Yahooooo, I won, I won!!!!! Okay, its been more than a month since I won, but I never got a chance to share my reaction with you all, so here I go again… YIPPPPEEEE!!!!!!! So, what’s the story, you wonder? Well, back in November, multi-talented blogging diva Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, ran a contest on her blog, to give away a cool new cookbook called Modern Indian Cooking to her readers. There were 100+ entries and guess what, yours truly was one of the two lucky winners whose names were randomly picked. (Shhh… the bribe I sent Jaden is our little secret).

MICAnyway I was so excited to just win something, I didn’t even care about what I actually won. But after a few days, I got this beautiful book by mail - Modern Indian Cooking by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna.  Just seeing names like Crispy Pan Fried Shrimp with Tamarind Glaze and Grilled Chicken with Kokum Apple Compote and  Chai Creme Brulee I was hooked. It had the exact same kind of recipes that I’d have in the menu of my restaurant I’ve always dreamed about opening one day -  simple, beautiful contemporary dishes with classic Indian flavors.

The book is full of beautiful pictures, though not always of the finished dish, pictures are truly artistic. The recipes seemed simple and straightforward, and the herbivores will be glad to know that a sizable chunk of the recipes are vegetarian. There are specific sections for Desserts, Drinks and Accompaniments like chutneys and dips as well.  Check out a few sample recipes at the Modern Indian Cooking website.

I have only made one dish from this book so far, the Spicy Pan Seared Scallops with Cilantro Chimmichuri, the very first dish in the book. I made this for a dinner party we threw during the holidays, with an all small plates menu, and these scallops were a big hit. The recipe is so easy, and quick to make, I’m sure I will be making it for many more dinner parties to come.

Scallops


I made a few changes to the recipe, I didn’t have garlic salt handy, so I used some crushed garlic instead.  I also kept the scallops marinated for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Method

Prepare the chimmichuri first. In a food processor, place all the ingredients for the chimmichuri except for the oil and salt, and process till finely chopped. Add the oil and process until smooth. Season with salt. Transfer to a small bowl and keep covered in the refrigerator till ready to serve.

Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, make criss-cross slits on top of the scallops. In a bowl, mix the spices, the garlic paste and salt. Roll the scallops in the spices to coat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat a non-stick pan until very hot and pour the oil. When the oil gets really hot and begins to smoke, place the scallops in the pan flat side down.

Cook for 2 minutes per side, flipping once. Do not overcook the scallops, they will get rubbery. Remove the scallops from the pan, and save the left-over oil in the pan, this oil will be red in color from all the spices on the scallops.

To serve, spoon the chimmichuri in a plate, and place the scallops in the middle. Drizzle some spicy oil over the scallops.

Serve hot.

The chimmichuri tasted great, It made a great dipping sauce for the spicy scallops, and will work with other meat and seafood dishes too.

Thanks Jaden and Hari Nayak for this great book!


Comments

33 Responses to “Spicy Pan Seared Scallops from the "Modern Indian Cooking"”

  1. Mythili on January 6th, 2008 12:50 pm

    Somebody is on a roll!!! Downtown Seattle is in flamesssss looks like :D :D

    I love the way your arranged the dish btw :) :)

    :(Yes):

    :) hey, it is my New Year resolution to post more… and I have so much stuff sitting in the drafts, I just want to get these out, and move on to new things :)

  2. TBC on January 6th, 2008 1:22 pm

    Congrats, Sig! :mrgreen:

    :) And to you too madame… :)

  3. Gini on January 6th, 2008 1:49 pm

    Looks lovely! Looking forward to more recipes from the book.

    Thanks Gini… Good to see you after a long time… when are you getting back to blogging? :)

  4. vimmi on January 6th, 2008 2:10 pm

    The scallops looks so yummy. I am terrifed to make them, since i do not know what they taste like. Do scallops taste like shrimps?

    No, they don’t taste like shrimp… I am not sure how to explain the taste, it is very light and slightly sweet… it is not too fishy like some other shellfish variety… Please do try, I am sure you will like those… Just make sure you don’t overcook them, that will really turn you off scallops forever. :) Good luck…

  5. Su on January 6th, 2008 2:11 pm

    Great going Sigma! Glad you got this awesome sounding cook book as a prize too ;)

    :) Yeah, isn’t it great? I forgot to show you guys, it is an autographed copy too… :D

  6. Rajitha on January 6th, 2008 3:00 pm

    ha ha..better late than never huh!! guess too many :(Martini): :mrgreen:
    the pic looks even better than the one on the book..as far as i can see…

    Yeah, thats my excuse for everything, better late than never :D… Regarding the comment about the pic, you are too sweet, :) but the pics in the book are truly stunning… my humble pics come nowhere close :)

  7. musy on January 6th, 2008 3:29 pm

    What a picture! I can ogle at it for hours yaar! As crazy as it may sound, but am totally trying this one with paneer! :drool:

    tofu… :) It might work in this case, a spicy tofu with a light sauce… might not be bad… let me know how that goes :)

  8. shilpa on January 6th, 2008 4:47 pm

    That picture looks like you have taken it in some five star restaurant Sig. Wow..such a nice presentation. Never tasted scallops. I want to give it a try soon now :)

    :) thanks Shilpa… :oops: …
    You should definitely give scallops a try, it is one of my favorite seafood, pan fried scallops on a salad makes a nice and healthy meal…. so fast to cook too…

  9. indosungod on January 6th, 2008 4:54 pm

    Looks delicious and the picture wow, the presentaion is so professional.

    :) thanks Indo… you are too kind :)

  10. Ramya on January 6th, 2008 6:06 pm

    thats cool!! Congratulations!!!! looking fwd to many more lovely recipes…

    :) Thanks Ramya!

