My Kitchen and Beyond

Whole spices and tomato chicken

2011-11-27T02:03:00.001-05:00

Who does not love a chicken curry? who does not love a chicken curry that is easy to cook and tastes heavenly. This curry recipe uses whole spices , cinnamon , cardamon and caraway seeds to give this lingering yet not overpowering aroma to the dish. Apt for everyday lunch or an elaborate dinner.

1 kg chicken
6 tblspoon oil
3 medium onions sliced

Whole spices
4 cloves
4 green cardamom
3, 1/2 inch cinnamon sticks

1tsp garlic paste
1tsp ginger paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 medium tomatoes pureed
few saffron strands soaked in milk
2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

Wash and clean the chicken and drain out the water. Add about a table spoon of salt and mix well, leave this aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Take oil in a thick bottomed pan and fry the onions to a golden brown, the edges should turn crispy. Reserve half the onions for later.

Add the whole spices to the onions and fry for about two minutes. Add the chicken and fry for about 10 mins, adding water as required.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry with the chicken. Add the spice powders next and mix in.

As the spices mature and the chicken starts turning light brown add the tomatoes.

Turn the heat high and stir strongly for 5 mins to create a cohesive gravy.

Add some more water (about 1 cup) and the saffron milk. Let the gravy cook on medium heat till the oil separates.

Crush the fried onions and add to the curry.

Serve garnished with coriander with rice or roti.

Pad Thai, from an Indian kitchen

2011-10-25T05:04:00.000-04:00

Pad thai, is one of those dishes that are universally liked, many times re-ordered, always saved as leftovers and ordered by the non red/green/yellow curry eating person at a thai restaurant. I was first introduced to thai cuisine in the US, where I found myself switching from the eaten - since - childhood - indo -chinese - food to the lemon grass and basil leaves spiced thai cuisine as my go to comfort oriental food of choice. I was fortunate find a few decent thai restaurants in Bangalore to keep the love going. And on a trip to singapore where thai food is extremely popular I found some very delectable versions of this noodle dish.

When I chanced upon some flat rice stick noodles at a local grocery store I knew that I had to make them, so I quickly searched for pad thai recipe on my phone and picked up the rest of the ingredients as well, technology well used.

Making a pad thai involves essentially five steps - boiling the noodles, making the sauce, preparing the meat and veggies, stir frying the ingredients and garnishing the dish. I've used this recipe which is a modification of various versions that I found on the internet. I think the end result was pretty decent, if I were to change something for the future I would make my sauce more tangy and use sesame oil instead of olive.

Ingredients
200 g rice stick noodles
1.5 tablespoons dark tamarind paste
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 table spoons brown sugar
1 table spooon chilli paste
1 chicken breast (you can use shrimp/large prawns too)
2 eggs
1 spring onion
1/3 of a capsicum
4-5 mushrooms
1 lime/ lemon
5-6 garlic pods
5 table spoons peanuts
white/black pepper to taste
salt to taste
oil as required ( would recommend using sesame oil)
Most major supermarkets in Bangalore like Spar or Spencers stock the thai ingredients.

Preparation:
The sauce: In a saucepan, mix in the fish sauce, brown sugar and the tamarind paste ( I used the boxed one, you can me this paste from tamarind too but make sure it is concentrated). Add little water if required. once all ingredients are mixed in and the sugar is dissolved ( about 5-7 minutes) add the chilli paste. Taste the sauce and adjust the tanginess.

The meat and veggies: Chop the mushrooms, finely cube the capsicum, and finely chop the garlic. Take the chicken breast season with salt and pepper and grill or lightly fry after 20-30 mins. Chopped the chicken breasts into small cubes.

The noodles: Cooking the noodles is the tricky, its is suicidal for the dish to have overcooked soggy noodles. Follow the instructions on the pack carefully. Most rice stick noodles can be cooked by simply soaking in warm water as opposed to actual boiling. When in doubt leave the noodles slightly undercooked and cook gradually by sprinkling water.

The garnish: Take the eggs in a separate pan and scramble them to bits and keep aside, take the peanuts and dry roast on a hot pan and lightly crush, chop the spring onion to 1 cm long bits, cut a lime or lemon into 4 pieces and remove the seeds. The long bean sprouts are commonly seen as garnishing, I didn't have any hence I skipped.

The frying: Once all the prep is done take a wok (or a kadhai) and heat it up on high heat. Make sure you break down the pad thai ingredients into smaller portions according to the size of your wok so that you can work in batches. One the wok if fuming hot add 3-4 table spoons of oil and reduce the flame marginally (I did this because I was using olive oil). Add the capsicum first followed by the mushrooms let it fry for half a min and then add the garlic, and in go the chicken next. Traditionally the chicken would have been put in raw and then cooked in the wok itself but I precooked it, perhaps if you are using shrimp you can add them directly. Add the noodles stir vigorously to avoid clumping (I took the help of spaghetti tongs to move them apart). Add in the sauce so that all ingredients are coated with the brown liquid. Add in the salt and pepper to adjust the flavor.
Add in more oil if required. The entire frying should not take more than 8 minutes. Finally just before turning the the flame off add squeeze the lime and add the egg.

Serve immediately in individual serving plates topped with spring onions, peanuts, sprouts and lime wedges.

