Tales from the coast....Prawn curry

Most people love prawns unless they are allergic to them. Whether boiled, sauted, grilled, baked, fried, stewed, curried this versatile fish( actually crustacean) tastes good in all forms. The only tip to remember is to never overcook them. Then they get all hard, dry and rubbery. So just toss them in, wait for the color to change and out they go. If adding straight into the gravy, add during the final stages of cooking. Some recipes call for them to be cooked with their shell. While this gets a little messy to eat once you have managed to get beyond the top layer there is some flavorsome, soft flesh beneath.

Being from the coast, prawn were quite popular in our household and cooked with regular frequency. Mom tried several versions too- chilly prawns- stir fry the prawns with some soya, vinegar, bell pepper, chillies, onion, garlic and tomatoes to a succulent finish. Yumm!

And then of course Prawns in a mustard base, prawns in a coconut gravy. Actually prawns lend themselves quite easily to all kinds of cuisine- toss a handful into pasta, fry them with some butter and pepper, cook them with some rice and veggies for a most delicious pulao, add them to your salads for flavor, body and taste. You can do just about anything with prawns.

We cooked a more basic version for lunch today. Quite easy to prepare, just stir together a few basic ingredients and you are done. Delicious.

Prawn Curry

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Prawn: 250 grams, medium sized

Onion: 2, finely chopped

Garlic: 4/5 pods, finely chopped

Ginger: 1 inch, grated

Green cardamom: 3

Cinnamon: 2 inch sticks

Bay leaves: 2

Jeera/cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Tomato: 2, finely chopped

Potato: 2, cubed( ideally the same size as the prawns)

Ghee: 1 tsp

Mustard oil: 2/3 tbsp

Green chillies: 2

Cumin/Jeera powder: 1.5 tsp

Corriander/Dhania powder: 1 tsp

Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Method

• Heat the oil in a wok/kadai till it starts to smoke.
• Add the prawns( to which some turmeric and salt has been added), saute for a few minutes. Remember not to overcook them. Remove.
• Into the same wok add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, onion, garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add cardamom and cinnamon sticks.
• Add the cubed potatoes and cook.
• Next, mix the grated ginger and dry spices( cumin, corriander, turmeric and chilli powder) with a little bit of water and add it to the wok. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes soften.
• Add some warm water( about a cup or two) and let the gravy come to a boil. Add the prawn and let them cook for about 5/7 minutes or so. Add the slit green chillies. Check the salt and add more if necessary.
• Finish off with some ghee.
• Serve hot with plain steamed rice.

A very simple meal that leaves you feeling satiated- that I think is the power of simplicity.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Aaam ke aam guthliyon ke daam...

No, not one more post about mangoes. Done with them for this season I guess. This post is about a rather unusual dish that I got to sample about two weeks back. Delighted by the taste I have been asking for more.
Unless you are from Eastern India the dish will sound strange. It is made with Parwal(Potol) and Alu(Potato) peel. Yes, you read that right. Vegetable peel has uses beyond the face pack.

In the East we typically cook vegetable peel with some mustard paste( in the days of the joint families and tons of household help, enough vegetable peel got collected from a day's cooking). Mix the vegetable peel with the ground mustard paste and let it cook in the embers(remember most of the cooking got done in wooden fires) after all the cooking had been done. I have had this before. Both Grandma and later my Mom used to make this at home during my growing up years.

But this one made by my help from Bangladesh was quite different in texture/form and taste. Unless somebody told you that it was made from the vegetable's peel I bet you would not be able to guess. IncidentallyBangals make better cooks than ghottis( people from West Bengal). I have more friends from East Bengal and have sampled some great food. Potoler Kouda as it is called(I just discovered) is perfect as an accompaniment with plain rice or roti.