  11. Mishmash! on January 6th, 2008 8:16 pm

    I like scallops even when they re fried with simole salt and lemon marinade….so can imagine how tasty this must be…but i have never cooked scallops at home :P

    Yep, scallops really don’t need any spices… this is the first time I am having spicy scallops actually, they were really nice…

  12. Pravs on January 6th, 2008 8:37 pm

    congrats ! scallops looks yummy with cilantro Chimmichuri.

    Thanks Pravs! :)

  13. Srivalli on January 6th, 2008 8:47 pm

    Hey Sig, your picture looks like taken out from that cookbook! :drool: ..infact I feel this close up picture of yours is far better than that!..Congrats on winning…and all the best! May this new year start fulfilling your dream of setting up a restaurant!..

    seriously your name is sigma?? :oops:…wow..feels like out of maths class…heheheh :grin:

    Thanks Srivalli… and yeah, :) that is my name, deal with it ;)

  14. Nags on January 6th, 2008 9:07 pm

    oooohh that looks lovely! i am thinking of getting this book, but first i have to find a good store here that sells all these hard-to-find recipes!

    It is a good book… even if you just get it to look at the pretty pictures… most of my cookbooks are for that :)

  15. sra on January 6th, 2008 9:31 pm

    :(Yes):

    :) Thanks Sra..

  16. Raaga on January 6th, 2008 10:18 pm

    When will you run a contest like this and pick my name???

    COngrats girl!!

    :D pretty soon… and picking your name part, you will have to bribe me heavily ;)

  17. rachel on January 6th, 2008 11:29 pm

    Congrats :(Yes): and now since you have got the book you can send it to me now :grin:

    Lovely pic and an easy recipe!

    :) lol, sure… :) its on its way Rachel..

  18. Kaykat on January 7th, 2008 12:28 am

    Whoa! This looks delicious! I’ve only had scallops a couple of times and am really picky about them, but I’ll try this anytime. Invite me over, Sig :)

    :) Yep, wait I have to make a list of the yummy stuff that you have to bring for the party… running to your blog now ;)

  19. sia on January 7th, 2008 1:09 am

    he he… congrats sig darling… ur happiness is infectious :)

    :) Thanks sup… good to see you… hope you are over the vacation mode soon… :D

  20. Padmaja on January 7th, 2008 1:39 am

    Hey Sig!! Congrats sweetie and please do let me know that little secret dear as I haven’t won anything, just kidding dear!!
    Those scallops looks hot and spicy!!

    :D Thanks Padmaja… and hey, that is a big secret…

  21. Inji Pennu on January 7th, 2008 4:52 am

    ok ok…Keep it down missy….grrr..you already have my car! now you get a book too! :evil:

    :D … hmm… at least I don’t fly to italy just to eat pizza… ;)

  22. Happy Cook on January 7th, 2008 5:27 am

    Looks so delicious.
    I have only made scalops with belgian recipes never with spices. Should try them.
    Glad you won the contest sonow we can too enjoy them through you.
    Hope you do soon crispy pan fried shrimps

    Belgian recipe for scallops, start posting soon Happy Cook.. :)

  23. Asha on January 7th, 2008 5:37 am

    Great book, I saw that few weeks ago at Amazon. Congratulations for getting it for free!:D

    Never tries Scallops before, got to one day, looks delicious!

    Have a great day Sig.

    Thanks Asha.. You must try scallops, if I remember correctly, you are not big on seafood, but hope you will like the scallops, not too fishy :)

  24. richa on January 7th, 2008 8:24 am

    wow! that looks very tempting :)
    i had attended the food demonstration/sampling for the book :)

    Wow, really? :) I have never been to a cookbook demonstration… hope you had fun

  25. steamy kitchen on January 7th, 2008 9:07 am

    WONDERFUL!! I haven’t tried that recipe yet, but it sure looks delish

    Thanks again for the book Jaden!

  26. Jyothsna on January 7th, 2008 9:31 am

    Congrats Sig! How can I bribe you to trade that book with me….;)

    :) Oh let me make a list of stuff you can send me…

  27. Rina on January 7th, 2008 10:45 am

    Mouth watering!!!!! :!: Cool colors. :cool: Awesome presentation. Love the picture to the core. :drool:

    :) Thanks Rina!

  28. Shankari on January 7th, 2008 2:30 pm

    THis looks mouthwatering. During my SF trip, I tried scallops for the first time and liked it. So I can now try your version..

    Glad you liked scallops Shankari, you must try these at home, so simple!

  29. Padma on January 8th, 2008 6:56 am

    Ohh-la-la, that looks so yum! I never tried cooking scallops at home, but tasted at restaurants… this is tempting me!

    Thanks for ur warm welcome message on my blog, Sig and wish u & ur family a very Happy New Year!

    Hey Padma… Happy New Year to you too… I am so happy to see you back in the blogosphere :)

  30. nandita on January 9th, 2008 6:04 am

    And the gourmet chef award of seattle goes to……….

    Haha, babe, what a scintillating presentation, next thing i know you’ll be reviewing your own restaurant, and Siv will be the guy behind the bar ofcourse…your posts are coming up with such a speed that by the time i reach here, i find a gazillion comments :cry:

    HUGSSSS

    Thanks Sweetie… and blush.. :oops: :)

  31. Bharathy on January 11th, 2008 10:02 am

    Drooooooooool :drool:

  32. Kevin on January 16th, 2008 6:20 pm

    Those scallops look perfectly seared and good!

  33. Dee on January 20th, 2008 8:09 pm

    Congrats! :(Yes):
    Recipe sounds yummy, planning to make it tomorrow.
    Cheers!

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