Ande ki kadi (tangy egg curry)

2011-08-27T08:30:00.001-04:00

I love eggs. If my husband and I ever happen to take part in one of those game shows where you are asked questions about your spouse like his/her favorite color, dream vacation, celebrity crush, favorite food, I think he has it easy on the food question (not sure about the rest though!).
As a kid, I remember I was forced to eat eggs in a attempt to make me gain weight and grow tall. Though I loved eating them, I became extremely fussy about the way it should be cooked, I liked it fried the masala way with loads of onions and coriander along with red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste fried to a brown ( not yellow ) color or the sunny side up with the yolk both intact and liquid and the edges browned to a thin crunchy lining. As the years went by my equation with weight reversed and eating eggs became a not so routine affair and other forms such as poached, boiled and scrambled whites (shudder) made inroads into my meals. Now my relation with eggs rests comfortable with two good fried eggs once a week. And or other occasions I manage to sneak in boiled egg as 'garnishing' on curries and rice.

Enough said about my adulation for the little humpty dumpties, the recipe that I have to share today is an elevation of status of some sorts for my oval friend, it makes its foray into the main course and is not relegated to a garnishing or a scrambled to bits sharing space with five different ingredients in rice.

This ande ki kadi is a tangy gravy that perfectly offsets the blandness of eggs.

Ingredients
Curry
1 onion sliced
1tsp garlic paste
2tsp red chilli powder
2tsp zeera powder
1tsp coriander powder
1 pinch turmeric

1tspsalt

4 tablespoon tamarind pulp
1 tbsp fresh coconut paste
6 green chillies slit
6 eggs hard boiled and shelled

Seasoning
6- 8 tbl sp oil
1/2 tsp mustard leaves
12 curry leaves

Ground to paste
1 medium onion
4 medium tomatoes
2tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method
Pour the oil in a cooking vessel and let it warm. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and let it splutter
After a minute or so add the onion and fry till brown.
Add the garlic paste and fry for 5 mins with sprinkling of water as required
Add all the powders and fry for 5 mins
Pour the pureed onions and tomatoes, cook for 15 mins.
Add the green chillies and coconut and cook for 10 mins.
Drop the hard boiled eggs just before serving . Leave to simmer for 5-10 mins

Enjoy with steamed white rice

Comfort Food - Khichdi

2011-07-12T22:36:00.001-04:00

There are some foods that you always associate with being simple and home cooked. The humble khichdi may not make it to the menu of a gourmet restaurant (yet!), does remain fairly popular across different Indian cuisines. Most versions involve cooking rice to a soggy consistency, but this one, the hyderabadi style retains the grains intact and can be eaten on any day regardless of the condition of the stomach!

Ingredients
150 gms rice
20 grams masoor dal
Around 3 cups of water
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 an onion
1/2 inch cinnamon
1 cardamom
1 table spoon oil
Salt to taste
a few sprigs of cilantro leaves

Method
Wash and soak the rice and dal separately for about 15 mins.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel and fry the onions to translucent.
Drain the water off the dal and add to the onions. fry for about a minute.
Add turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon and mix for about half a minute.
Add the drained rice and water; sprinkle salt let in cook with the lid closed for 10 mins
One the grains are about 80 % cooked, check to see if a sprinkle of water in required. Add cilantro and let is cook for about 5-7 mins.

Serve hot with til ki chutney ( will do a post on it), tamatar ki chutney or kheema.

El Tablao - When spain said hello to Bangalore

2011-06-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

At first there was a vinyl flyer announcing 'opening shortly - el tablao' and in a few months stood many more announcements of operation; I would glance at it everyday on my way to work conjuring up images of delectable spanish delicacies served my way. A few weeks later when husband and I found ourselves contemplating choices for a quiet sunday night dinner - el tablao it was.

As I entered the restaurant, I felt a sense of warmth that is characteristic of all things Spanish. The decor was eclectic with spanish themes spashed all over. The USP of the place was of course their Tapas. Tapas are small sized potions of appetizers and snacks that are essential to spanish cuisine. We ordered about 4 such potions veggie, seafood and chicken and we are not disappointed. The flavors were unique and the combination well chosen. My top picks from the menu were -Gambas al ajilo, which was shrimp in chilli garlic oil and Alitas de pollo, which was grilled chicken served with rice.

The experience was definitely different and the food was refreshingly unique with no major ugly surprises. It was such a pity that the place had few takers even on a weekend considering that Bangaloreans are first to lap up any new cuisine, maybe we like our food big !

Overall, please try out if you need a break from the usual cuisine offerings.

Restaurant review - Elements Eatery

2011-05-27T12:06:00.004-04:00

Mosque road in Frazer town is a foodie's delight. If you are a serious non vegetarian this street will not disappoint you. Kabab places, biryani joints, a customary Empire restaurant, small chai and samosa shops, a great shawarma place (a separate post on that in the future) and some set ups serving authentic 'muslim dishes' such as paya and kheeme ki roti. In the midst of the busy road and the strong aroma of grilled meat stands Elements eatery. The word "eatery" almost trivializes the scale of things that take you by surprise as you enter the place. Designed as a middle eastern villa the restaurant is subtly opulent yet homelike warm.

The concept is similar to open grill cooking seen in many other cuisines, the table is essentially a rectangle with the grill in the center and two chefs serving up a delectable fare. One such table can accommodate up to 15 people so this is ideal for a big group, else you can hope to make some friends over a shared eating space and sumptuous meats.
The beginning of the meal was with a coconut lime juice that was excellent and so was the mutton soup. The kababs are beautifully flavored and made from all the meat types – mutton, chicken, fish and prawn. This is a true non-veg heaven but quite disappointing for the veggies.The salads and sides can also be given a miss.

