Red Kidney Bean Salad

My 100th post!!!! I thought it should be healthy :)

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons high-quality red wine vinegar
2 cups small, sweet cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
3 14-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 lb beans soaked overnight and boiled)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch of chopped green onion

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine onions and vinegar. Set aside to marinate while preparing rest of salad, or up to three hours.
2. Halve cherry tomatoes and place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Add kidney beans, onion mixture and olive oil. Toss gently to mix, adjust salt to taste, and serve.

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Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
1 container (16-ounce) low fat small-curd cottage cheese
1 container( 15-ounce) part-skim ricotta
6 ounces part-skim mozzarella, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cups grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
 Black pepper
1 cups roughly chopped fresh basil
1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 1/2 cups jarred marinara sauce


Directions:

1.Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil two large rimmed baking sheets. Beat the egg and egg whites together in a shallow bowl. Place the bread crumbs and flour in separate shallow bowls. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the bread crumbs and mix to combine.

2. Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Dip the eggplant rounds in the flour, then the eggs (letting any excess drip off), and finally in the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to help them adhere; transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Roast until the eggplant is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

3. In the meanwhile, in a big bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Romano, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the basil and parsley.

4. Spread 1/2 cup marinara on the bottom of a baking dish. Top with a layer of eggplant (8 to 12 slices) and 1/2 cup marinara, and dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups). Repeat eggplant, marinara, and ricotta layers twice. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Romano.

5. Cover the dish tightly with an oiled piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Beef carpaccio

Ingredients:
8 -10 ounces beef tenderloin
4 cups arugula or 4 cups mixed greens
your favorite vinaigrette (amount to taste)
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
shaved parmesan cheese

Method:

1.Wrap the tenderloin in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 2 hours.
2.After 2 hours, unwrap the tenderloin and thinly slice the beef into  1/8 to 1/4-inch pieces.
3.Lay out sheets of plastic wrap and place each slice onto the plastic. Top with another piece of plastic and gently pound the meat with a meat mallet until paper thin.
4.Repeat until all of the meat is sliced and pounded.
5.Divide the meat evenly among 4 chilled plates.
6. Serve with greens tossed with vinaigrette, salt, pepper and/or Parmesan.

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Baba Ghanoush

Highly seasoned dip of Middle East, although famous all over world. The finished dish ideally should have the smoky flavor, coming from fire-roasting of eggplant. Leaving on  a little of the blackened skin will fulfill this purpose.

The most important part of this dish is roasting the eggplant. You can do this on a gas stove Although it makes a mess, but the flavor can't be beat. Other options are on a grill, under a broiler, or in a hot oven. The oven is least preferable because it can't give the eggplant the desired slightly charred flavor.

Ingredients:

3 lb. eggplant
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Method:

1. Roast the eggplant, set each eggplant directly on the flame, grill, or grate.

2. For oven preheat oven at 400 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Oil eggplant and prick it too. The eggplant will start to crack and give off juices; it should become an ashy grayblack. 3. Turn it as it cooks, but be careful-as it softens under heat, it becomes difficult to move without splitting. When the eggplant is charred gray and very tender all the way through, transfer it to a plate to cool.

3. Slice off the top of the cooled eggplant, and then cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully remove all the pulp, but avoid any bits of blackened skin. With a fork, stir the eggplant to break up large pieces and add the rest of the ingredients. Taste as you mix and adjust seasoning. Chill before serving.

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Pork Chops (chinese style)

4 pork chops
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon wine
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
6 tablespoons cornstarch
oil (for frying)


Method:

1. Cut pork chops into pieces. Mix together all the ingredients except cornstarch and oil and pour over pork. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes (preferably for 1 day).

2.Before frying, pour cornstarch on top of pork and stir into marinade.

3. Heat enough oil in a large skillet to cover bottom. Place pork in pan when oil begins to shimmer. Cook pork chops over med-high heat until cooked through.

4. Serve hot.

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Bruschetta

Thanks to the Italians who gave us this 'Ready in 10 mins' appetizer which is as easy as a pie and has flavors that are simple yet delightful. Also thanks to people who added so many kinds of variations to the toppings. Ideally Italian bread should be grilled over hot coal to get real Italian flavor, but in regular homes bread is toasted or broiled to make it. I am gonna write my recipe here:


Ingredients:

1  can Italian Diced Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
4 TB Olive Oil
3/4 cup basil
1 long french bread

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix right before serving.

