Chaat cravings - 1

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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...

.. 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!