Potoler Kouda
serves: 2
Ingredients
Peel of about 14/15 medium sized potol/parwal
Peel of 2 large sized potatoes
Onion: 1 large onion, sliced fine
Kalonji/kala jeera: 1 tsp
Green chillies: 1/2( according to taste)
Oil: 2 tbsps

Method

• Boil the potato and potol peel for about ten minutes to soften them.


• Drain the water and grind to a fine paste along with 1/2 green chillies


• Heat the oil in a kadai( I am told the more oil you use for this dish the tastier it is going to be, I would suggest you stay with not more than 2 tbsps), add the kalonji and let them sputter.


• Next add the sliced onions and wait till they turn glassy.


• Add the ground paste and keep sauteing till it dries up and starts to leave the side of the kadai.


• Serve hot.

Made with the most basic of ingredients and packed with a lot of goodness and taste. Remember your early lessons, the peel has the maximum nutrition. It is the simplicity of this dish that makes it truly unique. I am told this tastes best with " sedho bhaat"( steamed rice). I have tried it as a spread on toast. While I know this is an unusual twist to a traditional dish it tastes quite nice. As I write the post I see the dish making its way as canape toppings, add some hung curd to it and viola a nice, spicy dip. Yes, some creativity and an experimentative palate will see this going places.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

On home turf...

I quite like the geographical diversity in the last three posts( this one included). One from Far East, Thai Green Curry, one from the West, Pizza so this one had to be from my homeland. A dish prepared quite regularly in my household and relished especially by the adults.

In the East we often combine fish with other green vegetables. The typical Macha Jhola/Fish curry( that is staple diet in most Odiya households) has vegetables like potato, bhindi, brinjal, cauliflower etc. This makes the dish balanced in terms of nutrients, flavorsome in terms of taste and economical on the purse strings(prawns are going at Rs.400/ a kilo and a family of four could happily eat about half a kilo at one go).

Adding fish to lesser mortals like "lau/bottle gourd"(that is the standard perception about vegetables in most non-veg consuming households, a quick disclaimer I love vegetables and eat all of them without exception) gives it a face/place lift and ensures a wider appeal. Most people I know do not like Lau/Bottle gourd but absolutely love the Lau- Chingudi(prawn) combo. The sweet taste of Lau is balanced by the spicier Chingudi/prawn.

Lau Chingudi(Bottle Gourd with prawns)

Ingredients

Prawns/Chingudi: 200 grams(ideally the really small ones though I have used the larger sized ones here by default)

Bottle Gourd/Lau: One medium sized, chopped into cubes

Jeera/Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Tej Pata/Bay leaves: 1/2 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Sugar: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric/Haldi powder:1/2 tsp

Green chillies:1/2, slit on top

Jeera/cumin powder: 1 tsp

Dhania/Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Green Corriander/Dhania patta: 2/3 tbsps

Oil: 1/2 tsp, ideally mustard oil

Method

This is a dish with very few ingredients. The seasoning needs to be subtle and should not overpower the flavor/taste of the main ingredients namely Lau and Chingudi. Given that prawns are very high in cholesterol try and use it more like a flavoring for the dish.

Add a little bit of salt and turmeric to the prawns and shallow fry them in a Kadai. This should take you only a couple of minutes as prawns cook very quickly. Do not overcook the prawns as they would then turn rubbery. Remove.

Into the same kadai add some jeera, bay leaves, green chillies and saute for a few minutes. Then add the Lau and the rest of the seasoning(salt, sugar, turmeric powder, jeera and dhania powder).

Cover and cook for a few minutes till the Lau softens. Lau will release a lot of water as it cooks so you will need to keep opening the lid a couple of times as it cooks.

Add the cooked prawns, mix well. Cook for a few more minutes.

Garnish with the green corriander.

While making Lau Chingudi try and keep the rest of your menu simple. Maybe plain rice and a moong daal. Provided warmth, coziness and comfort.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Weaving magic around the table......

