Author: Antara Chakraborty

Simple Side Dishes!

A side dish is as important as the main dish.

Simple Sides add on to the value and taste of the star of the meal, that is, the mains. Without them, the mains might have lost a considerable amount of their zing.

Be it mashed potatoes, baked beans, dinner rolls, couscous, rice, bread, macaroni and cheese, salads, baked potatoes, French fries or soups – all are delicious sides and compliment wholeheartedly their respective main courses.

In a restaurant, the side is usually included with the combination meal, as for example when you order the Chicken Zinger Meal in KFC, you are served French Fries (the side) along with your Chicken Zinger Burger (the main).

While ordering a sumptuous Sizzler at, say, Peter Cat, the simple sautéed vegetables serve as your side dish.

Here are Eight Simple Sides for you:

(Enjoy!)

Garlic Bread Toasts

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 12

Great side with: Broad bean bruschetta

Ingredients: 2 ciabatta loaves, 140g butter (softened), 4-6 garlic cloves (crushed), handful parsley (chopped), 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

Directions: Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Toast the crust side for 2 minutes until really crispy. Mix together butter, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Spread over the cut bread halves. Sprinkle over the Parmesan. Just before serving place on a baking sheet, then cook under a hot grill for 5 minutes until toasty and lightly golden. Let it cool for 1 min before cutting into thick slices.

Cracked Potato Salad

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Great side with: Bbq

Ingredients: 750g small new potatoes, 4 tbsp white wine, 2 tbsp olive oil, a small sliced red onion, 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

Directions: Boil the new potatoes for 15-20 minutes then drain and return to the pan. Lightly bash each potato with a masher or fork so they are cracked but still whole. Return to the heat and pour in the white wine. Boil fiercely for 2-3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated. Stir in the olive oil, small thinly sliced red onion and roughly chopped parsley. Season and toss together.

Sweet Potato Chips

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Great side with: Homemade burgers

Ingredients: 4 sweet potatoes (scrubbed and cut into large chips), 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, freshly grated nutmeg

Directions: Heat oven to 200C.In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato chips with oil and soy sauce. Transfer to a shallow roasting tin and season with black pepper and nutmeg, if you like. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until crisp.

Pea Mash and Mint Vinaigrette

Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Great side with: Fish

Ingredients:

4 spring onions, knob of butter, 1 head Little Gem lettuce (leaves shredded), 250g frozen peas, large bunch of mint, ½ glass white wine, 5-6 tbsp double cream

For the dressing- 3 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar, 100ml light olive oil

Directions: Shred the spring onions and soften in a pan with the butter. Add the lettuce leaves, peas, half the mint, white wine and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes.Stir in the cream, then purée until smooth. Return to a pan to keep warm.Finely chop remaining mint leaves. Add vinegar, then whisk in the oil in a steady trickle. Season.Cook the fish to your liking and serve on the pea mash with a trickle of mint vinaigrette.

Wild Rice Salad

Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 5

Great side with: Spicy Stews

Ingredients: 250g pouch microwavable wild rice, 1 red onion (thinly sliced), small handful of sultanas, 3 carrots (grated), zest and juice 1 lemon, 1 tbsp honey

Directions: Heat rice according to the pack instructions. Put onion and sultanas in a bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Leave to stand 1 min, then drain and stir in rice and carrot.Mix in the lemon zest and juice, honey and seasoning, and then serve.

Sweet and Sour Kale with Garlic and Anchovy

Time: 10minutes

Serves: 4

Great side with: Roasted Lamb

Ingredients:400g kale (shredded), 4 tbsp olive oil, 4 garlic cloves (sliced), 2 anchovies (chopped), 1 tsp golden caster sugar, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions: Cook the kale in a large pan of boiling water for about 4 minutes until just tender. Drain, then place the empty pan back on the heat with the oil. Sizzle the garlic and anchovy, and then add the sugar and vinegar and bubble for a moment. Toss the kale back into the pan to reheat, and then tip everything into a side dish.

Roast Tomatoes with Pesto

Time: 20

Serves: 4

Great side with: Lemon Rubbed Salmon

Ingredients: 6 large ripe tomatoes, 50g fresh basil, 25g toasted pine nuts, 2 garlic cloves, 100ml olive oil, 25g freshly grated parmesan

Directions: Heat oven to 190 C. Halve the tomatoes and arrange them in a single layer, cut side up in a roasting tin.To make the pesto: put the basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and whizz to a paste. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the parmesan, then season to taste. Spoon about 2 tsp pesto over each tomato, and then roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender. Serve with grilled lamb and a crisp green salad.

Wilted Chicory with Melted Taleggio Cheese

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Great side with: Pork Sausages

Ingredients: 2 heads white chicory, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 small shallot (chopped), 100g taleggio cheese, pinch of dried oregano

Directions: Preheat the grill to high. Trim the chicory and cut lengthways into quarters. Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan over a moderate heat and soften the shallot for 2 minutes. Add the chicory quarters, cut side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn them over, cover the pan and cook for another 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.Slice the cheese, arrange the pieces over the chicory and sprinkle the oregano on top. Slide under the hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately.

July 7, 2014
Food Walk – Part I

Photo Walk.

Sure.

But how many of you have heard of “FOOD WALK”?

Food Walk (definition):

You walk. You go places. You try out different delicacies. You eat, eat and eat.

Your knowledge of food increases tenfold. Your waist-line – not so much, since you are literally walking the whole way and that makes up for all the calories you intake.

Going around the city with my friends from college, I have learnt a great deal about my Kolkata and its food culture. We, more often, hit the old cabins of the yesteryears than the posh Park Street restaurants – because, well, we are students at the end of the day with just enough cash for our endeavors.

One of the very first places we went to was Das Cabin, situated in Gariahat. We googled it’s speciality : Moghlai , Kosha Mangsho( Spiced Chicken/Mutton) with Roti and Kobiraji. And the foodies that we are, we ordered all three. The prices were quite reasonable and the food was impeccable. The Moghlai was small and soft with a considerable amount of filling. I would have to say I have had better – in South Pole, to be precise, which is also in Gariahat(Note: South Pole serves Moghlai only after 3 p.m.). The Kosha Mangsho was delicious and can give good competition to the one in the famous Golabari in Shyambazar. And the Kabiraji – o the kabiraji! – was crisp, made with the right amount of spice in the patty and with each bite, you could literally hear the angels sing.