For easy bread pieces to go with the bruschetta, here is what to do:

2.. Buy french bread loaf. Cut in slices and place on a cookie sheet.

3. Butter slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil on HIGH for 2-5 minutes (dependent on how fast and hot your oven is).

4. Serve the bread pieces with your bruschetta.

It is a family favorite that can be made so easily and tastes so good!

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Double Chocolate cake

Ingredients:

 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2 cups white sugar
 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, melted
 2 eggs
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1 cup milk
 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1 teaspoon salt
 1/2 cup butter, softened
 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
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Method:

1. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt together into a large bowl.
2. Add the butter or margarine, milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Beat for 300 strokes, or for approximately 2 minutes at low speed with an electric mixer or with hands upto 15 mins.
3. Add the eggs, melted chocolate, and red food coloring to the batter. Beat an additional 300 strokes or 2 minutes at low speed or with hands 15 mins.
4. Pour into two greased and floured 8 inch layer pans. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done.

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Spring Rolls

Mainly part of East Asian Cuisine like China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, but now is famous worldwide :) This recipe tells you how to prepare the covering as well, so you don’t need spring roll sheets available in the market. You can experiment with the stuffing, though we’ve used an assortment of vegetables and sprouts.

Ingredients:

For spring roll sheets:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornflour
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp melted butter
a pinch salt


For The Stuffing
1 tbsp oil
chopped chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped spring onions whites
1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables (french beans , carrots , cabbage) , cut into thin strips
3/4 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup boiled and roughly chopped noodles
1/2 cup chopped spring onion greens
2 tsp soy sauce
salt to taste

Also:
3 tbsp All purpose flour  dissolved in 1/4 cup water
oil for deep-frying

Method :

For the sheets:
1. Combine the plain flour, cornflour, milk, salt and ½ cup of water in a bowl and mix well till no lumps no remain.
2. Grease a non-stick pan with butter, pour 2 tbsp of the batter into the pan and tilt it around quickly to make a 4 inch diameter thin circle.
3. When the sides begin to peel off, turn the pancake and cook on the other side for 30 seconds.
4. Make others out of remaining mixture.


For the stuffing:
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan on a high heat till it smokes.
2. Add the spring onion whites, mixed vegetables, bean sprouts and sauté on a high for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the noodles, spring onion greens, soya sauce and salt and chopped chicken breasts and sauté on a high flame for another 2 minutes.
4. Divide the stuffing into equal portions and keep aside.

Final assembling and frying:
1. Place a sheet on a flat, dry surface and place a portion of the stuffing on one of its edge
2. Apply a little flour paste along the edges of the pancake.
3. Fold the top edge over the mixture to seal it firmly.
4. Fold the left and the right side of the pancake in order to get a rectangle.
5. Roll the pancake downwards tightly sealing the ends securely with the flour paste.
6. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make more rolls.
7. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and deep-fry in batches till they turn light brown in color.
8. Cut each roll into 2 equal portions and serve hot with schezuan sauce.

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Crostini or Italian Croutons

Crostini is Italian croutons. Its a nibbly party food. I tried to make it for a potluck party where Italian food was the theme. It is real simple yet has elegance of Italian food.


Ingredients:

1 French baguette, sliced  approximately 1/3” thick
2-3 tablespoons olive oil or olive oil spray
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings: There are as many variations for toppings as the number of people making it. I am going to mention some of my favorite:

mozzarella cheese slices
chicken breasts
salted fish slices
parsley
cut mushroom slices

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly brush or spray both sides of each bread slice, then arrange on a baking sheet.

2. Season each piece with salt and pepper.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool before topping with ingredients.

4. Load it up with toppings right before eating it. Garnish it with salt and pepper.

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Chili Chicken

Mexican style stewed tomatoes, picante sauce, and chili powder help to flavor this hearty chicken chili recipe. Its easy slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can chili beans
2/3 cup picante sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Saute chicken, onion, pepper, garlic in vegetable oil until vegetables are slight cooked.
2. Transfer to slow cooker; add remaining ingredients.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

4. Serve hot with rice.

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Black Forest Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Toppings:

1 lb fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries (I used a jar)
1/2 cup kirsch
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
chilled chocolate curls

1. Refrigerate cherries and kirsch ahead of time. Refrigerate for several hours or up to several days. Before use, drain the cherries well.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of  9-inch round/square cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

3. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and let cool completely.

