With malice towards one and all.......

Let me start this post with a simple food quiz to check familiarity/awareness?
Dahibara/Dahiwada- familiar?
Alu dam- familiar?
Ghuguni/Patiala Matar/Matra- familiar?
 Most of you would I am sure have got a yes for the first three. Now for the clincher,
Dahiwada+ Alu dam+ Ghuguni all served as a snack combo- familiar?
How many Non-Odias got a yes to the last one? If you happen to be one then you are definitely in the minority. And I can safely assume that either you have good Odia friends and have been subjected to Odia hospitality or have travelled to Odisha more specifically to Cuttack where this used to the most popular snack. I say used to be because today it is no longer just a snack. It has replaced every possible meal. People start and end their day with this combo. You are never too full for ADDB(Alu dam dahi bara). For some strange reason the ghuguni gets underplayed. Maybe that makes the name a mouthful. So before, after, in between meals. When you are hungry and also after you are stuffed.

People from Cuttack are crazy about their ADDB(with all due respect I must add that I am using the shortened version for mere convenience). I know of people( and neither of them shall be named here) who pre-order a couple of plates( to friends/family members of course) while they are on their way to Cuttack. It needs to be their first meal (Maa ke hathon wala khana can wait a bit- Maa having lived long enough in Cuttack will definitely not mind).

And don't you dare dismiss this off as mere street food. The brand name plays a big part here. There are clear camps- the ones who like the  'Raghu' brand of ADDB and there are others who prefer brand ' Bhagi'. These are individuals who have been making and selling ADDB for generations. They enjoy semi-god like status and have facebook pages dedicated to them. Each camp defends their brand very strongly. Reminds me of the East Bengal- Mohan Bagan warring groups one came across in Kolkata- yes, the same level of passion and enthusiasm. And NEVER ever attempt passing one brand for the other( the loyalists are quick to identify the brand even visually when sent as a photograph- I can vouch for this). ADDB is carried from Cuttack to various parts of the country and across continents( this is no exaggeration). The die-hards insist that it is not the same as eating the ones made at home.

As for me I started with a lot of scepticism- dahi bara with alu dam( why not with the regular imli chutney as the rest of the country enjoys it). Let me quickly clarify that I did like all three and used to eat them separately with other accompaniments. So dahibara with imli chutney, alu dam with paratha/ puri and ghuguni again with paratha or puri or roti. I did not seen any sense in mixing all of them into this hotchpotch. When served I would politely eat it but never really did enjoy the taste. And then slowly over the years I grew to like it(maybe it is an acquired taste- you acquire it when you marry somebody from Cuttack). And now I am a complete convert. Though I am still not brand loyal( forgive me Raghu/Bhagi) but yes a trip to Cuttack does not seem complete without a plate of ADDB. Usually happens to be my first meal( but that must just be a coincidence).

I have also been making it quite regularly at home and have been introducing a lot of our friends to the combination. And today I strongly feel(okay you Cuttack people you can sneer) it is only a matter of time before ADDB gains popularity and starts selling as street food across the country. I would be happy to have played a small part in its journey.

Dahibara Aludam

Preparation time: 1 hour( soaking time 5/6 hours), Serves: 6 adults( or 2 Cuttakis)

Ingredients

For the Dahibara

White Urad Daa1: 1 cup, soak for 2/3 hours
Ginger: 1 tsp, finely chopped
Green chillies- finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For the Alu Dam

Baby potatoes: 300 grams

Whole Jeera(Cumin)- 1 tsp

Dhania( Corriander) powder: 1.5 tsp

Jeera(Cumin) powder- 1 tsp

Tomato- 2( grated)

Salt to taste

Garam Masala- a pinch

Oil- 2 tbsps

For the Ghuguni

Ghuguni Matar- 1 cup( also goes by the name Patiala matar or Matra)

Jeera/Cumin- 1 tsp

Dhania/coriander- 1 tsp

Ginger- 1 inch, ground to a paste

Garlic- 5 pods, ground to a paste

Salt to taste

Tomatoes- 2

Oil- 1 tbsp.

For the garnish

Onion- 1 , finely chopped
Green chillies- 2/3, finely chopped
Chilli powder- to taste
Roasted cumin powder- to taste
Cuttack mixture- 2 tsp per serve

Method

This requires you to make all the three parts separately and then assemble them together like a chaat.

Dahibara

• Grind the soaked Urad daal with a little bit of water to a fine paste. Add the salt, ginger and chillies and mix well.
• Heat some oil and drop the Urad batter into it like small balls( If you are a pro and can manage them with a hole in between- good show. I can't). Once the baras are done drop them into hot water and let them rest there for a while- about 10 minutes.
• Remove the baras, squeeze them between your palms and keep them on a plate.
• Mix the dahi with some water, salt, chilli powder and roasted and ground cumin and red chilli powder. Pour over the baras. Please note that this is of a much thinner consistency than the  North Indian version.

Aludam

• Boil the potatoes and remove the skin.
• Heat the oil and add the whole jeera to it. Once the Jeera browns add the boiled potatoes and fry them for a bit. Add the salt. Make a paste by mixing the Jeera and Dhania powder with a little bit of water and add. Next add the tomatoes and approximately about 2 cups of water. Finally add the garam masala

Ghuguni

• Boil the ghuguni and keep aside
• Heat the oil and fry all the masala. Add the boiled ghuguni.
• Adjust the water.

To assemble

• Layer the bowl or plate with some dahibara, then add the alu dam and ghuguni. Garnish with onion, green chillies, chilli powder, roasted jeera powder and mixture.
• Serve immediately
• Dig in

Take a bow at having mastered this elaborate dish. Make sure to thank Raghu, Bhagi and all the people from Cuttack.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Inlaws and Outlaws.....

Growing up in Odisha Rasgullas (Rossogollas to some of you) were available in plenty. Every street shop round the corner was sure to have them. They were the most popular sweet going and lent themselves to any meal big or small. You served them to guests, at the end of a wedding meal along with kheer, you made Rasmalai with leftover Rasgullas, you even dipped parathas into the extra syrup and had them for breakfast. Puri, Alu subzi and Rasgulla was of course the classic breakfast combo and a safe one if you had guests over. Everybody loved Rasgullas. And nobody ever made them at home. They were always meant to be bought and the mithaiwalas excelled in them. And so I had thought life would always be.

A few years later we moved to Chennai where one did not get good Rasgullas. What was peddled in the guise of ' Bengali sweets' was a far cry from the Rasgullas I had been used to- they had this syntheticish taste and almost seemed like one had dunked blotting paper into sugar syrup. I declared that I was better off eating Rasgullas only during the annual visit home. Though people coming down from the Eastern part of the country were kind enough to cart them for us.

It was around this time that my husband's Uncle visited us from Canada. I happened to mention that while we loved the city and were otherwise happily settled we did miss Odia sweets and often craved for them. He empathised with us as he had gone through a similar experience when he moved to Canada- in the late 60's there were a handful of places that sold Indian sweets and even the few that did sold Barfis and Pedas( longer shelf life and catered to the large migrant population from the Northern part of India).  And so he had gone ahead and learnt to make them himself. That got me really excited and interested. With just a wee bit of cajoling he was willing to make them for us.