Growing up in small town India was a lot of fun. You walked to school, your school friends were also your neighbors, you cycled on high streets(read main roads) without a care in the World, you created your own games, your dolls had names other than Barbie and the doll's wardrobe was courtesy your Mom. You also had lots and lots of unexpected guests. This was the pre- mobile phone era where even the penetration of landlines/STD booths was abysmally low. Guests would many a times drop in out of the blue and close to meal times. But Mom had a way of tackling these situations. She stayed calm and before we knew almost like a magician she would have added several more dishes to the daal- chawal menu. Her invisible wand produced the most delicious papads, pickles, chutneys, salads and raitas. Some/all of this on the table made it appear a lot more elaborate than it was initially intended to be.

When it came to raitas, the cucumber with tomato and onion was most common. However if there was less time or Mom decided to use the cucumber- tomato combo for the salad, then it would be dahi boondi as raita.

Accompaniments do play a big part in Indian cuisine. They help spice up the food, break the monotony of everyday menus and add immensely in terms of taste/flavor. All of this without too much additional time/effort.

Dahi Baigan(Brinjal in yoghurt) is a traditional Odiya dish, classified as raita/relish. It is a regular meal accompaniment in most Odiya households especially in the hot summer months. The brinjal and yoghurt combination gives it a really unusual taste and flavor.

Dahi Baigan

Ingredients

Brinjal: 2 medium sized brinjal( choose the bharta baigans as these do not have too many seeds)

Curd: 400 grams

Curry leaves: 10

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Corriander leaves: 1 tbsp

Sugar:1/4 tsp

Salt: To taste

Oil: 2 tsps

Method

Cut the brinjal into length wise quarters (2 inch long pieces). Leave the skin on. Smear some salt and turmeric over it. Leave for a few minutes.

Heat the oil and shallow fry the brinjals till done. Keep them aside and allow them to cool.

Next, whip the curd with sugar and salt. Add the fried brinjal pieces to it.

Heat the kadai( use the same one on which you have fried the brinjals), fry curry leaves, mustard seeds and green chillies. Season the curd with the same.

Garnish with chopper corriander.

Note: It is important to keep the proportion of Brinjal to less than half of the quantity of curd.

You can make an easy dip with the leftover dahi baigan. Remove the baigan pieces, mash it in a blender/mixie. Add it back to the whipped curd. Sprinkle some chat masala. Use this to top plain crackers or serve it along with some potato chips.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Happy New Year......

Enough and more has been said about soups. Warms the body and comforts the soul. Equally popular among dieters and foodies. Technically an appetizer but can be tweaked to make it a main course dish.

Mercury has been dropping steadfastly and soups continue to hold forte at my dinner table. It is therefore obvious that my posts too would center around them. A soup and sandwich combo is also way easier to put together( with fewer dirty dishes at the end) than most other meals.

This time it is mushroom which I love in any form, pizza topping, as Chinese chilli, Indian curries, in pulaos. Actually in just about anything. The World though is clearly divided into two groups, those who love mushrooms and those who hate the vegetable. Thankfully for me even the boys love mushroom, in terms of popularity Broccoli tends to be a notch higher.

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

Mushroom: 200 grams/one packet of mushroom, chop them fine

Onions: 2/3 medium sized ones chopped

Milk: 1 cup

Salt: To taste

Pepper: 2 tsps, freshly ground

Oil: 1 tsp

Method

Quite like how you make the Cream of Broccoli soup except that here you puree only part of the mushrooms.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the onions and fry till they turn glassy. Next add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes.

Scoop out a little bit from this( about 2 tbsps) and puree it in a blender. Add it back to the kadai. Add one cup of milk and one cup of water. Give it a boil and then simmer on low. Add some salt and pepper to it. If you like your soup even thicker you could add a tsp of maida or cornflour to the same.

Serve hot.

Add some boiled, cubed chicken to the leftover mushroom soup, thicken it a little more with the flour and you have your very own Chicken Stroganoff, with hardly any effort.

This is my last post for the year. Wishing all of you a very happy food-filled year ahead.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Going Green....

