparing them is to not boil them. Just drain and wash under cold water and then allow that water to evaporate over medium-high heat.

A pad thai sauce is a delicate balance of sweet, sour, and salty respectively in the forms of palm sugar, tamarind, and fish sauce. Getting the ratio right can be a bit difficult, especially since brands can vary – so make sure to taste and adjust before adding it in to your stir-fry.

What goes in a pad thai is totally up to your personal preference – some people like egg, some people don’t. Some people do just sprouts, some do carrots, some do both. Pick and choose whatever you have on hand – it will be fine, I promise.

Pad thai is so simple and easy to make at home, please do give these a try even if you are on a diet!

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Low-Carb Pad Thai

A low-carb version of pad thai using shirataki noodles. 

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Shiratake Tofu Noodles (2 8 oz packs) comes in different varieties, feel free to use whichever you’d like
  • 6 oz tofu (or substitute with protein of your choice)
  • 4 green onions
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup carrot (cut into matchsticks of ribbons)
  • 1/3 cup sprouts
  • 1.5 Tbsp roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • 1 small cucumber optional

Pad Thai Sauce

  • 3 Tbsp tamarind concentrate amount needed may vary, depending on brand you’re using!
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 4 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 59 grams palm sugar (3 cubes) may substitute with 2-3 Tbsp of brown sugar
  • 2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

Pad Thai Sauce

  1. Combine palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and water in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. Microwave for a few more 30 second intervals until palm sugar has dissolved. You can also do this over the stovetop. If you are using brown sugar, you can skip the microwave. Just mix until the brown sugar is combined!

    Note – You may need less or more of the tamarind concentrate depending on the brand you’re using! I use the Thai brand pictured above. Make sure to taste and adjust. It should be a balance of sweet, salty, and sour!

Shirataki Tofu Noodles

  1. Drain the noodles and rinse well under cold water. Do not boil. Add to a hot wok or pan on medium-high heat with no oil just so you can evaporate the water and allow the noodles to slightly crisp up. Once the water has been evaporated fully, remove from pan.

Stir-Fry

  1. Add your oil to the wok. Now add in your protein. Cook for a few minutes, then add in you green onions (white ends) and garlic. Cook down. Make sure not to burn the garlic! 

  2. Remove from wok. Then add your noodles back in along with your pad thai sauce. Allow the pad thai sauce to simmer down fully and coat the noodles. The sugar in the sauce will eventually start caramelizing and turn the noodles brown. 

  3. Toss in your carrots and sprouts. Combine well. Top with peanuts, sprouts, sliced cucumbers. Serve with lime wedges.

Bhindi Masala

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Bhindi is the most frequently cooked vegetable curry in my household. Whether it’s paired with naan or paratha, simple white rice or pulao, daal or tempered yogurt – bhindi masala always has a place on the kitchen table.
I know some people complain about okra being slimy, but this method of cooking it – cutting it into ½ inch rounds and sauteeing it until crispy takes away the unpleasant slimy texture.
The onions and tomatoes give it extra body, sweetness, and acidity alike. For spices – I keep it simple with just a bit of turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, and coriander.
This is the kind of simple-everyday food that I grew up eating and it would be a terrible shame if I didn’t share the recipe here with you!

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Bhindi Masala

A simple yet delicious Indian okra curry made by sauteeing okra with onions, tomatoes, and spices

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp oil
  • 2 lbs okra (yields 8 cups)
  • 1 1/4 cup onion (diced, about 1 1/2 small onions)
  • 2 tomatoes
  • lime juice (to taste)

Spices

  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash any dirt off the okra. With a knife, remove the heads and the bottom stem of the okra. Cut into small 1/2 inch or so rounds. 

  2. Add your oil into a wide pot or pan. Add in your okra. Stir frequently. The okra will take time to cook. Do not add salt just yet. 

  3. After 15 minutes or so, the okra will start releasing its juices and start cooking down.  Add in the diced onions. 

  4. Once the onions are about to get translucent and the okra is caramelizing down, add in the salt. Then add in the tomatoes and spices. Allow the tomatoes to cook down completely. 

  5. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You may need to add more salt and/or spices and lime juice.  Serve with roti or rice.

Fish Pakora Bao Buns

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A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Aamina Khan took me out to try bao buns for the first time in Chicago and I fell in love with them instantly!

Most of the menu included pork, but we were able to try the shrimp ones which were tangy and sweet. I thought I could easily give it a go and make my own version.

I’ve also been meaning to do a fish sandwich recipe, so this was the perfect concept to incorporate the bao bun and the humble deep-fried pakora.

I took a catfish fillet, cut it up into bite size pieces and marinated in ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, and an array of spices – turmeric, chilli powder, paprika, onion powder, methi, amchur, cumin, coriander. I coated the pieces in chickpea flour and rice flour and fried the little nuggets until crispy.

For a nice contrast to the heat and spice of the fish – I topped the pakora with a sweet chilli sauce and for crunch – made a salad of onion, bell-pepper, and carrot seasoned with chaat masala.

These babies are super cute and fun – the perfect picnic sandwich or afternoon snack. This is what wavy Indian fusion is all about – taking traditional foods and presenting them in new dynamic ways.

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Fish Pakora Bao Buns

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb fish fillet catfish, cod, halibut or fish of your choice
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1/3 cup yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp rice flour
  • 3 Tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
  • 3 Tbsp rice flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt or to taste

Spice Blend (powdered spices)

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp amchur powder
  • 2 tsp fennel

Salad

  • 1-2 carrots (cut into matchsticks)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1/2 bell pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp chaat masala
  • lime juice to taste

Other Condiments/garnish

  • sweet chili sauce may substitute with mango chili sauce or chutney of your choice
  • 2 tbsp cilantro

Instructions

Fish Pakora

  1. Cut up your fillet into bite-size pieces.  Add your ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, spices, salt, rice flour, chickpea flour. Combine well and set aside for about 15 minutes. If the mixture is a little too clumpy, just add in some more yogurt and mix thoroughly.

  2. In a heavy-bottom pot or skillet add in about an inch or two of oil. Allow it to become nice and hot.

  3. Add in a handful of fish pieces at a time. They will only take a few minutes to cook thoroughly. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper-towel.

Bao Buns

  1. If you are using frozen ready-made buns, cook using the package insructions. You may steam or microwave. If steaming – line a bamboo steamer with some parchment. Place your bao buns in the steamer and cover with the lid. Move the steamer to a pot or pan filled with an inch or two of water. They should take about 15 minutes or so.

Assembly

  1. Place your salad ingredients (carrots, bell-pepper, onion, chaat masala) into the bao bun. Then add 3-4 pieces of your pakora and top with the sweet chili sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro.