Foodie Confidential

Help! My kids are confusing me

2009-04-01T12:07:00.002+09:00

The little one returns from a Birthday Party.

"Did you have fun, little one?"

"Amma, you know what I ate? I ate chicken!"

I can't resist teasing her a little.

"Really? Didn't it jump off your plate and go 'cluck cluck'??"

"No, Amma. This is not like the chicken in Old McDonald's farm. This is food chicken."

That was a good one. So I try pulling her leg a little more.

"So it really didn't bite you?"

"No, Amma. This is food chicken. It is brown. Inside that there's potatoes, and inside the potatoes there are vegetables. So it doesn't bite or make noises."

Huh?!?!

Life lessons:
Never tease or try to mess with your kids. They are way smarter and can confuse the living daylights out of you.

And, NO! I am not trying to April fool anyone!

Risotto Soup

2008-04-11T12:58:00.001+09:00

One-dish meals have to be the second greatest invention ever.

One of the restaurants we like here, Coco's, makes this lovely Risotto soup that is light, warming and quite filling.

I made this attempt at home. With way smaller vegetable bits, and with little bits of what vegetables I could lay my hands on, and needles to say, left out vegetables that my three gourmets turn up their noses at. It turned out quite alright. Just right for an eat-as-you-work dinner. Ideally, the vegetable chunks could be larger. I made them bite sized for the kids.... artistic and culinary integrity take a flying leap.

Risotto Soup
(not quite the same as Coco's makes it)
serves 4

4 tbsp rice (uncooked)
1 tbsp barley
1 cup corn
1 medium carrot (peeled and diced)
4 French beans (chopped)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets (cut into small pieces)
2 soup cubes
6 cups water
1 tbsp butter
salt and white pepper to taste

Wash and rinse rice and barley.
Soak in 6 cups hot water for 1 hour.
Strain the rice and barley. Reserve the water used for soaking.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Sauté the cauliflower florets, carrots, corn and Beans in butter for 2 minutes.
Add rice and barley, sauté for a minute.
Add the reserved water, and the soup cubes.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or till the rice and barley are cooked.
Adjust salt to taste.
Season with white pepper and serve hot

Notes:
Some things that would taste great in this soup (which were left out for the sake of fussy eaters) mushrooms, turnips, edamame (green beans, a local speciality), daikon pieces, all cut in bigger chunks.

Fruity dessert

2008-04-11T12:28:00.001+09:00

Much as I hate to admit it, I spend more time leafing through some of my cookbooks, than to try and make something out of those glossy pages. More often than not, I am too zonked by the time the kids are fed and watered. And end up simply looking at a dessert instead of making and eating some.

And there are days when I'm motivated enough to make something, and the other half goes... "Hmmmm... make anything you feel. I don't want to eat any. I'm getting fat..."

If anything could kill the enthusiasm to try something new, that certainly did.

But then, there are days when one simply has to munch on something sweet. Some indulgence, or comfort food is called for.

On one of those days of flipping through one of my books, I saw THE dessert. It was a warm dessert (perfect on a late winter day), it was healthy, it had no added sugar, no fat.... In other words, it was PERFECT. There was no reason that the other half could even say no to this one.

When I brought this to the table after a light lunch, he looked rather skeptical, and said he'd eat some later. I used a up a month's worth of guilt trips to coax him into eating some.

Surprisingly, the kids loved it too. The older one (who's the founder president of the Fussy-Eaters Anonymous) had seconds, and the baby ate certain parts of it, and spit out the rest. But she did eat plenty.

Here's the recipe.

I did make a few changes to the original recipe. I was in the zone to make this dessert, and used what I had on hand, as I was not up to dressing my toddler in half her wardrobe for a ten minute trip to a store. Because the end result was spectacular, I believe that this recipe lends itself to a lot of flexibility.

Baked Winter Fruit Salad
Adapted from Williams Sonoma Desserts

1 cup mixed dried fruit (apricots, pitted prunes, raisins)
2 Apples (peeled, cored, cut in wedges)
1 Oranges (peeled, sectioned, membranes removed)
2 Pears (peeled, cored and cut in wedges)
1 stick Cinnamon
2 cups fresh Orange juice (or apple cider)

Place all the fruits, Orange juice (or apple cider)in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Cover and allow to soak for 3 hours at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Pour the fruits with liquid and cinnamon stick in a large ceramic or glass baking dish.
Cover with aluminium foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the liquid is bubbling and the fruits are soft.
Remove from oven, and allow to cool a little.
Remove cinnamon stick.
Spoon into individual dishes and serve warm.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for a combination of orange juice and sherry for soaking the fruits. I left out the sherry.
I baked the fruit in two batches (oven is too small). The first time, I baked the fruits in a metal dish. That's an absolute no-no. The metal and the citrus of the orange juice have a weird reaction, and leave a terrible aftertaste. The second batch was baked in a ceramic dish. That tasted wonderful.
For some odd reason, my oranges totally disintegrated during the baking. Anyone know why?

(And before you ask, I was not concentrating while adding a title to the photo, and ended up calling it 'compote'. I just noticed that, and will get around to correcting it sometime..... I don't want to lose blogging momentum while I'm at this :P)

Chhole without onion and garlic

2008-04-05T00:12:00.000+09:00

I've become a fan of onion-garlic free food. I have nothing against onions and garlic, but sometimes, especially in an ill-ventilated kitchen, the smells can be rather overwhelming. After marathon cleaning and spraying and polishing sessions, I have this tendency to avoid cooking with strong, pungent smelling stuff in the kitchen. For about a day or tow.

I saw this recipe on Tarla Dalal's website. The ingredient list made me curiouser and curiouser. Cabbage and lauki in Chhole?? It was then the tail end of summer, I was rather fortunate to find white pumpkin in the friendly neighbourhood vegetable store. I just had to try this out.

This recipe was wonderful. I think I overcooked the white pumpkin, but the end result was a smooth, velvety, creamy gravy, that was wonderfully spicy. The first time around, I felt that the flavour of cloves was overwhelming. After that I reduced the amount of cloves (and red chillies too) called for in the recipe, and it was just fine.

The OH had some. It was fine, he said. Was this a new recipe? I casually mentioned that there was cabbage and white pumpkin in the chhole. He looked so horrified. Until I reminded him that he had eaten a generous serving, and had seconds too. And he graciously consented to let me make it again.

Chhole without onion/garlic

2 cups soaked chana (chick peas)
1 cup white pumpkin or bottle gourd (doodhi/lauki peeled and chopped)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 cup grated cabbage
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp dry ginger powder
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
3 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp cream (or milk)
2 tomatoes (cubed)
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (garnish)

Chhole masala
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
4 tsp coriander seeds
2 dry red chillies
2 cloves
3 peppercons
1 cardamom
1" piece cinnamon
3 tsp dried pomegranate seeds

Dry roast each of the ingredients for the chhole masala individually. Grind them to a powder and keep aside.
Pressure cook the chana with 1-1/2 cups water and the white pumpkin/lauki with a little salt.
If using canned beans, cook the lauki/pumpkin with a little salt and water. Add chana, bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan. Temper with cumin seeds and bayleaf.
Add the cabbage and sauté till it lightly browns.
Add in the roasted and chhole masala, and other powder spices (ginger, amchur)and coriander.
Add the cooked chana and white pumpkin along with the water.
Adjust salt to taste.
Simmer for ten minutes.
Stir in the cream (or milk), add the tomatoes, mix well and simmer for two minutes before removing from heat.
Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Bento for a party

2008-04-03T16:31:00.003+09:00

"There's a party for the graduating class later this month," Aditi's teacher tells me, "and there's a special lunch for that day."

That sounded nice... Not the graduation bit.. the special lunch, a party-Obento! I have this arrangement with Aditi's teacher. Since Aditi is a vegetarian, and the school cannot accomodate her dietary needs in their thrice-a-week lunch program, they give me a whole month's menu at the start of each month. All I need to do then, is adapt it to a vegetarian diet. Actually, those 3 days of the week when the other kids get lunch at school, are easier for me. I don't have to think about what to make.. from scratch. Suitable substitutes for the non-vgetarian items in the menu are all I need to think about.

Initially the other half and I did considering just sending anything in hr lunch box, but I began to feel that she might not feel left out if she were eating from the same type of lunch box as everyone else, and food as similar as possible to what her friends are eating. Some days thinking of a suitable vegetarian alternative can drive me up the wall.

For the party, sensei not only gave me a lunchbox, but also this....

The menu, and also a picture of what the final bento was supposed to look like. And believe me, that made life way easier.

Here, I have to admit that I misplaced my notes, and totaly forgot what a couple of things were. That brown thingie peeping out from beneath the tempura for one. Most of the menu is rather obvious. All I had to do was think of substitutes for shrimp tempura and hamburger. And for salmon filled Onigiri.

This was my vegetarian version of the party lunch.

Kabocha tempura instead of shrimp.
Potato croquette instead of hamburger.
Ongiri with carrot chunks instead of salmon.
And a packet of ketchup instead of the brown thingie.

And yes, the little one came back from school.... and said that lunch was nice... and thinks that sensei makes cute lunches for her.. why can't amma do the same?

Bananas and walnuts and variations

2008-03-31T10:17:00.006+09:00

My daughter loves pancakes. That's one breakfast that's super easy to make, goes down fast and without too much prodding. But then again, each bag of pancake flour seems to last for forever and a day. Sometimes, just the sight of that bag of pancake flour in the pantry bugs me. There isn't any rational reason for that, but it just irritates me how it never ever seems to get used up. I use less that quarter of a cup each time, and it takes for ever to finish each packet.

Then one day, I saw this post in Mahanandi, and followed the link to this recipe. I couldn't have asked for more.

The first time, I followed the recipe exactly. It was awesome. Another time, I thought I'd make muffins for breakfast using the same recipe. I left out the sugar this time around. The pancake flour and bananas were sweet enough for these delicious muffins. I used more bananas, and reduced the oil as suggested in the original recipe. And since the kids kept spitting out the walnut bits, I powdered them coarsely. No chunk(ie)s for my little monkeys.

Banana and walnut muffins
makes 8

1 cup pancake flour
1/2 cup - walnuts (coarsely powdered)
2 bananas (peeled and mashed smooth)
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 160° C.
Stir together flour, baking powder, spices, and nuts.
Mix the wet ingredients.
Make a well in the flour mix, pour the wet mix. Stir until just combined.
Pour into muffin cups, and bake for 20 mins (till done)

Notes:
Try pureeing the bananas in a blender. That gives these muffins a smoother finish.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And then I wondered what would happen if I left out the milk and oil too..

I read somewhere on the Fatfree Vegan Blog that applesauce is a good substitute for butter and other fats in baking. I checked in a few stores here, but couldn't find any. So I shelved my ideas for fat-free baking for a while.

Then one day, a friend, D, called and asked if I was free, and whether she could drop by. I thought I would bake this cake for tea. And took a deep breath, and decided to make this dish the fat-free way. I pureed an apple, and stirred that puree into the batter. The final result was good. It was wonderful with afternoon tea, but not sweet enough to classify as a cake. I called it a Banana-Walnut loaf.

Banana Walnut loaf

1 cup pancake flour
1/2 cup - walnuts (coarsely powdered)
1/4 cup cashewnuts and almonds (powdered fine)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp dry ginger
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 bananas (peeled and mashed smooth)
1 apple (peeled, cored and pureed)

Preheat oven to 160° C.
Line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnut powder and almond-cashewnut powder. Make a well.
Pour pureed apple and bananas, and vanilla essence into the well.
Mix well.
Pour into prepared baking tin, and bake for 40 minutes (or till a tester inserted into the loaf comes out clean).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This particular experiment resulted in totally mixed reactions. D, who was over for afternoon tea, said it was great and found it difficult to believe it had no fat and refined suar in it. My daughter took one bite, and said she didn't like it. The baby spit it out. The other half said it was a good 'fat-free, sugarless cake'.. go figure...

Will I make this again?? Of course I will... I personally think it's a great thing to have around for a guilt-free snack.
But wait, there's more.... The next day, as soon as she got back from school, the older one suddenly asked for 'banana cake'. And had seconds and thirds. After she was done eating, I had to ask her why she didn't eat any the previous day. "Amma, yesterday the cake was not tasty. Today it is. Make it this way from now on."

And since Akka was eating some, the baby too ate some. And later in the evening, pointed to the cake tin asking for more.

Kids!!!! They'll drive me nuts one of these days.... And I can see the occasional gray hair too....

Dal Shorba

2008-03-29T15:13:00.001+09:00

Both the kids are down with a cold. So am I. Runny noses, cough, and rising (body) temperatures set the tone for the weekend to come. Two cranky babies, one cranky mommy, and incessant rain (which is way noisier than incessant snow)... Add to that my inability to even go out for a walk....

What's a girl to do??

Wait for the kids to go to sleep, make a hot bowl of spicy dal-based soup (my m-i-l's recipe), sit at the table with a good book, and eat at a leisurely pace, in perfect silence (the other half having been warned that I've had a really bad day).. Bliss.

What more can I ask for?

Dal Shorba
the way my mother in law makes it

1 cup split masur dal (washed well and soaked for an hour or two)
1 onion (coarsely diced)
1 tomato (diced)
3 tbsp garlic (minced)
2 tbsp (or more) Curry powder
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Croutons and/or chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Heat oil. Fry onions and garlic till well browned.
Add curry powder and stir for a minute.
In a pressure cooker, cook soaked masur dal, onion-garlic mix, and tomatoes with about 4 cups water.
After the dal is cooked, let it cool, till it's about lukewarm.
Puree in blender.
Add water to the puree to adjust to desired consistency.
Season with salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with croutons and coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Notes:
The curry powder I prefer is Everest (or MDH) Meat Masala.
The onions and garlic could be fried in butter or ghee instead of oil, for a richer taste.

Kesari

2008-03-15T19:34:00.001+09:00

Much as I hate to, I have to admit that the OH is reasonably low maintenance when it comes to food. Of course, has a long list of things that he refuses to eat, but he's rather easy to please when it comes to dessert. Doesn't matter if I'm willing to try something really complex. He's always happy with a bowl of rava-kesari (saffron-flavoured semolina pudding) and that is breeze to whip up.

Any festival, or special days that call for a sweet naivedyam, he always says, "make rava-kesari". This is one dessert can be scaled up or down with minimum fuss. Sometimes, I whip up a little rava-kesari with breakfast as a special treat.

And the kids love it too. Since the basic rava-kesari takes so little time and effort to make from scratch it's a regular on weekend and snack time menus.

And when we have company, it's an easy dessert to make. Since our friends here find the average Indian sweets 'too sweet', I serve it in teaspoon-sized dollops in candy cups.. That gives guests a chance to try a very small quantity (without being impolite) and also not overwhelm them with a large serving.

I also have an irrational dislike of synthetic food coloring which I use only under duress. To give my rava-kesari a nice colour, I do one of two things, or both, as the occassion (or mood) demands. One option is to add a pinch of turmeric to the semolina while it's roasting. Another is to soak the saffron in one tablespoon of hot water for a few minutes before adding the saffron (and water) to the kesari.

Rava-kesari

1/2 cup semolina/sooji/rava
1 cup hot water
3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar r (depending on taste)
1 pinch turmeric (optional)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup ghee (to taste)
1 pinch cardomom powder
1 pinch (generous) saffron strands
1 tbsp cashewnuts

Soak saffron strands in 1 tbsp hot water.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan.
Fry cashewnuts till golden brown, remove from ghee and keep aside.
Add semolina to ghee and fry till golden.
If using, add turmeric and roast for a few seconds.
Add boiling water and saffron, and stir till the mixture is lump free.
Cook on a low flame till water is absorbed, and the mixture is dry.
Add sugar, and stir continuously to ensure there are no lumps.
Continue to cook on very low heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in ghee a little at a time till it's fully absorbed.
With the last addition of ghee, add the cardomom and cashewnuts .
Serve hot, warm or cold.

Tales of Kabocha

2008-03-14T21:35:00.001+09:00

One good thing that came out of our move to Japan was that the biggest kid in the house added another vegetable to his willing-to-eat list. From the first time I used Japanese squash 'kabocha'to cook a ratatouille, he was hooked. Really hooked. Every time he goes to the store for vegetables, he always gets some kabocha. I've used kabocha in ratatouille, in soups, in kootus and in sambar. But two of my favourite ways of using kabocha are in tempura and in croquettes. Or to say it the way they say it here, ko-ro-ke.

Needless to say, my two favourite ways to eat kabocha are also a big no-no. Why is that the most delicious foods are necessarily deep fried??

Of late, most experiments in the lab .. er.. kitchen.. are of the no-fat kind. On a really cold day (what other kind do we have here in winter) the croquettes in the bento corner of the supermarket are always screaming to me... "pick me up.. take me home..".

That one day, however, my willpower held true, and I didn't buy any! I thought I'd make my own croquettes, and I'd shallow fry them the way I would a tikki or a cutlet.

I made the croquettes, dredged them in breadcrumbs, and once everything was ready, I put the croquettes in the oven. I completely forgot that it was turned on, and went out to keep my kids amused and keep them from attempting fratricide. (Note to self: bad weather can make the sweetest of kids appallingly cranky)

After about an hour or so, my older one asked... "Amma, what is that smell?"

Why was the house smelling of cooked pumpkin?? I sprinted downstairs, and saw that the oven was warm. I'd totally forgotten to set the oven at a keep warm temperature, rather than at baking temperature. But wait.... the crusts of my croquette were beautifully browned!

I gingerly took a bite, and the croquettes were fully cooked. Had a lovely crunchy crust, and tasted good. Not as good as the deep-fried variety, but quite good all the same. Croquettes without the guilt. Woohoo....

Another experiment was to use kabocha in a dip. And slathered that dip on wedges of toast. That was quite a success too. The OH just gobbled up his share of canapes. And asked for more.

I now hold hopes that he might just eat karela someday.

Not!

Squash and Potato Croquettes
makes 6

2 cups squash (peeled, deseeded and coarsely grated)
1 medium potato (boiled, peeled and mashed)
salt to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 tbsp flour (or tempura mix)
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Combine all ingredients until evenly mixed.
Shape into patties.
Mix the flour (or tempura mix) with cold water to a watery paste.
Brush patties with this mix.
Dredge in breadcrumbs.
Arrange patties on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, turning over when the crust is browned.
Place patties in a broiler if required, to further crisp and brown the crust.
Serve hot.

Canapes
2 slices white bread (toasted and cut into smaller wedges)

Squash and Roast Pepper
150 gms squash (weigh after squash is peeled and deseeded)
1 red pepper.
salt to taste

Roast red pepper until skin has charred well.
Keep aside for 10 minutes. Peel charred outer skin and deseed.
Roast squash in broiler until top begins to char. Remove from broiler.
Scrape off any charring.
Puree squash and red pepper till smooth.
Season as required.
Spread on toast wedges and serve warm.

Sour Cream and Mint
4 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp crushed mint (or peppermint)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste

Stir all ingredients together till well mixed. Chill in refrigerator.
Spread on toast wedges when ready to serve.

Of earbuds, rolling pins and lighters

2008-03-14T18:36:00.006+09:00

One fine spring (almost), I mentally prepared myself for a workshop on Indian vegetarian food. I've done a few other workshops and talks before. I've had demos of Indian attire, rangoli, Indian children and customs, and 5 other cooking workshops.

The cooking workshops tend to be the easiest. The format was always one curry (sometimes two) and rice, and we all sit down to lunch after that. The rice and curry workshops were rather simple. All the participants had to do was to prepare the assorted vegetables and watch me assemble the final dish, answer questions about spices and finally eat.

This one however, was the most interactive, as I was going to teach them to make phulkas. After making 2 curry dishes, the participants would roll out their own phulkas. In the flyer that went out, I'd asked people to get rolling pins if they had them, but that's a whole other story...

On the day of the workshop, I took along my rolling pin, and hoped that 20 odd people would not have to make chappatis with just one rolling pin in under two hours. Fortunately 5 others had brought their belans along, and we got off to a good start. Phew...

I spoke to soon. I'd planned to make baingan ka bharta and Palak Tofu. Unfortunately, the person who was in charge of local purchases couldn't find the big eggplants, and bought plenty of Japanese eggplant. So there was some on the spot improvisation, and with the same ingredients listed in the recipe, I decided to make a different type of baingan curry. No problems there.

The ladies in the workshop were quite skeptical about the use of spinach in curry. Initially, I had this idea of making palak paneer, but the co-ordinators asked that I use locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. I took the recipe for this particular palak-tofu curry from Mahanandi. When I asked her, Indira was kind enough to let me use the recipe and the picture from her post in the promotional flyer. Thanks, Indira!

As the curries reached final stages, and just needed to be simmered, I started on the phulkas. I rolled out one thin circular disc, toasted, and let it puff up on an open flame... to applause. And I was asked to do it again. After I made three, I handed over the baton.. er .. belan and asked someone else to have a go.

Mrs. A, a lovely Korean lady, took her turn, rolled out a chappati, toasted, and puffed it up beautifully... on first go... and every time she tried after that. Each one of hers was a perfect circle, and puffed up evenly. Damn, I can't remember the number of times my phulkas have been confused with khakras, or worse, appalams. Or the time we could use each roti and guess what country's map it looked like! I asked Mrs A if she used a rolling pin in Korean cuisine. But no, it was the first time she's rolled out dough of any sort. And I thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't had one of my off days, where I start with phulkas and after a a failed attempt or two, switch to parathas.

The ladies started rolling and toasting and flaming their phulkas. Literally. Mrs W figured out hers wasn't cooked fully through, refused to wait her turn at the skillet to toast it again, and very resourcefully took out her lighter and started flaming her phulka. No comments there.