5. In a large chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the cream until it mounds lightly. Add 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla and whip until the cream forms peaks.

6. To assemble the cake, place cake on a cake stand or serving plate and sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons of the reserved cherry brandy evenly over the top to moisten. Cover the cake with 2/3 cup of the whipped cream, spreading it all the way to the edge. Arrange half of the cherries on top of the cream. Cover the cherries with another 2/3 cup whipped cream.

7. To decorate, gently scoop up the chilled chocolate curls with your hands and press them into the sides of the cake, covering them completely with curls. Decorate the top, if desired, with rosettes of whipped cream and some extra cherries.
8. Refrigerate the cake for few hours before serving.

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Garbanzo beans/Chick Pea Salad to reduce your waist line

I am watching my waist right now and here is my favorite recipe which is kind of making me jump miles ahead whenever I go for it :)

There you go with the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas (200 grams)

1 jalapeno pepper

3 – 4 tablespoons minced shallot (about ½ large shallot)

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves

Salt – to taste

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon mild-flavored oil (I used light olive oil)

¼ teaspoon dried mango powder (optional)

Method:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. (Or, if you didn’t think to soak them ahead of time, put them in a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let them sit, covered, for 1 hour. Then proceed with the recipe.)

2. Drain the chickpeas and cover with plenty of water again. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (1 teaspoon of table salt) and simmer until tender, an additional 10-15 minutes.

3. Drain the beans well.

4. Cut the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Mince the pepper.

5. Whisk the lime juice, oil, and mango powder together.

6. Combine all of the salad ingredients with the lime juice dressing.

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Guacamole

Guacamole is an avocado-based sauce that originated in Mexico. In addition to its use in Mexican cuisine it has also become part of American cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient.

Ingredients:

2 medium ripe avocados 
1/2 small onion chopped
1/2 of a 4 oz can diced green chile peppers
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, seed removed and chopped


Method:

1. Cut avocados in half.  Remove seed (set the seed aside).  Dice and scoop out of skin.
2. Place avocado in a bowl and mash to desired consistency.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients.  Serve immediately or place in the fridge with pits added to the bowl.  Putting the pits in the bowl will keep the guacamole from going brown.

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Ice cream Sundae

Summers are not easy without Ice creams and Sundaes, especially in Texas :).  I usually make this real simple dessert to sooth the sweet tooth after dinner.  This is the right season to share it with you :)

Ingredients: 

1 cup fruits like cherries, grapes, berries. Some more for garnishing.

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

4 scoops nonfat vanilla Ice cream (you can use yogurt as healthy option)

strawberry syrup or chocolate syrup

Method:

Puree fruits with sugar and lemon juice in a blender. Serve over frozen Ice cream and top with fruits and syrup of your choice. Well I was serious when I said that its easy!!!!

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Donuts The All time family favorite recipe

The extra shiny donuts are always exciting and enticing.Donut or doughnut  is a type of fried dough confectionery or dessert food. Here is a simple Donuts Recipe to make at home :

Ingredients:

2 tbsp dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter or any shortening
2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
6 cups flour

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup luke-warm water. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 cups milk in microwave for 2-3 minutes.

While milk is heating add shortening to a large bowl. Pour hot milk over it and whisk until mixed. Add salt, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add 4 eggs and mix well.

3. Add yeast mixture to batter and mix. Add 2 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Mix well. Add 2 more cups and mix. Add 2 more cups and mix. At this point, the batter should not be runny. Add 1 more cup of flour, give or take 1/2 cup.  Mix until your dough is smooth.

4. Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and pour batter onto it. Gently knead dough batter until the surface is not sticky to the touch. NOTE: The dough should be very soft but not sticky that you can't handle it fairly easily. Place the soft dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Dough should be almost double in size when done.

5. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about a 1 inch thickness. Cut the doughnuts out as closely as possible. You can save the middles for doughnut holes. Move donuts and holes to a clean surface. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Once the donuts and holes are done rising, fry them in a large frying pan with vegetable oil until golden brown.

7. While donuts are frying make your Glaze. To make glaze mix 7 cups powdered sugar with 2/3 cup water and 2 tsp. vanilla. Add donuts to glaze as soon as they are done frying and make sure both sides are covered.