A try-at-home recipe –

Fish Kobiraji

Ingredients: 10 bhetki fillets, ½ tsp mustard powder, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander and mint leaves (chopped), 10 Eggs, 2 tbsp cornflour, 2 tsp Breadcrumbs (optional), Juice of one lemon, Salt

Direction: Wash the bekti fillet under running water, pat them dry and soak in salt and lemon juice for 20 minutes. Mix the mustard powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, coriander and mint leaves together and apply on the each side of the fillets evenly and refrigerate it for another 20 minutes. Beat the eggs and mix the cornflour, breadcrumbs with salt. Heat some oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of egg mixture. As soon as it becomes fluffy add the marinated fish fillet and quickly cover it with the egg mixture. Fry on low to Medium heat till done. Serve hot with kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce) and salad.

Another day, we decided to walk from Presidency University to New Market, from there to Sudder Street and thereby, in the end, landing up in Park Street. If you walk to the right of Presidency University, a little near College Square, you will find a tiny old cabin reminiscing its old world charms. Favourite Cabin is a cabin which has tales etched in all its nooks and corners; oft frequented by the older generation, it felt amazing to sit there, the only people below 55, sipping 3-rupees-milk-tea, biting into crunchy Cream Roll and observing the theatric conversations buzzing around us.

Sudder Street, however shady it may be, has quite a few good food places – Blue Sky Café and Spanish Café being the most popular ones. I’m yet to visit Blue Sky Café but having chanced upon Spanish Café, I got to say it serves reasonably priced and yummilicious food. Their Café Bombon is a must-have! The Chocolate Pancake is simply a piece of ambrosia. The Mint Tea is refreshing – the way you feel when you hear Richard Stoltzman’s The Maid With Flaxen Hair. In short, you absolutely must try them!

Here are the home-made alternatives –

Chocolate Pancake

Ingredients: 1 cup refined flour (maida), 3 tbsp chocolate grated, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp soda, 1 cup Milk, 2 tbsp butter melted, 1 egg, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp salt, Castor sugar (to sprinkle)

Direction: Sieve together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder into a bowl. Add milk, melted butter, egg, sugar, salt and mix well. Heat the skillet and pour a ladleful of batter on the skillet and cook on both sides until brown. Serve hot sprinkled with caster sugar and grated chocolate on top.

Mint Tea

Ingredients: 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (pudina), 2 tea bags or 2 tsp tea leaves, 2 and half cups of water (each cup being equal to 250 ml), milk, sugar (as per taste)

Direction: Wash the mint leaves in water. In a tea pan or tea maker, add water. Add the mint leaves. Boil the water for 3-4 minutes till the flavors and aroma of the mint starts infusing in the water. The water will start becoming green. Let the quantity of green color in the water increase considerably. Add the tea leaves. Add sugar. Add milk and let the tea come to a boil. Serve the mint tea with light tea-time biscuits. If using tea bags, then put off the burner. In the hot water, dip the tea bags for 2-3 mins. Add sugar and hot milk. Stir and serve.

(To be continued)

July 7, 2014
Rice Is Nice!

Rice is a part of the Bengali’s ‘Mach Dal Bhat’ and most of us have had it for a better part of our life – Rice for dinner. Rice for lunch. For some, rice for breakfast too. It is the staple food of Bengal. And it goes well with a myriad of delicious sides.

Rice can be cooked in various ways. It can be steamed, boiled, spiced up, etc. it can be simply stirred with jeera to make ‘Jeera Rice’ or made into a pulau, a biriyani or porridge; you can even make a risotto (this I learnt from MasterChef Australia). It can be used in soups, in sushi, stuffed in vegetables or wrapped in grape leaves.

Rice provides more than one – fifth of the calories consumed by humans all around the world. So, why not learn how to cook ‘em?

Jeera Rice

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice, 2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 ½ tsp Ghee, 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom, 1 2 inch cinnamon stick, salt

Directions: Wash rice thoroughly and soak in water for half an hour. Drain. Heat the ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom and cinnamon. When cumin seeds crackle, add the rice. Add salt to taste. Stir till ghee coats every grain of rice and it looks glossy. Add three cups of water. Bring to a boil. Stir once. Reduce heat to minimum and cover the pan with a lid. Leave a little gap, otherwise water will boil over. Rice will be done when holes appear on the surface and water has been completely absorbed. Fork the rice out onto a serving dish. This will separate each grain. Serve hot with any curry.

Vegetable Pulao

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 2 cups long grained or basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes, 2 or 2.5 cups of chopped mixed veggies (cauliflower, carrots, green peas, potatoes, broccoli, corn kernels, baby corn, french beans ), 1 large onion (sliced), 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 green chili (chopped), 1 medium size tomato (chopped), 4.5 cups water or vegetable stock, 2 to 3 tbsp oil or ghee, salt, whole spices (1 tsp cumin, 1 bay leaf 2-3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms , 1 black cardamom, 1 pinch of mace, 1 small star anise, 1 inch cinnamon)

Directions: In a deep pot, heat oil and fry all the whole spices till the oil becomes fragrant. Add the onions and brown them. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add the tomatoes & green chilies and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Add all the veggies and saute again for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Drain the rice and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil. Pour water and stir. Season with some salt. Cover tightly and let the rice cook on a low flame, till the water is absorbed and the rice is well cooked. Fluff and let the rice stand for 5 minutes. Serve the vegetable pulao hot with some side salad, sliced onion & lemon wedges.

Hyderabadi Vegetable Biriyani

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: Served 4

Ingredients:

For the Rice: 1 and half cup basmati rice, 2 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, , 2 mace strands (javitri), 3 cups water, salt

For the Vegetable Gravy: ½ medium sized cauliflower (florets removed), 1 medium sized carrot (diced), 1 medium sized potato (cubed), 1 cup of chopped french beans, ½ cup frozen fresh peas, 1 and half onion (finely sliced), 1 green chili, slit, 2 tbsp ginger (julienned), 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 2 green cardamom, 2 black cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 mace strands, 100 gm whisked yogurt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder or cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp cashew nuts, 1 tbsp sultanas or raisins, 2 tbsp almonds (blanched, peeled and sliced), 3 tbsp ghee, salt

For the assembling (herbs and spices): ½ cup chopped coriander, ½ cup mint leaves, 100 gm whisked yogurt, a few saffron strands, 1 tbsp milk

Directions:Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Now microwave or pressure cook the rice. Cook the rice till its ¾th done. In a pressure cooker or a microwave cooker, add the pre-soaked rice, add all the spices mentioned above and salt. Cook till the rice is almost done. Fluff the rice and keep it separate. Heat the ghee in a handi. Add cardamom, mace, clove, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry them till they crackle. Add the onions. Fry them till golden brown. Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute. Add the turmeric and red chili powder. Stir. Add the vegetables and stir for a minute. Add the curd. Stir and then add ¾ cup water. Add salt. Stir the mixture well.

If using a pressure cooker for cooking the vegetables, then cover the cooker with a lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes. If not using a pressure cooker, then bring the entire vegetable mixture to a boil. Then simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Add the dry fruits (almonds, raisins and cashew nuts) to the vegetable gravy.

Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the curd to this mixture and mix well. In the same handi with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle half each of saffron-flavored curd, mint and coriander leaves. Now spread half of the rice. Sprinkle the remaining saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle rose water. Place a moist cloth on top. Cover with a lid. Then seal with wheat flour dough or keep a heavy weight on the lid. Place the sealed handi on the gas stove at low fire. Cook for 20-25 minutes more.

If using an oven, preheat the oven to 190 degree C and bake the biryani for 15-20 minutes. Assemble the vegetable biryani as mentioned above in an oven proof utensil and then bake it.

July 7, 2014
Ooooo Sauce-y !!

Sauces are the splendor and glory of French cooking.

-Julia Child

I remember ordering an egg roll at Bedwin, a well known roll shop here in Kolkata. (To those who love their rolls, kindly don’t take offence) They served the egg roll with potato and onion filling and no ketchup or sauce of any kind. A healthy roll. Well, for me, that’s not a roll – it’s chapatti with potato and egg. I mean, where’s the sauce?

A roll without sauce is not a roll. Period.

A sauce, whoever insignificant it may seem, adds flavor, moisture and visual appeal to a dish. Nowadays, most of the sauces are store bought, like Soy Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and the like. But by watching Masterchef, the one thing I have learnt is that there’s nothing like a fresh home-made sauce. The taste of a store bought one is nowhere near its zing.

Anyhow, here are a few easy-peasy sauce recipes for you to try out (some even take less than 15 minutes to make) –

Barbeque Sauce

Time- 30 minutes

Makes- 450 ml

Ingredients- 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion (finely chopped), 400g can chopped tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped), 85g brown sugar, 3 tbsp malt vinegar, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp tomato purée

Directions- Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add remaining ingredients, season and mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until thickened. For a smooth sauce, simply whizz the mixture in a food processor or with a hand blender for a few seconds.

White Sauce

Time- 15 minutes

Makes- 500 ml

Ingredients- 500ml whole milk, 1 onion (halved), 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 50g butter, 50g plain flour

Directions- Gently bring the milk to the boil in a small saucepan with the onion, studded with the bay and cloves (step 1, above). Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.Melt the butter in another saucepan, and add the flour. Stir continuously until a paste forms (step 2) – this is called a roux. Continue cooking for 2 minutes.Remove the onion, bay and cloves from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the infused milk to the roux gradually, stirring as you go, until you get a smooth sauce (step 3). Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Season well.

Tomato Sauce

Time- 50 minutes

Serves- 8

Ingredients- 4tbsp olive oil, 2 onion (finely chopped), 2 carrots (finely chopped), 2 celery sticks (finely chopped), 2 garlic cloves (crushed), 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar, 4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

Directions- Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables and bay leaf. Stir in the sugar with some salt. Gently cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomatoes and 150ml water. Simmer very gently for 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by two-thirds and is very thick. Stir occasionally, particularly towards the end of the cooking time, so that the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom. If you like your sauce a little thinner, then add a splash of water. Serve half with pasta and chill or freeze other half in 1-2 batches for later use.

Pesto Sauce

Time- 10 minutes

Makes- 250 ml

Ingredients- 50g pine nuts, large bunch of basil, 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), 150ml olive oil (plus extra for storing), 2 garlic cloves

Directions- Heat a small frying pan over a low heat. Cook the pine nuts until golden, shaking occasionally. Put into a food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, then season.Pour the pesto into a jar and cover with a little extra oil, then seal and store in the fridge. It will keep in a fridge for up to two weeks.

Bread Sauce

Time- 25 minutes

Ingredients – 600ml milk, 50g butter, 1 onion (chopped), 6 cloves, 6 peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 100g white breadcrumbs, 4 tbsp single cream or mascarpone, pinch nutmeg (freshly grated)

Directions- Simmer the milk, butter, onion, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and herbs in a pan for 20 minutes. Strain and return the liquid to the pan. Add the breadcrumbs and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cream or mascarpone. Add nutmeg, season and serve. Can be made up to 3 days in advance and heated up on the hob or microwave on Medium for 3 minutes.

Caramel Sauce

Time- 10 minutes

Servess- 10

Ingredients- 250g caster sugar, 142ml pot double cream, 50g butter

Directions- Tip the sugar into a heavy-based frying pan, stir in 4 tbsp water, then place over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble for 4-5 minutes until you have caramel. Take off the heat, and then carefully stir in the cream and butter. Leave the sauce to cool, and then tip into a bottle.

Butterscotch Sauce

Time- 10 minutes

Serves- 8

Ingredients- 100g caster sugar, 25g butter, 300ml pot double cream

Directions- Dissolve the caster sugar with 3 tbsp water over a low heat. Bring to the boil but don’t stir at all. When the sugar is a dark golden caramel, whisk in butter. Remove from the heat and stir in double cream.

July 1, 2014
Monsoon Special!!

A fine sunless Sunday mid-morning. You wake up groggily staring at the clock ticking its way close to 12. Then you see the dark clouds drawing near. A few deep grave rumble here and there. Soft water pellets land on your windowsill which gradually change into fat drops. You rush to close all the windows in your house lest it floods in.

You watch the world bath in its glory…the trees swaying their boisterous branches, dancing away…the leaves singing “srabon er dharar moto… “

Inevitably it’s a romantic weather.

A romantic weather demands some easy to cook food…so that you can spend your time slouching under your blanket with a book in hand, while the food can be cooked in a jiffy.

So, what’s the best way to satisfy your tummy this monsoon?

Well, since it is monsoon, it’s Khichdi Time!

Khichdi

Time- 10 minutes

Serves- 3

Ingredients- ½ cup basmati rice, ½ cup moong dal/spilt and dehusked green gram, 1.5 tbsp ghee, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp cumin seeds, peas, rock salt or regular salt as required

Directions- Rinse both the rice and dal together for a couple of times in water. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Crackle the cumin, then add the turmeric powder and stir. Add the rice and moong dal. Saute for a minute. Add 4 to 4.5 cups water. Add peas. Season with salt. Stir and then pressure cook the khichdi for 5-6 whistles.

The 5 fries (bhaja)

Fried Potato, Fried cauliflower, Beguni (Fried Eggplant), Peyazi (Onion Fritters) and Ilish mach bhaja (Fried)

Since you know how to fry your fish, and the potato and cauliflower are fried the same way as the eggplant and onion, I’ll just jot down two recipes here.