The staff is courteous and the service great, I mean they are literally standing in front of you the whole time.

Highly recommended for a family dinner.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2011-05-14T04:06:00.003-04:00

I came across this amazing blog, full of great low cal recipes. I had some stewed strawberries and some grape extract which got me craving for some pancakes. Gina had the perfect answer in the form of this recipe. Here goes the recipe after a few modifications by me

Ingedients

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup slim milk
4 regular egg whites
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tsp vanilla
Pam spray ( can use regular oil in asmall teaspoon)

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to to it and mix well with a spoon until there are no dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the bubbles settle and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Serve warm with stewed fruit, maple syrup or honey

Prawn Biryani

2011-04-03T12:52:00.005-04:00

I decided to give my husband a surprise a few days back by cooking one of his favorite dishes. Wanting to make something authentic, something reminiscent of the taste he grew up with I decided to go with – Prawn biryani. I had recently laid my hands on a traditional cutchi memon cook book by Hajira Mohammad and was waiting to try one of the recipes from there. I made a few modifications to the book’s version with inputs from my mother in law, so about 85% of the following recipes is Hajira’s. The result was quite spectacular, husband enjoyed it thoroughly and a new recipe made its way into my bank.

Will keep posting more recipes from the book.

Ingredients

For masala

1 kg Prawns
1 cup Oil
4 large onions
1 1/2 tbsp Ginger paste
1 1/2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp salt
3 large tomatoes roasted , skinned and pureed
1 tbsp fresh coconut paste

Grind to paste

5 green chillies
1 cup coriander leaves chopped
2 tbsp water

Rice

1 kg basmati rice
8 mint leaves
4 tbsp sea salt

For layering

Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp saffron strands soaked in milk

Method

·         Shell and de-vein the prawns. Marinate the same in 4table spoon lemon juice

·         Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins

·         Fry the onions in a heavy bottomed pan till golden broown ( the edges should start getting crispy)

·         Add ginger and garlic and fry well for about 15 mins . Sprinkle water if required

·         Add all the spice powders, spice paste and salt and fry for about 10 mins

·         Pour in the tomato puree and cook till raw smell is gone

·         Meanwhile prebiol the prawns in 3 cups water for about 3 mins

·         Add the prebioled prawns to the gravy and stir in for 3 mins

·         Add the coconut and continue stirring till the gravy just about begins leaving oil on the side.

·         Boil the rice with sea salt and mint leavestill its about 85-90 % done. Drain the watyer and start assembly

Assembly

·         Place a flat skillet (tava) on the stove

·         Place a large vessel on top of it and start layering the rice

·         Spread half the rice in the vessel

·         Add a layer of prawn gravy and then spread the rest of the rice (Sandwiching the prawns between two layers of rice)

·         Sprinkle some cilantro, drizzle the rest of the lime juice and the saffron milk.

·         Cook on high for 5 mins and for medium for 15 mins

Orange Tart

2010-11-28T07:11:00.005-05:00

I had a tin of preserved mandarin oranges lying in my kitchen for months, so one weekend when I felt like baking a light and fruity dessert I searched for a good tart recipe and finally decided to modify a few to get to this one. The tart was light and had a great citrusy punch, next time around I would probably modify the recipe to make sure the curd filling is not as runny as it was.

Ingredients

Orange curd

Juice from firm oranges - 1/2 cup
Lemon Juice - 1/3 cup
Egg yolk - from 6 large eggs
Whole Eggs -2 large
Sugar - 1 cup
Orange zest -2 table spoon
Butter- cold,cut into small squares - 1/2 cup

Crust
All purpose flour (Maida)- 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 2 tbl spoon
Salt -1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter -1/2 cup
Whipping cream/ fresh cream -2 table spoons
Egg yolk -1 large

Decoration
Orange Juice
Canned orange segments
Strawberry
Chilled fresh cream

Whisk the eggs and egg yolks for 2-3 minutes, add the rest of sugar, orange juice, lemon juice and zest and continue for another minute. Set up a double boiler by placing a vessel filled with water on the stove and let in reach boiling point, place a smaller steel vessel into the bath.
Add the butter, blend and pour into the smaller steel vessel. Constantly whisk the mixture for about 10 min or till it thickens. Remove from the bath and leave it to cool. After it reaches room temperature cover it with clingwrap and place it into the freezer for an hour or the fridge if longer.

For the crust

Pre heat oven to 185'C. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor (this can be done by hand as well). Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream and egg yolk and process until dough clumps together. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round.

Grease a 10 inch tart dish with butter and line the dough, cut the sides out neatly and pierce the surface with a fork all over.
Place the dish in the hot oven. Bake crust until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on rack.

Sprinkle orange juice on the crust to soften and pour in the curd. Decorate with strawberries,oranges and cream / icing.

Chill for minimum an hour before serving.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-28T05:01:00.002-04:00

Ingredients
1.5 cup All purpose flour (maida)
3/4th cup Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking powder
1/3 cup Oil
1 Egg
1/3 cup Milk
Blueberries can or fresh, you can substitute with cranberry
A few drops Vanilla essence

Method

Preheat the oven to 200'C

Mix all the wet ingredients in a large bowl

In another bowl mix in the dry ingredients (you can sieve them if you want)

Add the wet mixture gently to the dry and fold in . There is no need to use a blender or a mixer. Simply use a spatula.