A burst of applause every now and then meant someone got their phulka to puff up right.

When we sat down to lunch (just 10 minutes behind schedule) I could see folks looking at each other, and not quite ready to commit themselves to the lovely green of the spinach. I tore off a piece of phulka, scooped up some spinach and popped into my mouth. And fed some to my little one. When they saw that we didn't quite turn funny colours or start doing weird things, they too started to eat. And went "Oishii!" (delicious) with very surprised looks on their faces.

Just as I packed up and was leaving, Mrs K came up to me, and said what a lovely time she'd had, and would I do another session during the school holidays. And then, she had to know,
"But what did you want earbuds for?"

New kid on the Blog

2008-03-14T14:34:00.004+09:00

I'm reasonably sure that my friend Gouri would be very amused when I call her the new kid on the blog.

Gouri is a writer, editor, counsellor and (most important) a foodie! She started blogging a while ago, but never got around to posting regularly. Now that she's been bitten by the blogging bug, do read her little nuggets of wisdom at Random Harvest where, in her own words, 'Gouri Dange talks about this, that and mostly the other'.

D-Day!

2008-03-12T08:15:00.001+09:00

One workshop

One Teacher

Twenty three students

Two hours

One rolling pin

God knows how many earbuds

Ave Caesar. Morituri te salutant

I asked for a ... what?????

2008-03-06T19:53:00.003+09:00

It's been a hectic couple of weeks. I'm doing a workshop on Indian Vegetarian food for the 'Mother's Club' at Aditi's school. The workshop's next week, and I've a feeling I might totally lose it before it's over.

I'd asked one of the mothers to lunch, to discuss some school activities. I'd made phulkas, and she simply loved them, and asked me to do a workshop. Sure, why not, I thought. A culinary workshop shouldn't be too difficult.

First I had to book a suitable kitchen at one of the local community center. Then I had to order spices from the grocer in Tokyo. Then we got busy with the flyer. There was a whole week of discussions on whether to use pictures in the flyer or not, before the committee decided not to. Then we went back to check the kitchen one more time. As we took a quick inventory, I realised that there wasn't a single rolling pin there!

That could be slightly difficult. I would take my rolling pin there, but if 15 people wanted to try their hand at making phulkas, AND two other dishes, I somehow thought 2 hours wouldn't quite suffice. I suggested that maybe we could ask the participants to bring a rolling pin if they had one at home. There are three counters in the community kitchen, and if we had at least three pins, everyone could try their hand at phulkas in the given time.

'What's a rolling pin?' asked one of the co-ordinators. I was totally floored. I didn't want any confusion here, so I took an English-speaking member home with me, and showed her my rolling pin. She called the committee and explained it to them in rapid-fire Japanese.

So the flyers were printed. They were distributed. People signed up.

And yesterday at school, a couple of mothers said they had what I'd asked for.

And gave me a packet of earbuds.....

I kid you not... earbuds!!!!!!

As far as I know there's no call for earwax in any Indian delicacy.

And I have no clue how to make rotis with earbuds.

After a little R & D, I think I've figured out the problem. There are two ways to write that particular word. One would indicate rolling pin and the other means 'an object used to clean ears'. Or at least I hope that's the correct explanation!

And I have a workshop in less than a week's time.

Maybe I should watch 'Lost in Translation'..... NOT.
I'm living it.

Fried Rice with Hot and sour Tofu

2008-02-24T16:09:00.000+09:00

The Other Half and I, are big fans of Chinese food.... Desi style.

A few years ago, we were discussing Chinese food, with a Chinese friend. She asked her what our favourites were. And we promptly said, "Gobi Manchurian."

She'd never heard of it, and asked what it was like. As I described how it was made, I could see the look of growing horror on her face. When I was done, she said, "But thats not Chinese food."

"Well, in India it is!" said I, trying not to laugh.

And I did invite her over once when I'd made some. She tried it, emphatically stated there was nothing like it in China. "Just because it's got soy sauce, it doesn't make it Chinese."

Well, authentic or not, we love it.

Whenever the OH sees fresh spring onions in the supermarket, the first question is always, "Chinese for dinner??" And I always ask, "With Gobi Manchurian?"

This time, however, we looked at our waistlines, unattractive as they were, and the OH said, "Maybe something that doesn't involve too much frying?"

Hmmm... "Stir fried vegetables?"
OH: "No, that's too dry. Something with some gravy.."

I told you, we only eat desi Chinese food.

In which case I wonder if we should call it Chinese at all.

Vegetable Fried Rice
Serves 2

3 cups cooked rice (cooled)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup spring onions (chopped fine)

1 small onion (chopped fine)
1 small onion (chopped fine)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets (chopped fine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp oil
Fresh ground pepper
salt to taste

Heat oil to smoking point.
Add ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add 3/4 cup spring onions, and other vegetables, and stir fry on high heat for about a minute, till cooked, but still crunchy.
Add soy sauce and vinegar and toss lightly.
Reduce heat and add rice, salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Toss until well mixed.
Garnish with reserved spring onions and serve.

Hot-n-Sour Tofu
serves 2

200 gms firm tofu (cut in 1" cubes)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
2 cups vegetable stock
1 green chilli (chopped fine)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped spring onions

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet.
Lightly sear tofu and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add garlic and chilli and fry for a minute.
Add spring onion and cook a little.
Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Dissolve cornstarch in a little water.
Add cornstarch to the stock, and simmer for a few minutes till it thickens.
Add soy sauce and vinegar.
Add tofu and simmer for 2 minutes.
Serve with fried rice.

Soup, salad and some indulgence

2008-02-17T15:45:00.000+09:00

Weekday lunches, are something the other half and I look forward to. On weekdays, lunch is the most relaxed and 'No-don't'-free meal. By the time the OH comes home for lunch, the littlest one is fed and watered, and not very likely to be noisy. If we're very lucky, she might even be asleep, and we might even have a 'real' conversation.

Lunch is one meal where I can try something different, and not worry about whether it would suit little palates. Lunch is when I can really experiment. And try to make something elaborate or fancy. Or in other words, food that makes the other-half take skeptical or even outright suspicious looks or sniffs.

And since I'm focusing on eating healthy, I thought of making a soup and salad lunch.

I'd bookmarked this recipe from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. As usual, I didn't have half the ingredients in hand, didn't have the enthusiasm to trudge through gale and snow to a store, and decided to make do with what I had. I garnished this soup with fresh roasted and crushed coriander seeds. That acted as a thickener, and gave the soup a lovely spicy boost.

Lentil and Vegetable soup
serves 2

1/4 cup lentils (whole masur dal)
1 carrot (peeled and sliced thick)
1 medium potato (peeled and cubed)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets
1 large onion (sliced fine)
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 large tomato (chopped fine)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
salt to taste

Wash lentils, and soak for 30 minutes.
In a pressure cooker, cook lentils. carrots, onions, potato, cauliflower, salt, turmeric and pepper with 4 cups water, for about 7 minutes.
Roast coriander seeds till fragrant, and crush to a coarse powder.
Add chopped tomato to the lentil mix, and simmer for for 10 minutes or till the tomato is cooked through.
Season with coriander powder and adjust salt if needed.
Serve hot.

After the soup was done, I wanted to try something new. I thought I'd try my hand at a terrine. The rice was rather dry. Next time I would like to toss some cottage cheese with the rice, and see if that would make it less dry.

Potato and Rice Terrine
serves 2

1 large Potato (Peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Heat oven to 180ºC.
Line 2 ramekins with Baking parchment.
Warm vegetable stock (about 40ºC)
Soak potato slices in vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes.
Remove slices from stock. Reserve stock.
Arrange a few slices of potato in the bottom of each ramekin. (reserve 2 large potato slices for later use)
Fill each ramekin with cooked rice.
Cover ramekins with baking parchment, and bake for about 20 minutes.
Drizzle reserved stock over the rice in both ramekins.
Cover with reserved potato slice.
Cover ramekins again with baking parchment, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Invert over a plate and serve hot.

And now that our lunch was so wonderfully healthy, I just had to add some indulgence.

No-fuss Mango Dessert
serves 2

1 cup + 2 tbsp mango pulp
1/2 cup low fat Mascarpone cheese
Sugar to taste (optional)

Whisk Mascarpone, 1 cup mango pulp and sugar (if using) till smooth and the mixture starts to thicken.
Divide equally into dessert bowls.
Top with reserved mango pulp.
Chill for an hour.
Serve cold.

Salad for a kid

2008-02-17T14:56:00.003+09:00

We recently went out to lunch with some friends and their kids. And there I witnessed a minor miracle. My daughter ate all her salad!!!! Every single bit of it on her plate, without being told to. It might have helped that her two little friends were eating without a fuss. But the bottom line was that she ate her vegetables, raw vegetables at that, without a peep.

The next day she asked me to make the same salad for her daily 'obento'. While she watched me pack her lunch, she asked, "Amma, whats this orange vegetable?" And our regular game was on. "Carrot!" I said. "What is this red vegetable?" "That's a tomato."

And then "Amma, tell me the name of this green vegetable."
"That's lettuce, baby."
And she started to bawl. The other half came to see what the matter was.

"Appa, I asked Amma to make the salad we ate yesterday. She has put lettuce in it!...waaaah"
The OH gave me a perplexed look. He took an inventory of what was in that salad, and since it matched exactly with what we'd eaten the previous day, he had no idea what the little one was upset about. And he tried to solve it, the right way.
"What did you eat in your salad yesterday?"
"I ate cabbage, I don't like lettuce. It's not cute"
The OH looked at me, and with a very straight face, asked, "Don't you know the name of this green thing? It's cabbage. Amma is rather silly, isn't she?"

And the little one giggled, gave me sweet smile and said, "Thank you Amma for the cabbage."

A lettuce by any other name..... as long as it gets eaten, it's perfectly fine.

And that particular salad, dressing and all, is almost a daily affair.

The dressing is quite simple, and I make it fresh every time.

Salad and dressing
serves one

2 cups Lettuce (washed, dried and shredded)
1 medium tomato (cut in wedges)
1 cup carrot (peeled and cut into juliennes)

1 tsp Extra-virgin Olive oil
1/2 tsp Garlic powder (or crushed garlic)
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
1/4 tsp Basil (fresh of dry)
salt to taste

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and garlic till well blended.
Season with salt and basil.
Drizzle dressing on prepared vegetables, and toss well before serving.

Sometimes, in the interests of the 'cute' factor, and I toss the carrots and tomatoes in the dressing, and wrap them in bunches in whole lettuce leaves.

And just for a change, I tried feeding my daughter coleslaw, with REAL cabbage.
And she said, "Amma, this cabbage is not nice."

I wonder what I have to look forward to once the littlest one starts to speak, and starts to develop her own opinions on food.

I can envision lots of gray hair.

War and Peace and waistlines

2008-02-17T14:08:00.004+09:00

I have my own methods to forecast weather. I just look out of the window. If I can see the peak of Mt. Gassan, then it's quite likely to be a clear day.

In the colder months, if the trees are weighed down with snow,
or if my neighbour's car is almost buried in snow, then I know it's going to be a really cold day.
Out here, when it snows, it snows. After I got back from a really long holiday, it started snowing in the 2nd week of January and snowed on and on and on till the end of the month. Then there was a break for a day. Then it started to snow again. Last weekend, the skies were clear. Then it started to snow.

You get the idea.

These days it seems like we're wearing a quarter of the contents of our closet indoors, and half our closets if we step out. Initially I figured that my jeans were feeling rather... er.. snug.. because of all the layers. Then after a series of almost blizzards (think daytime high -2ºC) when the jeans shrunk another size in the wash (not!) I wondered if the problem lay elsewhere. The equation almost always seemed to be something like

sub-zero temperatures + gales from Siberia + incessant snow = Masala chai + k
(where k is constant and always equals fried snacks like pakodas, bajjis, bondas etc.)

That explained it all.

Now, in that glorified little closet I call my kitchen, I've started to experiment with fat-free (or as little fat as possible) food. And I need to get around to taking pictures and posting some of these experiments soon.

Not all these experiments were total successes. There were times when the other half looked very suspiciously at what was on his plate. And days where the lunch box came home almost uneaten. Ah well, one step at a time.

At least the jeans and the waistline are starting to get along. They haven't signed a peace treaty yet, but there aren't any more pitched battles.

Quite a pickle

2008-02-06T10:44:00.001+09:00

The path to hell is paved with good intentions.

Well, that's quite a drastic start to this story. But that's exactly how it started. Early last summer, I made a really good batch of lemon squash, and then decided to make another batch while the sun was shining. With one thing and another I suddenly realized that I was starting to wear sweaters everyday, the days were getting visibly shorter, and HELP... the lemons in the refrigerator were nearing the end of their limited shelf life.

And so I decided to make PICKLES.

Before I get started with my story on pickling, I have to thank two wonderful people. Manisha, who's blog Indian Food Rocks is a real lifesaver and Indosungod who writes her Daily Musings, took time out of their busy lives to help me out of this pickle.

A healthy amount of time was spent trawling the internet for suitable recipes. With the number of lemons I had in hand, and keeping in mind that I am the only pickle-eater in our home, it had to have a long shelf life. After some R and D, I decided that cooked pickles were out. And since the weather was turning cold at an alarming rate, the sun-cooked variety was not that good an option. I finally decided that these two recipes fit the bill well.

Once I took the lemons out of the fridge, I saw that quite a few of them were unsuitable for pickling. That left me with (hold your heart) 30 large lemons. I let them get to room temperature, washed and dried them thoroughly, cut them and then got down to spicing said pickles. I made up a spice blend that was a combination of Manisha and Indosungod's recipes. And pickled the lemons in two batches. One batch was totally oil free. For the second batch, I heated some oil, let it cool and added it to the pickle jar. Whenever I could see the sun and feel some warmth outdoors, I left the jars outside. On other days, the two jars sat close to the stove, the warmest place in my kitchen.

After three weeks, the jar that had no oil in it had a very thick layer of pale gray furry looking stuff growing on it. And it all went straight to the dustbin. Jar 2 seemed alright, so I let it be. And continued to keep it near the stove for another month.

Then I went on my holiday. I cleaned up the kitchen before I left, put things away, and totally forgot about the pickles for nearly two months.

A week ago, a Japanese friend was having dinner with me, and asked if Indians really eat pickled lemon. That reminded me of that experiment, and I rushed to bring out that jar from the back of the kitchen cupboard. I opened it and it looked alright. And smelt alright too.

I took a deep breath. "A-san, would you like to try some pickled lemon??"

A-san looked torn. The idea of pickled lemon seemed quite alien to her, but she also wanted to know what the fuss was all about. "May I try some?" she asked, and I could see that curiousity won out.

She took one bite, and her knee jerk reaction was "Supai desu ne!" (It tastes sour)

And then after a few seconds, she said that it didn't taste sour anymore. She asked for a second helping and a third, and then asked if she could take some home for her family.

And I must admit they were awesome. Just perfect with hot parathas!

If you want to try the straightforward method, choose any of these two recipes.

Or if you like to do things the complicated way:

Prep the limes the was Indosungod does in this recipe.

Follow Manisha's instructions exactly.

The spice mix I used was as follows:
1 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida or hing powder
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

Roast these ingredients individually till browned (about 4-5 minutes)
Let cool completely.
Grind to a fine powder.

Finally, heat 1/2 cup of oil till almost smoking.
Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds and let them splutter.
Let it cool completely.
Add to the jar of pickles along with 1/2 cup sugar and shake gently till well mixed.

Cross your fingers and pray for lots of sunshine.

The finally result was quite nice. It was a nice blend of sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours.

Next time however, I plan to follow any one recipe, and do it properly.

Thank you again, Manisha and Indosungod.

And maybe you're thanking your lucky stars that I'm too far away to send you a sample.

Lunch Time

2008-01-31T10:36:00.001+09:00

Yes, I've very much alive. Its just that I've been on a very long vacation. Er.. I wasn't on vacation for 3 months (since my last blog post) nor have I totally stopped cooking. I just haven't made time to post some of the stuff I've cooked up in the last few months. I have this bad habit of taking pictures, uploading them on blogger, and then never getting around to doing a decent write up.

These days most of my culinary creativity is directed at lunch boxes. Packing lunch for a four-year old is quite taxing. I need to include the major food groups, modify and beautify stuff that is not likely to be eaten, and then pray for an empty box when she gets home.

Twice a week, I try to make a vegetarian version of the lunch that other kids get at school. That is quite a tall order. Sometimes a meatless substitute is easy. Like grilled paneer or tofu in place of grilled fish, vegetable patties or cutlets instead of steaks.

Some substitutions are quite challenging. What does one do for a vegetarian version of chicken drumsticks? Sometimes I can't figure out what on earth they are serving these kids. Some of these experiments in translation are unmitigated disasters. One menu said 'vegetables in almond sauce'. And it came back untouched.

Grilled paneer, steamed sweet potato, vegetables in almond sauce, banana slices and cheese

cheese omelette, lettuce salad, fruit and cheese

Pan-fried tofu, potato-pancakes, carrot sticks, spinach, fruit yogurt

Potato patties, rice and dal, steamed corn kernels, cinnamon flakes, fruit and cheese

Potato pancakes are what I call that substitute for hamburg steak. They're quite simple to make. Cinnamon flakes are a nice standby as a filler when I can't of think of a decent substitute for something. Potato patties/fingers are a good standby too.

Potato Pancakes
1 medium potato
oil to grease
salt to taste
Microwave potato on high for 5 minutes.
Peel and cut into 1/2 cm slices.
Roast slices over a hot, lightly greased, skillet till lightly browned on both sides (about 2 minutes a side).
Sprinkle with salt.

Pan Fried Tofu
2 slices of firm tofu
Marinade of choice
Marinate tofu slices for 5 minutes.
(I used a blend of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder and salt)
Shallow fry in very little oil over low heat, till lightly browned.
Remove from pan and drain excess oil.
Serve with little mayonnaise.

Steamed Sweet Potato
Peel and slice sweet potato.
Lightly steam for 5 minutes or so.
Toss with salt and lemon juice.

Cinnamon Flakes
Puff pastry scraps (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
Bake puff pastry scraps at 160C for 7 minutes (or till they start to brown)
Cool for 10 minutes and toss lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cool completely and store in airtight container.

These days I've taken to filling her lunch box with at least one raw vegetable, some fruit and cheese. Most days the easiest raw vegetable is carrot sticks.

Quesadilla,phulkas, potato curry, tomato salad, fruit and cheese

Rice, dal and ghee, Carrot sticks, beans curry, coleslaw, fruit and cheese

A set of molds are always handy. They can be used to shape rice, patties, and even eggs. I'll be the first to admit that there has to be a knack to molding an egg. I've seen molded ones, and well, I guess I'm making a mess somewhere. Rice molded like a teddy bear is always welcome in the lunch box. It definitely qualifies as 'cute'. And 'cute' is what my daughter wants to eat.

Rice, potato patties, dal, fruit and cheese

Did I mention that she also wants foods she can eat with chopsticks?? That led to omelet rolls. Make a thin omelet, and instead of flipping it over, or folding in half, when it's almost cooked sprinkle some cheese on it, and then roll it up and cut into small pieces.

Carrot sticks, steamed broccoli, omelet-rolls, fruit and cheese

Like my friend Hemu said, I am never going to win a good looking Obento contest. But as long as my daughter thinks they're cute, and eats it up, I'm happy.

A tale of a few substitutes

2007-10-13T10:40:00.000+09:00

Some days, I like to experiment. And throw caution to the winds.

Today, I wanted some Thai Curry. I wanted it at once. And went to the one and only place that stocks 'foreign' foods. They were all out of Thai curry paste. None of the supermarkets had any lemongrass. The funny thing is, they've never stocked any before this, but for some obscure reason, I felt the need to make the attempt. Reason takes a backseat when stubbornness takes over.

Back home, I took a kitchen inventory. I compared the ingredient list with the contents of my pantry. Red Chilly, check; galangal, no; garlic, check; ... and finally kept aside what I had.

I started with the chillis. They were rather sad looking. They looked faded. What's a Thai curry without that brilliant fiery red hue?

Reason attempted to take over, but was deflected by skin thicker that the diameter or a rhinoceros. Thai curry I wanted, and Thai curry I'd make.

If I couldn't get red, why not a brilliant yellow. So out came the turmeric (the powder.. not fresh root). Shallots?? Hah! I had just made onion sambar the previous day, and used up all my stock...... and out came an onion. There was ginger (alright, I never get galangal here) and garlic. And then horror of horrors..... no lemon grass. None at all.

That needed some thought. Some rational thought. Some reason in the madness. Remember that rhinoceros I mentioned? That one charged, and drove calm, rational logic away. And convinced that obstinate illogical mind to substitute it with.. hold your breath.. lemon zest.

And ground said ingredients into a paste. And fried said paste. Added a bag of frozen veggies to said fried paste. Seasoned it with a little salt, and let said concoction simmer till the veggies were cooked. And then added a very generous dollop of coconut milk to said mix, and let it simmer a bit, and garnished with basil.

Just then the other half came home for lunch. 'Something smells nice,' he said.

I served up the curry with basil scented rice. And started to attend to the baby's lunch.

OH took a bite. And asked, 'what's for dinner?'

Hmmm... I hadn't planned that far ahead. 'Chappatis, maybe??'

'Great,' said OH. And refused a second helping, insisting he was saving space for chappatis.

After the baby had her lunch, I settled her down for a nap. And sat down to a leisurely lunch, and a good book. I took a bite of that bright yellow curry. And winced.

As curries went, it was not bad at all. It may not have been Thai curry, but was a rather decent curry in its own right. But the lemon zest had made it really bitter. Killed it completely.

I too had a light lunch... saved space for chappatis.

Next time that rhino interferes in the kitchen, I plan to call for pizza... "Sumimasen.... pizza O-hitotsu onegaishimasu" and then try to blunder through my order for a vegetarian pizza, and delivery address in Japanese.

Art, sweets and some Math

2007-09-17T23:16:00.000+09:00

An acquaintance of ours, Mrs. Y, has been asking me for a while to conduct an "Understand India" session at one of the various organizations she's a patron of. Understand India? It sounded too broad a brief, and I agreed, without a single clue what I was going to do or talk about. My abysmal Japanese notwithstanding.

Once I was given the brief it didn't sound that bad. "Think of a typically Indian activity for kids, and make one Indian dish that the kids can also help make." All right. That didn't sound too bad. But as D-day loomed, I hadn't thought of a single thing that was "typically Indian". Then I realised, that I'd comitted to this session on the same date Ganesha chaturthi, and inspired by that, I said I'd show kids about Rangoli. That idea was a really winner. The kids really enjoyed it, and had a whale of a time giving free reign to their limitless imagination.

For the typically Indian dish, I had major constrains. The venue had just a small hot plate. I had work with that. That ruled out most traditional stuff. And it had to be kid friendly. Decisions, decisions!

I finally decided on 'maalaadu', an old favourite, that was simple enough to make. I powdered the pottu kadalai (roasted-chana-dal) and sugar in advance, and all that there was to do, was the assembly. And that too went down quite well. So after sweating it out in the sun, we all sat down to a very welcome snack of 'maalaadu' and lassi.

Maalaadu/Besan laddoo

1/2 kg Roasted chana dal/pottu kadalai (finely powdered)
1/2 kg sugar (finely powdered)
1/4 tsp cardomom powder
1/2 kg ghee

Mix the dry ingredients well in a large bowl.
Heat the ghee.
Pour over the powders, and stir in well with a wooden spoon, or spatula.
Mix well.
Shape into laddoos while still warm.

During the introduction, Mrs Y introduced India and Indians to the kids as mathematical geniuses. Genius?? Well, the kids started throwing numbers at me, asking to multiply them mentally. And these were numbers they could manage. All under 20. At this point, the imp in me took over, and I started demonstrating the finer points of vedic mathematics to these kids. Just a couple of 'sutras', but sutras that I was very very sure about. The very elementary, simple ones. Soon I had kids writing numbers on the board, and writing out the answers before they could key in and get the answer from a calculator. God, that was some ego trip! The awe on the faces of the students, and teachers alike, had to be seen to be believed. So in this neck of the woods at least, we have kids thinking that Indians have a second brain for mathematics.

Thank goodness they didn't want to look at my marks cards.

Egg Curry

2007-09-13T10:04:00.001+09:00

One of the first thing that someone tells me, once they hear that I'm from India, is "I love butter chicken." The sum total of interest in Indian cuisine seems limited to butter chicken. There are people here who actually believe that I eat 'butter chicker kare' for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can't get them to understand that I'm vegetarian, or that there's more to Indian food that 'Butter Chicken'.

And after being asked about Butter Chicken once too often, I decided that I have to try making a egg or paneer version of the dish. The results weren't anything to blog about. Unfortunately, most of the gravies/masalas that taste awesome with some meat based dishes, don't work that well with vegetable substitutes.

After a lot of trial and error, I earmarked one set of proportions that seemed to work well with eggs or paneer. But it still lacked a certain something. One fine day, as I was making my monthly grocery list, I saw that my grocer had listed a new item, "Chicken Curry masala". Also, by this time, I was so bugged with the absurdly limited vegetable and spice options here that I was willing to try something new. I was willing to try ANYTHING new. So I ordered one packet of the masala. The next time I made a paneer dish, I ignored the usual 'Kitchen King' and Garam Masalas, and seasoned it with the Chicken Curry masala. A was quite impressed. He had no clue what had gone into it, but said it tasted wonderful. I tried it again with Egg Curry, and the result was simply fabulous. I should mention that it tastes wonderful with other vegetable gravies too. Chicken curry masala is a pantry staple now. Always on hand to jazz up a dish when we get bored with the same things over and over again.

Egg Curry

8 Eggs (hard boiled, peeled and slit with a sharp knife)
1 tbsp ginger, garlic paste -
2 large onion
2 large tomato
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp chicken curry masala
3 tbsp cup cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
6 cashewnuts paste
1 tsp khus-kush
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Grind onion to a smooth paste. Puree the tomatoes.
Soak cashewnuts and khus-khus. Drain excess water and grind to a smooth paste.
Heat a heavy bottom kadhai. Quickly toast the kasuri methi and keep aside.
Heat oil in the kadhai. Add onion paste and saute till oil separates.
Add ginger-garlic paste, and saute till the raw smell is gone.
Add all spice-powders (except chicken curry masala) and saute for a minute.
Add tomato puree and khuskhus-cashew paste.
Adjust salt to taste.
Crush roasted kasuri methi to fine powder and add to kadhai.
Bring the gravy to a simmer. Add eggs to the gravy and continue to simmer.
When gravy starts to thicken, add chicken curry masala powder and simmer for a minute more.
Remove kadhai from heat, and stir in butter and cream.

Serve hot.

More Dal, please

2007-09-13T10:02:00.000+09:00

Dal, wonderful dal. It's something we take so much for granted. I've ranted about how this wonderful dish is not given it's due. Recently, we had some of A's colleagues over for lunch. After I'd finished cooking, I suddenly wondered if most things would be too spicy for my guests' palates. I thought it'd be prudent to make some dal. Just in case.

At lunch, my husband simply ignored other fancy stuff and kept helping himself to dal. So did my daughter. Out guests were quite surprised about how a simple process like tadka (tempering) could infuse a plain dish with so much subtle flavour. And seperating the tempering did make it look a little fancy too.

Basic Dal

1 cup moong dal (washed and cooked with salt and turmeric)
1 tsp ghee
1 pinch hing
2 (or more) dry red chillis
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Heat ghee.
Quickly saute the chillis, remove from ghee and add to dal.
Add the cumin seeds, and let them brown. Add hing. Remove cumin from ghee and add to dal.
Add mustard seeds to the ghee, and after they splutter, add them to the dal along with the remaining ghee.
Add chopped coriander for garnish.
Stir well before serving.
Serve hot.

Lunch Box Solutions

2007-09-13T09:27:00.000+09:00

Weekday mornings are all about lunch boxes. Before the school bus drives up to our doorstep, I need to get my daughter's lunch-box (or Obento) ready. Getting a lunch box ready is not that much of an issue. What's really needed is an obento that my daughter is sure to like.

If that didn't tell you what the problem is, then allow me to elucidate. The little darling is a picky eater. Very picky. Most days we have this early morning battle over the planned lunch. She takes one look at what I'm cooking, and asks, "Is that cute? I want a cute obento." No, I have no clue what a cute obento is. Depending on her mood, it could be anything from crispy potato rolls, to spaghetti to dal-and-rice. Depends on her mood, the tides, phase of the moon, and anything else you'd care to throw into the mix.

One simple fix is Pooris. Pooris are always a hit with kids. Little ones and big ones. To add to the 'cute' factor, I roll out a really large poori, and cut out smaller ones before I fry them. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter, it adds up to around 2 regular pooris.

My daughter liked these tiny pooris so much that she prefers them to regular sized pooris. I'm certainly not complaining. The potato curry for this one is stripped down to absolute basics.

Very Simple Potato Curry

1 medium potato (chopped fine)
1 small onion (chopped fine) (optional)
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch hing
Salt to taste

Heat oil. Temper with mustard, hing and turmeric.
Add onions, if using, and saute till onions turn transperent.
Add potatoes and salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or till done.

Add some fruit, and lunch is ready to go!

Chappatis for lunch turned out be another challenge. The little gourmet wanted small chappatis. And then the real fun started. I rolled out a really huge chappati, and with a 'katori' cut out smaller disks. I started off cooking 4 or 5 at a time on my tava. I was about then I asked myself that all important question. How on earth am I supposed to fluff these tiny things over an open flame? My tongs would surely tear them up. And my fingers had way too much to do over the course of the day, so using them was out. One fell right through my little wire phulka frame. Necessity breeds solutions. I put my little tea insufer to good use. It was tiny enough to hold one tiny corner while I fluffed them over an open flame.

And after all that early morning drama, the lunch box came back totally empty! At the end of the day, thats all that counts. Whether it was it all eaten up.

On a recent festival, I thought it was really unfair that the little one missed out on the multi-course lunch. She could always have some when she got back from school, but why not AT school? And a typical south Indian lunch is not that difficult to make into an obento.

Dal-rice with ghee, crisp urad-dal vadais, tomato salad, carrot salad, cabbage curry and fruit. Next time I need to figure out how to pack payasam so that it doesn't spill.

Uninspired mornings sometimes breed inspired solutions. In a totally bored frame of mind, I made a little potato curry, and stared stupidly into my fridge and freezer, and wondered what to do. Should I make rice, chappati, poori?? Should I just give up and go back to sleep? And then I saw some frozen puff-pastry sheets in a corner of the freezer. And came up with this. I have no idea what to call this, so go right ahead and name it. Be my guest.

Puff-pastry-thingies

1 sheet puff pastry (20cm x 10cm x 0.5cm)
1 cup potato filling (recipe follows)

1 large potato (chopped very fine)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 pinch turmeric
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

Heat oil.
Add the spice powders, and stir for a few seconds, and immediately add the chopped potato.
Add salt to taste. Cover and cook for 10 mins, or till done.
Preheat oven to 175C.
Thaw puff pastry, and roll to 2mm thickness.
Spread prepared filling over it.
Shape into a roll. Cover roll with cling-film and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
Cut into slices. Arrange on sheet, leaving 2-3 cms between rolls.
Bake until golden brown. About 12-15 minutes.

Next time I want to try a grown up version of this, with some garam masala, and chilli powder. Lets see how that works.

It's official

2007-08-20T10:03:00.000+09:00

.. that I ROCK!

A tells me that frequently. And now Pragyan of Cooking with Pragyan thinks I'm a Rocking Girl Blogger.

And in keeping with tradition, I hereforth pass it on to these lovely ladies. They and their blogs really do 'rock'. Read on to the chorus of "We will, we will Rock you......"

Mallika of From the Chaos
Madhu's One true thing
Preethy's Masala Sushi

And, Ladies, now that you rock too, pass it on to others who you think rock. I know that I do, so feel free to leave me out of that list.

Twice tempered dal

2007-08-19T15:31:00.000+09:00

Dal is one of the must-haves in any Indian home. I, for one, cook at least one dal-based item everyday. Deciding what dal to cook is a bit of a daily dilemma. Most mornings, I just cook a little tuvar dal first thing in the morning, and later decide what my menu for the day is likely to be. On a good day, my daughter usually wants 'parappu-saadam' (dal and rice) for her lunch-box. Or if I'm luckier she wants to eat that for breakfast. Which is why I make a little rice and dal before I start heating water for my morning tea!

Sometimes I think dal is highly underrated. A few years ago, I was planning a party. And as I'd decided to get it catered, I was bouncing off the menu I'd planned with a few party-hosting pros. As I read out and counted the items ordered, one of them said that dal does not count. Apparently, I had to have dal, but not to count that in the number of items I wanted to serve. It was not a 'course' per se. That was a bit of a kicker. And, after the party, the dal was the only item of which I had no leftovers! The serving bowl was wiped clean! The humble dal somehow doesn't seem to get its full due sometimes.

Sometimes, after back-to-back culinary experiments, A usually asks for a 'simple lunch' of rice, 'simple dal' and some vegetables. And on these days he asks for my 'simple' dal. And I must confess, its a simple, soothing comfort-food. Low on time, effort and preparation, and very very satisfying. My secret to my 'simple dal' is that it's tempered twice. And its exponentially as tasty, or so A claims.

Twice Tempered Dal

1/2 cup split (yellow) moong dal
1/4 cup split (red) masur dal
1 pinch Turmeric
1 tbsp Ghee
1 pinch Hing/asafetida
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Butter
1 small Tomato (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Wash and cook dals with enough water and turmeric.
Adjust salt to taste.
Heat ghee. When hot, add cumins seeds.
When the cumin seeds start to splutter, add Hing.
Add this tempering to the dal.
Combine butter, tomato, ginger garlic and garam masala in a small frying pan (or whatever you use for tempering).
Simmer the mixture till the fat separates and the raw smell of garlic has gone and add to the dal.
Stir the dal well and garnish with chopped coriander before serving.

Of sunny days and lemonade

2007-08-17T15:28:00.000+09:00

One of summer's anticipated treats is lemonade. Clear skies, a nice cool corner, both kids down for their afternoon nap, all work done, a good book, and finally a tall glass of cool and sweet and tart lemonade. Ah bliss!

And wouldn't it be simply wonderful if one didn't have to make the lemonade from scratch each time? I am no fan of instant lemonade. Somehow, all those additives simply kill the 'real' taste of lemonade.

A series of incredibly hot days meant there was a constant demand for cool lemonade. And it was time to make a batch of my lemon squash. Isn't that a paradox? Lemon squash from someone who dislikes them? Well, try it my way, and then see if you can ever buy bottled lemon squash again.

This versatile lemon squash is a blessing to have around the house. It doesn't need refrigeration. Just store it in a cool dry place, in a tight container. And there's more to it than just lemonade. Add a generous dollop to cold tea, and you have instant ice-lemon tea. Stir into desserts, use as dessert topping, use your imagination!

And I swear this squash 'tastes' of sunshine. Maybe that's just in my mind, but I swear it does! It's one of the simplest thing I've ever tried to make. Squeeze lemons, strain, add sugar, transfer to metal container with a tight lid, and leave it in the sun for a couple of days till the sugar completely melts. Add salt and transfer to an airtight bottle. It's that simple!

I've been told that this squash lasts for as long as 6 months. I couldn't say for sure. The family finishes it up really fast, and the longest I've managed to store a batch is 2 months.

Super-simple Lemon Squash

Lemons (as many as you have energy to squeeze)
Sugar (about 1 kg for every 15 large lemons)
A large metal container with tight fitting lid
2 hot sunny days
Salt (optional)

Clean, dry and sterlized glass bottles

Oh yes, and patience too.

Squeeze lemons, and get as much juice as you can.
Strain juice. Discard seeds and pips.
Measure and transfer juice to metal container.
For every cup of juice, add 1.5 to 2 cups of sugar.
Stir well.
Leave the container in a place that gets a lot of sun.
Stir occasionally, and leave container in the sun until all sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in salt if using. (Add 1 tbsp of salt for every 3-4 cups of lemon juice measured)
Transfer to storage bottles, and keep in a cool dry place.

Notes:
I like my lemonade tart, so get all the juice out of the lemons. For a not so tart lemonade, don't squeeze too hard too close to the rind.
Usually, a cup-and-a-half of sugar per cup of lemon juice is what I use. If you like lemonade sweeter, you could go as high as 2 cups.
For a bitter lemon cordial, don't strain the lemon juice. Add sugar, and let it stand in the sun till it melts completely. Strain with a very fine sieve/strainer just before bottling. This is a great mixer with drinks.

For once, I have something ready on time (well in time) for a food blogging event. This is my entry for Meeta's Monthly Mingle for September, 'Liquid Dreams'.

White Chocolate & Macadamia nut cookies

2007-08-16T14:43:00.000+09:00

Cookies. To cook or not to cook. That is the question...

Pardon that inexcusably bad pun. Baking cookies is a bit of a challenge here. I like my cookies crisp and crunchy, the significant other likes his soft and chewy. And whether my daughter deigns to eat a homemade cookie or not depends on the phase of the moon, the time of the day, the tides, eclipses and what not.

Recent the So asked why I never bake his favourite White Chocolate, & Macadamia nut cookies. Hmmm.. let me see.. could it be because he always complains that my cookies are crunchy? I decided that if he wanted (un)baked cookies (read soft cookies), that's what he'd get.

So I trawled good old Epicurious and found this recipe for White chocolate, Cranberries and Macadania nut cookies. That was half the job done. Considering that the SO wasn't that big a fan of cranberries, I left those out. This is a fairly straightforward recipe, but there was this really challenging step. To take the cookies out of the oven at the right time. And wince when they were not baked to tooth-challenging-crunching-satisfaction. Ah well, the sacrifices I make!!!!!

I'd planned to take the kids to the park, so I dropped off one batch of cookies at A's office, and off I headed to my daughter's favourite park. My phone buzzed. It was A. I was mentally braced for "not quite the way I like them".

A said that he had just bitten into the first of the cookies. And??? I waited with breathless anticipitation... "these are the best cookies I've ever eaten!" I wasn't too sure I'd heard right. And after he went on in the same note for a while, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The little one came running, and asked for a snack. I gave her a cookie. She took a bite. She gave me a funny look. "Amma, this is not cookie. This is not cake," .... Thus spake the little gourmet, and ran back the swings.

Ah well, I can't please everyone. One gourmet at a time, thank you.

White Chocolate, & Macadamia nut cookies
(makes about 40)

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 cups white chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped white chocolate)
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 175°C.
Sift together salt, flour and baking powder and keep aside.
Beat butter till fluffy. Add both the sugars, and beat till well mixed.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add the sifted flour and beat until just blended.
Stir in chocolate and nuts.
Drop dough into cookie sheets, 1.5-2 tbsp at a time, spacing them about 2" apart.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until just golden.
Cool on sheets.

I tried these cookies with a mix of peanuts and macadamia nuts. Those turned out fairly well too. This recipe is a keeper. All I need to do is resist the temptation to bake them a little longer.
And I have to admit, these taste better chewy than crunchy.

Roast Pepper and Pasta Salad

2007-08-14T09:54:00.000+09:00

I'm a big fan of roast pepper. I love that burst of hot and sweet flavours that result from a well grilled/roasted/BBQ'd pepper. It's unbeatable. I love roast pepper in sandwiches, in soups, and by itself.

I always wanted to try roast pepper in a salad, but somehow never got it right. After a few failed experiments, this one turned out really well; hot, sweet, colourful peppers, cool pasta, and creamy dressing? And it was all polished off at dinnertime. What better complement than a meal sans leftovers??

Roast Pepper and Pasta Salad

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 green pepper
1 cup penne or macaroni
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Cook pasta al dente, or softer. Drain and cool.
Char the peppers over a gas flame (or in a broiler) until blackened on all sides.
Put in a paper bag and keep aside for 10 minutes. Peel the charred skin off the capsicums and deseed.
Cut into thin strips.
Toss pasta with half of pepper, sour cream, mayonnaise, basil and a little salt.
Garnish with remaining pepper strips and fresh ground black pepper.
Serve cold.

Potatoes Galore

2007-06-22T10:45:00.001+09:00

It was one of those days! I got up with a minor headache, a cranky infant and a little one who wanted something 'cute' for lunch. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the chief gourmet had just had a tooth extraction, and was as cheerful as a bear with a sore paw. So there I was, I had to make a 'cute' lunch for baby bear, liquid lunch for papa bear, and something light and filling for mama bear.

And trying to get my daughter ready for kindergarten, my little one soothed and cold packs for my husband, the kitchen was in chaos. By the time the baby was rocked to sleep, and the other one well on her way getting ready for school, I went into the kitchen to get cracking on the lunchbox. I looked at my cooker. What on earth were so many potatoes doing there?? Just what am I supposed to do with 6 LARGE boiled potatoes? In all that chaos, I'd dumped the entire potato bag into the cooker, and I had plenty of boiled potatoes.

Well, there was nothing to be done, but finish it all. First the lunch box. A fruit assortment, rice rolls, and crispy potato rolls. Potato soup was the obvious choice for the liquid lunch (not that there was a choice) and a potato salad for me. Easy... and done!

Crispy Potato Rolls
makes 10 small rolls

1 potato (boiled and peeled)
1/4 cup cooked rice (cooled)
salt to taste
oil for frying

Mash potatoes with rice and salt.
Shape into rolls or patties.
Deep fry in hot oil.
Drain rolls on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

That's that. No jokes, that's all it takes. Try adding a pinch of turmeric and some cumin powder. This is one of a repertoire of never fail recipes. And the potato fingers stay crisp till lunch time.

Potato and Pineapple Salad
serves 2

2 potatoes (boiled, peeled, diced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 cup pineapple (diced)
4 tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp dried peppermint
salt to taste

Stir peppermint and salt into the sour cream.
In a large bowl, mix potatoes, onion and pineapple.
Add dressing, and toss lightly till evenly coated.
Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Serve cold.

Potato, Leek and Garlic Soup
makes 2 helpings

3 potatoes (boiled, peeled, grated fine)
1 cup leek (finely sliced)
1 head garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 cups low fat milk
2 tbsp almond paste
1 tbsp vegetable stock (dissolved in 1/4 cup water)
salt to taste
pepper for garnish

Wrap garlic in aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes at 160°C.
Cool slightly, and squeeze garlic of of skin. Mince lightly and keep aside.
Heat butter. Lightly fry leeks till they start to brown.
Add garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Puree one potato in a blender.
(If you want a smooth soup, puree the leeks and garlic along with it)
Add the grated and blended potatoes, the vegetable stock and mix well, mashing lightly against the sides of the pan with the back of a spoon.
Add milk a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add almond paste, and stir well, ensuring there are no lumps.
Season with salt.
Garnish with white pepper and serve hot.

Spicy Tomato Soup

2007-06-11T21:41:00.000+09:00

A couple of years ago, on a visit to the US, my family and I had dinner at a friends' restaurant in NJ. It was a wet wet day, and we were rather disoriented after a non-stop 18 hour flight. As we waited for dinner, we were served some soup.

I wasn't really in a mood for any little bits and nibbles. I just wanted my dinner, and wanted to hit the sack, and reset my body clock. It was also one of those occassions where I couldn't refuse, or not eat it. So I took a sip, then a gulp and then slurped it all down and asked for seconds.

It was such a wonderful soup, a cross between tomato soup and rasam. Light, thin, sweet, spicy, and made me feel at peace with the world after a long long journey with my little one in tow.

And since then I've always tried to replicate that lovely soup, and I finally got it just right. It's simple, tasty, and very unfussy.

Spicy tomato soup
makes 3 cups

1 (200 ml) can tomato sauce (NOT ketchup)
400 ml water
1 tbsp rasam powder (or to taste)
1 lemon sized ball of jaggery
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
Hing (Asafetida)
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Bring tomato sauce, water, rasam powder and salt to a boil.
Add jaggery.
Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Heat ghee. Add jeera and fry until lightly browned. Add hing. Pour over soup.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:
1. Hunts tomato sauce is my favourite. It works better than most other brands. I usually measure out one small can of sauce, and 4 cans of water.
2. Use water according to desired consistency. I like this soup thin. Use less water for a thicker soup.
3. In case you can't find tomato sauce, puree a can of diced tomatoes, strain the puree, and add water accordingly.

Papad ki Subzi

2007-05-22T01:06:00.000+09:00

One advantage of living in the backwoods is that you tend to be quite innovative. People had told me before I moved here that life in Japan wasn't easy for a vegetarian. And these were people who used Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo as a benchmark. But nothing prepared me for this little town. Vegetable choices are rather limited throughout the year. For someone who spent the last 5 years in Singapore, where every veggie was available all through the year, this was a bit of a challenge.

But there is a silver lining to every cloud. The one really wonderful good to come out of this is that, A, the ultimate gourmet, is willing to try anything new. With very little fuss. Of course, I still can't get him to eat karela or soya chunks, but he's not half as fussy as he used to be.

There are days when I look at the veggies I have at home, and want something totally new to eat. Those are the days when I'm totally in the mood for something new.... anything new. One of those days my mind went into a kind of trance. I thought:
What dish I was most in the mood to eat: pittla.
What did I like best about it: the texture of papads soaked in the pittla base.
Does A like papads: yes.
Does A like the texture of soaked papads: yes.
Will A eat most veggies in his favourite onion-tomato gravy: yes.
What can go wrong: not much.
What's the worst that could happen: Leftovers.
The odds sounded good, and I thought to myself, "nothing ventured nothing gained".

And fortifying myself with that other pithy homilies, I went forth to do battle. I whipped up my favourite gravy, fried up some papads, broke them, stirred them into the hot gravy, let it soak, and served it up with rice.

First thing A asked was expected. "What on earth is this?"... I tried to explain in detail, but he cut me short. "Basically you're telling me there's papads, onion and tomatoes in this, right? Then it can't be too badly messed up, what?"

How can I ever argue with such brilliant logic??

The verdict was favourable too. I didn't have ANY leftovers. I couldn't ask for more, could I?

Papad ki Subzi
serves 2

4 medium sized papads (fried and broken into medium sized pieces)
1 large onion (sliced fine)
1 large tomato (sliced)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 pinch hing
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp garam masala/kitchen king
salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Heat 2 tbsp oil and temper with cumin seeds and hing.
Add onion slices, and fry till lightly browned.
Add tomato slices, and cook till oil separates.
Add all spice powders and stir for 2 mins.
Adjust salt to taste.
Add papad pieces to gravy and stir.
Take pan off heat, and transfer contents to serving bowl.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Cover and keep aside. Let the papads soak for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve hot.

Notes:
Garlic or other such spiced papads work best. Plain appalams will do in a pinch, but the masala varieties are awesome.
Do fry papads for this one. For some reason, plain roasted or microwaved papads just don't soak in the gravy the way fried ones do.

Grilled Pepper Sandwiches

2007-05-13T13:32:00.000+09:00

Ever craved for a warm, easy to make snack on a rainy day? Something that doesn't take too much effort?

Here's what I came up with during one of my recent snack attacks. I had some leftover soup, and wanted something heavier to go with it. A sandwich seemed the best option. I had some lovely peppers, and some hot-dog buns, and made up this quick sandwich. It turned out quite well. Next time, I want to try slices of other grilled veggies to go with it. I wonder what would work well....

Grilled Pepper Sandwiches

2 capsicums (any colours)
2 hot-dog buns
2-4 slices of cheese
2 boiled eggs (sliced)
Mustard
Salt & Pepper

Char the capsicums over a gas flame (or in a broiler) until blackened on all sides.
Put in a paper bag and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Peel the charred skin off the capsicums and deseed. Cut into strips and keep aside.
Preheat oven to 140C
Slit buns. Fill with cheese, capsicums, boiled egg slices, and season with mustard, salt and pepper.
Wrap each sandwich tightly in aluminium foil, and put in the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Notes:
It's not absolutely essential to wrap sandwiches in foil, but it does prevent the crust of the buns from charring.
Boiled egg is optional.

Minty-tangy Onion Relish

2007-05-13T00:56:00.000+09:00

I can't think of anyone who dislikes onion relish. It does add a certain dash as a condiment with north Indian food. What if the same onions are served with a minty dressing? The result is absolutely fabulous. Hot, minty, tangy and totally yummy. Goes great with Biriyani... just remember to make a generous quantity. It disappears faster than the eye can see.

Minty Onion Relish
makes about 4 cups

2 large onions (sliced fine)
2 cups mint leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
1 green chili
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 marble sized ball of tamarind
2 tbsp hot water
salt to taste

Wash and clean the coriander and mint leaves.
Soak tamarind in about 2 tbsp hot water. Dissolve and extract as much juice as possible. Strain and keep aside.
Add all ingredients except the onions, and grind to a fine paste.
In a serving bowl, combine sliced onions, and the mint-paste.
Cover with cling film, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes:
More green chilis may be added, depending on taste.
Dessicated coconut works well, but nothing like fresh coconut of you can get some.

Guilt-free Dessert

2007-05-06T22:27:00.000+09:00

Once upon a time yours truly would go on dessert binges. When I say binge, I mean binge. Still skeptical?? Hmmm... let me see... There was this time a friend and I were celebrating our very first salaries. And we decided that nothing less than a total splurge would suffice! And we had this multi course lunch. We ordered the entire dessert menu at our favourite restaurant for lunch, and then went to our favourite ice cream parlor for dessert.

Those were also the days when I used to run. And my favourite pair of jeans never had to strain to accommodate all that dessert. To cut a long story short, those days are now fond history. These days I just have to look at a dessert and last years jeans scream out in horror... "no, no, no more please!"

Now that I'm experimenting with low-fat sugar-free foods, this seemed a good time to make something I've wanted to try for ages. Thick yogurt and fruit, sans sugar.

I'm big fan of flavoured yogurts. I love shrikhand and mishti doi. Store bought flavoured yogurt is fine too, but I always wished the texture could be creamier. And since my friendly neighbourhood vegetable store's shelves are full of fruit these days, this seemed to be the right time to try out this dessert.

Active time is quite little: drain yogurt for 2 hours. Cut as many fruits as you wish to add, stir the residue till smooth, top with cut fruits, and voila, dessert's up!

Verdict: light, cool, yummy, and guilt free. The little one too had her share, and didn't ask for sugar or honey to go with it!

Creamy Yogurt with Fruit
Serves 6

10 cups yogurt
2 cups strawberries, halved
1 cup grapes
1 cup pineapple chunks

Set a colander over a large bowl and line colander with a muslin cloth.
Pour yogurt into colander and let it drain in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Transfer the yogurt in the colander to a serving bowl.
* Stir gently till smooth.
Garnish with fruits.
Chill till ready to serve.

* Optional
Add 1 or 2 tbsp honey or powdered sugar to the yogurt while stirring.

Notes:
The volume of curd reduces after draining. So for each 1-cup serving, you'll need about twice the volume of fresh yogurt.
If using low-fat or 2% yogurt, 1 hour draining time is enough.
Oranges, apples and banana slices can also be used.

A spoonful of sugar

2007-05-05T14:18:00.000+09:00

I can't think of anyone who would refuse a little sweet something after a meal. There's a child in everyone of us who eagerly anticipates dessert after dinner, a treat on an outing, and of course, a birthday cake.

And there are also loved ones in every family who, due to diabetes, are denied that small pleasure. My father-in-law too belongs to that group. He's also the sort who prefers to keep his sugar levels under control with a strict diet, and a bare minimum of medication.

Ever since we got married, at every festive occasion my f-i-l has been the only one to forgo the sweet course. I always felt bad that he had to miss out on the best part of every meal.

For a while now I've had this idea that I should experiment with sugar-free desserts, and this year, I've done so. For the Tamil new year, I made a special semiya paayasam. And recently, a nice badam kheer. Those are for another post.

Last week was his birthday, and this time I was determined that he should have a birthday cake. And This was what he got.

A sugarless sponge, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. And the best part, it had just one teaspoon of sugar. Yes, just a single teaspoon of sugar in that entire cake.

Now the kicker: the verdict. F-i-l liked it, as it met all his dietary criteria. And that it was a birthday cake he could eat to his heart's content. Everyone else thought it was .. hmmm... not sweet. But the person it was intended for appreciated it :)

Would you like to try it out??

Sugarless Strawberry Sponge

Sponge
2 large eggs (separated)
1 tsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup whipping cream
fruits for garnish

Sift flour and baking powder thrice.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
Grease and dust a 18cm diameter round tin (or equivalent).
Beat egg yolks, vanilla essence and 1/2 tsp sugar till very pale, and beaters start to leave a ribbon trail when lifted.
Beat egg whites with 1/2 tsp sugar till stiff peaks hold.
Add egg whites to the yolks, little at a time, folding gently after each addition.
Gently fold in the flour.
Bake for 15 minsutes, or till tester inserted into cake comes out clean.
Remove cake from tin and cool completely.

Whip cream.
Spread over sponge, and garnish with fruits.

Fruit Cake - II

2007-04-18T11:59:00.000+09:00

Over the winter, with the new baby at home, there's been a steady stream of visitors. And I found it very easy to make up really large batches of fruitcake, and my visitors too loved those. And since fruitcake has such a wonderfully long shelf life, there's always something nice to snack on.

After my last batch of fruitcake, I trawled around for recipes, and finally located an old notebook of mine with a recipe of the very first fruitcake that got me hooked. And I got started on a marathon baking spree in late January.

When my mother visited me, a lot of friends from Mysore had sent me loads of snacks, spice mixes, podis and other assorted yummies. I thought this would be a great thank you gift. My mom was slightly stunned at the final amount of batter. It was almost a day long baking session. My only complaint is that my oven is in proportion to the size of my kitchen, and my kitchen is slightly larger than a closet. You get the idea. I could bake only 2 regular, or 3 small loaf pans at a time. And at the end of it all, I got some 6 small cakes, and 6 large cakes. And then never found time to take a picture or post that gem.

Everyone who received a cake was quite thrilled and most polished it off in less than 15 minutes. An average of 2 hours per cake, and all gone in 10-15 minutes??? Must have tasted great!!!

After packing off the gifts, I kept a few slabs for myself, and forgot all about them. Last week, I desperately wanted something sweet, and decided to attack some of this fruitcake, and it was awesome. It had matured beautifully, texture was wonderfully firm... and tasted absolutely wonderful!

In that mellow frame of mind, I now post one of the most time consuming, but still worth-every-minute of it recipe.

Before I get started, let me mention that one of the most important things needed for this cake, is a large (about 3 liter) jar/container with an airtight lid. And plenty of patience!

The Ultimate Fruitcake

Phase 1

250 grams mixed dried fruits
125 grams dried cherries
250 grams dried dates
100 grams dried plums
100 grams raisins
100 grams tutti frutti
50 grams candied peel
150 grams ginger preserve
100 grams walnuts
150 grams cashewnuts
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp clove powder
250 grams sooji/rava/farina/cream of wheat
500 ml brandy

Wash and dry plums and raisins.
Chop all fruits and nuts finely.
Keep aside the cashew nuts, walnuts and dates.
Roast sooji/cream of wheat till frangant, and very slightly browned. Allow to cool.
Mix all fruits (except cashew nuts, walnuts and dates) with the sooji/cream of wheat, spice powders, brandy and toss well.
Transfer to large airtight container.
Let soak for at least one week, and upto 3 weeks.

Phase 2

250 grams butter
500 grams sugar
12 eggs
100 grams flour
150 grams orange marmalade
25 ml honey
1 pinch salt
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp allspice
1/2 cup caramelized sugar

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Sepetare eggs.
Add egg yolks to butter, one at a time, and beat till smooth.
Add salt, vanilla essence and allspice.
Beat egg whites till stiff.
Add mixed fruit, dates, nuts, flour, jam, honey and caramelised sugar a little at a time, alternating with egg whites.
Mix well after each addition, till all ingredients are used up.
Preheat oven to 175°C.
Pour batter into greased,lined baking pans (not more than 1.5" of batter per pan) and bake each batch for 45 mins or till done.

Notes on Storage:
Let cakes cool completely.
Wrap each cake in 3 layers of foil, and seal with cling-wrap.
Let age for at least a week.
Mine have stored for as long as 4 months.

Indulgences

2007-03-31T15:50:00.000+09:00

What's hot, sweet and bitter and absolutely delicious?

A wedge of bittersweet chocolate cake served with ginger sauce.

After that absolute frenzy of making up a batch of candied ginger, I was left with a large bottle of the cooking liquid. It was sweet, and had a lovely spicy-hot aftertaste. A couple of months ago, I'd had an interesting dessert at a restaurant here: dense, bitter chocolate cake served in ginger sauce. And this was the perfect time to replicate it.

But wait, there was a catch. Isn't there always? I had chocolate bars in plenty, very little cocoa, was almost out of flour and sugar, my weighing scale broke, and I didn't have a single recipe on hand that gave me the ingredients in volume. And it was snowing, and I was not one bit motivated to go to the supermarket. A thorough search through epicurious led me to this gem.

I did have to do some tweaking. Weights on the packaging on the butter and chocolate bars were in grams, and conversion was too much trouble. I decided that I was going to make my cake and eat it too, and took the plunge! And voila: easy, utterly uncomplicated, and fabulously delicious results.

This time, I had some ginger sauce ready-at-hand. Next time I want to find an uncomplicated way to make some without having to candy ginger first to get there!

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

100 gms semisweet chocolate
100 gms bittersweet chocolate
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee granules
100 grams unsalted butter
4 eggs (separated)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 170C and grease and dust 9" round pan.
Melt butter and chocolate over hot water. Add cocoa and coffee granules, and stir until smooth and lump-free.
Whisk yolks and sugar till very thick and pale yellow.
Mix in flour and chocolate mixture.
In another bowl, beat whites till stiff.
Fold into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Let cake cool. Serve warm with ginger sauce.

Baingan ka Saalan

2007-03-23T06:32:00.000+09:00

What's a good choice for a nice hot dish on a dreary winter's day when one is stuck indoors? Nayeem's patented biriyani, of course! What goes well with a simple biriyani?? Baingan ka saalan!

I love Vee's recipe for the saalan base. Simple, uncomplicated and absolutely acceptable as a side dish on festival/vratam days, because it totally leaves out onions and garlic.

Baingan-ka-khatta saalan

serves 4

1/2 kg baby eggplants (slit from base to crown)
1/4 cup peanuts (roasted)
1/4 cup coconut (slightly roasted till golden)
3 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp sesame seeds (slightly roasted till golden)
1 pinch hing
1/2 cup curd (whisked smooth)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate (or extract from 1 marble sized ball of tamarind)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
5 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Heat oil, add hing and lightly saute the eggplants. Keep aside.
Make a fine paste of peanuts, coconut, ginger and sesame seeds.
Add paste to hot oil and fry till oil seperates.
Add turmeric, cumin, coriander powder to the curd and mix well.
Add curd mix and salt to the saalan and cook for 3 minutes.
Add eggplants, salt and cook covered covered for 5 minutes.
Add tamarind and garam masala.
Add water to adjust gravy to required consistency.
Simmer for 10 minutes or till eggplants are cooked through.
Serve hot.

Another quick fix with the same gravy:
Make gravy as above, and instead of eggplant, add a packet (1/2 kg) of frozen peas, and let it cook as above.
I've also tried this with soaked soya chunks. Not bad at all, I must say.

Crystallized Ginger

2007-03-14T15:49:00.000+09:00

What's a girl to do when it snows all the time, and it's kind of not so great an idea to venture outdoors with a 3 month old in tow?? That girl experiments in the kitchen. And comes up with some interesting outputs.

The problem with these outputs is that after a while, she tends to get very gassy due to lack of exercise, and the littlest one comes down with a bad case of colic. After consuming lots of ajwain, jeera and other not-so-tasty stuff boiled in water, she's desperate for a change.

That girl is yours truly and she's at her wits' end!

Stuff like crystallized or candied ginger isn't easy to find in these neck of the woods. After a few futile efforts, I thought I'm make a batch at home. What could go wrong after all???

Actually, to tell the truth, nothing went all that way off base, but I made this mistake of starting with way too much ginger, and that made the process way too time consuming. But the end result(s) were more than worth it.

Sweet on the first bite, and then the spicy tang hits you. This is the perfect way to end any bout of overindulgence.

Crystallized Ginger
makes 2 medium bottles

1/4 kg ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 kg sugar (divided)
400 ml water
1 cup sugar (for coating)

Bring ginger 1/4 kg sugar and 200 ml water to boil, stirring occasionally, till sugar dissolves.
Reduce flame to lowest setting, and cook for about an hour, till ginger starts to turn translucent.

Add remaining 1/4 kg sugar, and 200 ml water.
Continue to cook till all the ginger turns translucent (about 2 hours)

Using a slotted spoon, drain ginger slices and transfer to a baking sheet.
Toss with one cup sugar to coat.
Let cool overnight.
Store in clean, dry jars with tight fitting lid.

Reserve the liquid for use in flavoring sauces, or as a dessert sauce.

In pursuit of happiness

2007-03-02T19:30:00.000+09:00

What makes me happy?? Chocolate of course.

Whatever the question, chocolate is always the answer. And what's better on a cold winter day, than a warm succulent delicious chocolate brownie?? With a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg enhance the bittersweet flavor of chocolate.

To tell the truth, I made it for January's Sugar High Friday, but never managed to get around to posting it. I was in the mood for a warm chocolate dessert, but not cake. This recipe on epicurious.com beckoned, and it was a breeze. I tweaked the chocolate quantities in the mix, and the result was fabulous.

And the little gourmet loved it too. She refused to call it a brownie. She named it 'kozha kozha (very sticky/messy) brown cake'.

I've now added this to my collection of 'gifting recipes'... no-brainer edible gifts for all occasions.

Brownies

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
100 grams milk chocolate, chopped
100 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
130 grams unsalted butter, diced, room temperature
4 large eggs
50 grams sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup walnuts (toasted and chopped)

Preheat oven to 170°C.
Generously butter 9x11-inch baking pan and dust with flour.
Sift salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour.
Stir chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Turn off heat. Let chocolate stand over water.
Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until mixture thickens and falls in soft ribbon when beaters are lifted. It should have tripled in volume.
Add vanilla. Add flour mix in 2 additions. Blend well after each.
Add chocolate to egg mixture, beating until just combined.
Stir in walnuts.
Pour batter into panand bake brownies until top is set and tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes.
Cool completely.

Ganache
100 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
80 grams milk chocolate, chopped
20 grams butter
2 tbsp whipping cream

Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Pour evenly over brownies in pan.

Chill brownies until ganache is set.
Cut into squares.

And then it's time to sit back and enjoy a warm brownie, with just that subtle tang of spice. Mmmm... bliss... That's what happiness is all about.

Mediterranean Brunch

2007-02-28T14:22:00.000+09:00

I made this 3 months ago, took pics, uploaded them and forgot all about it!!! well, now is the time for updates.

When the bun was still in the oven, I had this craving for Mediterranean. My menu was simple, falafel-wraps, with lots of dips.

All I had to do was whip up lots of tahini, make some hummus, lebneh and baba-ganoush, fry up some falafels, slice some tomatoes and onions, and serve it all with some pita bread. Yes, it is as simple as it sounds.

Now that I'm finally writing it up, I want some! But most of the stuff in it isn't recommended for a post natal diet... ah well... later maybe....

Tahini

1/2 cup white sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tepid water

Blend everything to a fine paste in a blender and use as called for in recipe.

clockwise from top:
falafel, lebneh, hummus and baba ganoush

Lebneh

Baba Ganoush

1 large eggplant
3 tbsp tahini
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
salt to taste

Grill eggplant over gas flame (or broiler) till blackened all over. Peel away skin.
Blend with tahini and garlic to a smooth puree.
Adjust salt to season.
Serve with wedges of pita bread.

Hummus

2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin powder
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Blend all ingredients (except) to a smooth puree.
Add salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped cilantro

Falafel

3 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Blend chickpeas, flour, cumin, garlic cloves and salt in processor until almost smooth.
Shape mixture into 1/4-inch-thick patties.
Heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add patties and cook until crisp and golden.
Drain over paper towels.

pita pockets stuffed with galafel, lebneh, tomato and onion slices

Open pita breads, slide in falafel patties, sliced tomato and onion into each.
Spoon in some lebneh.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

2007-02-28T11:31:00.000+09:00

I've not blogged in absolutely ages. I do a lot of cooking, I do take pictures, but I just don't find time to post anything.

And I'm catching up on it all today!