Beguni (Fried Eggplant)

Time- 10 minutes

Serves- 10

Ingredients- 2 eggplant, Salt to taste, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 cups besan flour, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, A pinch of turmeric powder, A pinch of hing (aesofetida), 2 cups oil

Directions- Cut eggplant into longitudinal thin slices. Add salt to taste. Set aside.Make a batter of 2 cups besan. Start to add water little at a time to make a smooth and thick batter. Add salt, red chili powder, pinch of turmeric powder, pinch of hing.Heat oil in a deep fryer. Coat the eggplant in batter. The oil should be hot. Slowly release the coated eggplant in oil. Fry till each side is golden brown. Place it on a towel to let the excess oil be soaked.

Peyazi (Onion Fritters)

Time- 10 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 2 to 3 medium sized onions, 2 cups gram flour or besan, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi (optional), ¾ tsp ajwain or carom seeds, a pinch of asafoetida/hing, Oil, water as required, salt as required

Directions- Peel the onions. Rinse and slice them thinly. Add the chilli powder, garam masala powder, asafoetida, salt and chick pea flour to the sliced onions. Add water and mix it to a thick and smooth consistency. Now heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Take a teaspoonful of the onion batter and add it in the oil. On a medium heat fry the onion fritters till golden brown.

Labra (Mixed Vegetables)

Time- 15 minutes

Serves- 2-3

Ingredients- 100 gm eggplant, 100 gm Pumpkin, 100 gm Sweet potatoes, 1 Raw bananas, 2 Potatoes, 3 Tbsp Mustard oil, 1 Tbsp Corainder Seeds, 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds, 5 Red Chilies, 1 inch Ginger, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 1 tsp Sugar, 1 Tbsp Ghee, mixed seeds(1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds,1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds, 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp Bleck Cumin Seeds, 1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds)

Directions- Cut the vegetables into medium size pieces. Powder the corainder, cumin and fennel seeds, and red chillis finely. Heat oil, add the crushed ginger and fry lightly. Add the mixed spices called ‘ panch phoran’ and stir fry for a minute. Add vegetables, fry well, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add turmeric powder, salt, and one cup of water. Simmer the flame and cook until vegetables are done. Add the powdered spices, sugar and stir well. Cook for another few minutes adding ghee.

Tomato Chutney

(to be served with some Fried Papad, optional)

Time- 10 minutes

Seves- 5

Ingredients- 500 g tomato, chopped, 4 cm piece ginger (peeled and chopped), 250g brown sugar, 150ml red wine vinegar, 5 cardamom seeds, ½ tsp paprika

Directions- Tip all the ingredients into a large heavy-based pan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Bring to a gentle boil so that the mixture turns dark, jammy and shiny.

Payesh ( a rice dessert)

Time- 30 minutes

Seves- 2

Ingredients- 1cup basmati rice, 10 almonds sliced, 1 tbsp raisins, 2 tsp melted ghee, 3 green cardamoms, 2 litres milk, 1 cup jaggery grated jiggery, 1 tbsp sugar

Directions- Clean and wash the rice. Blanch the almonds and slice. Wash the raisins.Heat a tablespoon of ghee. Add the rice. Stir it for a little bit till it becomes opaque. Take it off the heat.Boil milk. Lower the heat up and continue to boil stirring constantly for fifteen minutes.Mix in the rice and continue to stir fry till the rice is soft. Continue to stir fry till the milk has reduced to half.Mix in jaggery. Mix in sugar. Mix in the cardamoms, almond slices and raisins (if using) and stir well. Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Courtesy – vegrecipesofindia.com, allrecipes.com

Image Courtesy – hamareerasai.com, seriouseats.com, bongcook.com, thesecondlunch.com

July 1, 2014
Sweets – Yummy treats for You!!

My college is situated at this awesome place. Remember, I told you about all the lip-smacking biriyani food joints near my college? Well, Park Circus also has its neat share of ‘misti r dokan’, i.e., sweet shops.

To name a few – Jugols’ , Mithai and a tiny sweet shop near Mahadevi Birla Girl’s School which serves soft hot white rasgullas that melt in the mouth. I remember walking to Jugols’ in the sultry heat in my first year (back then I was a regular customer) of college just to satisfy my taste buds.

Kolkata or Calcutta, as I still prefer to call it, is home to century old sweet shops. The ownerships may have changed hands but the love of sweets of the customers never ceased (and might I add, it never will).

Putiram’s ‘Rosomadhuri ‘, Mithai’s ‘Misti Doi’, Ganguram’s ‘Chomchom ‘, Balaram Mullick and Radharam Mullik’s ‘Mango Chanar Brulee ‘, Bancharam’s ‘Raj Bhog‘, Bhim Chandra Nag’s ‘Pranhara‘, are by far the popular choices of the ‘misti-loving’ denizens.

How to make your own sweets and woo your loved ones?

Plain and simple – follow these super easy recipes and you will be good to go.

Malai Chomchom

Ingredients: 1 cheese cloth

For channa – ½ gallon whole milk, 1 large fresh lemon squeezed and filtered to make juice (use more if lemons are small size)

For syrup- 5 cups drinking water,2 cups sugar

For malai – ½ gallon whole milk, 1 tsp cardamom powder

For garnish- Sliced pistachios

Directions: Heat ½ gallon of whole milk in a heavy bottomed nonstick container in medium high heat. Stir occasionally to make sure milk does not burn at bottom or spill. When milk starts to boil put lemon juice (freshly squeezed) slowly into the boiling milk with constant gentle stirring. As milk starts to cuddle and gets separated from the whey (greenish transparent water) in about 2-3 minutes remove the vessel from heat and pour it in a cheese cloth spread over a strainer. Note: if the whey is not transparent then add a little more lemon juice and stir gently until whey is clear and transparent. Wash the chhana under cold water nicely to remove lemon flavor. As the chhana cools down bring the edges of the cloth up and tie it together. Squeeze out as much water as possible. In order to dry the chhana even further hang this chhana in cloth above the sink or keep a plate over it with some heavy object on top. Keep it this way for about 30 minutes. Then knead the dry chhana using the heel of your palm on a flat clean surface for about 7-8 minutes until it becomes a soft smooth dough and your palm becomes oily. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal parts. Take each part and roll it with both palms gently to make a smooth ball and then roll one way to give it a cylindrical shape – and voila a chomchom! Likewise do all the chom-choms. Place all the rolls on a plate and cover them with a damp cloth on top or with another plate so that they don’t dry out.