I watched him make the Rasgullas not once but during each one of his trips to India. Yes, I must shamelessly confess that a part of his holiday time did go in making Rasgullas for us. I am so thankful for his indulgence.  I observed, assisted and watched closely. I learnt that he did not drain the water completely from the paneer, that he kneaded the dough patiently for a long time and then took a little bit of it in between his palms and rolled them 'lightly' into a ball. He also dropped the balls quite gingerly into the syrup. And he seemed happiest when they were all gone in minutes.

And then finally one day I was brave enough to make them on my own. A couple of attempts and I think I have now got them near perfect. Maybe not as good as Dada (Uncle) but I am getting there.

 

Rasgulla

Preparation Time: 45 minutes( 30 minutes of kneading time), Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 litres of full cream milk

Sugar: 1 cup
Sooji/Semolina: 2 tsp( 1 tsp for every litre of milk)
Vinegar: 2/3 tbsp.
Green Cardamom: 2/3

Method

• Boil the milk. Curdle it into chenna/paneer using the vinegar. Let it stand for about 5 minutes and then drain out the water. (You could add the whey to your dough for tastier rotis or parathas- I usually end up throwing it).
• Let a little bit of the water remain in the chenna/paneer (don't let it dry out too much) else the Rasgullas will turn out quite hard/chewy.
• Spread the chenna/paneer out on a plate and add the semolina/sooji to it.
• Mix them together and knead the dough. You should knead the dough for about 30 minutes. I watched TV(helped) as I sat there kneading. The more you knead the softer the Rasgulla as they swell up really well.
• Next take a bit of the dough and roll it between your palms to make them into little round balls. Two litres should get you about 30/40 Rasgullas. By this time your palms would be covered in a layer of oil- that means you are doing it right. Keep the balls aside.
• Make sugar syrup in a deep kadai or pressure cooker(minus the lid) by boiling 1 cup of sugar in about 4 cups of water. Add 2/3 green cardamom to the syrup.
• Drop the chenna/paneer balls into the syrup one by one(give them one final roll before you drop them as this helps retain the shape).
• Let them boil for about 15 minutes- they should have become at least three to four times of their original size.
• Switch off the gas and let the Rasgullas soak in the syrup.
• Once the Rasgullas have cooled down transfer into an airtight container and leave them in the refrigerator overnight.
• Serve the following day or after they have been in the syrup for 6/8 hours. Now if you think I am stretching your patience do remember that most sweet shops make Rasgullas at night and sell them the next day.
• You could warm them for about 10 seconds in the microwave before you serve. I know many of you will prefer it cold.

There is sheer joy in watching the chenna balls metamorph into Rasgullas. I usually stay almost glued to the spot and watch these little devils swell up in size. Seems almost magical.

I know I will sleep easy tonight thinking about the sweet treat that awaits me at breakfast.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!   

Of G Jams and Hot Sams......

During my growing up years (yes, many moons ago) there was an India Today article on Delhi Campus lingo. This was of course years before the advent of mobile phones and sms language( brb, btw would have been dismissed off as gibberish in an era where people spoke only the Queen's language). So the author had written with some amusement about how college students were getting into the habit of shortening everything and the traditional syrupy sweet Gulab Jamuns were being referred to as G Jams. This was also around the time when burgers and Pizzas were making their entry into India and I guess the traditional fare had to quickly re-invent itself(nomenclature change seemed like the quickest and easiest) to compete in times where anything Western was hip and happening. Yes, much has changed today(Jai Ho!) and there is pride like never before in everything Indian.

Coming back to the article, me and my siblings in small town India were suitably impressed and started to use them in our conversations.  In any case it was soon part of College lingo in most parts of the country. Whether I referred to them as Gulab Jamuns or G Jams they have been a personal favourite(they come second only to piping hot, crisp Jalebis). In fact during a recent holiday when I refused Gulab Jamuns(part of the buffet dessert spread), the boys exchanged hurried glances and realized that Mom was indeed angry. I heard the younger one whisper " but she never says no to Gulab Jamuns". They seem more perceptive than husband dearest.

I have always had the store bought/mithai shop stuff. Would microwave them for 30 seconds and try and resist having more than one. Even when I have eaten it at other people's homes these have invariably been bought from the local mithaiwala. I did sample some "homemade readymix" types and I am sorry to say but they are not a patch on the original. And even the best of the chefs have never managed to get it to taste like Gulab Jamuns( either a soggy, lumpy consistency or rock hard balls in a thin watery syrup).

So I was really fascinated when my friend R told me that she made her Gulab Jamuns from scratch and they tasted really good. While R is a very good cook but I was still not convinced if she had managed to get this one right. So we fixed a lunch date and after a delicious meal we set out to make to make the Gulab Jamuns. She had already done the basic preparatory work of soaking the Sooji(Semolina) and measuring out all the other ingredients. And I was an eager and helpful assistant. I did the mixing and kneading and made the G Jams under her expert guidance. The most difficult part was the " standing time" as R called it where you put the fried balls into the syrup and wait. It is hard and maybe the best thing for you to do is to go take a walk( literally). It was worth the wait and I greedily helped myself to a couple of them. They tasted delicious and are near perfect.

Gulab Jamun

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

Sooji/Semolina: 100 grams(3/4th cup)
Khoya: 250 grams
Sugar: Approximately two cups, you may need to adjust this after tasting the syrup
Refined oil: Enough to fry( about 1 cup)
Green cardamom(optional): 1/2
Patience: Plenty, especially towards the end

Method

• Soak the Sooji in water- just enough to cover it for about two hour. The Sooji should have soaked up the water by the time you start the actual cooking.
• Thaw the Khoya in the microwave for about 30 seconds( if you have stored it in the refrigerator and I would strongly recommend you do as it would tend to spoil).
• Knead the Khoya and Sooji together for about 15/20 minutes. They should come together like a softer roti dough and there should be no lumps.
• Make small balls out of the dough- you should get anywhere between 22 and 25.
• Fry the balls in medium flame till they turn dark brown and keep aside to cool down.
• Make the sugar syrup( this takes a while so I would suggest you let the sugar syrup simmer before you get started with the kneading) by adding the two cups of sugar to about three cups of boiling water, add the green cardamom, let the syrup thicken on low flame. When the syrup starts to thicken check if it is done by taking a little bit between your thumb and index finger(watch out it will be hot- so take some in a spoon, blow it for a few second first and then check)- as you try and separate your finger you should see a thin string kind of thing( " ek taar" as it called in Hindi) then you know it is done.
• Drop the balls into the syrup and give it about an hour of standing time.
• And then help yourself to some freshly made, warm Gulab Jamuns. Close your eyes and feel them just melt in your mouth.

Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. These keep well for days(so hot, cold or in the pot seven days old) but let me see how you get them to survive beyond day two- yes, it is a challenge!

You could serve them with Vanilla ice-cream or even custard, halve them and top it with malai and nuts(like Malpua). But I like my G Jams just by themselves.

Bon Appetite! Happy cooking and happy eating. Happy me at the end of this post.