Today I was determined to take time to post all the yummy glorious soups I've made all month long. The littlest one too, co-operated and took a long nap!

The pumpkin is a very soup friendly vegetable. It's sweetness can be balanced with myriad spices. A simple cream of pumpkin soup, garnished with a little curry powder does go a long way in making a cold and dreary winter afternoon way more bearable.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

1 lb grated pumpkin
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
salt to taste

Garnish
2 tbsp cream
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add pumpkin, cover and cook till pumpkin is tender.
Puree in blender.
Add salt to taste, stir in cream and bring to simmer.
Garnish with cream and spices.

Broccoli ... (yum or yuck?????)

2007-02-28T10:24:00.000+09:00

Broccoli... yum!!!!
Broccoli... yuck!!!!

Where broccoli's concerned, there seem to be just 2 schools of thought. Love it or despise it. A friend once made this soup for me, and I'm no more a broccoli-hater. This soup is also very easy to make. Dunk every thing in a pressure cooker, cook, puree, season, simmer, and voila... Soup's up!!!!!

Broccoli and Everything soup

2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 small potato (peeled)
1/2 carrot (peeled)
1 cup peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp pepper powder (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt to taste

Cook all vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, corn, potato and carrot) in a pressure cooker with enough water.
Cool and puree.
Add seasonings, and bring to simmer.
Add water to adjust to desired consistency.
Blend in sour cream.
Serve hot.
Garnish with more sour cream, if desired.

Roasted Capsicum, Carrot and Squash soup

2007-02-28T10:00:00.000+09:00

This month was like a soup-a-day gala at our home. The significant other had some heavy duty dental work done, and found it easier to eat his dinner with a straw. And that meant Soup Glorious Soup. All this month, I've experimented with different combinations of vegetables in soups. Some were great, some were not bad at all.... and as for the rest, well, let's just say I'm not about blog those in a hurry... better still, I'm not about to block those EVER!

After way too many varieties of tomato soups, I decided to try something different. And this was the end result. Taking pictures at dinner time, in bad light, doesn't really do justice to this wonderful orange-hued soup! The balance of flavours was appreciated by both the gourmets at home.

This is one of the better experiments of the month! Do try it out.

Roasted Capsicum, Carrot and Squash Soup

3 large Red capsicums
3 medium sized carrots (peeled and cubed)
400 grams squash (peeled, deseeded and cubed)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1tsp garlic powder (Optional)

Char the capsicums over a gas flame (or in a broiler) until blackened on all sides.
Put in a paper bag and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Peel the charred skin off the capsicums and deseed. Keep aside.
Heat oil, and toss in carrots and squash.
Add a little water if required and cook till tender.
Puree capsicums, and the cooked squash and carrots.
Add water to adjust consistency. Season with salt and garlic powder.
Bring to a simmer.
Serve hot.

For an oil-free version:
Char capsicums as above.
Cook the carrots and squash in a pressure cooker.
Puree with the capsicums, and proceed as above.
Tastes delicious either way.

2 in 1 soup

2007-02-28T09:20:00.000+09:00

February... brrrr....

This has to be the first time in my life I've seen what winter is for myself. For a girl who's spent all her life in tropical areas, and who thought winter was a cold 18 (Celcius). A Japanese winter was an... experience of sorts. Days that ended by half past four called for hot comfort foods, and soups were the ultimate comfort food. And Veggie Venture's February round-up of Soup Glorious Soup couldn't have come at a better time!

I'm a big sucker for visual presentation.... no matter how humble the food, but I'm always impressed by presentation, however pretentious! Hubby is someone who doesn't have time for fancy foods. There have been times when we've gone out to try new restaurants (back when we used to live in Singapore) and he'd finish a lovely (in my opinion at least) meal and then say, "I like your version better". Not that it isn't flattering, but sometimes I think great presentation is wasted on A!

Ah well! my husband, the typical south Indian, isn't happy unless as many square millimeters of his plate are filled up with as many varieties of something. Think tpyical south Indian traditional meal with 2 vegetables, appalam, vadai, sweet, rice sambar, rasam, kootu, 2 salads and pickle.. and let's not forget the rice and curds at the very end. Now you get the idea.

I digress... but it will (begin to) make sense soon. A few weeks ago, I decided to try my hand at an artistically presented 2-colour soup. The refrigerator was loaded with tomatoes and spinach. What more contrast can one ask for. So I made a lovely tomato soup, and a nice cream of spinach soup, and served it like this.

The Significant Other took a look, gave one suspicious sniff, went into the kitchen, got 2 bowls, served himself each soup in a different bowl, and declined to eat his spinach. His reasoning: 'Green soup?? No one drinks green soup.' Now I know for a fact he never watched Popeye cartoons! After a little cajoling, the 3 and a half year old, and the 3 and a half decade old admitted that they liked both soups, but the older one still wishes the spinach soup could be made in some other colour. Sigh.. I give up....

The Basic Roux

5 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
5 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Melt the butter in a soup pot.

Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened but not browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and stir until slightly thickened.
Discard bay leaf.
Divide roux in two equal parts. Keep aside.

Tomato soup
1/2 of prepared Roux
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups tomatoes chopped (fresh or canned)

Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes to the roux, and bring just to a simmer.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool and puree.
Adjust seasonings and heat before serving.

Spinach soup
1/2 of prepared Roux
5 cups chopped, spinach
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 small potato, boiled, peeled and diced

Blanch spinach.
Puree with roux and boiled potato.
Return to soup-pot and bring to simmer.
Adjust seasonings.

To serve:
Two equal sized cups
Take one helping of each soup. Pour into soup plate from opposite sides, simultaneously.
Garnish with sour cream.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!!

It's a ........

2006-12-07T21:25:00.001+09:00

...... GIRL!!!!!!!

Avani was born on 6th December at 1447 in Tsuruoka, Japan. She is 47.5 cms tall and weighs 2668 grams and is absolutely adorable!

Preparing for the newest gourmet

2006-12-05T00:45:00.000+09:00

Now that D-day is around the corner, I've been quite caught up with things... Was it this hectic last time around?? I don't remember. I don't think so.

This time around, the rigmarole is starting to show signs of getting 'Lost in Translation'. I had a very exhausting 2 hour interview with the nutritionist at the hospital a couple of days ago. Somehow by the time I got through to her about what I eat and don't eat, I was quite ready to give up and tell her just give me rice and curds, and I'll get my own pickles, thank you. Being a vegetarian in this neck of the woods isn't all that easy.

First I had to explain that I don't eat meat and fish. No fish?? Yes, ma'am, no fish. So the nutritionist gets some printouts from her file and my translator asked me whether fish is 'meat'. Now, how on earth does one answer that? So the next step was to explain that I was NOT vegan, and that I could take milk, cheese and other dairy products. Yes, eggs are OK too. No, I do not mind eating tofu and eggs every day to make up for nutrition components.

Then I had to explain that chicken, beef and pork are not OK, neither are ham, bacon or sausages. By the time we got through that part, I was so tired. Then came the kicker. 'So does that mean prawn, shrimp and crabs are alright?' Sigh... we were back to square one. And the poor lady went through a list of vegetables to find out what was OK and what was not! After a point I gave up saying 'every vegetable is fine, every single one', and stuck to okaying each individual vegetable as it was read out.

I don't know who was more shocked by my diet, the nutritionist or the translator. I'm sure they think I'm from another planet. But I'm quite impressed that the hospital is taking this much trouble to accomodate the diet of a vegetarian. Do keep in mind that vegetarianism is totally unheard of here in Japan, especially in the backwoods like where we live. The nutrition consultant did ask if I had any favourite dishes, and would I give them the recipes for any special preparations that I would need. My sister thinks I should have asked them for dosai and sambar!

I'm signing off for a few days. I have lots and lots of lovely recipes and pics to post, but haven't got down to doing any serious blogging in days. The latest addition to the family is due in a couple of days, and I'm feeling quite tense. I have been through this entire rigmarole once before, but not quite like a 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. And do drop me a line for any interesting post-natal recipes that you think I'd like. Variety is welcome, anyday!

So start guessing folks.. will this be a boy or a girl??

1-2-3 soup

2006-11-26T15:12:00.000+09:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel you'd be at peace with the world with a piping hot bowl of soup? Of course you do. Open a can, and there you go!

Have you also wished that that soup could be homemade? Made from scratch so that there is that extra element of satisfaction to it? But nothing too complicated, not too many ingredients, and of course taste really great?? Tall order there?? Actually, no.

My neighbour, back in Singapore, used to make this particular soup quite often, whenever her kids, who were very picky eaters, wanted soup. And once I saw just how easy it was to put together, I had to jot down the recipe, and start making it as and when I wanted a nice hot bowl of soup.

I call it the 1-2-3 soup because that's the proportion of ingredients needed. 1 potato, 2 onions, and 3 tomatoes. And some water, salt and pepper. How much easier can it get?

1-2-3 soup
serves 4

1 potato (peeled)
2 onions (peeled and halved)
3 tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to garnish

In a cooker, cook potato, onions and tomatoes with just enough water to cover.
Take cooked tomatoes out with a slotted spoon. Peel and discard skins.
Cool the vegetables slightly, and puree in blender, adding tomato paste if using.
Pass through a strainer.
Use water from the cooking to adjust consistency as required.
Heat on a low flame and bring to a simmer.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.

Notes:
Make sure the potato, onions and tomatoes are the same size (i.e. all small, all medium or all large)
Tomato paste just gives this soup a richer red colour. Its optional.

Bread and butter pudding

2006-11-26T14:40:00.000+09:00

Ever had one of those days when you wanted some comfort food, but didn't want to work too hard at it? I managed to find the perfect dish for those days - bread and butter pudding.

This version is very stripped down, and takes only about 45 minutes to make - less than ten minutes of basic preparations and then the baking time. I call this the perfect recipe for instant gratification.

Bread and Butter Pudding
serves 1

2 slices white bread (crusts removed)
2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg

Preheat oven to 150 C.
Butter bread slices. Trim and completely line an oven proof dish with the buttered bread.
Beat remaining ingredients together for the custard.
Pass custard through a fine sieve and pour over bread. Make sure custard covers bread by at least 2 cms.
Let it soak for about 10 minutes.
Bake for 30 minutes, or till tester inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm.

Notes:
Always ensure that even after soaking, custard completely covers the bread slices. (or pudding might end up slightly dry like this one)
If you use small molds, layer with just one slice/piece of bread in each. Bakes faster.

Thai Curry

2006-11-25T23:29:00.000+09:00

One of my favourite, simple to make, yet slightly fancy, foods is Thai curry.

The key ingredient to a good Thai curry is the curry paste. For those who don't mind a little fish sauce and shrimp paste, there are a lot of options available on the supermarket shelves. For vegetarians like us, that rules out buying readymade paste. After lots of experiments, I came up with a nice curry paste for tangy hot Thai curry.

As long there's some curry paste in the fridge, I don't even have to think about what to cook. I just raid the freezer, take out assorted frozen cut veggies, put them all together, make rice, and lo presto, a nice hot meal ready in less than 20 minutes.

It's really wonderful... especially on a lazy, cold winter day! Piping hot curry, the sweetness of coconut milk hits you first, lulling one into a false sense of complacency before the spice makes its presence known in no uncertain terms. Thats the ideal time to reach for iced tea (or a beer, as a certain self-proclaimed gourmet claims).

Thai Red Curry Paste

15 -20 dry red chillies (or to taste)
1 cup boiling water
10 shallots (peeled)
10 cloves garlic
3 inch piece of fresh ginger (galangal if you can get your hands on some)
6 stalks lemongrass
4 kaffir lime leaves, (or zest from 1 big lemon)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp Oil

Soak the red chilies in boiling water for 15 minutes (or till they are soft). Drain chilies and reserve water.
Finely chop tender part of lemongrass.
Grind chilies, shallots, ginger, garlic, lime leaves (or zest) and the tender portion of the lemongrass, coriander and pepper to a smooth paste, using reserved chili water, one tablespoon at a time, as required.
Transfer to a clean, dry bottle, with a tight fitting lid.
Heat oil and let it cool. Add to the curry paste and stir well.
Can be stored in fridge for about a week.

Notes:
1. Don't go by the colour of my paste as posted here. I used just 8 chilies as I wanted it slightly bland. The ideal colour is a fiery red!
2. For green curry, use 1 doz green chilies instead of the red. Also add well cleaned coriander roots, and coriander stems (about 1/2 cup) and more basil leaves (about 1/2 cup). No need to soak, chillies. Grind all ingredients to smooth paste as above.

Thai Curry
serves 4

5 tbsp Thai curry paste (or more, for spicier taste)
2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 cups mixed cut vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, french beans)
1 cup Soya chunks (optional)
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt to taste

Soak soya chunks in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water and keep aside.
Heat oil. Fry curry paste till it loses its raw smell.
Add vegetables, and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, salt and just enough water to cover vegetables.
Reserve some basil leaves for garnish and add the rest to the curry.
Cover pan and cook vegetables on low heat till done (about 10 minutes).
Add remaining coconut milk and cook on low heat till it starts to simmer.
Garnish with remaining basil leaves.
Serve hot with rice.

Notes:
1. Other vegetables like eggplants, squash, capsicums and sweet potato can be added to the curry. Go ahead and use any mix that sounds good to you!
2. As a rule of thumb (for one serving) use 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp curry paste, use 1 cup assorted mixed vegetables, and 1/2 cup coconut milk.

Thank you.. with a Rich fruit-cake

2006-11-16T16:38:00.000+09:00

While browsing through assorted blogs, I came across Meeta's Monthly Mingle, themed Give Thanks. I've just spent a good 2 weeks baking one of my favourite dishes, a rich fruit cake, and somehow it seemed just the right thing to contribute to such a lovely theme.

First things first. The thanksgiving!

Thanks are due all over the board. To my parents and sister for always being there for me, to my husband for putting up with ante-natal temper tantrums and emotional outbursts, and to my lovely 3 year old daughter (who for obvious reasons will not be allowed to even sample my culinary genius this time) for just being the sweetheart that she is!

To Kartik, Sangeeta, Soumya and Mythily for years of unconditional friendship and support. To Hemu and Axe who patiently listen to hours of my cribbing about something or the other, to my dearest friend Pons who's going to be a Dad sometime next year, to Sriram for helping me with photography tips n tricks (so the pics look more like food and less like manhole covers or bacteria cultures). And "Thanks" too, to other food bloggers who've dropped by and read my incessant ramblings!

So why did I pick this recipe?? Because it's so perfect, so what if a little off season, as a 'Thank You'. It never fails to warm me, like a sincere 'Thank You'...

Lots of assorted dry fruits, candied fruit and peel, soaked for as long as three weeks in brandy, baked for a long time and then allowed to ripen..... the end result, this simply fantastic cake! From the very first time I tried some, and then tried baking some, this has always been a bit of a challenge. I've spent ages trying to get it just right. I started with the original recipe, took some tips and hints from assorted sources, combined them all, and finally ended up with this gem.

The cake has three major steps. First is the soaking, then the baking and finally the aging! Trust me folks, it's worth every bit of hassle, and is definitely a keeper. The cake itself has a wonderfully long shelf life thanks to all the alcohol that goes into it!

And finally, Thank You Joan aunty, for sharing your family's special christmas cake recipe, inspiring me to higher standards in baking all those years ago and all your valuable baking tips and inputs.

Rich fruit cake

Fruits to soak

600 grams of assorted mixed fruits, candied fruit, candied peel

Ideally,
100 gms golden raisins
100 gms currants
100 gms dried plums (or cherries)
100 gms candied fruit
100 gms candied peel
100 gms dry seedless dates (chopped fine)
1 cup large sooji (rava)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp allspice
500 ml brandy

Lightly dry-roast the sooji and cool to room temperature.
Toss assorted fruits, sugar and spices to mix well.
Keep aside 1/4 cup of mixed fruit.
Toss remaining fruit with sooji.
Put in a bottle with a tight fitting lid.
Pour brandy over fruit till just covered, and top with remaining 1/4 cup fruit.
Keep aside for at least 3 days.

Note:
I let my fruits soak for nearly 2 weeks before baking them. If you live in warm climate, I suggest placing the fruit mix in the fridge, and to soak for a maximum of 3 days.
Rum, or Marsala wine are a fantastic substitute for brandy. Dark rum gives it a lovely dark colour.

The cake mix

250 gms unsalted butter (at room temperature)
250 gms brown sugar
250 gms cake flour
2 tbsp baking powder
5 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp almond essence (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Line 4 loaf pans (3"x3"x8") with greaseproof paper.
Sift cake flour with salt and baking powder. Keep aside.
Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Beat eggs till frothy.
Add beaten eggs, little at a time, to the butter mix and blend well.
Add the essences and mix well.
Add flour, 4-5 tbsp at a time and mix well after each addition.
Before the final addition of flour, add the fruit mix.
Add the last batch of flour and stir gently till well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in the bottom rack of oven for about 55 minutes.
If the top layer of the cake seems to be firm, loosely cover pans with foil and continue to bake till tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pans overnight.

Notes:
This cake needs to be baked dryer than normal pound cakes. So give it 10-15 minutes more than you nromally would. Do remember to cover with foil so that the upper crust does not char/burn.
If you don't have cake flour, plain or self-raising flour work fine too. If using self-raising flour, just skip the baking powder.

The Ripening

1 cup Brandy/Rum/marsala (optional)

Cool cakes are completely.

If you wish to flavour it further:
Prick holes into cake over regular intervals. Sprinkle liquor of choice over cake.

Double wrap each cake in 2 layers of aluminium foil.
Wrap once more with cling film, and keep in a cool, dry place away from light.
Let cake stand for at least a week before serving.
Store foil and plastic wrapped in airtight containers for upto 2 months.

Notes:
If you wish to add more liquor to the cake after the baking, be advised that it can be a little intoxicating, and not at all suited to little kids.
I've had people swear that this cake lasts for as long as 6 months, but I've never managed to keep any that long. All gets eaten as soon as I unwrap the first packet after ripening!

The end result is normally darker than the slices shown above, but yours truly could not wait to cut and try it out before ripening it. Also, I haven't seasoned it after baking. That would give it a richer colour.

So anyone game to join me for a nice afternoon tea?? I promise to serve this cake with a pot of nice hot tea. Just perfect for the thoroughly cold weather that we're having right now!

Chaat cravings - 2

2006-11-10T05:32:00.000+09:00

After our panipoori dinner I was left with flat and broken pooris, and I just had to make Masale-poori.

Each time I go to Mysore, the day I land, or the next day at the latest, I make it a point to go the friendly-neighbourhood chaat-wala and have a plate of piping hot Masale-poori. I have to admit that it always tastes better in a streetside gaadi that at a restaurant.

Masale-poori is a great comfort food. Especially so in the cooler months and in the rainy season. Crushed poori, topped with cooked dry green peas, the piping hot masale, spiced potatoes, crunchy chopped onions, tomatoes, crisp sev, sweet 'n sour chutney, a dash of yogurt and a sprinkling of chaat masala and chilli powder. Yum.... now I wish home was a short bus-ride away, or at least a direct flight away! Ah well... I can still dream of that delicious masale-poori, can't I??

The weather co-operated quite well too. It was a nice cool day. And by 5pm it was pitch dark outside, and started to get quite chilly indoors. A nice hot serving of masale-poori, a fairly decent movie on video, and we were all quite happy in our little corner of the world.

Masale-poori

Pooris
Spiced Potatoes
Tamarind-date Chutney
Chickpeas or Dry Green Peas
Masale
1/2 cup plain yogurt (beaten)
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
1 tomato (diced)
1 cup nylon sev (or plain sev)
Chaat masala to taste
Chili powder to taste
Chopped coriander or cilantro for garnish

clockwise from top left: spiced potatoes, chickpeas,
chhole-masala (the masalÃ©), tamarind-date chutney

Chickpeas or Dry Green Peas
1 1/2 cup chickpeas (or dry green peas)

Soak and cook peas with a little salt.
Drain, and reserve 1 1/2 cup water.
Keep half the peas aside. Use other half in masale.

Masale
Cooked peas (chickpeas or dried green peas)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp chhole masala
salt to taste

Puree the peas with reserved cooking water.

Add the masalas, adjust salt to taste.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

clockwise from top: fresh beaten yogurt,
diced onions, diced tomatoes

To Assemble

Crush one handful of pooris and spread on plate.
Top with one handful each of chickpeas and spiced potatoes.
Pour 1/2 cup of masale over the peas and potatoes.
Sprinkle sev, onion and tomatoes over the masalÃ©.
Garnish with tamarind chutney, yogurt and garnish with chopped coriander.
Sprinkle chaat masala and chili powder to taste.
Serve immediately.

Notes:
Simmer the masale just before serving. Or reheat it before serving. There's no zest in this dish if the masale isn't piping hot.

Chaat cravings - 1

2006-11-10T05:12:00.000+09:00

During my usual blog checks last week I came across Hema's post on Gol-Gappas. After cribbing for months about non availability of Chaat in this neck of the woods, I decided to surprise A with panipooris for dinner. Was he thrilled! After all, we were eating (any) chaat for the first time since late March this year. He didn't even crib about some of the pooris that were slightly.... er... hmmm... many shades darker than what's usual!

Having started on this without adequate pre-planning, there were some substitutions I'd had to effect. I didn't have any panipoori masala, just that last bit of mint and coriander that I'd been hoarding for over a month, but I went for it anyway! And it didn't turn out too bad.

Making pooris from scratch takes absolutely ages. It took me about 3 hours to make about 120. And it lasted one dinner and one Masala-poori snack the next day! A little too much work for instant gratification.