Leave the mixture for 10 mins. Meanwhile prepare you muffin tin, you can use a paper liner or just use vegetable oil to grease

Add the batter to the muffin cups next, I used a table spoon. First pour enough mixture to fill little less than half of the cup, next add the berry sauce or a few fresh berries.
Next add more batter to fill the cup till the brim( this will result in the muffins spilling out upon baking giving the characteristic shape). If using fresh berries add some more on the top and let them just sink a bit before transferring to a baking pan.

Bake for 15-20 mins in the oven (this time may very , just observe the muffins as they bake, pierce a toothpick to make sure its done.

Cool on a rack and serve !

Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic

2010-02-19T02:45:00.003-05:00

Posting on this blog after ages, but I've decided to restart food blogging after I realized how much I enjoy it. It takes some effort to document , picture and then actually post your cooking but I guess its worth doing coz a) it gives me a chance to indulge in cooking which I love b) lets me experiment with another one of my hobby - photography.

With out further ado my newest fav dish - Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic
I got the recipe from gourmet traveller which in turn if from adapted from the Ottolenghi cookbook.
Ingredients
1 medium broccoli
olive oil
7-8 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 green chillies red chillies/jalepenos, thinly sliced
coarse sea salt
black pepper

Separate the brocolli into florets and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes – don’t be tempted to cook longer! Remove immediately to a bowl of ice water, then drain and leave to dry completely.

To chargrill the broccolli I used a thick bottom anodized pan, Take olive oil in the pan and let it warm for a minute , toss in the dried broccolli into it and let it grill. Do not cover the dish as it will not be crunchy.

If required do this in batches so that it does not become soggy. It took me about 5 mins per batch to char grill this to medium.

While the broccoli is cooking, place some more oil in a small saucepan together with the garlic and chillies and cook on a medium heat until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Be careful not to let the garlic and chilli burn – they will continue cooking in the hot oil even when off heat.

Pour the garlic and chilli oil over the hot broccoli and toss well. Season to taste and serve immediately or at room temperature

I served it with a tasty readymade tzatziki sauce.

I'm gonna be back

2009-04-26T06:18:00.000-04:00

Watch this space !!

Coconut chutney

2008-06-27T17:27:00.003-04:00

Remmember the dosas in India? the expert cook making crisp pancakes in the svelte ring heat of a udipi restaurant kitchen, bowls full of sambhar to dip dosas and eat like a soup when the dosa's no more, the spicy yet bland coconut chutney that proves to be the best accompaint to the mashed and spiced potatoes.
I'm not great at making dosas from scratch but can use a mix at its best, same goes for sambhar but chutney is a different ball game. So here goes a recipe for a simple coconut chutney south indian style.

Ingredients

Chutney
1 cup coconut ( you can use fresh coconut and grate it or unsweetened dry flakes, try and avoid frozen)
6-8 serrano / indian chillies
1 tiny red onion or shallot
1/3 cup coriander and mint chopped)
1 tablespoon coconut milk or yogurt
1/4 cup of tamarind extract ( imlee or tamarind soaked in water)
¼ tsp of salt
Salt to taste

Baghar,tadka,tempering

1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, fresh curry leaves and few pieces of dried red chilli.

Method

Take all the ingredients under chutney and in a grinder and coarsely grind.

Taste and adjust spice level according to your taste

Take a small pan or kadhai heat two tablespoons of oil

Add the ingredients under tadka into the oil

Let them fry till dark, add to the chutney

Serve with dosa , idly ,upma , anything !

Gobi Manchurian

2008-06-24T17:54:00.003-04:00

I got a few requests for desi chinese dishes. So here goes the first of the dishes. Please pardon my lack of pictures, I made this for a friend's dinner and was running late to click any pics.

1/2 pound frozen cauliflower florets
1 cup corn flour
5 Green serrano chillies
4-5 pods of garlic crushed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 table spoon any hot sauce
1 teaspoon redchilli powder
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Preparation
1) Thaw and pat dry the gobi with paper towel
2) Heat oil in a kadai/ deep pan/wok
3) Take cournflour add salt , pepper and red chilli powder
4) Mix with water to make a streaming consistency batter
5) Add cauliflower in batches and deep fry
6) In the same wok using about 1 tablespoon oil fry , chopped chillies , add crushed garlic shallow fry till done .
7) Add the fried gobi
8) Add soy sauce and hot sauce
9) Adjust the spices and serve hot

Frittata

2008-06-10T18:59:00.007-04:00

Frittata is a finger licking good breakfast dish that won't make you slog till lunch time. Very simply put its a baked omelet ! I used mainly bell peppers,mushrooms and herbs to make this but you can practically anything potatoes, sausages, spinach or chicken.

Ingredients
4 eggs
3 tablespoon milk
butter for greasing
1/2 a bell pepper chopped into small cubes
1 tomato diced
1 cup mushroom (Any kind) chopped
2-4 serrano chillies slit
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 pinch oregano
2 springs thyme
1/4 cup chopped parsley + cilantro
(Any herb that you want to add)
A sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Method
1) Pre heat you oven ot 350 F
2) In a suitable dish whisk the eggs, add milk , salt pepper and all the herbs (parsley , cilantro,oregano, thyme )
3) OPTIONAL - you can lightly saute the vegetables in a pan if you are not a raw veggies person
4) Add all the vegetables ( bell pepper,tomato, mushroom and serrano chillies ),and mix in.
5) In a (preferrable round) baking dish, apply liberal greasing of butter
6) Add the egg mixture
7) Place it in the middle rack of the oven, let it cook for 5-7 minutes
8) Add the sprinkle of cheese ( if done earleir the cheese sinks )
9) Bake for an additional 8-10 mins
10) Remove, cool for 3-4 mins and cut out wedges to serve

So enjoy your next brunch with a hearty frittata !