Basic Instinct

Given all the talk around food porn I thought a header like " Basic Instinct" was sure to grab eyeballs. While the post has to do with a primal need namely food and that too comfort food the attempt has been to amplify/dramatize. And isn't that what a lot of food writing/recipes are about- give it an unusual name, a twist here- a turn there and a you have a brand new avatar. Many a times these do help create interest in long forgotten or lesser know dishes. And in sharp contrast the recipe that I discuss below is a far cry from any such frills. Its strength and appeal lies in its simplicity. The kind of food that you reach out to when you are looking for warmth and nourishment from within. Dishes that use a minimum of ingredients and spices but yet taste fabulous. One bite and you are filled with nostalgia. You immediately( at least in your head) start to reminisce about Mom/Grand mom's cooking and happy, carefree times. Coming back in the good old days to that familiar aroma and knowing in your heart that 'all was well.'  

Dalma is staple in Odia households. Roti and dalma for dinner is possibly the most common menu you would come across and this cuts across socio economic classes. It is really easy to prepare, in three quick steps- boil daal, add vegetables and then the tempering. You are done. Retains an earthy flavour and tastes delicious. 

Dalma(Yellow lentil cooked with vegetables)

Serves 6, Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Arhar daal/toor daal)- 1 cup

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Ginger- 1/2 an inch- pounded

Mixed vegetables(you could use your own combination of vegetables but a mix of starchy and green ones work best- any four from the ones mentioned below)- chop all vegetables the same size.

         Potatoes- 2, quartered(large chunks)

         Brinjal- 1 large, cut into large pieces

         Parwal- 3/4 halved

         Pumpkin- Half a slice( about 1/2 cup when cubed)

         Broad beans- 2/3, chopped into large pieces

         Colocasia- 2, halved

         Green banana- remove skin and chop

Grated coconut- 1/2 tbsp.

Ghee: 1 tbsp.

Whole cumin(Jeera) - 1 tsp

Red chillies- 2/3

Roasted cumin and red chilli powder- 2 tsp( dry roast cumin and red chillies separately and coarsely grind them together. Store in an airtight jar and use as required- 2 tbsp of cumin with 3/4 red chillies)

Salt to taste

Method 

• Pressure cook the daal with 3/4 cups of water, salt and turmeric. You must end up with a fairly runny consistency.
• Transfer the cooked daal to a large kadai/wok. Bring the daal to boil. Add the ginger, vegetables - one by one starting with potatoes then followed by the others.
• Cover and cook for a while on low heat and then open and cook.There could be some scum on top, ladle it out.
• Once the vegetables are done, separately prepare the tempering/tadka. Heat the ghee, add the whole cumin seeds, once they sputter add the red chillies and sauté for a minute or two. Add this to the daal vegetable mix.
• Top with the grated coconut and the roasted cumin/chilli powder.
• Serve hot with plain steamed rice or hot chappatis.
• Enjoy.

There are modern day variations of Dalma with onions( one could sauté some onions in ghee and then add the pressure cooked daal to it) and tomatoes( add it with the other vegetables). But I love it in its purest satwik form. It also make for a complete meal and tops my list of one dish healthy meals. Best had freshly prepared and the taste lingers in your mind for hours afterwards.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

One Potato, Two Potato...Seven Potato more

Potato or aloo is probably the most commonly used vegetable in Indian households. Counted among one of the three staple vegetables- onion and tomato following close behind. When entertaining you are usually safe when you make a potato dish. Universally liked though some may choose not to eat it thanks to it also being much maligned in the recent past( weight gain, high starch etc.).

If like me you happen to be from the Eastern part of the country potato makes an appearance in almost every meal and dish. So part of our mutton curries, fish jhols, mixed veggie, mashed potatoes and of course made as a stand alone dish with numerous variations. As a starter, main course, side dish and even a dessert with cousin 'sweet potato'

The inspiration for today's blog comes from the fact that I cooked a potato dish with exactly the same set of ingredients as I have done in the past but a tweak here and a chop there and a dish that tastes really different and delicious.

Right now I am on a mission to source authentic recipes from different parts of the country and make it exactly the way it is made there. Friends are happily obliging. This one comes from my true blue Punjabi friend A. A is very precise with her instructions/measures and it is usually easy to get the recipe right the first time round. She is also generous about parting with her short cuts and tips which make her recipes fool proof.

Aloo Subzi( also referred to as Puri Aloo wali Aloo ki Subzi)

Serves 4, Preparation time- 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Medium sized potatoes: 5
Red, plump tomatoes: 4
Ginger: 1/2 inch
Jeera/Cumin: 1 tsp
Amchoor(Dry Mango powder) : 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp or to taste
Garam Masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Refined oil: 1 tbsp.( A strongly recommends you use ghee)
Freshly chopped green coriander: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Chop the ginger finely, cut the potato into thick roundels (Now this is a variation from how we make it- we usually boil and cube the potatoes and add to the gravy. Even when adding them raw to the masala potato is usually cubed/diced. The only time I cut potato into roundels is when I make Moussaka; http://yumeats.blogspot.in/2010/12/i-strike-gold.html) and dice the tomatoes.
2. Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cumin and finely chopped ginger. Saute for a few minutes.
3. Next, add the diced tomatoes and cook till the oil starts to separate. This should take you about 7/10 minutes. You will need to be a little patient as this would involve cooking the tomatoes even after they turn squishy soft.
4. Add the potato roundels, salt and red chilli powder ( again I would have added haldi/turmeric at this stage- but I think the absence of it gives the gravy a very distinctive colour and taste). Stir them around making sure the masala coats the potatoes.
5. Add some hot water( about a cup), close the lid of the pressure cooker and let the potatoes cook for 10/15 minutes(one whistle and then on low for about ten minutes).
6. Let the pressure cooker cool down. Open the lid and mix the potatoes with the gravy. Some will tend to break- this adds thickness to the gravy.
7. Then add amchur and the garam masala, mix them up well.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander.
9. Serve hot with Pooris( well some of us have to contend ourselves eating them with Rotis/Phulkas- tastes as good- almost).

Bon Apetit and Happy Eating!

P.S: This simple dish is somehow addictive. You are more likely to make this potato dish each time.

 

Sesame Street.....

Sunday lunch: Chinese konji, Honey mustard chicken and Sesame Beans

It has been a relaxed weekend and we are enjoying the last of the Winters. Come summer and one wants to stay miles away from the kitchen.

I love re-reading my posts, brings the food memories back. As I was leafing through some my earlier posts I realized that I tend to be a little partial to non-vegetarian food. We do eat a fair amount of veggies and I for one love veggies in all forms, shapes and types. As I child Mom never ever had to force me to have my veggies. Though I must admit that putting together a good vegetarian menu for non-vegetarians is quite a challenge. In contrast, Chicken inherently appeals and you can rarely go wrong with the dish. However to get a 8/10 on vegetables needs a lot more effort.

