Newton's Kitchen...more than just apples

Quick Roasted Chicken

2009-09-09T14:35:00.008+05:30

People are beginning to wonder if I am a veggie. Not even a single post on my staple food! Chicken!

Here’s a quick chicken recipe, a tweaked version of Easter Chicken Roast from Mrs. K. M. Mathew’s Flavours of the Spice Coast. The original recipe is for one whole chicken minus the liver and other non essential parts. But I prefer using drumsticks or diced chicken.

For 250 gms of Chicken, prepare the marinade with

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp (Optional)

Alternatively (as per the original recipe) you can prepare the marinade by grinding together turmeric, chilli powder, 4-5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick.

Mix all the ingredients with 1 tbsp vinegar and salt as required into a thick paste and rub into the chicken pieces. You can almost roast it instantly. If you have the luxury of time, keep it marinated for an hour. It yields better result.

In a shallow pan, fry the chicken on low heat in a tbsp of oil. When it is evenly browned, add 1/2 cup hot water and cook till done. Remove the chicken from the pan and let the gravy thicken. Return the chicken to the pan and cook on low heat to coat with gravy. Top it with some sautéed onion rings. Goes best as a starter with a glass of red wine. It is equally good with some hot rice and tuvar dal fry.

Avial (Vegetables in ground coconut)

2009-09-05T17:05:00.014+05:30

Avial or Aviyal is a semi dry - super healthy dish from the God's own (or rather my own) country, made with an assortment of veggies in equal proportions. It's a delight for any vegetable lover. For the same reason it was an instant hit with my husband.

Some Avial trivia! The story has it that somebody came up with a magical way to use up a whole lot of left over veggies and created Avial. Wikipedia suggested another story which dates back to the Mahabharata age, when Bheema, who probably didn't even know how to make an omelette, assumed a chef's role. He chopped whatever was available, boiled them all and in anxiety dropped a whole lot of ground coconut over it. Okay! That's a li'l bit of exaggeration of mythology. ;)

There is a popular rock band from Kerala by the same name catching up fast with the international audience. In Mallu land 'avial' is synonymical with any form of medley. The name is a perfect fit for the band which has a mix of members belonging to different genres of music. Check them out @ Subash's World

Ingredients 1 (to chop lengthwise into thin strips in the same fashion as julienning)

Carrot - 150 gms
Raw banana - 1
Yam - 150 gms
Ash gourd - 150 gms
Drumstick - 3 (optional)
Long beans - 100 gms (optional)

Ingredients 2 (to coarse grind)

Coconut - one half scraped
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3-4

Ingredients 3:

Sour curd - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 1 small sprig
Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Method

Boil the cut vegetables in ingredients 1 with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt, till cooked. Strain the water and keep aside.
Add the ground coconut mixture to the cooked vegetables.
When the mixture begins to boil, add one cup of sour curd and remove from heat.
Take care not to boil the mixture once you add the curd.
Season with curry leaves in coconut oil.

Avial is best when accompanied with hot rice, sambar and pappadam. Will update with a pic soon :)

Coconut chutney! My mom's way!

2009-05-31T19:23:00.008+05:30

Every one makes it pretty much the same way. The only hitch is breaking the coconut into halves. I still haven't mastered the art. You don't need exact halves for the yummiest chutney anyway. So chill! Scraping the coconut is the other step which I'm not very fond of. It is so time consuming. The issue with coconut is, once open it won't stay fresh for long. It will spoil even if you refrigerate it. Forget freezing unless you want to make a compromise on the taste. I have a way around. Again thanks to my mom! Refrigerate the halved coconut for an hour and then it breaks away from the shell easily. It still would take you a little effort. Cut it into small pieces before you grind them.

Ingredients for the chutney

One medium sized coconut
Split roasted gram (porikadala) - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4-5 depending upon how spicy you want it to be
Dried red chilli - 1
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4
Salt as required
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

Grind together the scraped/cut coconut, split roasted gram, green chillies and salt with some water. Make sure it is neither too fine nor too coarse
Add water to ensure smooth grinding
Transfer the contents to a bowl
Heat oil, splutter the mustard, split urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves and pour over the chutney. Mix well
Serve with dosa, uthappam or idli

The picture above has just the mustard seasoning. You can even do without the seasoning. In some other parts of South India, they even grind some coriander leaves or ginger along. However I prefer no seasoning to the one I have described above.

Give your iron pan a nonstick effect with onion

2009-05-31T17:08:00.009+05:30

It's been a while since I'm thinking of a dedicated space featuring handy hints and solutions to common kitchen woes. Your contribution is welcome. Email me your titbits. You make sure they are tried and tested ones. I will make sure they figure under the label 'kitchen fixes and solutions' with due credit.