White bread

2008-05-29T20:55:00.004-04:00

Yipee this is my first bread !!! yes an actual bread that you make sandwich from .I got the recipe from the this website and here is the modified version. The bread turned out pretty decent for a first time albeit a little bland but who cares the dooras of bread baking are open!!!

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups water (105-115 F)
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 7 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/4-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Directions

1.Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl and mix with yeast and sugar til foamy.
2.Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.
3.Put the yeast mixture, rest of the water and 3 1/2 cups of the flour into the mixer with the dough hook.
4.Mix slowly until blended then add the rest of the flour.
5. Add salt and mix at medium speed for 10 minutes (or do half in mixer and half kneading) til dough is smooth and elastic. ( you can do all this by hand too
6. Back in mixer add butter 1 tbsp at a time (dough may come apart, but mixing will pull it back together).
8Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball then place in a large buttered or oiled bowl.
7.Turn dough so it is completely coated in the fat, then cover in plastic for 45 minutes to an hour (I did an hour and half), til it has doubled in size at room temperature.
8. Roll out into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
9.With the short end facing you, fold the dough into thirds like a sheet of paper to go into an envelope, creating a roll.Place on a alumiium foil sheet.
10.Cover the loaves with buttered plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place (80°F) for 45 minutes, until they double in size.
11.Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the center of the oven.
12.Bake for 35-45 minutes til they are honey brown.
13.Immediately turn out of pans onto a rack to cool.

aloo sabzi with kalonji

2008-05-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

INGREDIENTS :
Potatoes - 500 gm.
Nigella seeds - a pinch.
Green chilies - 6 gm.
Sugar - 4 gm.
Poppy seeds - 20 gm.
(heaped)
Oil - 30 ml.
Ghee - 25 gm.
Red chili powder - 5 gm.
Salt to taste.
METHOD :
Heat oil and add nigella seeds. Add diced potatoes and fry lightly for 10 mins. Grind poppy seeds with a little water and add to the potatoes. Cover with lid, stirring occasionally and adding 2 tbspn. of water. When water dries and potatoes are done, add green chilies, sugar, salt and red chilly powder. Top with ghee and allow to cook for one minute. Serve hot with rice.

Happy Earth Day

2008-04-23T12:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was world earth day. Over the past years 'saving our planet' and 'going green' has gained prominence but beyond the big words and fancy jargon is a simple concept of using your share of the earth. This link contains the bigger picture the ugly turn of events perpetuated by us, the dwellers of planet earth.

But question is how can we help, what can we do and how will it help ? Most people associate being environmentally friendly with fancy organic products at exclusive markets or high priced green products, but the problem can be tackled at an even more basic level than that. Take a look at this you tube video which simply demonstrates little changes we can make and also see what Oprah has to say on this.

Here are a few on my suggestions for being kind to the environment.

1) Use a tap fitted water filter, its so much better and cheaper than buying water jars at the grocery store. Trust me its really worth it, the cost and convenience aside the water is safe pure and available to you as desired.

2) Recycle plastic,metal,paper,fibre,cloth and anything reusable. Recycle jam and sauce jars to store spices, grocery bags to throw out trash, old worn out fabrics to wipe surfaces, aluminum foil can be used more than once, the list is endless.

3) Plan your grocery shopping is such a way that you don't end up wasting food. Have a good idea about your consumption to buy and cook only as much as you consume.

4) Do away with the extras while eating out, share meals to avoid wastage, do away with accompaints that you never eat ( like sticky rice in a Chinese restraunt). Use your disposable crockery with discretion ,you don't need 5 sets of plastic spoons for two people and why bother take those chopsticks when you are never going ot use them.

5) While doing laundry try to do a full load and try to be judicious with what goes for laundry (that scarf you wore for 2 hours need not be washed).

These are just a few of the little changes in our lifestyles that can go a long way in creating a better planet for tommorrow.We have been using up more than our share of resources so its time now to give back to the environment.

Chocolate cake for someone special

2008-04-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

It was my darling husband's birthday three weeks back and I decided to bake him his favourite - chocolate cake. I went to the local grocery store and picked up all that I needed only to forget the main ingredient chocolate powder ! So there I was with roughly two hours to bake a chocolate cake with no chocolate. I turned to my food guide the food network website and found this cake recipe which used hersheys' syrup instead of powder. And since it was a paula deen recipe I took the liberty of using only half the original quantity of syrup. The cake turned out to be yummy, nice and moist but firm and the chcolate content was just right. I used store bought frosting to give it the birthday look.

Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounce hershey's chocolate syrup (the original recipe asked for 16 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Baking the cake
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl. Add to creamed mixture, continuing to beat. Add vanilla and chocolate syrup to batter and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Just before cake is done, prepare frosting.

Chatpate Chicken kabab

2008-04-03T11:37:00.004-04:00

This is a very simple dish that goes well as a snack as well in sandwiches. Its chicken kabab with a lot of khatte mithe masale. It does not require a lot of oil so I basically just added a few drops of oil and a good non stick pan to cook. Also its super quick to make.