Coming to today's dish- Sesame Beans, served as an accompaniment with rice and chicken. You could also serve it along with boiled potatoes and grilled/roast chicken. Beans are really versatile as vegetables- they lend themselves with equal ease to Indian, Chinese and Continental food. They are great as fries/bhajis, add color and crunch to salads, a must have in Chinese food. If you have carrots, peas and beans combine you can put together an interesting pulao in minutes. In my house it is a staple vegetable along with the usual potato, onion and tomato. Most people I know like beans as a vegetable. I love the tender ones- they cook so quickly and taste delicious.

Sesame Beans

Cooking time: 10 minutes, serves: 4

Ingredients

Tender French Beans: 500 grams, cut into long pieces( cut each bean into three)

Sesame oil/Vegetable oil: 2 tsp

Chili oil: 1 tsp( helps spice up an otherwise bland dish)

Chili flakes: Snip and crush two regular dry red chili (these contrast well with the green beans and white sesame) or save the extra topping that comes with Pizza

Sesame seeds: 2 tbsp

Method

• Steam the beans for about 2 minutes( you could do this in the microwave as I did). Refresh in cold water. This keep the beans green and crunchy.
• Heat the oil( combine the oils) in a wok. Add the crushed red chili. Once the pepper starts to sputter and smoke(I love these descriptions, they help create so much drama around basic recipes, makes the experience come alive in the post) add the beans and saute for a few minutes.
• Next add the sesame seeds and toss so that the beans are covered with the same.
• Remove and serve hot

Altogether it was an interesting combination of flavors- bland konji, pungent mustard chicken and spicy beans. Now for some Sunday siesta.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Breaking Bread!

Happy New Year! I know I am late by more than a month and half but this happens to be my first post of the year. I have been busy cooking some interesting stuff, just not managed to write about them. Hopefully I am going to be more regular over the next few months.

There have been many firsts since the year started. I baked my first bread loaf. The inspiration for the bread and several related dishes(watch this space for more) came from the " loaf tins" that my sister gifted me. These are non-stick, easy release trays so you get the entire loaf out in a jiffy. No more post baking stress of loosening the edges, turning the dish over, giving it a few gentle knocks, waiting for the familiar thump and hoping that you have managed to get all of it onto the plate. Now I just wait for the loaf to cool and pull it out-straight way up.

As soon as I got the trays I knew I just had to bake bread. There is something almost zen like about lightly buttered fresh baked bread. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of patience this dish requires and the sense of peace you experience when you take your first bite( this is no exaggeration, mind you) . While the ingredients are few and except for the yeast readily available at home the stages take time( no, there are no short cuts) and there are long waits in between. But it is well worth the wait my dears. And if you are clever and efficient as most homemakers are you would make good use of the waiting time to get the other accompaniments( soup/stew) ready. Or just curl up and watch your favorite TV show.

White Bread

Serves: 6, Preparation and Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

Flour- 7 level cups

Yeast- 1 tbsp( I bought mine from Modern Bazaar, Gurgaon)

Sugar- 1 tbsp

Salt- 1 tbsp

Warm water- 2.5 cups

Butter- 1 stick( ideally unslated, if using regular salted butter reduce the quantity of salt to 3/4th of a tablespoon)

Olive oil/Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

Method

• Start by 'proofing'the yeast. In a large mixing bowl add 1 tbsp of yeast to 1/2 a cup of warm water and a tbsp of sugar( you could add honey instead). The sweetener helps the yeast to bubble up, expand and rise. Takes about 15 minutes or so.
• Next add two cups of warm water and about 3 1/2 cups of flour( one cup at a time) and mix together. Very soon the dough would start to look like a sticky mess but don't you give up. In good time it will start to take shape.
• At this stage you could add the salt, butter and remaining flour( 3 1/2 cups) . Keep adding the flour bit by bit.
• Dust some flour on your rolling board or kitchen counter and start kneading the dough. You may add more flour if required. Follow three easy steps of push-fold-push for about ten minutes till the dough is no longer sticky( for beginners this could take a little longer).
• Next, grease a bowl with some vegetable oil( this helps the dough rise easily) and place the dough in the bowl. Leave it undisturbed for about an hour.
• The dough will rise to the top of the bowl. Here comes my favorite part- punch the dough to let all the air out.
• Butter the loaf pans. Eyeball and make two equal halves of the dough. (if you want to be precise you can weigh them). Knead the dough a few more times. Flatten it out with your hands and fold from both sides(like a wrap), pinch the edges. Lift gently and place in the pan. Cover with a cling film( grease the side that touches the dough with a little bit of oil).
• Let the dough sit in the loaf pan for close to an hour. The dough will rise again.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven( 200 degrees) for about 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the tin and bake on the rack for another ten minutes. This ensures that the crust is a rich, golden brown.
• Allow the bread to cool.
• Knock on the bread- you should hear a hollow sound. That means your bread is done just right.
• Cut with a serrated knife, lightly butter it while it is still warm and eat.

Mmmm! Delicious. Very few dishes equal the taste of freshly baked home-made bread. Once you have got your basic bread right you could try adding other ingredients like toasted sesame on top, some herbs or seasoning. I even tried one with Ragi(millet) flour and spinach.

Bon Apetit and Happy Baking!

Mumbai Meri Jaan....Pao Bhaji

It is Saturday morning. My second favorite time of the week- the first being Friday evening( quite obviously so). I love the facebook status updates on Friday. Everybody sounds so happy and relaxed.

Friday afternoons are a sharp contrast, I am rushing to complete all my deadlines, trying to ensure that I don't have too many work things to do over the weekend. Heaving a sigh of relief as the day ends. But this week was different. I spent the better part of Friday at a food shoot. It was fascinating to watch the photographer conceptualize the food story for each dish. He used props quite interestingly to amplify the key ingredients. While a lot of 'pristine white' crockery was used there were other interesting colors as well. White was often used as a backdrop for " pale/light colored food" to created that 'soft look' . Similarly rich, deep colors were used quite effectively to bring out 'stronger, sharper' flavors. All in all a fantastic experience and hopefully some of what I learnt will show in my cooking and blogging.

I got back home inspired to cook and blog over the weekend. Last night the boys had 'peanut chocolate fondue' as dessert. Break peanut jaggery bars(popularly knows as gud badam/chikki) into small pieces, twirl them in some molten chocolate and you have your quick fondue. Older one also dipped fruit and bread pieces into it. Working on more fondue recipes and hopefully something a little more interesting soon.

We started today with a Pao bhaji breakfast, typically we have it for dinner. 'Why this Kolaveri 'played in the background as we ate. Helped us relive our Chennai days. Hey! I just realized something- we are from the Eastern part of India, we now live in the North, we were eating a West Indian dish listening to a South Indian song. That is what I call National Integration. Jai Ho! And it has taken a blogpost for me to realize it.


Pao Bhaji(serves 4)


Ingredients
Onions: 2, finely chopped
Tomatoes: 3, again finely chopped
Mixed vegetables: About 500 grams, you can use beans, carrots, peas, potatoes, cauliflower
Pao bhaji masala: 3/4 tbsps, I swear by Roopak Masala. They also come in little PET bottles which helps retain the freshness for longer without having to take the trouble of transferring into another jar
Butter: 2 tbsps(optional- I can see the die hard Pao bhaji lovers protesting at this one)
Refined oil: 1 tsp
Lime juice: 2 tbsp
Pao buns: 2 per person

Method

• Pressure cook the mixed vegetables with half a cup of water. Mash them well and keep aside.