For the syrup, take 5 cups of water and boil it in a wide vessel. Add 2 cups of sugar to it when water starts boiling. Wait until sugar dissolves completely. Add about 7-8 chomchoms one by one into the boiling water. Don’t put too many at the same time as the chom-choms need room to expand. Keep the heat in medium high and cover the vessel tightly. Let it cook for 25 minutes. Do not open the lid in between. After 25 minutes switch off the heat and let it cool (covered) for another 10-15 minutes. Repeat the steps to make next batch of chom-choms. For preparing the Malai, boil ½ gallon of whole milk in medium flame, stirring occasionally to prevent it from getting burnt at the bottom, until it thickens and becomes creamy. This will take some 20-30 mins. Add cardamom powder to it and mix well. Switch off the heat. Take the chom-choms out of the syrup and drop them into the warm malai one at a time. Kepp them in the syrup for 20 minutes. Take out the malai wrapped chom-choms carefully and lay them into a plate. Garnish with pistachio.

Pranhara

Ingredients: 4 Cups whole milk, 4 tablespoons white vinegar or strained lemon juice, ½ Cup sugar, 1 Cup dry powdered milk, 3-4 tablespoons butter, 3-4 drops of rose water

Directions: Line a colander or sieve with a large piece of cheesecloth that has been folded 3-4 times. Place the lined colander or sieve over a large bowl or sink. Boil milk in a large thick-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally, scraping the pan bottom, to avoid scorching. Mix vinegar with 4 tablespoon of water and add to boiling milk. Look out for curd-mass to separate from greenish water. As curds rise and come to the surface stop the stove. Run a spatula along the bottom of the pan occasionally to free up any stuck curds. Gently begin to ladle curds into the prepared sieve or colander. Wrap the cloth around the cheese and rinse under a running water without pressing the cheese. Gather the edges of the cloth, tie or fasten into a knot and allow to cool and drain for 2 hour minimum.

Heat butter in a nonstick pan over medium low heat. Once butter melts, add the dry powdered milk. Stir constantly to form a coarse dust and until slightly golden and aromatic. Set aside. Knead the cheese on a clean surface with your heel of the hand by pressing it across the surface until smooth and fluffy and no trace of grains. Knead about 5-6 minutes. Collect all the cheese and divide them into two parts. Mix sugar and cheese dust(Set aside some for garnish) with one part cheese and cook in low heat stirring constantly, scrapping the pan bottom. Use a thick bottomed or non-stick pan. Cook until the mixture is very sticky and a mass pulls away from the bottom and sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Let cool. Mix the rose water, second portion of the cheese and knead till smooth. Divide into smaller bite size balls. Garnish with cheese dust.

Recipe Courtesy – withaspin.com, bengaligourmet.com

Image Courtesy – peekncook.com, withaspin.com, hungryangmo.com

June 15, 2014
Eat Well All Week

Health is Wealth. In this generation, where we literally swim in our love for fast food, it is pretty difficult to keep our health in check. The bulges keep peeping out. The health scares keep revisiting. But somehow, we still take the back seat. I’ll exercise later. I’ll eat healthy food from tomorrow.

“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”

-William Shakespeare, Macbeth (Act 5 Scene v )

Well, tomorrow never comes.

It is quite understandable that, at first, the thought of “change” seems like a lot of work but with time, it will only do YOU good. It’s your choice, basically.

Make one change per day. Eat one healthy meal.

For a better you. For a better tomorrow.

7 DAYS. 7 RECIPES.

Monday Delights:

Paprika Pork

Time- 30 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients-1 tbsp olive oil, 2 onions, finely sliced, 400g pork fillets, trimmed of any fat, cut into thick strips, 250g pack mushrooms( sliced), 1½ tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 200ml chicken stock, 100ml soured cream, egg noodles (tagliatelle or rice, to serve)

Directions- Heat the oil in a large pan, tip in the onions and cook for 10 mins until soft and golden. Add the pork and mushrooms and cook on a high heat for 3-4 mins until browned. Add the paprika and cook for 1 min more.Stir in the tomato purée, then pour on the stock and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Finally, mix in the soured cream and some seasoning. Serve with egg noodles.

Tuesday Bonanza:

Basque Style Salmon Stew

Time- 35 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 1tbsp olive oil, 3 mixed peppers (deseeded and sliced), 1 large onion (thinly sliced), 400g baby potatoes (unpeeled and halved), 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 garlic cloves ( sliced), 2 tsp dried thyme, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 4 salmon fillets, 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions- Heat the oil in a large pan and add the peppers, onion and potatoes. Cook, stirring regularly for 5-8 mins until golden. Then add the paprika, garlic, thyme and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, stir and cover, then turn down heat and simmer for 12 mins. Add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick.Season the stew and lay the salmon on top, skin side down. Place the lid back on and simmer for another 8 mins until the salmon is cooked through. Scatter with parsley, if you like, and serve.

Wednesday Treat:

Super healthy Singapore Noodles

Time- 30 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 3 nests medium egg noodles, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 100g tenderstem broccoli (stems sliced at an angle), 1 red peppe (deseeded, quartered then cut into strips), 85g baby corn (quartered lengthways), 2 garlic cloves (shredded), 1 red chilli (deseeded and chopped), thumb-sized piece fresh ginger (peeled and finely chopped), 2 skinless chicken breasts (sliced), 100g shelled raw king prawns, 1 heaped tbsp madras curry paste, 2 tsp soy sauce, 100g beansprouts, 15g pack coriander (chopped),4 spring onions (shredded), lime wedges

Directions- Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave to soften. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large non-stick wok and stir-fry all the vegetables, except the beansprouts and onions, with the garlic, chilli and ginger until softened. If the broccoli won’t soften, add a splash of water to the wok and cover to create some steam.Tip the veg on to a plate, add the rest of the oil to the wok then briefly stir-fry the chicken and prawns until just cooked. Set aside with the vegetables and add the curry paste to the pan. Stir-fry for a few secs then add 150ml water and the soy sauce. Allow to bubble then add the drained, softened noodles and beansprouts, and toss together to coat.Return the vegetables, chicken and prawns to the wok with the coriander and spring onions. Toss well over the heat and serve with lime wedges.

Thursday Delicacy:

Smoky Fishcakes with Oat Crumb

Time- 40 minutes

Serves- 2

Ingredients- 400g potatoes (peeled and cut into large chunks), 175g undyed smoked haddock, 2 spring onions (finely chopped), 4 tbsp tartar sauce, 85g whole oats, 1 egg (beaten), 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Directions- Boil potatoes in salted water for 15 mins until tender, drain, then return to the pan. Mash quickly over a gentle heat until the potatoes become quite dry, then transfer to a large bowl. Put the fish in a microwave-proof dish with a couple of spoonfuls of water, cover with cling film, then cook on Medium for 2-3 mins until the fish flakes easily. Gently peel away the skin, then flake into the potatoes in large chunks.Mix in the spring onions, 2 tbsp of tartare sauce and some seasoning, then shape into 4 cakes. Briefly whizz the oats in a food processor until slightly crumbly-looking, then tip onto a plate. Dip the fish cakes into the egg, then into the oats to coat. Chill for 20 mins to firm up.Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, then fry the cakes for 5 mins on each side until golden and hot. Serve with the leftover tartare and a green salad.