I did have to tweak the recipe for the pooris (from Hema's blog) a little. And the end result worked fine! Just fine.

(clockwise from top left: Finely chopped onions,
pooris, tamarind-date chutney, Pani)

Paanipoori

Pooris
1 cup sooji
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp wheat flour
1 tbsp rice flour
salt to taste
Rice flour for dusting

Soak sooji in just enough water to wet all the grains. Keep aside for 15 minutes. (10 mins for fine sooji)
Knead the sooji well by rubbing it into the vessel with your palm till it turns creamy white.
Add all purpose flour, wheat flour, rice flour and salt with enough water to make a stiff dough. Dust a clean surface with rice flour and roll into small round bite-sized pooris.
Alternately, roll into one large sheet and cut rounds with a bottle lid/cookie cutter of suitable size (1.5" diameter works fine)
Heat oil.
Deep fry pooris in batches on medium-low heat for about 7-8 minutes, 3-4 minutes on each side.
Drain on paper towels, and store in an airtight container once cooled.

Note: some pooris may not puff up evenly, or may not puff up at all. Separate those from the well puffed ones and store separately for Masala-poori or paapdi chaat.

Fillings

1 cup chhole (soaked, cooked in salt, and drained)
2 medium onions (peeled, chopped fine)

(clockwise from top left: Chhole, potatoes,
tamarind-date chutney, finely chopped onions)

Spiced Potatoes
2 large Potatoes
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp chaat masala
salt to taste

Parboil potatoes. Peel and dice.
Toss well with salt and spices. Keep aside.

Tamarind-date chutney
1 1/2 tbsp Tamarind concentrate
1 big lemon size ball Jaggery
1 cup dates (seedless)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp dry mango powder
1 tsp chaat masala

Soak dates. Discard waxy skin if any, puree in blender.
In a saucepan bring tamarind, jaggery and dates puree to a boil, stirring constantly to remove any lumps.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add seasonings and adjust salt to taste.
Let it cool before serving.

Pani
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp dry mango powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 green chilli
3 tbsp jaljeera
5 cups cold water
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

(L to R: pani, tamarind-date chutney)

Blend mint and coriander leaves, green chilis, jaljeera, dry mango powder, cumin powder and lemon juice to a slightly coarse paste.
Add to water.
Adjust salt to taste.

Assemble
Break a poori. Fill with potatoes, chhole and chopped onions.
Add tamarind-date chutney to taste.
Dip into prepared pani and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vegetable puffs

2006-11-10T04:09:00.000+09:00

Here's a simple snack for a cold, rainy day. Takes hardly any time to put together, and totally delicious.

In the good old days, when it rained in the afternoon after college was out, it was understood that we'd all troop down to the friendly neighbourhood bakery and have some nice hot puffs, with a kadak chai. The warm layered pastry with a spicy vegetable filling was always guaranteed to hit the spot and give our spirits the badly needed boost to start cycling back home.

With store bought puff pastry, making this lovely snack becomes a breeze. Do try it out.

Vegetable puffs

Filling
3 large potatoes
1 cup frozen cut vegetables (thawed/defrosted)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala or kitchen king
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Microwave potatoes on high for 8-10 minutes. (potatoes can be parboiled too)
Peel potatoes and coarsely mash.
Heat oil. Add powdered masalas and fry for a few seconds.
Add potatoes and thawed vegetables.
Add salt to taste.
Stir well, and cook till dry.
Keep aside.

Puffs
1 pack frozen Puff Pastry (thawed)
Filling

Preheat oven to 180C.
On a well floured surface, roll out thawed pastry to 3mm thick sheets.
Cut into 2" squares with a pizza cutter.
Taking 2 squares at a time, put 1 1/2 -2 tbsp of filling on one square. Cover with another. Seal edges with wet fingertips.
Transfer to baking tray. Repeat till all pastry and filling are used up.
bake in the lower rack of the oven for 15 mins, or till tops are golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Mamma Mia!

2006-11-09T15:30:00.000+09:00

Last month, I received the most wonderful hostess gift ever. A's collaborator from Italy was here on a visit, and he gifted me this generously large wedge of the most wonderful Parmigiano Reggiano... rind and all.... And the timing was so brilliant too. I'd been doing the rounds of assorted supermarkets here for a half decent Parmesan for some bread recipes that I wanted to try out.

So I sat with this block of lovely aromatic, pungent cheese in front of me, and between nibbles tried to figure out what to make with it. After a lot of browsing online, I decided on a simple Cream of Vegetable soup, Parmesan rolls and a light Risotto.

Yes, my 3 year old helped too. She saw me kneading the dough for the Parmesan rolls. After the rolls had risen well, I'd kept them aside before putting them in the oven. Next thing I know, she's telling me how she's cooking like me. That did set the alarm bells ringing. I went to the table, and there she was, busy punching down the rolls for her dear Amma. The bread tasted real good, but it was a tad hard and crusty. Next time I make some, I plan to let it rise on a very high surface. Maybe on top of the refrigerator!

A looked rather skeptical while dinner was cooking. And even he loved the end results. He insisted that since his daughter helped with the bread, it tasted great.... so what if it was a challenge to his teeth.

Nothing beats a really great cheese to make a simple dinner something out of the ordinary.

Thanks, Sandro... this is the best gift ever!

There's still a generous chunk of the cheese sitting tight in my refrigerator. I'm waiting for some more inspiration to strike. Suggestions, anyone??

Parmigiano-Reggiano Rolls
makes 6

2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano)

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Keep aside for 7-10 minutes till it turns foamy. Stir in olive oil.
In a large bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups flour with salt and grated cheese. Stir in yeast mixture.
On a well floured surface, knead the dough adding more of the flour as required till the dough loses its stickiness (about 7-8 minutes) and is smooth and pliable.
Divide dough into 6 equal balls, and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to rise till double in volume (1 1/2 hours)
Preaheat oven to 200 deg C.
Bake rolls in the middle of the oven till golden brown.

Notes: A dash of oregano and black pepper gives these rolls a lovely flavour. After dividing dough into rolls, lightly coat each roll with a few drops of olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano and black pepper.

Cream of Vegetable Soup
serves 4

1/4 cup cabbage (finely chopped)
1/4 cup cauliflower (finely chopped)
1 small carrot (peeled and finely chopped)
1 potato (peeled and finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (thawed)
1 cup warm milk
2 +1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt to taste

Make roux:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Keep stirring over low flame ensuring there are no lumps.
When mix starts to bubble, add warm milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 1 minute.
Add white pepper and keep aside.

Heat remaining butter in saucepan.
Saute onions till onions start to turn transparent.
Add remaining vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes more.
Add stock and simmer for about 5 minutes till vegetables are soft.
Add roux and garlic powder. Mix well.
Add water, if required (a little at a time), to adjust consistency.
Simmer till well combined. Adjust salt to taste.
Sprinkle dried oregano.
Serve hot.

Risotto
serves 2

1 cup long grained rice
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 small red capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1 small green capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1/4 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1 small onion (chopped fine)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
3 cups vegetable broth/stock
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings for garnish

Melt butter. (or Heat oil)
Saute onion and garlic till transparent.
Add capsicums, corn and peas and saute till capsicums are slightly soft.
Add rice and saute for one minute. (Make sure rice doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan)
Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Cover and simmer till it's fully absorbed.
Repeat till all broth is used, and rice is fully cooked. Stir in grated cheese.
Serve hot, topped with cheese shavings.

Notes:
I left out any mention of salt in this recipe. If the vegetable broth/stock is not salty enough for your taste buds, do add some salt with the last addition of broth/stock to the Risotto. This is generally not required.

Chhole in a jiffy

2006-11-07T16:17:00.001+09:00

My little one has started to like Chhole... Glory be!

But she does ask me for chhole at the drop of a hat. Out of the blue she's likely to ask me for some, just as I'm about to start cooking. I have started to store cans of Garbanzo or Ceci beans just on the off chance that I'm asked to make some chhole in a hurry.

This is my solution, very simple uncomplicated, light and very delicious chhole. Takes all of 10 minutes to make! And best of all, no ginger, garlic, onion or tomatoes. This brings down prep time to almost nil. And best of all, very little oil!

Sounds too simple, doesn't it? But it's still very very yummy!

When I do plan to make chhole in advance, I soak some chana for a few hours, and cook it with some salt before following this recipe.

Quick and Tasty Chhole
serves 3

1 cup chana, soaked overnight and cooked with salt, OR,
2 cans Garbanzo or Ceci beans

1 tbsp oil
1" cinnamon
3-4 cloves
2-3 black peppercorns
1 bay-leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pod green cardamom
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp dry mango powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp Chhole/Chana masala
2 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
salt to taste

Drain beans, if using canned, and rinse. Keep aside.
Mix all powders (coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder, turmeric, chilli powder, chana masala ) with a little water and make a smooth paste.
Heat oil. Temper with cinnamon, bay leaf, cumin seeds, cardamom, black pepper and cloves.
Add the masala paste. Add a little water if mixture is too thick.
Fry on low flame till oil separates.
Add chana, potatoes and cover with just enough water.
Adjust salt to taste.
Cover and simmer till potatoes are done (about 7-8 minutes).
Take 1/2 cup cooked chana and potatoes and mash well. Add it back to the simmering chhole.
Adjust consistency with a little more water if required.
Simmer for 2 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Kaju-pista burfi

2006-11-02T16:18:00.000+09:00

This is the reason I staggered out my Diwali goodies posts... no time! After a couple of prompts, I decided that today, come what may, I should get this done!!

Kaju Pista Burfi

Kaju Burfi
100 gms Cashewnuts
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Soak cashewnuts in hot water for 15 minutes.
Drain and grind to a fine paste.
In a heavy bottomed pan, make a syrup of one string consistency with 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water.
Add ground cashewnuts and stir on a low flame till mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
Before taking off the flame, stir in cardamom powder.
Spread evenly on a greased plate.
Keep aside.

Pista Burfi
100 gms Shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 drop Green food colour (optional)

Soak pistachios in hot water for 15 minutes.
Drain well. Clean and rub off any extra skin left on the pistachios.
Grind to a fine paste.
In a heavy bottomed pan, make a syrup of one string consistency with 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water.
Add ground pistachios and stir on a low flame till mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
Before taking off the flame, stir in optional food colour and cardamom powder.
Spread evenly over the cashew burfi.
Let it stand for 5 minutes and cut into pieces while still warm.

Very simple, what??

Notes:
I haven't used any food-colouring in this preparation, but if you feel you want a nice green, do add a drop or two.
Also, instead of stirring cardamom powder into the burfi, I sprinkled all of it over the first layer before pouring the pista burfi mixture over it.

Shankarpalis

2006-10-25T08:51:00.000+09:00

Adeeti, my neighbour back in Singapore, taught me to make this lovely snack last Deepavali. This year, I decided to try doing it again, and it turned out wonderfully well.

You'll need a rolling pin, and a pizza/serrated cookie cutter.

Thanks, Adeeti! Thought of you every bite!

Shankarpali
makes about 400 gms

1 measure ghee
1 measure milk
1 measure brown sugar
5 measures all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cardomom powder
Oil for deep frying

(Note: When I say measure here, I used a regular serving spoon, with a volume of about 80ml. The proportions stay the same even if you use a larger measure like a teacup.)

Bring ghee, milk and sugar to boil in a heavy bottomed pan. Simmer till sugar dissolves completely.
When done, take it off the stove, and add cardamom powder. Add flour, 1 measure at time, mixing well after each addition. Knead into a smooth dough.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
On a smooth surface, roll each part into a chappati of about 2-3 mm thickness.
Cut into small diamond shapes with a pizza cutter.
Heat oil.
Fry in batches till browned. Drain on a paper towel and store in an airtight container when cool.

Badam Halwa

2006-10-25T08:37:00.000+09:00

Badam Halwa

150 gms Almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup ghee (or more if required)
a few strands saffron
2 tbsp almond slices or slivers (for garnish)

Soak almonds in hot water for 20 minutes. Peel, and grind to a smooth paste with milk. Keep aside.
Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Simmer and stir occasionally till sugar completely dissolves. Lower flame and simmer for 5 mins more.
Add almond paste and saffron. Stir till will blended and there are no lumps.
Cook on a very low flame till the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan.
Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Add ghee, 1 tbsp at a time, stirring well after each addition till ghee to totally absorbed.
Transfer to serving bowl, and garnish.

Notes: If you continue stirring too long after mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan, it might tend to harden into a burfi after it cools to room temperature.

Hemu's delicious kodubale

2006-10-25T08:07:00.000+09:00

I've been wanting to eat kodubale for ages now, but in this neck of the woods, one has to make it onself. I'm the sort who always went down the road, back home in Mysore, to a friendly neighbourhood thindi joint to get my fix of kodubales and chaklis on demand. In the backwoods of Japan, however, this is not so easy. Even the ready snacks available at the Indian stores in Tokyo are all Haldiram stuff. That stuff is good too, but not quite the same as a nice crunchy kodubale!

Then I started bugging people all around for the recipe. Each person I asked gave me a different proportion for the same stuff! So I made a little at a time. When I say little, I mean very little. Somehow I wasn't too satisfied with the results. Most of them called for coconut. And dessicated coconut really doesn't make the mark as a substitute.

Last week, just before Deepavali, I started cribbing to Hemu how I wasn't getting it right at all. Hemu who?? Once upon a time, used to be the annoying kid brother of my best friend! But even all those years ago, he showed all signs of a good foodie. And he was more than game to volunteer his tasting and critical analysis at any kitchen experiment! Now he's all grown up and busy in a high flying job, but is still a foodie at heart! This is one guy who should start his food blog. Maybe I should get his big-sister to motivate him to start one...

Anyway, Hemu delivered. He got me this recipe, which, with a minimal tweaking, worked wonders!

Hemu's wonderful Kodubale

3 cups raw-rice
1 cup roast chana dal
Red chillis to taste
1 tbsp (generous) jeera seeds (roasted)
1 cup coconut
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for frying

Dry roast red chillis till fragrant, and let cool.
Grind to a fine powder with rice and roast chana dal.
Dry roast jeera seeds till fragrant. Add to the flour. Add salt to taste.
Grind coconut.
Heat 2 tbsp oil and add to the flour and mix lightly.
Add coconut and mix well.
Knead into a hard dough, adding 1 tbsp water at a time, as required.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 mins.
Heat oil.
Roll small portions of dough into 5mm diameter cylinders.
Take about 4cm or so of rolled dough, gently bring ends together. Seal ends to firm a circle.
Deep fry in batches in moderately hot oil for about 4-5 minutes a batch, till well browned.
Drain on paper towel, and store in airtight container when cool.

Notes:
If using dessicated coconut: In a small microwave safe bowl, soak coconut in just enough water to cover, for about 5 minutes. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Then grind to paste.
The oil needs to be about the heat you'd use to fry Gulab Jamuns. Hot, but not smoking.

My entry for RCI: Karnataka hosted by Asha.

Happy Deepavali

2006-10-25T08:00:00.000+09:00

Happy Deepavali one and all.

I've been busy cooking up a storm all of last week, sweets and the nominal savory, the odd dinner party, and of course our regular meals. All of it turned out wonderful. I unfortunately didn't get pics of all the yum grub I cooked at the Deepavali dinner party we hosted for a few friends. And by the time I realized that I'd forgotten, it was all gone! That is the best compliment I could ever hope for.

Here's the sweety-snacky spread I made up for the festival (clockwise from top left): Badam Halwa, Shankarpalis, Kaju-pista burfi and Kodubales.

My first thought was that I'd post it all in one big posting, but then decided to split it into smaller posts. Makes things easier that way.

Recycled Oothappam

2006-10-10T16:25:00.000+09:00

Nice thing about the festive season is how often we end up having hot Urad-dal vadais. But sometimes I do go overboard, and end up with more vadai batter than I can handle, and the resident gourmets decide they've had enough, and wouldn't care for anymore, thank you so much.

The problem with vadai batter is that it doesn't taste all that great if it isn't used (up) immediately. If it sours even the least bit its a disaster. The last time I had surplus batter, and other leftovers, I tried this little experiment. And it didn't turn out all that bad.

Batter, rice flour, cooking soda, veggies, a little tadka and lo-presto... Oothappams!

Recycled Oothappams

1 part Urad-dal vadai batter
3 parts rice flour
cooking soda (depending on volume of batter)

Mix well and let it stand for an hour and a half.
Add grated carrots, finely chopped onions and any other veggies that you like in an oothappam.
Optional: a tadka of mustard seeds and hing.

Heat tava (griddle).
Spread one cup (depending on tava size) batter on tava. Add a little oil around the edges. (Please don't try to make this paper thin like a dosa)
When done, and roast the other side too.
Serve hot with sambar, chutney or any other condiment of choice.

Fiesta!

2006-10-09T17:00:00.000+09:00

What's a vegetarian to do when she's got a bad craving for a nice Mexican dinner? Cook it herself of course. I'd planned to post this one weeks ago, but somehow never got around to it.

It was an awesome dinner. Tacos, Mexican style rice and (unfortunately) virgin coladas!

I'm so thankful that I was able to get my hands on taco shells. I certainly wasn't looking forward to making tortillas from scratch. Tacos were to be filled with (clockwise from top left) store-bought taco sauce, shredded lettuce, beans, and grated cheddar cheese.

Bean filling
makes 4 cups

1 can refried beans (I used El Mariachi)
1 big onion (sliced)
1 tomato (diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
2 jalapenos (minced)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Heat oil.
Saute onions and garlic till the onions start to brown. Add tomato, jalapenos and crushed red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add refried beans. Adjust salt to taste.
Stir till well combined. Simmer for 3 minutes.
It's now ready to serve.

Mexican rice
serves 4

1.5 cups long grained rice (I used basmati)
4 cups tomato puree
1 big onion (chopped fine)
6 cloves minced garlic
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp jalapenos (minced)
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable stock
salt to taste

Heat oil in a wok.
Add onions and garlic and saute till onions are transparent.
Add rice, and saute for just 1 minute on a very low flame.
Add tomato puree, cumin powder, crushed jalapenos, vegetable stock.
Stir gently to combine, and ensure that rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Adjust salt to taste, and simmer for 25 minutes, or till almost done.
Stir in chopped cilantro. Cover wok until rice is fully cooked.

Pina Colada (virgin)
makes 2

There are quite a few recipes for this mocktail online, but this one best replicates the one I liked best, as served at Margarita's, my favourite Mexican restaurant in Singapore.

3 cups pineapple juice
1 cup coconut milk
2 scoops Ice-cream
Pineapple wedges for garnishing

Blend in a food processor and pour into serving glasses.
Top with whipped cream, and a slice of pineapple.

Notes:
The ice-cream - I prefer using pineapple sorbet, or if I can find it, any store bought coconut or pineapple ice cream. Vanilla works perfectly. If using vanilla ice cream, do add a drop of pineapple essence before blending. That brings out the pineapple flavour.

Dal Dhokli

2006-10-09T16:07:00.000+09:00

All this cold and gloomy weather does inspire me get some fancy cooking done. Fancy?? Hmm.. at our place, anything other than sambar, rasam and vegetable gets classified as fancy cooking!

The first time I tried dal-dhokli was when a neighbour made some for me in Singapore. And I was well and truly hooked. What I like best about is that it's a one dish meal. Filling and extremely satisfying. Flavourful, yet not too spicy-hot for my three-year old. It doesn't show in the pic, but it's full of what I call desi-pasta, chappati dough cut into small pieces and boiled in the dal base. Served with rice and sliced onions, it can be quite a heavy meal.

Absolutely nutritious and delicious too!

Dal Dhokli
serves 4

2/3 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp ajwain
salt to taste
water to knead

Make a tight dough with all the above (like for pooris).
Roll into slightly thick chappatis (about 2-3mm)
Cut chappatis into 1" strips. Make diagonal cuts and shape like diamonds.
Keep aside.

1.5 cups yellow moong dal
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 onion (chopped fine)
1 tomato (chopped fine)
1/2 cup groundnuts (cooked)
1" piece ginger (grated)
1 green chili (or more, to taste)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asafetida (hing)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Oil for tempering
water, if required, to adjust consistency
chopped coriander leaves

Wash and cook moong dal with turmeric, in plenty of water.
After dal is cooked, stir well till its a smooth blend.
Heat oil. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. Add whole or chopped green chili.
Add onion and saute till it turns transparent. Add ginger and garlic and continue to saute till the raw smell is gone.
Add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander and garam masala powders.
Add the cooked dal and groundnuts.
Adjust salt to required taste.
Bring to a boil, adding water to adjust consistency.
Add the cut chappati bits, a few at a time.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or till the chappati bits are cooked through.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot

Notes:
Ideal consistency, prior to adding chappati pieces, would be slightly thin, like tomato sauce. It tends to thicken as it simmers.
I use whole green chilies. It imparts flavour, and at the same time, doesn't make the dish too spicy. Easier to discard if one doesn't want to bite into a piece by mistake :)

Ratatouille & Pasta

2006-10-09T13:15:00.000+09:00

I was browsing Epicurious in my usual hunt for something new, something different, and I came across this gem.

Lacking access to all the basil and thyme called for, I thought 'why not use what I can get?'

And it was quite a success. No leftovers!!!

Initially I was quite skeptical of whether the resident gourmets would like the combination of eggplant and pumpkin, but decided to follow the recipe to that extent anyway. And it worked out real well. The combination of oregano, crushed red chilli and fresh ground black pepper was really awesome!

So here's my version of that lovely ratatouille.