• Heat the oil in a wok, saute the onions. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Add the mixed vegetables, 3/4 tsps of Pao Bhaji Masala and a cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes.



• Add the butter and lime juice.



• Served hot garnished with some fresh, finely chopped corriander

Pao bhaji also serves well as a one dish meal. You can substitute the Pao with multigrain bread or even regular roti. I love the chatpata taste. Usually I save some leftovers for my lunch box.


Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!

From the land of butter and cream....Presenting Daal Makhni

I have never used as much butter and cream in one dish. Those of you who have read my earlier posts would have noticed that most of the dishes I write about are either low oil or no oil. Ironically this post(laden with butter and cream) follows the " Freedom from oil" post.

Well, in a weak moment I agreed to make " Daal Makhni" for sonny dear. In fact he played it out quite well, " Mom, you never make anything "rich"(emotional pressure), R's mother makes really nice Daal Makhni and Paneer Butter Masala(read come on Mom you ought to be the best)". That did it. Over the next few days I began my search for easy to prepare and authentic Punjabi recipes. Decided to start with Daal Makhni. Daal is considered a low involvement, low skill dish in most part of the country. Serves as an accompaniment and often passed over for other more interesting food . But in the North and for people from Punjab it is main course, staple food- Chole Kulche, Rajma Chawal, Tandoori Roti and Daal Makhni are popular combinations. There is a lot of painstaking effort that goes into making the perfect daal. Cooked on slow fire for hours, simmering brings out the flavor of the daals. So no quick pressure cooking and tempering.

This is As's( a true blue Punjabi) recipe. Her instructions were very precise and easy to follow. She also simplifies the steps which makes it easy for somebody making the dish for the first time. I think the best tip she gave me was to pick up " Roopak's Daal Makhni" masala. Roopak Masalas are easily available in most supermarkets in Delhi. I have used their Oregano seasoning, Dahi bhalla Masala, Biryani Masala. Thank God! for blended masalas, easy to replicate the taste each time. And like one of the ad says ' helps Mrs. Chawla make her Sambhar as good as Mrs. Reddy's'.

I love the concept of trying out food from different parts of the country/World. A global kitchen which is literally a melting pot of recipes, fusion food. Just thinking about it is exciting. And yes, the opportunity to make something new, different each day and for each meal. Wow! I was so excited about making this dish that I made it on a 'weekday' morning. Slow cooking does allow you to go about your chores as the dish cooks.

Daal Makhni( Serves 6/8)

Ingredients

Saboot Urad Daal: 1 cup

Rajma Daal: 1 handful

Tomato Puree: 10/12 tbsp

Garam Masala: 1tsp

Cream: 1 cup

Daal Makhni Masala: 3 heaped tsp

Butter: 2 tbsp

Refined oil: 1 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Method

• Soak the daal overnight in 8 cups of water.
• Pressure cook the daal with 8 cups of water and salt to taste( this daal cooks for much longer than regular daals so do ensure you have added enough water else you risk burning it).
• Let the cooker give out one whistle and then cook on low flame for 40 minutes. Keep aside and let the cooker cool down on its own.
• Take a kadai/wok and heat the oil. Next add the tomato puree and cook for 10/15 minutes.
• Mix the daal makhni masala in about half a cup of water and add it to the tomato puree. Cook for another ten minutes. Add butter
• Add the tomato puree mixture to the daal and let it simmer for 20/25 minutes.
• Add the cream and 1 tsp of garam masala
• Served hot with rotis.

The boys just loved it. Younger one had it with rice(sacrilege, I know) and the older one with phulkas. The kitchen smells divine as the daal cooks. The daal has a smooth, creamy texture and all the ingredients blend together to create sheer magic. You will definitely have people asking for more.And for all you non-vegetarians reading this post, like I'd told my Dad years ago, 'Ghar ki daal murgi barabar'.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Apple Pie...The Joys Of Baking.........

I bake cakes pretty regularly. With two " growing" boys who are forever hungry they also get polished off real quick. Several variations which include Plain cakes, Rainbow cakes(No fuss chocolate cake), Choco banana cake, Muffins get made every other week. Once you have got your measures and baking time right it is really easy. And the best part about baking a cake is that you just have to mix all the ingredients together( whether in one step or in stages) and then the dish cooks on its own. So set the timer to bake( usually 200 degree celsius unless the recipe specifies otherwise) and go ahead with getting the rest of your meal ready.

Tarts and pies on the other hand seem a lot more complex. I used to read and re-read short crust pastry recipes but could never really muster up enough courage to bake them. I am most impressed with people who can make a decent apple pie.

Apple pies have the " Wow" factor. You never quite get that response with a cake however complex the ingredients or labored the process. But once you have baked an apple pie successfully you will realize that it is actually pretty simple. Like with most other baking there are three easy steps: The crust, the filling and then assembling. That is it, you are done.

There are of course tips to bake the perfect pie, best learnt when you actually watch somebody bake( Food shows on TV/Demos on the Internet come fairly close- the latter you can watch over and over again till you get it right).

• Tip #1: Always use ice cold water which is ice to which a little bit of water has been added.
• Tip #2: Once you knead the short crust pastry dough, wrap it in a cling film and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This is supposed to "chill the butter and relax the gluten"- not sure what that means but sure works.
• Tip # 3: Mix the apple with the sugar, cinnamon, lime juice and let it stand for at least 30 minutes. The apple will give out water which you can separately thicken and pour back. If you skip this step and directly bake the apples will shrink and you would end up with a large gap between the baked apples and the top crust.
• Tip#4: Resist cutting up the pie as soon as it is done( this is a sure test of your will power- the apple, cinnamon, butter combine as it bakes tastes just divine) as fruit pies need several hours to set. My suggestion would be to let the apple pie cool down and then store it in the refrigerator. When it is time to serve cut up a slice, warm it in the microwave for about a minute and serve. Refer Tip # 5
• Tip#5: Excellent plain but even better with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Thank you " A" for sharing your recipe, that was the starting point, got tweaked as I progressed. Incidentally the best apple pie that I have had was the one baked by A.