Friday @PartyFood:

Chicken Pie

Time- 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 450ml chicken stock, 100ml white wine, 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped), 3 thyme sprigs, 1 tarragon sprig (plus 1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves), 225g carrots (cut into batons), 4 skinless chicken breasts, 225g leeks (sliced), 2 tbsp cornflour (mixed with 2 tbsp water), 3 tbsp crème fraîche, 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard, 1 heaped tbsp chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley, 70g filo pastry, 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Directions- Pour the stock and wine into a large, wide frying pan. Add the garlic, thyme, tarragon sprig and carrots, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 3 mins. Lay the chicken in the stock, grind over some pepper, cover and simmer for 5 mins.

Scatter the leek slices over the chicken, cover again then gently simmer for 10 more mins, so the leeks can steam while the chicken cooks. Remove from the heat and let the chicken sit in the stock for about 15 mins, so it keeps moist while cooling slightly.Strain the stock into a jug – you should have 500ml (if not, make up with water). Tip the chicken and veg into a 1.5 litre pie dish and discard the herb sprigs. Pour the stock back into the sauté pan, then slowly pour in the cornflour mix. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche, mustard, chopped tarragon and parsley. Season with pepper.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.Tear or cut the chicken into chunky shreds. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture, then stir everything together.Cut each sheet of filo into 4 squares or rectangles. Layer them on top of the filling, brushing each sheet with some of the oil as you go. Lightly scrunch up the filo so it doesn’t lie completely flat and tuck the edges into the sides of the dish, or lay them on the edges if the dish has a rim. Grind over a little pepper, place the dish on a baking sheet, then bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Saturday Special:

Spicy Vegetable Egg Fried Rice

Time- 30 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 200g basmati rice, 1-2 red chillies (deseeded and grated or very finely chopped), 3 garlic cloves (crushed), 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 large carrots (diced), 200g Chinese cabbage (finely sliced), 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 3 spring onions (sliced), 200g frozen peas, 1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions- If making the rice from scratch, cook it following pack instructions, then drain. Mix the chillies and garlic (in a pestle and mortar, if you have one) with a pinch of salt, to make a paste.Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium – high heat. Add the carrots and stir-fry for 5 mins until tender. Add the cabbage and chilli paste and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the cooked basmati or leftover rice and stir-fry for 1 min until piping hot.Push the rice mixture to one side of the pan. Add the eggs to the cleared space and scramble until set. Mix in the onions, peas and soy and stir-fry everything together until the peas are hot.

Sunday Feast:

Baked Chicken Masala with Almond Pilaf

Time- 45 minutes

Serves- 4

Ingredients- 250g brown basmati rice, 2 heaped tsp turmeric, 5 tsp medium curry powder, 2 tbsp flaked almonds, 6 tbsp low-fat natural yogurt, 2 large skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks), 8 medium tomatoes (halved), 2 large red onions (thinly sliced), ½ small bunch coriander (leaves picked)

Directions- Heat oven to 220C. Put the rice in a saucepan with 600ml water, 1 heaped tsp turmeric, 1 tsp curry powder and some salt. Bring to the boil, stir, cover, turn heat to low and cook for 30 mins, or until tender. Try not to take the lid off during cooking. Remove from heat and leave covered for 5 mins. Add the almonds, and fluff with a fork.Meanwhile, mix 2 tsp curry powder, the remaining turmeric, 2 tbsp yogurt and seasoning. Add chicken and toss to coat.Toss the tomatoes and onions in a roasting tray with the rest of the curry powder, then nestle in the chicken pieces. Bake for 15-20 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the veg are soft. Scatter over the coriander and serve with the rice and remaining yogurt.

Image and Recipe Courtesy: bbcgoodfood.com

June 15, 2014
For the Chicken Lovers: 5 MUST-have dishes!

I like my chicken roasted, smoked, curried, steamed, sandwiched, in gravy, in salad, in soup, basically, in any random form. The fact about chicken is that it can be prepared in a diverse number of ways. Either you can take your time and leisurely prepare a chicken dish in about 3 – 4 hours and have a perfect lunch or if you are running against time, you can land up with a neat chicken dish in even less than 30 minutes.

That’s the way with chicken.

So, here I am, showering all my love and dedicating this week’s article only to CHICKEN.

Let the CHICKEN fiesta begin!

Spicy Parmesan Chicken

Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 6 chicken supremes

For the marination –

Salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic paste
1 Tbsp red chilli flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
For the Parmesan batter-

1/2 cup cream
4 Tbsp parmesan cheese (grated)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley
1 grated nutmeg
For Frying-

4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
For tomato chutney-
1 cup cherry tomato
1/2 onion
1 green chilli
Salt and pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Chopped parsley

Directions:

For the marination-
First take chicken pieces and marinate it with salt and pepper. Add garlic paste, red chilli flakes. Sprinkle some flour and let the chicken get marinated for few minutes.
For parmesan batter-
Take a bowl add some cream, grated Parmesan cheese and mix it well. Add a egg and blend the mixture well. Then add some salt, pepper for taste. Add fresh parsley leaves, grated nutmeg to the batter.
For the frying-
Dip the marinated chicken supremes in the batter. Take a pan and add olive oil, butter. Let it get heated for 2 minutes. Put the dipped chicken supremes for frying. Fry perfect.
For tomato chutney-
Take cherry tomatoes, onion, green chilli and put it in the mixer. Add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add fresh parsley leaves and blend it all together.

Chicken Layonnaise

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

200 gm chicken julienne
100 gm butter
50 gm onions
10 gm garlic
60 gm capsicum
60 gm tomatoes
3-4 black olives
Spinach-boiled
Sauteed potato
Sauteed carrots
sauteed beans-boiled
sauteed 60 ml
White Wine salt
pepper-to taste

Directions: Heat butter and saute onions and garlic for about a minute. Add chicken and quick fry on high heat until chicken gets a brown texture on the outside. Add capsicum and tomatoes and sauté for a minute. Then add the white wine and season with salt and pepper. Add the black olives and serve with all the vegetables.

Fried Chicken Roll

Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs white
1 cup bread crumbs
3 cups grated chicken
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp chicken masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
3 to 4 coriander leaves
Salt to taste
3 to 4 green chillies
2 onions

Directions: Mix all purpose flour with water and egg and make it like a batter. Spread 2 to 3 table spoons of batter on a frying pan and spread it like chapati till it becomes slightly hot. In another frying pan,heat oil and add onions and heat till it turns brown. Add salt,chilli, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chicken masala. Then add the boiled and grated chicken to the mixture and stir well for abaout 5 to 10 minutes. Now add coriander leaves and keep aside. Roll the masala in the chapati and dip in egg white and breadcrumbs. Finally deep fry the rolls.