Ratatouille with pasta
serves 4

2 eggplants (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 cups yellow pumpkin (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
1 red capsicum (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1 green capsicum (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp (minced) garlic cloves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tsp crushed red chillis
3 cups penne
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 180C.
Toss together eggplants, onions, 1/4 cup oil, and salt in a large roasting pan.
Roast mixture in oven for 15 minutes.
Toss in squash, bell peppers, 2 tbsp oil, and more salt and roast mixture, until bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
Simmer tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and remaining oil in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
Add roasted vegetables, crushed chilli and adjust salt to taste.
Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente and drain.
Toss pasta with 1/3 of ratatouille and serve topped with remainder.

Garnish with grated parmesan, if desired.

Poll:
Does adding crushed red chilli make this less 'authentic'?? Do tell...
Next time I want to add more veggies to this. Any suggestions?

Apple pie

2006-10-08T23:13:00.000+09:00

Can anything beat a lovely apple pie on a cold rainy day?? And that too when the sun has set by quarter past 5??

This was one of those days... by 4, I had to have the lights on in the house. And the gloomy weather was starting to make me cranky. Very cranky!!

And I was in the mood to whip up a nice, warm dessert that wasn't overly sweet.

A quick look in the freezer showed that I had some sheets of puff pastry. And there were a handful of apples close at hand. And that lead to the making of a lovely warm apple pie! Perfect indulgence on a gloomy, dreary day.

For an amazingly simple and utterly delicious apple pie, do read on.

Apple pie
makes 2 pies in an 18cm pie plate

4 sheets puff pastry (20cmx10cm) (thawed)
4 large apples
1 cup raw sugar (brown sugar)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 160C
Peel, core and slice apples.
In a large bowl, toss apples with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let stand for a few minutes. Transfer to a large colander and let the excess liquid drain out.
Lightly grease pie plates.
Trim puff pastry to requires size and line the bottom and sides of the plate, leaving a 1/2 cm overhang.
Arrange apple slices neatly over base. Cover with remaining pastry.
Seal the edges and trim away any excess.
Bake till the crust is well browned (took me about 30 minutes)
Serve warm.

Notes: If you are making a fully covered pie, do remember to make a few slits on the top sheet to let out steam. A lattice pattern like this one has its steam vents :)

Orthodox cooking...

2006-10-04T11:53:00.000+09:00

.. no problem! Some random surfing and linking lead me to 'Cooking with Kurma'.

I suddenly developed this craving for some of that totally delicious, onion-and-garlic-free grub served at the ISKCON temple at Bangalore. And random linking led me to the site of Kurma Das, an Aussie chef , who's a member of the Hare Krishna movement. All said and done, one should really appreciate the sheer variety of dishes developed by the Hare Krishna chefs.

I once attended a wedding where the bride and groom were serious followers of the ISKCON movement. And that has to be one of the most delicious wedding meals I've ever eaten. The variety of food was amazing, and the creativity that went into the entire menu planning was the work of genius. I'll never forget one particular course of bhaturas served with mixed vegetable korma. That has to be among the best korma I've ever tasted. That too without onions or garlic.
Does anyone have any such recipes to share?? I'd really be grateful for some inputs!

Getting back to 'Cooking with Kurma', the site doesn't have too many recipes, but what's there is quite interesting. I think that menu planning link is interesting. I've already got some good ideas for menu combinations for my next party!

Wow....

2006-09-29T13:09:00.000+09:00

Is that cool, or what?? (Check #7 in case you're trying to figure what on earth I'm talking about!)

Traditional South Indian Meals - 2

2006-09-29T08:22:00.000+09:00

A more popular combination of tradtional festive lunch: sambar, rasam, vadai and a traditional salad.

Whats a festive meal without piping hot urad vadas? Hot vadas in sambar are my idea of comfort food.

And vadais dunked in a light spicy rasam are absolutely perfect on a slightly chilly day!

Of course this was accompanied by the requisite 2 vegetables, one roasted/fried, and the other with a little coconut. Standard choices being roast potato curry and some beans with coconut!

I've invited a few Japanese friends over for a Navaratri lunch this weekend, and I've decided to serve a traditional south Indian meal this time. Here's wishing me luck!

Sambar (with fresh ground spices)
serves 6

The spices:
Roast individually and grind to a smooth paste
40 gms coriander seeds
20 gms dry red chillies
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp chana dal
1 tbsp tuvar dal
1 pinch hing
1/4 cup grated coconut

1 lemon size ball of tamarind (dissolved in 3 cups water)
1 cup tuvar dal (cooked with a little turmeric)
1 cup sliced white radish
oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 pinch hing
curry leaves
salt to taste

Heat oil. Temper with mustard and fenugreek seeds and hing.
Add radish slices and stirfry for 2 minutes.
Add tamarind water, salt and the ground spices.
Bring to a boil, and the reduce to a simmer till the radish pieces are cooked.
Add cooked dal and curry leaves. Adjust consistency with more water if desired.
Bring to boil.
Serve hot.

Salad
serves 6

1/4 cup split yellow moong dal (Soaked in water for 30 mins and drained)
2 large carrots (peeled and grated)
1 large firm tomato (chopped fine)
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1 tsp green chilli (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
1 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)
2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
salt to taste

Toss all the above in a large bowl, and transfer to a serving bowl.
Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Traditional South Indian Meals - 1

2006-09-29T04:18:00.000+09:00

With the festival season on now, yours truly is on a cooking spree... traditional dishes, no onions or garlic... yummy time..

Of course I miss being in Singapore, where I could get every vegetable I wanted, whether in season or not. And did I mention these were fresh veggies? No frozen stuff at all! Ah well, now I can still make a nice traditional meal with what is available in this neck of the woods!

This is one of my alltime favourite combinations- morkuzhambu, beans parappu-usli, and brinjal pittla. Pittla is one of my favourite dishes... ever. Mom makes lovely pittla with karela or white pumpkins. I don't get the latter here and hubby won't eat the former!

This combination is great for entertaining too. Hearty, filling and does have a festive feel to it. I used to make this whenever we invited some of our more orthodox friends who wouldn't eat onions, garlic etc.

Morkuzhambu
serves 4

3 tbsp Chana dal
2-3 green chillis
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup grated coconut

1 cup white pumpkin (cut in 1"cubes and boiled)
2 cups sour yogurt
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch hing
2 cups water
Curry leaves
salt to taste

Soak Chana dal, green chillis, coriander and cumin seeds for 30-45 minutes. Drain and reserve water. Grind to a very smooth paste with the coconut (use reserved water if needed).
Heat oil. Temper with mustard seeds and hing.
Add boiled pumpkin and saute lightly.
Add water and the ground spices and bring to a boil.
Beat yogurt till smooth.
Reduce flame and add yogurt to the spice mix.
Add salt to taste.
Add curry leaves.
Stir until well combined and bring to a simmer. Serve hot.

Note: One thing to remember is, NEVER boil after adding yogurt. Take the pan off the stove as soon as the mix begins to simmer. Otherwise the yogurt tends to curdle. That's why I boil the spices in water first, so that the chana dal gets time to cook fully, AND yogurt doesn't curdle.

Beans parappu-usli
serves 4

500 gms french beans (strung, cut, parboiled in salt and drained)
1 1/2 cups tuvar dal
1/2 cup chana dal
2-3 red chilis
1 pinch turmeric
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch hing

Soak the dals and red chilis for about 45 mins.
Drain and grind to a coarse slightly dry mix with turmeric and a little salt.
Steam the dal paste.
Let it cook, and break it into crumbs with your fingertips, taking care never to mash it to a paste-like consistency.
Heat oil, temper with hing and mustard seeds.
Add cooked beans. Fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add steamed and crumbled dal. Mix well.
Adjust salt to taste. Cook for 5-7 minutes till well combined.

Note: The dryer the dal is ground the better. After steaming, if the dal is dry enough, I grind it to a dry powder in a food processor. Takes lesser cooking time this way, and way less oil too.

Brinjal Pittla
serves 4

1 cup groundnuts cooked
1 cup tuvar dal cooked (discard excess water, or save for rasam)
1 lemon sized ball of tamarind (dissolved in water)
1 pinch haldi
1 pinch hing
salt to taste

Grind to paste or powder:
2 tbsp roast dhania
1 tbsp roasted and crushed chilli
1 tbsp roasted chana dal

For tadka:
4 tbsp oil

mustard

chana dal
hing
2 urad appalams
1/2 cup grated coconut

salt to taste
1 - 1.5 cup diced brinjal

Soak the brinjal in tamarind water, and bring to boil with haldi, hing, salt and the podi/paste.
When the vegetable is cooked, and the raw tamarind smell is gone, add the groundnuts, cooked dal, salt and bring to boil. Keep aside
Heat oil. Fry the appalams. Break and keep aside.
In the remaining oil make tadka of mustard, hing and chana dal.
In the same vessel, roast the grated coconut till browned.
Add the tadka, appalam and coconut to the pittla.
Mix well and let soak for at least half an hour before serving.

Notes: Pittla can be made with white pumpkin or bitter gourd (karela) too.
For white pumpkin pittla, cut pumpkin into 1cm cubes, and cook with salt and a pinch of haldi first. Then start as with recipe.
For brinjal pittla you could add 1-2 tbsp of the podi used for brinjal curry, instead of the masala paste suggested here.
For karela pittla, fry karela pieces till light brown and then start the recipe as above.

Vermicelli and Milk Pudding - SHF23

2006-09-06T07:20:00.000+09:00

(Just so I don't offend the traditional Indian chefs reading this, I gave Semiya Paayasam this slightly anglicised name to make it more recognizeable to other chefs in this month's SHF)

Since I first heard of SHF, I've wanted to work on one, but somehow never got around to it. But this month's sounded just wonderful, and I'd just tried this twist on a traditional favourite to rave reviews... from my husband and three-year-old daughter, who're absolute gourmets, and are rather difficult to please.

The traditional Semiya Paayasam is made with roasted vermicelli, milk, and sugar, and garnished with roasted cashewnuts, raisins, powdered cardomom and sometimes saffron.

The last time I made some of this lovely pudding, I thought, why not give it a few extras and see what comes of it?... I decided to fry figs, almonds, and cashewnuts in clarified butter, ground them to a smooth paste and added them to this old-fashioned traditional dish. The result was nothing short of spectacular. So here's hoping this is acceptable as a SHF entry! I'm posting this picture because I don't have a better one :( But I'm going to make it again before the deadline for this SHF, and hopefully get a better picture. (I could use some photography tips here)

Vermicelli Pudding
makes 6 servings

The Basics
1 cup fine vermicelli (broken into 1/4" pieces)
1 liter full cream milk
1 cup sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 cup water
1 pinch baking powder (optional)

Garnish:
1 tbsp chopped cashewnuts
1 tbsp raisins
2 pinches powdered cardomom
1 pinch saffron

The Surprise
4-6 dried figs
2 tbsps chopped almonds
1 tbsp chopped cashewnuts

1/4 cup clarified butter or ghee
(Note: If you're making ghee just for this one recipe, use one stick of butter in this recipe)

Heat 2 tbsps ghee. Lightly fry the figs , cashewnuts and almonds. Let cool.
Grind these to a smooth paste, adding water (if required) a teaspoon at a time. Keep aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat remaining ghee (clarified butter).
Lightly fry the cashews for the garnish till golden brown. Keep aside.
Lightly fry the raisins till well plumped. Keep aside.

Fry broken vermicelli , stirring frequently, till it starts to turn golden brown.
Add water and stir well. Add milk and baking powder and bring to a boil.
Lower flame and let the pudding simmer till reduced by 1/3rd. Stir frequently.
Add sugar. Stir and continue to simmer till completely dissolved.
Add the fig and nut paste, and stir until there are no lumps in the mixture.

Pour into a serving bowl, and garnish with the fried cashewnuts, raisins, cardomom powder and saffron.

This dessert can be served hot or cold. Tastes wonderful the next day too.

Note: I use baking powder only if I think the milk is likely to curdle... again, depends on kind of milk.

Blueberry Muffins

2006-08-29T16:37:00.000+09:00

Blueberry Muffins
(makes 12 regular/48 mini muffins)

300 gms flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
180 gms unrefined (or regular) sugar
150 grams butter (melted and cooled to room temperature)
2 eggs
350 ml milk (full cream, preferably)
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
1 cup blueberries (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned)

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease muffin moulds, or line with paper cups.
Blend butter, milk, eggs and vanilla till smooth.
Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
Pour in the liquid mixture and stir till just about mixed. Do not beat like in a cake.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Pour into prepared cups and bake for 15 minutes (or till done).

Variation:
Substitute blueberries with raisins. If using raisins, leave out cinnamon.

Pav-Bhaji

2006-08-29T16:36:00.000+09:00

Pav Bhaji
makes 8 servings

Bhaji:
4 large potatoes
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup chopped french beans
1 large carrot
1 cup peas
3 large onions (finely chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic (grated fine)
1 capsicum (deseeded and chopped fine)
3 tomatoes (chopped fine)
3-4 tbsp pav bhaji masala
Butter or oil for frying

Garnish:
1 large onion (finely sliced)
8 wedges lemon

Pav:
8 hot dog buns (cut in half and slit vertically)
Salted butter

Peel potatoes. Parboil potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, beans and peas till tender. Mash very coarsely and keep aside.
Heat oil/butter.
Fry onions till browned. Add garlic and fry till the raw smell is gone.
Add half the masala and some salt.
Add capsicum and fry till done.
Add tomatoes and cook till oil begins to separate.
Add the mashed vegetables. Mix well.
Adjust salt and let it cook for for about 5 minutes.
Add remaining masala and take it off the flame.

Heat a skillet. Add a little butter, and immediately press the slit buns, cut side down and roast till lightly browned. Turn over and lightly brown other side. Repeat for all buns.

Serve with bhaji and garnish.

Birthday party

2006-08-29T16:28:00.000+09:00

Aditi turned 3 earlier this month, and we had a small party for her. Small party being every single person we knew here who had kids. There were a total of 22 guests, predominantly Japanese. Working out a vegetarian menu that would work for kids too was a real challenge. The end result was this lovely spread you see below...

Idlis with sambar and onion chutney, thayir-vadai, pav bhaji and blueberry muffins. I didn't have a large enough oven, so I ordered a 'Miffy' cake at a local bakery. Not a bad effort, eh?? And I did it all single handed too! And in a kitchen that's the same size as my closets! Of course, there were lots of short-cuts in the menu, but it all turned out brilliant. Contrary to my expectations, the thayir-vadais were a super-hit... I had very little left over. Come to think of it, there were hardly any leftovers!

Final count?? About 70 idlis, 50 vadais, 2 ltrs sambar, 1/2 kg chutney, 2 kgs pav-bhaji and about 45 muffins. Not bad at all in an excuse of a kitchen and in a place that's at the back of beyond, eh?

Next year, we've decided to have it in MacDonalds, and watch everyone else eat, and come home and eat some curd-rice.....

A recipe and a contest

2006-08-01T00:23:00.000+09:00

First of all, I need to find a name for this wonderful concoction. So do try making it, name it and the winner gets my special fruit-cake recipe. Fruitcake? Did that sound a little pedestrian? My special fruitcake takes ages to make.... you see, the fruits are soaked in rum for 3 weeks...

I'm sure that just caught your interest!

I used to eat something similar at this little continental restaurant in Bangalore. I'm sure Golly remembers the place and what this thing used to be called! I suddenly developed an absolutely craving for it, and decided to recreate it from scratch, and from memory too. The result was fantastic! Arun had seconds, thirds and fourths!! That surely means it tastes great!

So all I need now is to think up a nice name for this one..

Whatchamacallit
serves 4

1 big onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 big potato
1 cup cauliflower florets
12-15 french beans
1/2 cup peas
1 carrot
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 capsicum
4+2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1+1 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 cup vegetable stock (or 1 soup cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
4-6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Make roux:
Warm one cup milk.
Melt 2 tbsp butter over a very low flame.
Add flour, and stir well ensuring there are no lumps.
When mixture starts to bubble stir in warm milk, stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.
Simmer for 2 minutes.
Keep aside

Peel, wash and cut all vegetables into small pieces (I suggest 5mm as optimum size)
Melt 4 tbsp butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add bay leaf.
Add onions, garlic and saute till transparent.
Add all other vegetables, stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame.
Add vegetable stock and 1 cup milk and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more, or till vegetables are cooked, and retain a little crunchiness.
Add roux, and stir well so there are no lumps.
Season with salt and pepper.
Let is simmer till well combined. (about 10 minutes)
Serve hot with rice.

Dinner party

2006-07-31T00:25:00.000+09:00

This must be the most mixed crowd I've ever catered for! A invited a few of the research students from the Univ to dinner. I cooked for a group comprising of a Slovakian, Hungarian, German, Korean, Malaysian, and of course, Indians... US!

Since it's been a while since we last entertained (all of 3 weeks) I decided to make something slightly fancy. And with the mixed crowd in mind, also considering that the Europeans and the Korean had never eaten Indian food, I had to plan a good menu... balancing out the mild with the unbelievably hot.

The menu I finally came up with has to be one of my best ones to date. Naans, Tandoori salad, Aloo matar, Biriyani, Raita, Malai Kofta and Ice-cream for dessert. I decided on store bought naans as I don't have an oven... yet..
The recipes for biriyani, raita and aloo matar have been blogged here before. The only change, I dunked in about 250 gms of green peas along with the potatoes, and cooked it the same way.

Malai Koftas
serves 8

Koftas as made in this recipe.
Optional: Stuff koftas with chopped cashewnuts and raisins before frying them.

3 big onions
4 cloves garlic
1" piece ginger
1 cup milk powder (or khowa)
1/2 cup almonds (soaked and peeled)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp garam masala
1" cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 pod cardamom
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Peel onions, garlic and ginger. Boil till onions are clear. Reserve water used in boiling. Cool and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Grind almonds to a smooth paste with milk. Keep aside.
Heat oil. Add dry spices and let them splutter.
Add onion paste and fry for 3 minutes.
Make a smooth paste of milk powder and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water. Add to the onion paste and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add ground almonds, Garam masala and adjust salt to taste. Simmer for 3-4 minutes till well combined. Dilute with reserved water to adjust to desired consistency.
Arrange fried koftas on serving platter.
Pour hot gravy over them just before serving. Garnish with cream.

Tandoori Salad
serves 4

100 gms Paneer
1 big tomato (very firm)
1 big onion
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 yellow/orange capsicum

For the marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsbp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (ground)
salt to taste

Peel onions. Deseed Capsicums.
Cut paneer, and vegetables into equal sized chunks.
Blend ingredients for marinade till well combined.
Let vegetables and paneer marinate for at least 2 hours.
Grill in batches for 5-7 minutes (turning when they start to brown)
Alternately, bake in topmost rack of oven at 180C till browned.
Skewer before serving.
Serve hot.

A whole new look...

2006-07-28T22:24:00.000+09:00

I've been rather bored with the look and feel of my blogs, and didn't really care all that much for the templates available on blogger. I really wanted a three column template, colours of my choice etc...

The previous template was alright, but it was absolutely BORING!! Rather colourless... uninspired too.

Today I discovered PsycHo, one of the best template generators I could find online. The customization options are quite comprehensive. It does need some very minor tweaks to personalize it further. If a HTML/CSS doofus like me can do it, trust me, anyone can!

All I need to figure out now is how to get the side columns run the length of the page, and not abruptly terminate where the column text ends.

Comments anyone? And yes, I really need to know the column length thingie... so do put on your thinking caps and help!

A vegetarian??? How strange....

2006-07-09T14:20:00.000+09:00

That would just about sum up the reactions of people in this neck of the woods when told about our dietary preferences.

Vegetarianism, in this part of the world, is looked on as a joke. Why on earth would someone want to restrict their food choices???

Sachi, at the International Forum, asked if I could demonstrate 'Indian' food to a local cooking club. That sounded interesting, and I agreed. On the condition that I be assigned an interpreter for the session. My Japanese is still farily rudimentary, and the most I do is go to the local markets and somehow come back with all the right things!

So one day last month she called back and asked that we get together with the co-ordinator of the cooking club and plan the menus, and help them write the recipes in Japanese. The meeting started off well. Their brief was quite simple... Would I demonstrate 3 main dishes, one side dish, and maybe one appetiser or dessert. And yes, they would so appreciate it if I could use fish, seafood and beef in each of the main dishes. I just gaped at the lady. I very gently told her that I was vegetarian and had no clue how to cook meat of any sort. She was quite sweet about it. Of course, then lets just use fish. "Er.... Excuse me, W-san, but I am a vegetarian... and er... fish is not really vegetarian, you know...." Even as I said uttered these words, I could see the shock spreading over her countenence. What?? No fish?? How could you eat no fish?? This concept was totally incomprehensible to a Japanese. Don't eat meat, that's fine... but how can one not eat fish?? What is there to eat otherwise?

With my limited Japanese, and with W's even more limited English, we pulled Sachi away from her work to sit down and translate. So there followed just what went into a vegetarian diet. It wasn't easy, and I soon began to believe that this demo was about to be called off. Finally, curiosity got the better of W-san, and she said that she would like to see just what a person eats in a meal without any dead animals on the table. And we started to work on the menu.

My idea of a nice lunch was some vade-sambar, maybe rava-dose, one or two chutneys, maybe puliyogere and, the traditional south Indian staple, curd-rice. I painstakingly wrote down the recipe for each one, and gave W the list. She started ticking off some items on the list of ingredients, and of a total of 20+ ingredients, only rice, salt and sugar were available locally. So what, I said, we can order it in advance from one of the Indian stores from Tokyo. But turned out that any 'foreign' cooking had to use only locally available ingredients. This in turn necessitated a very comprehensive survey of all local stores, markets and supermarkets. Finally I came up with a very toned down menu for some simple (toned down, modified and simplified) north Indian type of dishes.