Ingredients
1 pound minced chicken
1 tbl spoon chaat masala
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tblspoon lemon zest
2 tsp amchur
2 tsp anardana powder (pomogranate seeds powder)
4 Green chillies chopped finely
salt to taste
oil for frying

The kneaded chicken

The kababs after frying

Method
1 In a big mixing bowl mix all the ingredients except for oil
2 Mix it well to make a uniform 'dough'
3 Make out small kababs in your desired shape
4 Heat a flat non stick pan to high
5 Reduce the heat to medium and add a few drops of oil
6 Lightly fry your kababs in the oil
7 Serve hot

Fig and date halwa

2008-03-27T19:21:00.004-04:00

This was a very middle eastern inspired halwa. It turned out to be super sweet and upet yummy like most middle eastern desserts. Next time I'm gonna try reducing the amount of sugar coz the figs as well as the dates are both laden with sweetness.

5 big dried figs (chopped)
8 medium dates (pitted and chopped)
1/2 a stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
7-10 Elaichi

1) Add the frozen butter stick in a non stick pan to melt slowly on medium
2) Meanwhile make a corse wet paste of the dates , figs and half the coconut.
3) Add Sugar to the butter, take care not to burn it, cook for 3-4 mins
4) Add the paste and elaichi powder
5) Just when the butter gets incorporated in the halwa add the rest of the coconut
6) Serve warm or cold.

So this was my a fabulous meal> I hope to create something similar soon.

Feast of love V - Vinegar and tamarind sauce

2008-03-25T18:24:00.005-04:00

This was a watery sauce that I used with the fish. It was extremely tangy and went well with the fish which although spiced still was mild. Even with plain rice the sauce tasted amazing. Although I prepared it impromptu with any recipe in mind I'll just jot down the ingrediets with out the proportions .

White vinegar
Lime juice
Tamarind extract ( Its dark paste available at most desi or oriental stores)
Salt
Sugar
Grape juice ( I used welch brand )
Ginger (1 inch piece cut into slivers)
Green chillies (cut into a thin pieces)
Red chilly powder

Mix the ingredients in a proportion that suites your tastes. Chill and serve.

Feast of love part IV - Tandoori fish

2008-03-19T15:03:00.015-04:00

The main dish of my meal was a simple tandoori flavoured fish. I marinated the fish for about 4-5 hours which resulted is mild fishy odor with a great tandoori smokiness. Although I'm not a big boxed masala person but in certain preparations they really enhance the flavor, tandoori dishes for instance.

Ingredients

6 big pieces of trout
3 tablespoon yogurt
1 Tbls spoon salt (the marinade has to be salty)
2 Tbl spoon Shaan tandoori masala (love this brand it has food color already added)
1 tblspoon dhanya zeera powder
1 tblspoon green chilli paste
1/2 tbls spoon redchilli powder
oil

1)Take all the dry ingredients and green chilli paste and mix it with enough yogurt to form a semi dry paste its shouldnt be too runny just wet enough to coat the fish.

2)Marinate the fish in a closed container in the refrigerato for as long as 6-8 hours.

3)Pre heat your oven to 350'

4)Take a flat baking sheet lined with aluminium foil and grease it with oil

5)Place the fish pices on the sheet and dribble oil over it.

6)Bake it for 30 - 45 mins just before serving.

My next post will be about the tangy sauce to go with it.

Feast of Love Part III - Vegetables in garlic butter

2008-03-13T13:40:00.004-04:00

Second on my feast of love series is a very simple yet very yummy dish that can be eaten as a side. Its got elements from italian cooking as well as southern cooking.Its a blend of vegetables lightly baked in garlic butter seasoned with just salt, parsley and pepper.

Ingredients
Mushrooms chopped 2 cups (I used baby portabello , you can use regular shitake or a mixture )
Potato - baby, fingerling, yukon 1 cup chopped
Broccoli cut - 1 cup
cauliflower florets - 1 cup
parsley chopped - 1/4 cup
garlic - sliced - 2 table spoons
garlic powder 1 tsp (If you dont have this add extraa garlic slices)
Butter - 3 table spoons
Salt - to taste
black pepper - freshly ground - to taste

Take all the vegetables, wash them add a little water and microwave them till for just a few minutes , the crunchyness should be intact.

Meanwhile set the oven to 350' , place a glass baking dish big enough for the vegetables add butter , parsley and garlic slices to it and place in the oven as it preheats.

Add the steamed vegetables in the melted butter and cook for 10 mins.

Toss the vegetables and add salt, garlic powder and fresh pepper.

Let it cook further for 15 mins, add more butter if required.

The aroma will lets you know that the dish is done !!!

Vegetables......................

.................all steamed up

Feast of love Part II - Tomato juice ceviche

2008-03-13T13:06:00.008-04:00

I've had ceviche a few times being an essential component of Caribbean and mexican food. Ceviche is essentially seafood marinated in sour juices served in bite sized single servings. The shrimp oyster or fish in most cases is raw but I decided to roast my shrimp before marinating. So here goes my tomato juice ceviche.

Ingredients - for two servings
2 Tbl spns - small shrimp or if you have large shrimp chopp them up
2 tbl spns - tomato juice from a can of diced tomatoes
2 tspoons - diced tomato piece
2 tsp - white vinegar
2 tsp - lime/lemon juice
pepper to taste
salt to taste

Preparation
Roast the shrimps on a hot very non stick pan in order to minimize the smell.
mix all the ingredinets in a small sealable box
Add extra salt and pepper if u want it stronger
Refrigerat for 3-12 hours
serve in small bowls or a china soup spoon

You should have a taste for raw seafood to enjoy this,you can also add more vegetable like cucumbers to dilute the fishy taste.