Come Winter and soup becomes an integral part of our dinner menu. And when you are making a soup every evening you want it to both look and taste different from what you made the previous day. Variety helps make the meal more interesting, "soup of the day", becomes the topic of discussion around the dinner table( keeps the boys from squabbling) and these days provides 'fodder' for my posts. There are times when I get so excited with my new find that I forget to click a picture. By the time I realize this, it is all gone.

Typically a clear chicken soup works best for that stuffed nose and sore throat. Add some boiled noodles/wantons or vegetables to that and you have a complete meal.

When it comes to vegetarian soups the thick, creamy ones tend to be more popular. They have more body and are quite filling. You could make a thick soup with just about anything; potato, broccoli, mushroom, cauliflower, peas etc.

Broccoli soup is quick to make and has a rich, creamy texture. My husband insists I have added some cream when there really is none. As with most other soups this goes well with a warm salad and some garlic bread/soup sticks

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

Broccoli: 1 small sized, cut into small sizes florets.

Milk: 1 cup

Onions: 2 medium sized, finely chopped

Salt: 1 tsp

Pepper: 1 tsp

Butter: 1 tsp

Method

Heat the butter in a kadai. Add the onions and saute till the onions turn glassy. Add the Broccoli. Saute for a while. Add the salt and pepper. Cover and cook till done. Allow it to cool down. Keep a few small pieces for the garnish and puree the rest in the mixie.

Put this mixture back on the stove. Add one cup of water and one cup of milk. Mix well and cook on slow flame for about 10 minutes. Garnish with the fried Broccoli and serve hot.

The soup looks a beautiful light green color and cues health. You could substitute the butter with some olive oil or any other refined oil.

There is nothing like a steaming hot bowl of soup on a cold winter night or a damp rainy one. It comforts from within. You feel its warmth as it flows down the throat and leaves you satiated. But if you were me, you would be asking for more.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Do it sweet.....

Chutneys help spice up an otherwise boring meal. There is no limit to the number of chutneys and they can be made from any vegetable/fruit/herb/spices or a combination of them. My Mom recently made a chutney where she combined some sweet grated mango chutney with some hung curd and a handful of fresh mint( from my kitchen garden). Possibilities are endless really(like everything else) and most chutneys also double up as sandwich spreads, dips. I have even added leftover pudina/dhania chutneys into gravies to spice them up.

Tomato chutney or Chatni as it referred to is the most common form of Chutney in the

Eastern part of the country. A quintessential part of Bengali wedding menus. The elaborate wedding menu usually finishes with tomato Chutney and papad. You literally lick your fingers to the finish. The best way to enjoy this chutney is to savour it bit by bit, to let the sweetness with a tinge of sour pervade through your senses.

Adding Aaam Papad( or Aaam Shato as it is called in Bengali) or Khajur makes the chutney more flavorsome. Aam Papad adds body to the chutney and gives it a nice sweet and sour taste.

Tomato Aaam Papad Chutney

Ingredients

Tomato: 1/2 kilo, medium size tomato

Aam papad: 5/6 cubes, chopped into small bits

Sugar: 4/5 tbsp

Salt: To taste

Panch Phoran: 1 tsp(Panch phoran is cumin, fennel, nigella, fenugreek, mustard seeds mixed in equal quantity)

Oil: 1 tsp

Whole Jeera: 2 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a kadhai. Once the oil heats up add the panchphoran and let it sputter. Next add the tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add the sugar and let it dissolve completely. Add the salt. Finally add the aam papad. Dry roast the Jeera seeds and coarsely grind them. Sprinkle it over the chutney. Let the Chutney cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Serve cold.

Chutneys stay well for days and are healthier than pickles( which tend to be high on oil, that killer salt and spices). Ideal when you are entertaining as you can make it a day or two early.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

More tales about soups and salads.....