Apple Pie

Serves: 6/8( depends on the serving actually)

For the crust

Flour: About 1.5 cups, 250 grams

Butter/margarine: About two sticks, roughly 125 grams

Sugar: 1 tbsp

Salt: a pinch

Ice cold water: 4/5 tbsps

For the filling

Apple: 2 large firm ones that don't lose their shape when you bake

Cinnamon powder: 1 tsp

Sugar: 2/3 tbsps( check the apples for sweetness before you start adding the sugar)

Lime juice: 1 tbsp

Method

• Start with the crust. Mix the flour, butter, sugar and salt together. Add water 1tsp at a time and slowly mix the dough till it is firm. Should hold together when pinched. Wrap the dough in a cling wrap and refrigerate.
• For the filling: Macerate the apples by mixing the apple, cinnamon powder, sugar and lime juice. Let it stand for about 30 minutes. The apples would give out water. Drain in a colander and thicken the juice on the stove/microwave with some butter and add to the apples. Alternately( and this is what I did) just put the apples with the juice in a pan. Cook it on slow fire till the sauce thicken.
• Putting it all together

1. Take the dough. Keep a small part for the criss-cross cover( about 1/4th should do). Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle( for a 9 inch pie dish). You will need to keep lifting and turning the pastry as you roll to ensure it is of uniform thickness
2. Transfer into the pie dish and trim the edges. This, is the only difficult step and don't be disheartened if you don't get it right the first time.
3. Blind bake the crust in a pre-heated oven for about 5/7 minutes at 200 degree celsius.
4. Next, sprinkle some flour and place the apples on the crust.
5. Roll out the remaining dough into a circle and cut into thin strips. Place the strips vertically and horizontally as shown in the photograph to form a criss- cross pattern.
6. Bake at 220 degree celsius for about 45 minutes.
7. Serve warm

Pat yourself on the back for having mastered the recipe. Get creative and try making the filling with other fruits.

I have been on a high since the time I baked my first apple pie. Plan to try my hand at Tarts and Quiche next. So wish me luck!

Bon Apetit and Happy Baking!

Stanley ka dabba....Happy Friendship Day!

• The movie, " Stanley ka dabba", is on showcase and I am hoping to watch it this evening. Anyone who has seen the movie tells me that it took them back to school and they thought of all their classmates with whom they had shared their lunch boxes.

Talking about school, I too have some very fond lunchtime memories. There were about 10 of us who assembled around a makeshift lunch table( one of the spare tables in the class) every afternoon during the break. We would all place our dabbas on the table(very plain, basic plastic/steel ones). One lunchbox would be opened at a time and the entire pack would attack the contents. Funny but even after years I remember what each one of them usually got( yes, there wasn't too much variety but we loved each other's dabbas nevertheless). N always got apples( yes, all through the ten years we studied together she got sliced apples and never did she get to eat more than a slice), S got curd rice with manga( small mangoes soaked in brine with a slight bitter after taste) or Parota kurma, P and Sa often got gongura rice ( hot, fiery stuff which I just loved. " I have got your favorite today", P would whisper during the class at the start of the day and I would eagerly wait for the break to grab more than my fair share). R got paratha and alu fry, Sh got chinni paratha, B got alu paratha or paratha shredded into small pieces and then cooked in ghee and sugar. Thanks to our cosmopolitan class we did get to sample a little bit from the different parts of the country. Strange but I am a little fuzzy about what I carried in my lunchbox. I remember twice a week it was idli sambhar. Mom( in the pre tupperware/no spill proof container days) packed the sambhar in old nescafe jars to prevent them from spilling. Sis and me had a deal. I would carry the bag on the way to school and she would carry it back. I had to balance the lunch bag gingerly making sure I did not spill the contents, she on the other hand just bundled the bag with the empty dabbas/bottles and shoved them into her school bag. Yes, stupid me. Guess 'the love for food' took over common logic.

This post has brought back so many memories. The special lunch boxes that we would carry on our birthdays. Mom would send me hot alu chop( alu bonda) and ghuguni( patiala matar). I remember our man friday cycling furiously to make it on time for the lunch break- he would be greeted with screams from all my classmates.

Yes, it was a lot of fun and we definitely bonded over food. We happily shared whatever we carried. Much of that I am sure still remains in today's schools but children want more variety and something interesting each day( as with most things aimed at this generation including education "packaging" is important).

Here is the good old grilled sandwich, best eaten hot, tastes nice in the lunchbox too.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Serves : 2
Ingredients
Brown bread: 4 slices
Boiled Potatoes: 2 large
Mixed vegetables: Beans, carrots, peas, cauliflower- chopped fine and sauted.
Cheese: 1/2 a cube per sandwich, grated
Cheese spread: 1 tbsp per sandwich
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Mash the boiled potatoes.


• Add the vegetables, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.


• Next, spread the cheese spread on both the bread slices. Places the vegetables on one slice and cover with the other.


• Grill for about 7/10 minutes for it to turn golden brown and for the cheese inside to melt.


• Cut into triangles and serve with tomato ketchup.

If making it for the lunchbox, grill for about 5 minutes to allow the bread slices to stick together. Leave the bread a little soft otherwise it will harden as it cools down.

You can keep varying the filling. Any leftover vegetable/grilled chicken with some cheese would taste good.

I hope my children will look back( as fondly as me) at their lunchtimes and lunchbox friends. Here is to all the friends they will make and to some strong relationships that will stand the test of time.

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!

Last of the mangoes.....

Mango season is almost over. Mumbaikar are united in their Apoos( Alphonso to the uninitiated) obssession - in fact it is the only type of mango a true blue Mumbaikar claims to like. Delhites however debate over a more varied fare: Dusheri, Langda, Chausa, Safeda. If prices are a surrogate for measuring appeal then "langda" looks to be the winner.

Mango is best eaten by itself. Slice them with the skin and then scoop them with a spoon, peel the skin and cut them into small pieces and then eat them with a fork or if they are nice, soft and juicy- slit the top and suck the juice- messy but a lot of fun.

Of course tastes nearly as good in other forms too- icecreams( serve it with a vanilla icrecream or make a mango icecream), in shakes, as cheese cakes, as a salad dressing, as a dip(mango mayonnaise dip), mango with cream( I will vouch for the one sold at Haji Ali- over priced but really nice, packed in ice if you want it as a takeaway).

Just the way a ripe banana inspires you to make a banana cake, an over ripe mango urges you to turn it into a shake. My older one loves a milk shake and I find it an easy way to get him to have a big glass of milk and fruits. Often on weekdays he has it as a breakfast substitute. Since it is the weekend I made him a special shake. Needless to say he loved it( you cannot go terribly wrong when you have ice cream, mango, condensed milk as the ingredients).

Special Mango Shake
Serves 1
Ingredients
Mango: 1 small sized mango, remove the peel and chop into small pieces
Milkmaid/condensed milk: 1 tbsp
Milk: 1.5 cups
Vanilla icecream: 2 tbsps

Method

• Put all the ingredients in a mixie and whip for 2/3 minutes



• Check for sweetness.



• Serve chilled



• Watch them go yumm! yumm! yumm!

A really quick anytime drink. Great during the summer hols when kids are home and forever hungry. Also helps them stay away from aerated drinks and bridge snacks.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Yum!

The title of this post is inspired by a talk I heard this morning. The Managing Director of Yum Foods(the group that owns brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) addressed us at work this morning- a very inspiring speech, related to good food(my kids would vouch for the brands) and I decided that I just had to get back to the blog. It has been a long break- over two months. I have been cooking, trying out new recipes but have somehow not managed to click pictures or write about them.

So back from the break with my favorite theme, " one dish meals". And though I hardly eat rice these days I think our very own "desi pulao" tops the charts when it comes to one dish meals. And thanks to the pressure cooker/rice cooker the pulao gets done in a jiffy too. So full marks on nutrition, taste and convenience. And while the rice gets done and the cooker cools you assemble the raita. Perfecto!