Chicken Manchurian

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

250 gm chicken mince
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup refined flour
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
Oil for deep frying
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 large capsicum-chopped fine
For sauce, mix together –
3 Tbsp corn flour-blended
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp soya sauce
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 Tbsp chopped celery or 1/4 tsp celery salt
2 cups water

Directions: Mix together the chicken, egg, flour, garlic and ginger paste, ajino moto and enough water so as to have a thick batter. Leave this for 5-10 minutes. Heat the oil, keeping the heat high drop heaped teaspoonfuls of batter and fry to a golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper till required. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil, and stir-fry the garlic and onion in it over high heat, till the onions look glossy. Add the capsicum and turn around a few times. Add the sauce mixture, and simmer till the sauce thickens and becomes translucent. Add the fried balls, turn around a few times and serve.

Dahi Chicken (chicken cooked with curd)

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 kg boneless chicken (cut as you like it)
2 1/2 cups yogurt
1 tsp cumin / zeera powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli (rang) powder
A little less than 1/4 tsp turmeric/haldi
1/4 tsp garam masala
Few slit green chillies
2 onions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Coriander leaves to garnish
2 tsp oil
1 tsp salt

Directions: Take the yogurt and mix in the cumin powder, garlic paste,garam masala, haldi and red chilli powder. Mix with hands. Put chicken into this and add slit chillies. Keep aside for 30 minutes. Now heat 2 tsp oil in pan and add onions. Cook till translucent and soft. Add the tomatoes. Cook for a minute and add all the chicken and marinade. Keep cooking till gravy reaches the consistency you like. Of you like it more dry, cook a little bit more till yogurt curdles around chicken. Check for salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy. You can eat this with rice if the gravy is more and with Indian bread (roti/naan) if you dry it up.

Recipe Courtesy: cooks.ndtv.com

Image Courtesy: cooks.ndtv.com

June 14, 2014
Biriyani Galore

Be it the heavy rich biriyani in Arsalan or the seemingly light biriyani in Aminia or the just-perfect biriyani in Rahmania – EVERYONE loves a bit of biriyani.

When I joined college, I was literally in heaven. Park Circus is an area oozing out with old and new food places – an abode for food lovers (the fact that the food capital of the city, Park Street is a brief 7-minute-walk away simply adds a few feathers to its shiny blue cap).

Arsalan has been a favourite food joint to visit during the many lunch breaks for the past two years. There’s literally 2 Arsalans, 1 Shiraaz, 1 Kohinoor, 1 Zeeshan and other cheap beef biriyani places – all brooding near my college.

How you expect anyone to be in shape, I wonder.

Biryani, Biriyani, Biriani, Beryani, Beriani or Buriyani – however it is you may pronounce, you are bound to love it – it’s aroma, it’s flavor, it’s exquisite blend of the right amount of spices and the special place it takes you when you have your first spoonful…

Ah!

I’m getting hungry by merely thinking about it. So not fair.

Anyway, here are two recipes if you fancied cooking your Biriyani instead of a take-away.

Mutton Biriyani

Time: 3 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the rice – 1 star anise, 500 gm basmati rice (washed & drained), 2 bay leaves, 2 black cardamom, 2 tsp black cumin seeds, 6 black peppercorn, 6 green cardamom, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cloves, 1 tsp fennel, 1/4th jaiphal, 1 javitri, 3 tsp salt
For mutton marination – 1 kg mutton (cut in 2 inches pieces, preferably front leg part and avoid shoulder cut), 1 Tbsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp garlic paste, 1 Tbsp ginger paste, 3 Tbsp raw papaya paste, 4 Tbsp hung curd, Juice of 1 lemon, 1 Tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp salt
Other ingredients – 4 onions (thinly sliced), 2 tomatoes (chopped), 1/4 th cup milk (warm), Ghee, Saffron strands, Oil, Rose water, Kewra essence, 4 green chillies

Direction:

Marinating the mutton – To the mutton add the beaten curd, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya paste, chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, garam masala. Allow the mutton to marinate for 3 hours.

Making fried onions or Barista –Slice 2 onions very thinly. Separate the slices. In a pan or kadai add oil and fry the onion slices till nicely brown. Take care not to burn them. Fry in small batches. Do not put all the slices at a time, that will lead to lumpy messy onions. Make sure all the onion slices frying are dipped in oil, if needed add more oil. Keep stirring continuously but gently for an even brown color. Take the fried onions out with a slotted spoon or ladle. Keep them on a paper-towel lined plate. This crispy brown fried onion slices are called Barista.

Cooking the mutton – Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Add remaining sliced onions and green chillies. Cook, stirring continuously, till onions are light golden brown. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and mix well. Add marinated mutton and cook on high heat for seven to eight minutes. Add coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly. Stir in three cups of water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered till mutton is almost cooked. Add tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder and fresh coriander leaves. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The ghee would be separated from the spices and there should not be any watery gravy to the meat.

Preparing the rice – Use only good quality long grain Basmati rice. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in water. Wash well till the water runs clear. Drain all the water. In a small piece of cloth take cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, javitri, jaiphal, black peppercorn, shahi jeera, star anise and tie a knot to make a bag (potli). Bring 750 ml water to boil, add rice, bay leaf, salt and potli, cover and cook till rice is done 1/3rd. Drain the water & remove the whole masala potli.

Preparing the saffron-milk – Take 1/4th cup warm milk in a cup and dissolve saffron strands in the milk. Cover and wait for 20 minutes. Add rose water and kewra essence in the milk. Mix well and cover. Keep aside.

Layering the biryani – Take a large heavy bottom pan with tight fitting lid. Add 2tbsp ghee to the pan. Melt the ghee on low heat. Turn and rotate the pan carefully so the ghee can coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Switch off the heat. Add a layer of cooked rice, then cooked meat pieces, sprinkle saffron water, add fried onion slices and ghee. Again add a layer of rice, then meat…go on like this till you are done. Top and bottom layer will be of rice. Cover with chopped pudina and coriander, fried onion and slit green chillies and juice of half a lemon. Put the lid on. Seal the pan with flour dough or aluminium foil, then put the lid. Keep the heat to lowest. And cook the Biryani in this ‘Dum’ process for 40 minutes. Make sure your pan is heavy-bottomed or the rice will burn. Or you can place a flat tawa then keep the pan on that tawa. After 40 minutes switch off the heat and let the biryani stand for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with raita and salad.