The mercury has dropped several notches since my last post. I find myself spending more time in the kitchen( it is the coziest place in the house). But there is lots happening outside the home too like the Delhi Heritage Walks, Music in the Park, Some wonderful movies, Plays Friends and families dropping into town etc. and so it has to be " Interesting, tasty food in the least possible time".

Last night we had stew( refer earlier post for details), garlic bread roundels( from Modern Bazaar, discovered Modern Bazaar in Arjun Market, a foodie's delight stocks up on breads, soups, condiments, exotic vegetables- you name it and they have it) and some Chicken salad. My Mom had taught me this dish when I barely knew the basics. It has been a favorite with the family ever since. While chicken and cabbage form the base of this dish you can also add finely chopped beans and carrots to it.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Shredded Chicken: 1 cup. Typically when I am making a stew or soup I remove a few pieces for the salad and shred them

Capsicum: Half a medium sized capsicum, chopped really fine

Onions: One large onion, chopped fine

Cabbage: Quarter of a medium sized cabbage, shredded fine (should be roughly about 3/4^th cup). Cabbage gives this salad a really crunchy texture. If you are using cabbage that has been in the refrigerator for a couple of days then refresh it in ice cold water to which a few drops of vinegar has been added

Mayonnaise: 1 tbsp

Milk: 2 tbsp

Lime juice: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste

Freshly ground pepper: 1 tsp. I love using the pepper crusher ......the aroma of freshly ground pepper as it tumbles out in thin flakes. And ever since my SIL gifted me this crusher I have started making a lot more “peppery stuff”.

Method

This is really a one step process. Mix the shredded chicken, cabbage, capsicum and onions together. Mix the mayo and the milk (this is a little trick my dietician had taught me, helps you halve the calories) and add to the salad. Next the lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well.

This is a very versatile salad. Goes well with a soup/stew and bread. You can also use it as a filling for your sandwiches, as a canapé topping, as a pizza topping. The possibilities are really endless.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and use within 2/3 days.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

P.S.: I also picked up some Roopak Biryani Masala( coarsely ground whole spices) from Modern Bazaar and am all set to make some Chicken Pulao for our Sunday lunch.

Salads.....

Gone are the days when salads were referred to as "ghaas phoos". In fact now there are really interesting salads and we have begun treating them as main course. Go to a restaurant look at the menu and say : " I think I will just have a salad". Sounds familiar? Then you have company.

A salad, soup and sandwich( if the boys are feeling really hungry) is often our dinner on Winter weekends. Given that salads need to be prepared a little before they are actually served (for the dressing to get soaked up), makes for easy meal times.

This is a quick salad and most of the ingredients would be easily available at home.

Salad Meal

Boiled Pasta: About a handful. Cut up boiled pasta into smaller pieces.

Shredded chicken: Leftover curried chicken works well too. Debone the piece and shred them. It is a good way to use leftovers.

Raisins: A handful.

Almonds: 4/5, finely chopped

Apple: 1 apple( leave the peel on), chopped into small pieces

Vegetables: 1/2 cup, Carrots, onion and peas: Chopped and Boiled. In fact keep boiled veggies handy as you can use them to rustle up a meal in no time. Even Maggi( instant noodles) with some added vegetables makes for a wholesome meal.

Cucumber: 1/2 cup, with the peel, de-seeded and chopped finely

Tomatoes: 1, de-seeded and finally chopped( you can add the seed/pulp to another gravy dish)

Maynonnaise: 1 tbsp. Take about 1 tbsp of mayo and mixed it with about half a cup of milk. This helps you halve the quantity of mayo( my dietician's tip) and gives a ' free flowing consistency' to the dressing.

Herbs: Rosemary/Thyme/Oregano( take your pick, can also used mixed herbs). I usually save the Pizza toppings and use them in salad dressings, to season stir fry's.

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and toss the salad around.

Served chilled.

If you are a vegetarian you could skip the chicken and add more vegetables to the salad.

Can be served as a main meal or as an accompaniment.