If you are making a veggie pulao you can team it with a plain raita( dahi to which a wee bit of sugar, some black salt or chat masala and bhuna jeera has been added or maybe if you are feeling a little more indulgent then a dahi boondi). And I never fail to get amazed by the number of different types of Pulaos/mixed rice that can be prepared. From the basic jeera(cumin) rice( now this goes well with an elaborate dinner, as a substitute for steamed rice- looks and tastes way better), to the peas pulao( Jeera rice to which you add a handful of shelled green peas- no extra effort, frozen green peas have a permanent place in the freezer- I know of families in Delhi who painstakingly shell peas during the Winter months, then blanch and store them in small single serve zip lock pouches and use it through the year. For those of you who don't want to go through the trouble there is always the Safaal peas). Sorry I got a little carried away. And then of course the regular vegetable pulao and variations therefore like vegetable pulao with tomato, vegetable pulao with paneer, the one Maharashtrians make with goda masala, the traditional vegetable pulao with kaju(cashew), kishmish( raisins)- this one used to be a regular at all family weddings. The list is actually endless and over the next two/three weeks I plan to try out a couple of new types. So watch this space for more.

The pulao I made this evening has just one added ingredient which sets it apart from the regular ones- green corriander( hara dhania) ground to a fine paste with ginger, garlic and green chillies. Gives the pulao an unusual green colour and a really flavorsome taste. Gets done in under 10 minutes and goes well with a regular raita. As the vegetables are cooked and added separately there is no fear of them getting over cooked or the pulao turning lumpy. I think this pulao would taste really good on cold winter evenings with seasonal vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, beans etc.

Corriander Pulao

Cooking time: 10 minutes, serves 4

Ingredients

Basmati rice: 1 1/4 cup, if you are making a pulao try using Basmati rice, Tukda Basmati should also work well. Soak the rice for at least half an hour prior to cooking

Oil/ghee: 2 tbsp

Mixed vegetables, finely chopped: 2 cups( I used beans, carrots, mushroom and baby corn).

Onions: 2, finely sliced

Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp

Curry paste: Grind together 1/2 inch ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp green corriander, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp corriander powder,1/2 tsp turmeric powder to a fine paste

Water: 2 cups( prefferably warm water as that prevent the rice from sticking to each other and you get a nice fluffy pulao).

Method

• Heat 1 tsp oild and stir fry the vegetables with some salt and keep aside. This should not take more than a few minutes as they would have been chopped fine.



• Next heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the mustard seeds, once the mustard sputters add the onion and fry for a minute or two.



• Next add the curry paste and saute till the raw smell of ginger garlic is no longer there. This should take a few minutes.



• Add the rice and stir for a minute.



• Add the water, close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it give out one whistle.



• Take the cooker off the flame and let it cool down. Open the lid and add the vegetables, mix well.



• Serve with a cucumber, tomato, onion raita.

I loved the spicy taste which got perfectly balanced with the raita. However if making it for young children I would recommend you skip the green chillies.

There are two new interesting dishes that I have made today. Yes, happy to be on an overdrive. Hope to blog about them soon. Writing about them makes cooking a lot more fun. And making everyday dishes blogworthy is even more fun, you invariably try harder.

Till then, Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Aikam Baikam Tara Toori...........Alu Dum

The first time I remember hearing about " Alu Dum" in all its glory was when as kids we used to play" hide and seek". We went through a very democratic process of choosing the "seeker". We had rhymes that we repeated till all but one player got eliminated and he/she was declared the den. Our Bong neighbors Mana and Mou came up this one which ended with the lines " Alu dum khabo na, soshur badi jabo naa"( loosely translated that means I am not going to eat potato curry and I shall not get married- sorry the essence seems to be getting a little lost in the translation, as always but you get the point).

Now when it comes to naming their dishes the Bongs can give the Mughals a run for their money. Luchi Alu Dum sounds way more exotic than Puri Tarkari. The same goes for dishes like Prawn malai curry(shrimps in a coconut gravy), Dhokar Dalna (Besan curry), Kadaishutir Kachuri( Stuffed Kachoris with peas) etc. etc.

Puri Alu is or rather used to be a regular breakfast item in many households. Growing up I rember having Puris everytime there was a big puja in the household. Breakfast would be Puri Alu and lunch would be Khichdi with baigan fry and tomato khajur chutney.

However with increasing health awareness Puris are kind of disappearing from breakfast tables. A couple of weeks back when Delhi was still cold and nice we decided to indulge ourselves. So the breakfast spread comprised Luchi, Cholar Daal( Bengal gram daal) and of course Alu Dum. Both Alu Dum and Cholar Daal are very easy to make and need very few ingredients. The Luchi/Puri needs to be served hot, straight from the kadai/pan.

Alu Dum( Serves 4)

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes: 1/2 a kilo

Ginger paste: 1 tsp

Garlic paste: 1 tsp

Bay leaves: 1 or 2

Cumin/Jeera powder: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste

Sugar: a pinch

Garam Masala: 1 tsp( freshly ground cinnamon and green cardamom works best for this dish, gives the gravy a nice flavor)

Oil: 1 tbsp

Method

1. Boil the baby potatoes with their skin in salt water. Remove the skin. You could also leave the skin on, in that case make sure to prick the potatoes with a tooth pick before boiling them) and keep aside


2. Heat the oil in the pan, add a pinch of sugar and let the sugar caramelize. This gives the gravy a nice rich color


3. Add the bay leaves, ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin powder and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the salt.


4. Then add the potatoes and continue to saute for 4/5 minutes.


5. Add some water( about 1 cup of warm water) and check the seasoning. Simmer for a few minutes. The gravy should coat the potatoes and there should be a little bit more.


6. Add the garam masala.


7. Serve hot garnished with some finely chopped corriander

Cholar Daal(serves 4)

Ingredients

Bengal gram daal: About 1 measure/1 cup

Jeera/Cumin paste: 1 tsp ( very integral to a lot of traditional vegetarian cooking which are cooked sans onion and garlic so the flavoring comes from cumin and ginger)

Ginger paste: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Bay leaves: 1 or 2

Salt: 1 tsp or to taste

Sugar: 1/2 tsp

Coconut: 1 tbsp, cut into very small pieces

Oil: 1 tsp

Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp

Ghee(optional): 1 tsp

Method

1. Pressure cook the daal along with the cumin paste. One whistle should do


2. Heat some oil, add the bay leaves, whole cumin seeds and the ginger paste. Saute for a couple of minutes.


3. Add the boiled daal, let it cook for a few minutes. Then add salt, sugar and the coconut.


4. Finally top up with a teaspoon of ghee and serve hot.

Indulge, Make sure you can roll out and fry the puris real quick because you are sure to have everyone asking for more. On an average boys will eat about ten Puris with ease. If they are competing with each other and breaking their fast with this meal, budget for a few extras.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Rang Barse.....the riot of colors.....

Happy Holi and just the right time to post a recipe that looks colorful. Making your food look fancier than it is adds to the overall taste( given that we eat with most of our senses). And if cooking for children tricks them into actually eating more. Usually the more colorful your food, the healthier it is. Simple, you need to add more greens to add more color. Compare a macaroni with cheese and mushroom to one with macaroni, tomatoes, yellow/red bell pepper and beans. You got it?