Feast of love Part I

2008-03-12T16:46:00.008-04:00

I decided to take our weeknight dinners to a different level this week. By preparing a gourmet four course meal of fusion food. I had been watching a lot of food network and browsing loads of food blogs lately so I decided to come up with a meal with each course inspired by a different cuisine. The end result was fabulous and I felt really proud of myself.
The appetizer a tomato ceviche chilled till the last moment which was mexican inspired of course, followed by a side of herb and butter vegetables which was my southern influence, the main course was tandoori fish which is ofcourse desi but served with an interesting thai inspired chutney along with light cinnamon and cardamom pulao. The dessert was an middle eastern food inspired date and fig halwa.
Watch this space in the coming posts for these recipes !

Costwoe

2008-03-10T18:25:00.004-04:00

Me and my husband IJ did our groceries from costco this weekend. Our neighbourhood grocery publix was proving to be expensive so like a samajhdaar housewife I suggested costco. I'd heard that they have bulk items at low prices so with the help of a well wishing friend who had the store membership we embarked upon a 30 minute drive followed by an hour long shopping round that resulted in us bringing home matress sized kitchen towel pack, gallons of mouthwash and a bag of sugar that we could use beyond the rest of the year. Ok it wasn't all bad, after a point I did get used to the big sizes, but what I did not like was that the store was not convenient at all, I had to hunt around the whole expanse for a box of yoghurt which I did not find although I found the flavored yoghurt in some corner nowhere close to the milk. Also there was no concept of low fat or fat free and most of items I know which have a fat free version were displayed in their full fat glory. I've been living in the US for close to three years now the northwest earlier and now miami. Back as a student my haunt for food was walmart or winco I never thought I'd say this but I miss the full grocery small town version of walmart. In a nut shell costco is great when you are a) doing supplies for household stuff like paper towels or laundry detergent b) you are a family of 4 or more heavy eaters c) or if you throw enough dinners and lunches to feed the whole town. The only thing I was really excited about getting home was Eckhart Tolle's A New earth at a bargain price!!

Unrelated but siginficant; my recipie got published on the JHIVA for ingredients event check it out here

Kheema

2008-02-25T10:24:00.005-05:00

This is a simple everyday recipei that goes well with roti, rice, bread, pasta! My husband is a big kheema guy he absolutely loves it. Since I'm gonna be travelling away for a week I thought I 'd make a good quantity for him to savor morning noon and night!

Ingredeints
1 pound kheema/minced meat (I use lamb but you can use beef as well)
1 medium onion chopped small
2 medium tomatoes
1 table spoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon zeera
2-4 dried red chillies
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
3 tblspoon oil
cilantro for garnishing

1) Thaw, wash and drain the water from the kheema and keep aside
2) In a skillet or pan heat the oil
3) Add the ginger garlik paste fry for a min
4) Add the chopped onion and fry till translucent
5) add the green chillies, red chllies, salt, turmeric and zeera
6) Add tomatoes and fry
7) once the tomatoes a done add the kheema and fry it over medium for 15 min
8) once the oil leaves the sides add water and cook further
9) Adjust the spices and let water dry
10)Serve hot with coriander

Haleem

2008-02-20T15:30:00.008-05:00

I made haleem a couple of weekends back . My first real Hyderabadi dish after getting married !

Ingredients:

Onion 2 sliced very flinely into thin rings
Cracked wheat – ½ pound
Chicken kheema 1 pound or boneless chicken
Youghurt 1.5 cups
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tblsp ginger garlic paste
8 cloves
2-3 tblsp Redchilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 quill cinnamon
whole pepper 5-7
Juice from 2 limes
1/3 cup oil
Salt to taste

To serve

Melted ghee (optional)
Ginger cut into thin strips
1/2 cup chopped cilantro and mint
Lime wedges to serve

1) Cook the wheat by boiling it with enough water for about 15 mins or so till its soft
2) Meanwhile in a pressure cooker put chicken ,water youghurt , redchilli ginger garlic paste,and a tablespoon of oil. Let it cook for about two whistles
3) Heat oil in a kadai and fry the onion in batches on high flame till its crisp
4) Using a wooden spoon smoothen out the wheat to form a paste
5) If using chiken pieces not kheema ,with your fingers and break apart the boneless pieces
6) Add the chicken to the wheat do not throw out any of it
7) Leave in on medium to cook for 15 mins , add water if needed
8) Add the spices and half the fried onions crushed by hand
9) Cook till the raw taste is gone add lime juice just at the end
10) Serve hot swith the green leaves ,ginger limejuice and fried onions

This is a meal in itself so u dont need any bread or rice to go with it !

Banana Pecan cake

2008-02-17T13:52:00.008-05:00

Banana isn't a very romantic frut, but on valentine's day when its all about stawberries and cherries I opted for this banana cake for the sake of practicality , I later made up for the lack of chocolate in this recipie by adding a drizzle of hershey's syrup and making some frosted strawberries and coconut truffles on the side.
I took the recipie from the food network website and made some changes to scale it down . Here goes what I did exactly

Cake:
Butter, for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (original recipie said baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2large ripe bananas, mashed into a liquidy consistency with no lumps
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter cake pan; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cake:
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the eggs and oil and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened; do not beat. Stir in the banana, pecans, and vanilla. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes in intervals of 1o mins each , or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake layers in the pans for 10 minutes, and then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Feast on your labour of love !