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Bhatura Panjabi style

 Bhatoora is a fluffy deep-fried bread from North India. It is often eaten with chickpea curry, chole or channe, making the traditional dish chole bhature.  This is a combination of may recipes I researched over the internet. The best part is that it uses more of whole wheat flour than all purpose flour. My family liked it, so thought of sharing with you :)

Ingredients:

21/2 cups atta or whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt or as required
1 tbsp oil or ghee or butter
½ or ⅓ cup warm water
vegetable oil for deep frying
¾ cup yoghurt
½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup all purpose flour/maida


Method:

1. In a bowl take the yoghurt, sugar, baking powder and all purpose flour.
Mix well for overnight fermentation.

2. If the yogurt is thick, then to thin the batter, add ¼ cup water.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place overnight or for 8 hours to allow natural fermentation to take place.

3. The next day you will see tiny bubbles on the surface of the mixture. The mixture is ready for the next step when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.

4. Take another bowl, mix together the wheat flour with salt and rub the ghee or butter into it with your fingertips. Into this bowl, add the fermenting mixture and the warm water. Form a dough with these two mixtures.

5. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is silky smooth. Add a little flour if it is too wet. Gather the dough into a compact ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Again set it aside in a warm place for 2 hrs.

6. Knead the dough again.

7. Form it in to 15 balls and roll them into 5-6 inch discs. Heat oil or ghee and deep fry the bhaturas. 

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Tortilla wrap Roll-ups

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 24 oz. container sour cream
2-3 T taco seasoning
10-12 large tortillas

Toppings

Peas
Diced carrots
Diced green peppers
Chopped green onions
Finely grated cheddar cheese
cucumber slices
chopped mushrooms

Be creative with what you like!
Its just that tomatoes can make the wrap soggy so may be you should not add them :)

Blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Mix in taco seasoning.

In the center of each tortilla, put a small stripe of refried beans. On the rest of the tortilla spread the sauce making sure to get the edges. You want a decent amount to make sure all your toppings will stick. Sprinkle with toppings and roll up. Tuck in the ends and wrap in plastic wrap, but don't overfill. Refrigerate over night.
Slice before serving and serve with salsa.

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MASALA LEMONADE

Indian style 'Masala Lemonade' is in vogue this summer, if you have to quench your thirst.

Ingredients:

Juice of 4 lemons

Sugar or Honey to taste

2 tbsps Chat Masala or Jaljira powde

2 Soda bottles (250ml)

1 Cup Chilled water

Crushed ice

Lemon slices to garnish

Method

1. Squeeze all lemons to extract juice and remove seeds

2. Pour water into a large jug. Add sugar and stir well to the get desired sweetness

3. Add chat masala, lemon juice and crushed ice. Again stir well

4. When ready to serve, add soda

4. Serve in chilled glasses garnished with lemon slices

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Broccoli Carrot Corn Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice, 3/4
cup chopped broccoli into small pieces,
1/2 cup carrots, cut into square pieces,
1/2 cup corn kernels
3 Te. Spoon oil,
1-1/2 t-spoon cumin,
1 bay leaf,
3 cloves,
1 t-spoon black pepper,
2 cups water,
salt taste.




Method:

Wash and Soak rice in water for 10 minutes. In deep pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, cloves and pepper. Now add carrots, broccoli and salt and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Now close the pan adding water and let it cook for 10 mins. Let it remained covered for 10 mins more. Then Serve hot with green chutney or yogurt.

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Pinto Beans Patties with Sauce

Ingredients:
One cup of pinto beans
 red pepper 1-2
4-5 garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped green cilantro/coriander
half-inch piece ginger
2 tomatoes
2-4 cloves
2 onions
salt to taste.

Serves: 4


Method:
1. Beans to soak overnight. Boil in least amount of water that is needed, salt and mix well.
2. Drain the water and if needed dry it over the stove or gas. Roast cloves. Grind beans with cloves.
3. Put the pan on low heat and add beans. To slow heat add chopped Red pepper, onion, garlic clove, ginger, into beans  add cilantro/coriander salt and mix well. Turn off the gas.
4. Cool the  mixture and make Patties/ cutlets. Placing in the oven to bake until light brown.

To make the sauce
1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves, 2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 red pepper, salt, ½ inch ginger, half the garlic knots, 1 tablespoon water and grind them all.
Place the cutlets in the plate. Pour the sauce over them and serve.

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