Plating which translates into serving your food elegantly and artistically is a complex process. Master chefs on cookery shows say that it is not as difficult as it looks or sounds. It basically means getting the colors and balance of composition right.

Someday I shall be there. For now I follow some basic color rules.

• Planning the menu well so that each ingredient adds color to the dish and to the table.
• Making sure that no two dishes being served look alike, this automatically ensures that there is a fair variety in terms of ingredients, recipe types and taste
• Use of colorful garnishes like cream or yoghurt for soups, ginger juliennes for the daal, fresh corriander for the rich gravies, nuts for the salads etc.

So, a little bit of creativity, an eagerness to learn and a lot of planning and patience is what would finally get you there.

Meanwhile the recipe that follows is the result of one such attempt. Very proud of it as I created it out of party leftovers. The source of inspiration was the lettuce I had leftover from Pinacorn salad made for lunch. I also had some herbed cottage cheese that I had used as cracker topping. Decided to combine the two along with some cherry tomatoes. Incidentally my kids love eating cherry tomatoes, must be to do with the size/form. Instead of making a regular salad, I decided to make these into tiny wraps. They looked quite exotic and tasted nice.

Lettuce Wraps( Serves 4)

Ingredients

Lettuce: 1 bunch(refresh the lettuce in ice cold water to which a few drops of vinegar have been added)

Cheery tomatoes: 12/15, halved

Herbed cottage cheese: 200 grams( This is available off the shelf as ' Masala' paneer, you can very easily make your own with some roasted cumin seeds together with fresh mint, green corriander, green chillies- all chopped fine, some salt)

Method

Choose the bigger leaves. Lay them out on a plate.

Place the herbed cottage cheese in the middle.

Fold in lengthwise and then widthwise.

Place half a cherry tomato on top and secure with a toothpick.

Serve along with a spicy, hung curd dip.

The lettuce gives this a fresh, crunchy feel. A light summer starter and an anytime snack for all those weight watchers.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Raising a Toast

Woke up today to a cold, foggy morning. Quite love it this way, nature's way of holding onto the last of winter. Saturday morning and no agenda for the next two days. Feels great.

Inspired by the success of the Medietteranean Chicken I cooked last night, I decided to head to the kitchen right away. Bread and eggs were on the menu. I needed to make breakfast 'blogworthy'. Had already written two egg based posts(scrambled eggs and egg sandwich). Decided to use the mushrooms that had been sliced for the scramble to a make a topping instead. Served it on toasts with poached eggs.

I even made one lot with a mushroom tomato topping by microwaving some chopped tomatoes along with the mushroom, sprinkling a little bit of sugar and adding. Mushrooms in cheese white sauce also go well as serving for toasts.

This is a dish that could be part of your regular rushed/harassed breakfast morning(yes, easy enough for that, you could make the topping, grate the cheese from the night before to make it quicker), it also qualifies for weekend breakfast menus which are leisured, luxury meals.

Mushroom on Toast(Serves 2)

Ingredients

Bread: 4 slices, toasted(I like my toasts hard and crunchy)

Butter: 1 tsp(optional)

Mushroom: 200 grams

Garlic: 2/3 cloves, chopped fine

Mushroom: 200 grams, sliced thin

Green chillies: 1, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Basil leaves: 7/8, finely chopped( I now grow some and so it is really handy to pluck and chop a few)

Grated cheese: Optional but if you are making this for a weekend extended breakfast I would strongly recommend you use some.

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Method

Put the oil in a microwave safe glass dish and heat for 2 minutes.

Tip in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the mushroom, chillies, salt and pepper and cook for 3/4 minutes. Stir once to ensure the cooking is even.

Add the basil leaves and mix well.

Butter the toasts, spread some of the mushroom mixture onto the toast, sprinkle some grated cheese. The Cheese will melt in the heat.

Serve immediately.

This also works well as a wafer topping or the bread slices can be cut into sticks and served as a snack.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!

Que Sera Sera....

When I was just a little girl, yes, I know that was a long time ago, have graduated to " my children ask their mother" line for a while now, Parle introduced the concept of serving Monaco biscuits with toppings. There were ads(usually the back cover of a magazine) where Monaco with varied toppings were displayed. They looked really appetizing and given our limited exposure then, exotic too.

They soon found their way into our home. We made ours with cheese( this was the pre- cheese slice era, so cheese cubes had to be painstakingly cut into thin slices), boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, tomatoes and sometimes with all of the above. Sis was usually entrusted with the task. Being the clumsier one, my job was to wait till she finished and then gobble up a few. The crunchy salted base and bland topping went quite well. Sis would add a sprig of coriander to add more color. I would be impatient for her to finish. The garnish could wait. I quickly figured out that it was best to pick a few from the first lot as the toppings got progressively smaller.

Any kind of base with some topping continues to be one of my favorite starter ideas. Though over the years both the base and the topping has changed.

Cream crackers, rice wafers etc. have replaced the good old Monaco. Boiled egg whites also serve as the base. Scoop out the yolk, add some milk, cheese, salt, pepper and pipe it back into the boiled and halved whites.

Toppings have ranged from cream cheese, hung curd, to tuna in mayo. In fact leftover sandwich filling works really well for the topping. I have often mashed up potatoes, spiced it up with green chillies, coriander, added a wee bit of cheese spread and used it to top canapes. Green, yellow and red bell pepper add color and flavor.

Have extended the idea of toppings to open toasts which incidentally is a great breakfast option. Grill the slice with the topping and serve hot. If feeling very self indulgent add some grated cheese and grill till the cheese melts.

Tomatoes on toast is really easy to make. It is very healthy too. Adding the mustard paste gives it an unusual flavour. You could also add some garlic. Use the leftover topping as a chutney or add to gravies.

Tomatoes on Toast

Ingredients

Tomatoes: 2/3, about half a tomato per toast

Mustard paste: 1 tsp(You could also used mustard powder, I used some mustard and khus khus paste)

Green chillies: 2(optional), chopped fine

Pepper powder: 1 tsp( try and use some freshly ground ones for that added flavor)

Red Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Sugar: 1/4th tsp

Salt: to taste

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Green corriander: 1 tsp, chopped fine

Boiled sweet corn: Can add some to make a variation of the original.

Method

Chop the tomatoes really fine. Microwave the tomatoes with the oil, sugar, salt and green chillies for about 3 minutes.

Mash up the tomatoes with some red chilli powder, pepper powder, mustard paste, green corriander and mix well.

Top over toast and serve hot.

This works well as a starter. If serving as a starter cut the bread toast into cubes. Alternately you could also pick up some ready to use bite sized garlic butter toast( these are very handy and stay well for close to a week). They form healthier bases( as compared to biscuits) for the topping.

If serving as a main course serve it with a chicken stew or soup. The spicy flavor compliments the bland taste of the soup.

Also goes as an anytime snack. Could add sauted mushrooms/boiled corn to make it more wholesome. Could even add some grated cheese and bake for a few minutes.

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!