A Different Kind Of ABC, To Get To Know Me

2008-02-14T12:57:00.003-05:00

A - Available? - No

B - Best Friend - Myself

C - Cake or pie - Cake

D - Drink of choice - Water

E - Essential thing used everyday - Has to be toothbrush and toothpaste.

F - Favorite Color - Blue

G - Gummi bears or worms - Bears

H - Hometown - Hyderabad

I - Indulgence - Rich Food!!

J - January or February - January, celebration month

K - Kids and names - None.

L - Life is incomplete without - My Husband

M - Marriage Date - 30th Dec

N - Number of siblings - One brother and two sisters.

O - Oranges or apples - Oranges

P - Phobias or fears - many

Q - Quote - Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions.

R - Reason to smile - Time spent with dear ones

S - Season - Summer

T - Tag three people - I have no readers, so maybe the first reader

U - Unknown fact about me - I'm left handed

V - Vegetable you don't like - yam /arvi coz I mistake it for aloo and its not as yummy

W - Worst habit - Laziness.

X - X-rays you have had- Dental, hand

Y - Your favorite food - Chinese

Z - Zodiac - Capricorn

Jerk seasoned chicken with redchilli and lime sauce

2008-02-05T19:38:00.002-05:00

Biryani, khorma,tandoori chicken, kababs, kheer,haleem , jalebi, 20 different kind of shrimp dishes, kofta,as newlyweds (got married a month back) this is just a sample of the pleasures our tastebuds recieved .Unfortunately our digestive system and worse our waistlines did not take to kindly these delicacies.
So we resolved to go low fat/low calorie, in our everyday dishes. With zero expectations from Indian cuisine I rushed to cook up some thing american. At the foodnetwork website I came across a bunch of jerk seasoned recipies, made my own taking something from each and used for my grilled chicken. But the proportions were too low so my chicken turned out bland so I made the sauce to go with it. I've fixed the proportions so hopefully it should turn out ok.

4 limes
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 white onions finely chopped
2 green chiles
2 tbl spoon cups low sodium soy sauce
2 chicken breasts cut into smaal pieces
3 tsp black pepper
2 tsp redchilli flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 strips capsicum
salt to taste
oil if not using non stick grill

For sauce

red chilli flakes + tomato sauce or red chilli sauce
salt to tase
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

1) Wash and cut chicken,apply salt and leave aside till u mkae the rest of the seasoning . The salt helps reduce the smell.

2) Cut the lime into two and microwave for a min . The rind oils should come out . Leave aside after microwaving to cool and squeezr it out. Grate some zest in.

3) mix all the other ingredients except oild ang grind in blnder ot make a paste .

4) Leave cover and marinate for 2-4 hours

5) I used my foreman grill(see pic) coz I can grill with out oil i love tht thing

6) Meanwhile mix the sauce ingredients to gether to make a paste , adjust the flavour according to your taste .

7) Serve hot with rice or bread

Dahi Wada/Vada

2008-02-04T11:17:00.001-05:00

So here goes the first post on my blog its an excellent evening snack / party dish . I remmember someone asking me once if it was a south indian or a north indian dish . Since its a vada based dish it could be south indian but it comes under the chaat category whcih typically in north indian. Anyway who cares as long as it tastes amazing!

Dahi Vada
Serves 2-4 (Depending in your appetite!!!)

Urad ki dal /mash ki dal (the white one)- 1 cup
Yoghurt (can use fat free ) - 4 cups
Green chillies -2
Zeera /Cumin -2 table spoons
Rye - 1 tea spoon
Dried red chillies -2-3
Fresh coriander - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves -4-6
Red chilli powder - to taste
Chat masala - 1 tbl spoon
Sugar - to taste
Salt - to taste
Black pepper - to taste
Oil

Vadas

Soak the urad dal in water for an hour . We really dont need a longer soak coz we want to retain the coarseness to a certain extent .
Take the drained urad dal with equal amount of water in a mixer/grinder/food processor. Add salt , 1tsp red chilli powder, mintleaves , half the coriander, green chillies and 2 tsps Zeera .
Grind the mixture adding additional water till a thick falling consistency is achieved . Be careful to not make the mixture runny.
In a kadai heat oil ,when done make vadas by using a deep table spoon or one of those spoons used to serve dal .
Reduce the flame to medium and turn it up only at the end to make the vadas brown.
Lay out on tissue paper to soak out the oil

Dahi

Take the yoghurt in a bowl , add salt and sugar and whisk it with a spoon till a smooth consistency is achieved you should not need any extra water.
Add chat masala , pepper,red chilli powder

Setting the dish

The best dish ot serve would be a flattened glass baking dish or a casserrole
Add half the youghurt to the dish
Take a small bowl or a pastic storage box and fill in with water
Add the vadas few at a time in to the water , yes you heard it right into the water
Leave it in the water just till the crispiness is gone
Flatten the vada out with your two palms
Lay in out in the youghurt dish
Lay out the rest of the vadas and add youghurt between layers save some for the end
At the end add the remaining yoghurt

Tadka /baghar / tempering

After the whole dish is set take a small pan and add 1 table spoon of oil
When its hot add the following in this order few seconds apart - dried redchillies followed by rye seeds finally the remaining zeera
Once its fried add it over the dahi vada and spread
Sprinkle the rest of the coriander
Serve inmmediately with tamarind chutney

Ah A Food Blog

2008-02-01T16:48:00.002-05:00

I wanted to have my own food blog for the longest time, finally got my self one. Yipee!!! its like having your own cookery show, ok that was an exaggaration but never the less its a feat . And for this feat to turn into a feast stay tuned to this page .