Fish Dum Biriyani

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 kg fish fillets-cut into 1.5 ” cubes, 2 Tbsp oil, 1 cup onions-grated, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 cup hung yogurt, 1 cup coriander leaves-chopped, Green chillies to taste-finely chopped, 1 tsp biryani masala, 1/3 cup browned onions

For the Rice – 2 cup rice-cleaned and washed, 2 tsp oil, 4 cloves, 4 peppercorns, 1 cinnamon-broken, 4 green cardamoms, 1 tsp salt, 3 cups hot water, Saffron or color mixed in 1 cup warm milk

Direction: Heat oil and add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add onions and ginger-garlic pastes. Stir fry till fat separates. Add the garam masala, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and yogurt and saute till fat separates. Mix in the fish and cook over high heat till opaque. Mix in the browned onions, coriander, green chillies and biryani masala. To make the rice, heat oil and add cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and cardamoms. When they darken a bit, add rice, water and salt. Mix well and cook till rice is tender but still holds its shape. To serve, put the fish layer at the bottom of the dish, cover with the rice and sprinkle the saffron-milk mixture. Keep in an oven or over low heat, over a tawa for about 15 minutes. Mix to break up the layers and serve.

Image and Recipe Courtesy – cooks.ndtv.com

June 9, 2014
The no-fuss Valentine’s Menu

Valentine’s Day 2014 may have gone. But your Valentine surely hasn’t.

And for your next few Valentine Days, how about you prepare and sharpen your skills beforehand rather than the day before.

Here, by skills, I refer mainly to cooking since that is my forte.

It’s June now. So, you have exactly 9 months to learn and let learn.

For the beginners, you might want to start with something simple and quite easy, like the ‘Eton mess parfait with berry sauce’. For those who cook occasionally, you might be a tad bold and wind up cooking something like ‘Sweetheart choc and hazelnut sandwiches ‘. And for those who cook regularly, well, I don’t really have anything to teach but merely share a few lovely recipes.

For the beginners:

Eton mess parfait with berry sauce

Time: 15 minutes (plus freezing)

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 284ml pot double cream, 200ml pot Greek yogurt, 4 small meringues (crumbled), 200g strawberries (hulled and chopped), 2 tbsp lemon curd, 200g raspberries and strawberries (halved, for topping)

For the sauce – 150g punnet raspberries, 150ml punnet strawberries, 2 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions: Line 6 x 150ml ramekin dishes with cling film. Lightly whip the cream, then fold in the yogurt, meringues and strawberries until well combined. Fold in the lemon curd to give a soft marbled effect.Spoon into the prepared ramekins and freeze for 2-2½ hrs or until semi-frozen. Meanwhile, make the berry sauce. Tip the raspberries and strawberries, icing sugar and lemon juice into a food processor and blend to a purée. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove the pips, then set aside.To serve, turn the semi-frozen parfaits out onto serving plates and remove the cling film. Arrange the halved strawberries and raspberries on top of the parfaits. Serve with a drizzle of berry sauce.

For the Novice:

Sweetheart choc & hazelnut sandwiches

Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 4 slices from a small sliced brioche loaf, 3 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spreads, 1 large egg, 75ml whole milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 2 tbsp chopped toasted hazelnuts, 1 tbsp butter, icing sugar (for dusting), ice cream (to serve), raspberries (to serve)

Directions: Thickly spread 2 of the brioche slices with the chocolate hazelnut spread, then top with the remaining slices to make 2 sandwiches. Use a large heart-shaped cutter to cut the sandwiches into hearts.Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and caster sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Tip the hazelnuts onto a plate. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, leave for 1-2 mins each side to allow the brioche to soak up the liquid, then dip one side of each sandwich into the nuts. The sandwiches can be chilled like this, covered loosely with cling film, for up to 1 hour.Heat the butter in a wide frying pan until melted and foaming. Add the sandwiches and cook for 1-2 mins each side until golden brown and puffed up. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with ice cream and raspberries.

For the Expert:

Beef & beer pie

Time: 4 hours

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped, 1 small celery stick (chopped), 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp plain flour, 700g beef shin (featherblade or stewing steak, cut into large chunks), 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 beef stock cubes, 2 sprigs thyme, 540ml can dark ale or beer, 1 egg (beaten), a few pinches poppy seeds

For the pastry – 500g plain flour (plus a little extra), 250g vegetarian suet

Directions: Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Using a flameproof casserole dish with a lid, soften onion and celery in the butter. Stir in the flour until it has disappeared, then stir in the beef and Worcestershire sauce. Crumble in stock cubes and add thyme. Pour over ale, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hrs. Remove lid and cook for another 30 mins – this should thicken the sauce nicely.Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the pastry, whizz the flour, suet and 1 tsp salt in a food processor until there are no suet lumps. Keeping the motor running, dribble in 1 tbsp water at a time until the pastry starts to come together, then tip onto a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands.Roll out half the pastry and use to line a 20-22cm pie dish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon in all of the meat, then pour over some of the sauce until the meat is just coated. Put the rest of the sauce into a saucepan. Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie. Trim the edge with a small, sharp knife, then crimp or fork the edges to seal. Make a small heart from cuttings. Brush top of the pie and heart with beaten egg, then dip heart into poppy seeds and stick to top. Bake for 30-40 mins until golden brown and crisp. Reheat sauce and serve with the pie along with some mash and greens.

Treacle tart hearts

Time: 25 minutes (plus chilling)

Serves: 8

Ingredients: 200g cold unsalted butter (cubed), 350g plain flour (plus extra for rolling out), ½ tsp ground ginger (optional), 100g golden caster sugar, 1 egg yolk

For the filling – 400g golden syrup, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1⁄2, 100g white breadcrumbs

Directions: Blitz the butter, flour and ginger, if using, in a food processor until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar, then add the egg yolk and 2 tsp cold water. Pulse until the dough clumps together, or bring it together with a knife by hand. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and press into a smooth round. Chill for 30 mins or until firm.Roll out the pastry to the thickness of 2 x £1 coins and stamp out 8 x 11cm circles (or cut around a saucer and trim to fit tins). Line 8 x 10cm width heart-shaped tins with the pastry. Re-roll trimmings. With a small cutter, stamp out 8 hearts to decorate. Chill tins and hearts for 15 mins or until firm. Heat oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 5 and put a baking sheet in.

Stir the syrup, lemon juice and zest together. Divide the breadcrumbs between tins (they should reach to the top of the pastry), then spoon the syrup over slowly, adding more once the first lot has started to soak in. Top with the small pastry hearts. Put tins onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 25 mins or until pastry is golden and the filling is orangey-gold and slightly set. Leave to cool for 15 mins, then turn onto a wire rack. Serve just warm. Will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Heat in a low oven for 5 mins to warm through.

Recipe and Image Courtesy – bbcgoodfood.com

June 9, 2014