On D-day, the club gathered in full force. As I started the session, one gentleman pointed out that his recipe sheet was incomplete and could he please have a complete set? I looked through his papers and pointed out that everything was there. I guess he just took my word for it, and we started the session. At the end of the cooking class, he got into an arguement of sorts with W-san. I couldn't follow head of tail of it, and decided to let it be.

We all sat down to lunch and had our fill of pulav, raita, palak-paneer and egg curry, followed by payasam...

Finally, some hands went up and I was told they had questions.

"Did you forget the fish??".... Yes, their famed politeness carried them so far, but no longer... I had left out the main part of the meal, after all.....

Leftover-rice Koftas

2006-06-21T12:11:00.000+09:00

Have you ever opened your fridge and found lots of leftover rice? Here's a nice way to use it up. I looked for recipes using leftover rice, and didn't really find anything all that great. Finally found one for koftas, but again, more than half the ingredients needed for that aren't to be found in this neck of the woods. So one just improvised, and the results were great!

The beauty of this kind of kofta is that it goes well with any kind of gravy. I tried it with a boiled onion and nuts gravy, the regular tomato-onion gravy, and even with palak gravy. It went well with them all. And the little one even liked the kofta by itself.

I won't bother with gravy recipes in this one. Go ahead and make whatever gravy sounds good to you.

Leftover-rice koftas
makes 12 koftas

2 cups cooked rice
1 big potato (parboiled, peeled and mashed)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 pinch turmeric
salt to taste
oil for frying

Mix the rice, mashed potato, turmeric, chili powder and salt, well. Don't mix it so hard that you end up mashing the rice.
Divide into 12 portions, and shape as desired (as perfect rounds, cylinders, or even flattened like a tikki)
Deep fry in oil till well browned, about 4 minutes per batch.
Arrange koftas on a serving dish, and pour piping hot gravy over it not more than 5 minutes before serving.

Simple, what?

World Bazaar

2006-06-13T11:25:00.000+09:00

One of the local events of the season, the 'World Bazaar', took place at the Dewa Shonai Kokusai Mura (Dewa Shonai International Forum) on Sunday. We got talked into setting up a food stall. After a lot of deliberation, I decided to stick to the simple and uncomplicated. After all, making 100-150 boxes of anything authentically Indian isn't that easy. So I decided on making Aloo-tikki and 'khatti-meethi' chutney.

Making the sweet chutney in such large quantities isn't a joke. With a miniscule kitchen like what I have here, and lack of large cooking pots, it was a bit of a challenge making 3.5 liters of chutney.

And of course I didn't have vessels big enough to boil and mash 5 kilos of potatoes. So I spent the better part of Sunday morning cooking potatoes in the microwave in 1kg batches, mashing them in the most decent sized vessel in hand, spicing it right and transferring that my pressure cooker, the only vessel that could hold 5 kilos of mashed potatoes!

So after lugging the pressure cooker to the festival venue, it was 3 hours of non stop cooking on a small frying pan to make 150 tikkis... by noon I finally finished making all my tikkis. And by 12:30 it was all sold out. One of our friends asked whether I could go get some more potatoes and make another 100 or 150.. After all we did have more than enough chutney to spare. I thought about it for a bit and decided to call it quits for the day. If anyone was enthusiastic enough, they could go get some little bottles and we could sell the leftover chutneys.

W-san, a sushi-chef and restauranter loved the chutney... I have promised to let him know when I make the next batch, so he can see the process for himself! After aloo-parathas and palak paneer, maybe its time I I introduced W-san to the finer nuances of chaat!

Here's how one goes about making 3.5 ltrs of chutney. For smaller quantities, just use all ingredients in equal proportion and season to taste.

Khatti-meethi Chutney
(makes way too much)

1/2 kg Tamarind
1/2 kg Jaggery
1/2 kg dates (seedless)
1 cup salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup jeera powder
1/4 cup red chilli powder
3 tbsp chaat masala

Soak and dissolve tamarind in 2.5 ltrs of water. Drain and keep aside. Discard seeds and any other impurities.
Soak dates. Discard waxy skin if any, puree in blender.
Take a saucepan or any other deep pan with a 4 ltr capacity.
Bring tamarind, jaggery and dates puree to a boil, stirring constantly to remove any lumps.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the tamarind loses its raw smell.
Add seasonings and adjust to taste.
If you wish to store it for later use, let it cool completely to room temperature before bottling it.
This chutney has a shelf life of upto ten days if kept refrigerated.

Bare-basics Aloo Tikki
makes 15 medium sized pieces

1/2 kg potatoes
1 green chilli (finely chopped)
1 tsp jeera powder
salt to taste
1 onion finely chopped
Oil for frying

Parboil potatoes till they are cooked, but firm. If using a microwave, 10 minutes on high should be fine.
Peel and mash potatoes with chilli, jeera and salt.
Add onions and mix well.
Divide into 15 equal portions (or as many as desired).
Grease palms lightly. Roll into balls and flatten into 1 cm thick patties. Flatten edges with fingertips.
Generously grease a skillet and heat.
Fry tikkis on hot skillet with a little oil till browned. Turn over and brown other side.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

Yummy Biriyani dinner

2006-06-04T15:14:00.000+09:00

Hooray! Pictures at last.

We'd invited our dear friend AS for dinner last night. And I thought I'make a nice spicy biriyani a-la-Nayeem. Nayeem makes the best biriyani in the whole world. Anything else takes a pales to an insignificant second place. Of course, my effort wasn't too bad, but it was nowhere near Nayeem's level of utter perfection! We miss you lots, Nayeem. Actually, we miss biriyani more than we miss you :) ... er.... foot in mouth happened there.

Arun of course, would never be content with just a salad or a raitha to go with his biriyani. So I made a nice dish of baby-potatoes in gravy. And of course raitha. And I know it all tasted good coz we had no leftovers. And my little one actually ate ALL her potatoes!

I love N's biriyani recipe for it's sheer simplicity. No overly elaborate cooking procedures! And because the biriyani and raitha had plenty of onions, I decided to leave out onions in the gravy for the potatoes.

This must be one of the more elaborate meals I have cooked since we came to Tsuruoka. It doesn't compare with some of the 6-7 course dinners for 25 that I have made in Singapore. A tiny kitchen does dampen culinary enthusiasm!

Baby potatoes in gravy
serves 4

20 baby potatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 pinch hing
1 tbsp + 3 tspb oil
salt to taste
1 cup water

Wash and scrub potatoes. Parboil in salted water. Peel when done.
Heat 3 tbsp oil. Add jeera seeds and hing and let it splutter.
Add the potatoes and fry till very lightly browned. Keep aside.
Mix the masala powders with about 3 tbsp water.
Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the masala mix, and fry till oil begins to float on top.
Add tomato paste and fry for about 2 minutes.
Add potatoes.
Add water to bring gravy to desired consistency.
Add salt to taste.
Cover and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving.

Biriyani,
serves 4

2 cups basmati rice
1 big onion (sliced)
1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 cups cut mixed vegetables (beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Wash and soak basmati in 4 cups water.
Heat oil. Add Jeera and let it splutter.
Add sliced onions and fry till onions start to brown.
Add ginger garlic paste, and continue frying till the raw smell of garlic is gone.
Add the cut vegetables. Add salt to taste.
Add chilli powder and turmeric and saute for 3 minutes. Add a little water to ensure that vegetables cook fully.
Add tomato paste, and continue to cook till oil starts to float on top.
Heat oil. Lightly fry cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves in turn till fragrant.
Add whole spices to the rice.
Cook till almost done.
(I used a microwave rice cooker. 12 minutes on high power should do)
Drain rice in a colander. Rinse with cold water to stop it cooking further.
Layer rice and vegetables in a dish, starting and ending with vegetables.
Cover with cheesecloth. Close dish with a steel or any metal plate large enough to cover it completely.
Place a pot of boiling water on top of the plate.
This is a very simple method of 'dum' cooking.
The rice finishes cooking with the juices from the vegetable mixture, making the biriyani quite juicy.
Leave aside for about 30-45 minutes.
When ready to serve, take a serving spoon and mix the rice and vegetables well.

Raitha
serves 4
1 big onion (finely chopped)
1 big tomato (finely chopped)
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 cups beaten curds/plain yogurt
salt to taste
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala

Toss chopped vegetables together with salt to taste.
Gently stir in beaten curds/yogurt.
Add jeera powder and chaat masala.
Serve chilled.

Kid's favourite Vegetable Sweet Corn Soup

2006-06-04T13:42:00.000+09:00

It was one of those days. All my two year old wanted was chocolate milk. No rice. No dal. No vegetables. No fruit.

As a last ditch try I threw in all vegetables I had at home into one bit pot, and voila, a soup she actually liked. She had 4 helpings. Wow... so this recipe is a keeper.

Almost 4 cups of chopped vegetables, all of it sauteed, some of it pureed, no artificial additives unless you wish to add soup-cubes to boost the flavour. How much healthier can it get!

Do note that there are no thickening agents like cornflour. The puree acts as a thickener.

Add some pasta, and serve with generous slices of garlic bread to make it a one-dish meal. Any pasta is fine, as long as it's in the tiny to small size range.

Vegetable Sweet Corn Soup
makes about 2 liters of soup

1 onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 carrot
1 medium potato
1 capsicum (deseeded and finely chopped)
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup broccoli
3 large tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 liter cups water
3 tbsp butter

Salt to taste
Fresh milled black pepper to taste
Optional - soup stock or soup cubes

Wash and peel potato and carrot. Chop into very small pieces.
Chop cauliflower and broccoli florets into fine pieces. (I use the stems too)
Melt butter in a large saucepan.
Saute onion and minced garlic till the onions start to turn transparent.
Add all other chopped vegetables except the tomatoes and corn kernels. Add a little salt, stir well and close the saucepan. Cook until the vegetables are done, but retain some crispness.
Keep aside one cup of vegetables. Cool and puree in a blender.
Chop tomatoes. Cover with 2 cups water and boil for 5-7 minutes.
Defrost corn kernels if using frozen. Boil in 2 cups water for 3 minutes or till slightly soft.
Add corn and tomatoes to the vegetables. Stir in remaining water. Stir in the blended vegetable puree.
Add more water if required to adjust to desired consistency.
Adjust salt. Add soup cubes if required.
Let soup simmer for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot with fresh milled pepper if required.

One way to make this a heavier meal in itself is to add cooked pasta. To this particular recipe, I usually take 1/2 cup alphabet pasta, or any other tiny pasta, cook it al dente, and add it to the soup when adding the tomatoes. Then simmer for 10 mins and serve hot.

Aloo-dhania

2006-06-01T16:22:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I sat in front of a pile of baby-potatoes thinking of what I could do with them. I was totally bored with the usual jeera-aloo, dum-aloo, aloo-mutter etc... And a quick check of the refrigerator revealed a generous amount of coriander leaves that needed to be used in a hurry. So here's what I came up with.

I used my little pressure cooker for the entire process. Less messy, and just one utensil to wash!

And imagine, Arun said it smelled like something from a 5-star hotel restaurant... high praise indeed!

Aloo-Dhania

20 baby potatoes (par-boiled in salted water and peeled)
1 large onion
1 small tomato
3 closes garlic
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 tsp jeera seeds
1 pinch hing
Oil for frying
1-2 cups water
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Heat oil. Add jeera seeds and hing. Stir-fry the potatoes with a little salt till lightly browned. Keep aside.
Grind onion, garlic and the dhania and jeera powders to a fine paste.
Heat oil. Fry the masala till it loses its raw smell.
Grind tomato and coriander leaves to a fine paste. Add this to the onion masala.
When oil begins to separate, add the potatoes. Add salt to taste.
Add water to adjust gravy to desired consistency. Add garam masala.
Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Chappatis or pulav.

A fairly decent copy....

2006-05-22T18:52:00.000+09:00

Today I decided that I didn't want to eat desi food. I thought for ages about what to make, and for some odd reason, decided on the Pho Laksa I love at Indinine (Singapore).

Laksa is a famous Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) noodle soup from Malaysia and Singapore. Cooked noodles in a spicy curry-like gravy. The gravy could be sour or could have a coconut milk base. My favourite is the one made with coconut milk.

I trawled the net for laksa recipes, but soon realised that I didn't have access to a decent number of the ingredients they asked for. So I sat down, put on my thinking cap, looked at what I had, thought about what I'd eaten, trying to remember every nuance of that delicious dish, and I came up a fairly decent tasting version of my own.

Purists might argue that this is not the real Laksa. Keep in mind that I live in a corner of the woods where most groceries that I used to take for granted in Singy are not easily found. It still tastes real good. In fact, Arun really enjoyed it. And getting Arun to try something new is always an adventure in itself.

So, here we go!

My stripped-down-to-the-bare-basics Laksa
Serves 4

The curry-gravy base
6 -8 dry red chillis (or to taste)
1 cup boiling water
1 large onion
6 cloves garlic
2 inch piece of fresh ginger (galangal if you can get your hands on some)
4 stalks lemongrass
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp pepper
salt to taste
Oil for frying (I prefer gingelly/til oil)
1 cup water

Basil leaves (optional)
1 cup Coconut milk

Vegetables
1 bunch spring onions
1 small carrot
1 each of red and green pepper (capsicum)
1 small onion
8 French beans

1 packet rice or egg noodles (the flat mid-length ones are my favourite)

Cut vegetables in juliennes.
Heat oil in a wok, stirfry vegetables on a high flame and keep aside.
Soak the red chillis in boiling water for 15 minutes (or till they are soft). Drain chillis and reserve water.
Grind chillis, onion, ginger, garlic and the tender portion of the lemongrass, coriander and pepper to a smooth paste.
Heat oil. Add the curry paste and fry till it loses its raw smell (about 5 minutes).
Add water. If you'd like your curry really hot, add the reserved water from the chillis.
Add salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Add the stirfried vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Add Coconut milk and take the wok off the flame.
To serve, divide the cooked noodles into four serving bowls, and top with the curry soup. Garnish with basil if required.
Serve hot.

Somehow I never manage to get pics of the stuff I dish up... I really should. Makes for a boring food-blog otherwise!

Did I remember to mention...

2006-05-16T16:48:00.000+09:00

... that I cooked for a sushi-chef over the weekend and that he really adored aloo parathas and palak paneer?

Back again

2006-05-16T11:57:00.000+09:00

Greetings from the boondocks of Japan....

Well, it is the back of beyond, but I'm starting to get used to it.

And of course, being a vegetarian, I'm missing Singapore something crazy. I miss Marche, Original Sin, Indinine, I even miss Komalas and (horrors) I miss Annalakshmi too.....

I desperately miss having access to large varieties (and quantities) of fresh vegetables. I miss the friendly neighbourhood grocery stores where I could get my hands on most spices I needed.

The vegetable sections of supermarkets here are, frankly, a joke! The quantities are incomprehensible to a desi vegetarian. I mean, who on earth buys french beans and Okra in bundles of 8 or 12?? Yesterday I felt like making a nice okra curry, but there were a total of 12 okra in the supermarket shelves... 12?? I can't wait to tell the assorted grandmothers back in India about this and watch them shake their heads in utter shock! Arun's gran was appalled that I get only 3 of the 11 aviyal vegetables here and no coconut or green chilis...

Ah well, so here's to an all new way of cooking!

What lust is all about

2006-02-24T00:36:00.000+09:00

Cheryl's blog has this awesome object of lust! Only change i'd make, granite countertops. Highly polished black granite!

Wow again... (pant..pant)

... and I got it right!! At last!

2006-02-23T23:53:00.000+09:00

Since Diwali, I've been trying to get my recipe for 'rasmalai' just right. I trawled the net for recipes and finally found one that satisfied the purist in me. But the most honest review that I got for that 5 hour marathon in the kitchen was: "what the @#$% are these golf balls doing in my dessert?"
Golf balls? Unfortunately yes. The paneer base kinda got a little too hard. Okok.. it was hard as a lump of coal. But the milky base was perfect.

This time I left out stuff that I thought mucked it up the last time. And I got it right.... after absolutely months of experimentation, I got it right... well, almost right. The paneer base wasn't sweet enough... but hey! That's healthier, isn't it? I made a really big batch of the stuff, and there wasn't any left by the time I thought to get a photograph.

So here goes my recipe for rasmalai! This is rasmalai for purists.

Ingredients
2.5 ltrs full cream milk (I use Amul gold)
1 cup + 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 tsp citric acid
1 pinch saffron
1 pinch cardamom powder
2 tbsp chopped pistachio nuts (unsalted)
2 tbsp slivered almonds

oh yes, the most important thing: lots of patience.

Take 1.5 lts full cream milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat so that it simmers. Let milk reduce to about half its original volume (this is the tricky part. On a very low steady flame, takes 2 hours!) Add 1 cup sugar or to taste.

This is the basic rabri.

Boil 1 ltr milk and take it off the stove. Quickly stir in citric acid crystals. Wait for milk to split. Pour into a large sieve lined with a muslin cloth. When the whey drains out, quickly rinse the cheese with tap water, and press out excess water using fingertips.

Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add 1/2 cup sugar, stirring till sugar dissolves completely. Bring to simmer.

Knead the cheese with fingertips till soft. Divide into 10 equal parts, and shape them into smooth balls. Drop into simmering sugar syrup and let them simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
To test: take one ball out of syrup and press between fingertips. If it springs back to its original shape, its done right!

Using a slotted spoon, drain balls, and add to rabri. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and let it cool. Sprinkle saffron, cardamom powder and chopped nuts. Tastes best when chilled. Tastes great at room temperature too!

Goodness Gracious me!

2006-02-23T23:51:00.000+09:00

I just checked and it's been close to three months since I last blogged here. Well, I'll just have to rectify that situation now, won't I?

A simple quick no-fail-cake

2005-11-28T21:46:00.000+09:00

... and it's eggless too!

200 gms Self-raising flour (sifted)
90 gms butter (at room temperature)
1 can condensed milk
150 ml carbonated drink (7-up)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and dust a 8"square cake tin
Beat together butter and condensed milk. Stir in vanilla essence.
Alternately spoon in flour and soda water, starting and ending with flour.
Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or till done.

What I like best about this recipe are the easy variations.

For a nice Orange cake, I've used Fanta or Mirinda orange, and orange essence instead of soda water and vanilla essence.

For an interesting chocolate version, I added 2 tablespoons of Dutch process cocoa sifted with flour. And Pepsi . Adds a nice touch.

Simple dips 1

2005-11-21T10:46:00.000+09:00

I finally discovered how simple and delicious some of these middle-eastern dips are. And leftover dips are great as a spread for sandwiches too!

I tried a lebneh with a few simple twists and it turned out rather well.

So here goes.

250 grams fresh yogurt
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 tbsp tahini
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

Drain yogurt in a paper-towel or cloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 4 hours.

Mix the drained curd with the remained ingredients, and serve with pita bread wedges and assorted crudites!

As for tahini, it's quite easy to make at home.

Grind 2 tbsp sesame seeds, with 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 4-5 tbsp of tepid water to a really smooth paste. Add salt to taste. This gives close to 1/4 cup of tahini.

A simple, delicious and filling snack!

Pasta with citrus accents!

2005-11-18T00:00:00.000+09:00

With all the pasta we seem to be eating recently, I just have to post this particular recipe!

4 large tomatoes (riper the better)
2 onions (cut in thin wedges)
4-5 cloves garlic
8 Asparagus (cut in 1" pieces)
4-6 baby carrots (cut in juliennes)
1 cup peppers (red, green and yellow) cut in 1" strips
Extra virgin olive oil
1 orange juiced (reserve zest)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Penne or Fusili cooked al dente

Cut tomaoes into wedges. arrange tomatoes and onions on baking tray so they dont overlap. brush lightly with oil and grill in an oven (at 230 C)for about 30 minutes. Onions tend to char sooner. So watch out for that.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and the other vegetables and saute till the carrots are cooked, but still crunchy.

When the onions start to char, take the tray out of the oven. Gently stir the tomaotes and onions together. Add to the vegetables in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper as required. Pour the orange juice into the baking tray, and use the liquid to rinse scrape off any bits stuck there. Add the juice to the sauce in the skillet, along with the orange zest. Let sauce simmer for a minute.

Toss in the pasta. Serve hot.

Add parmesan shavings if desired!

Bon Appetit!

Chocolate cake to die for!

2005-11-14T16:40:00.000+09:00

... and I'm really dying for a bite of it! Only problem being that I'm trying not to gain an ounce over and above all these un-necessary pounds....

So if anyone reading this is interested, try this out, and enjoy... sharing this is my good deed for the day

Grease and dust a 9" round cake tin (or an 8" square tin)

180 gms self raising flour
1/2 tsp soda-bi-carb
1 pinch salt

Sieve these together.

75ml strong coffee decoction or
2 heaped teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 70 ml hot (not boiling water)
2 tbsp (heaped) cocoa powder (preferable dutch process)
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Mix together to form a smooth lump-free mixture. Bring to room temperature.

150gms butter
200 gms sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat well.
Add sifted flour and coffee-cocoa blend, starting and ending with flour. Make sure batter has no lumps.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes or till done.

Tastes great while warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a dollop of hot fudge sauce.

slurrppppp........

Why didn't I think of this before.....

2005-11-14T16:12:00.000+09:00

... because I didn't really think of a 'foodie' blog. Maybe it's high time I started blogging about my dark side: food... and baking too while I'm at it

Thank you

2005-10-11T15:41:00.000+09:00

Thank you for visiting my blogs, Foodie Confidential and Lost in WebSpace.

I appreciate any input, feedback, comments and/or criticisms.

I'll respond to your mail soon.

Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.