To start with here is a small care tip for your iron tawa. I use the traditional iron-griddle pan for rotis, paranthas and dosas. Iron tawa always produce better results when compared to your non-stick pans. The only issue with iron is its tendency to rust. Make sure the griddle is washed and scrubbed properly before use. Rub the heated iron surface with a drop of oil using a halved onion to remove any traces of rust. This also ensures a non sticky effect on your pan. Chop and discard the rubbed surface of the onion. After use, coat the surfaces, both top and bottom with a thin film of oil to prevent rusting. I have been seeing my folks do this religiously for ages and now I know why.

Boondi Raita, a Summer Relish

2009-05-31T16:57:00.005+05:30

Introduced to me by a Rajasthani friend, this tasty relish now accompanies almost every meal. I thought this should figure in my blog before the monsoon sets in. Let the summer end on a cooler note!

To prepare boondi, gram flour batter is forced through a ladle with holes and deep fried in vegetable oil. No you don't have to do all that. Ready-made boondi is available in all local stores.

Ingredients

Curd - 1/2 litre
Boondi - 1 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - as required

Method

Beat the curd well
Add salt and cumin to it
Add boondi and mix well (add more if boondi is sparse)
Keep aside for a while till boondi loses it crisp texture and turns soft
Serve chilled

Chick Pea Salad

2009-04-26T22:27:00.009+05:30

April is almost over and I realise I haven't done a single post here. In fact it's more than a month since my last post. I can't claim I didn't have the time because I was actively blogging at my beta world and the food blog got sidelined. :(

Let me set the pace back with this Chick Pea Salad. I usually make this at home when there are a lot of guests, so that while they munch on, I get the other things ready. For the salad, you need one cup of soaked kabuli chana (chick peas) cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder & salt and drained. The rest of the ingredients are as follows.

Onion - 1 large, finely chopped
Tomato - 1 medium, finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 2tbsp chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Chat masala - 1 tsp
Salt as required

Mix all the ingredients with the chana thoroughly and refrigerate for 20 - 30 minutes. For the best result, soak the chana overnight and pressure cook for 30 - 40 minutes. You may make the recipe more interesting with some chopped cucumber, capsicum etc.

Paneer Bhurji

2009-03-23T00:44:00.011+05:30

'Paneer bhurji' is a very easy to make recipe with resources readily available at home. Bhurji doesn't demand for paneer cubes. I generally make the paneer fresh at home everytime. I must say, it tastes better and is economical than the commerically available ones. So try and make it in the convenience of home and you will love making it.

Paneer bhurji goes best with plain paranthas. You can even stuff the left over bhurji in paranthas for the next meal. Weight watchers! Good news for you. A little bit of paneer indulgence apparently does good for you. Read below.

Some nutrition facts about paneer (Courtesy: bukisa.com)

Paneer is a good source of calcium, which in later years helps prevent osteoporosis. Cheese provides 25% of the calcium in the food supply.
Paneer in moderation, is associated with lower body weight as well as reduced risk of developing insulin resistance syndrome.
Paneer is a good source of protein and it reduces cancer risk.
According to Ayurveda Paneer is health food and it can prevent stomach disorders
It is supposed to help in lower, back and joint pain.
Reduces risks of Heart attack

Now the recipe...

Ingredients (Serves 3)

Milk - 1 litre
Lemon - 1
Onion - 2 medium chopped fine
Tomato - 1 small chopped fine
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

To make the paneer, boil the milk in low heat. Turn off and pour the juice of 1 lemon. Keep stirring till the milk curdles entirely and form lumps leaving the pale water behind. Strain it off and rinse with water. Squeeze out all the water (you may use a clean towel to do this). Keep aside.
Heat oil, saute onions and green chillies with a little salt over high heat.
When the onions turn a shade brown, lower the heat and add the tomatoes.
Keep stirring for 3 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked.
Add turmeric and chilli powders, mix well.
Add the paneer, mix well and cook for 5 minutes in low heat.
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Kadhi Chawal (Kadhi with Rice)

2009-03-14T22:39:00.011+05:30

Punjabis consume rice occasionally with rajma, chole or kadhi. Kadhi and chawal is a combination to die for and it is very easy to make. However it is not made so often at home due to the inavailability of sour curd. Pakodis (dumplings made out of gram flour) are generally added to kadhi which is why the dish is often referred to as kadhi pakodi also. Alternatively, if you want to avoid the deep fried pakodi, you can use potatoes in kadhi. Pakodis can be made in an umpteen ways. I have described here pakodis made out of onion. For the chawal, basmati (long grained) rice is the best bet.

Ingredients for kadhi

Curd (preferably sour) - 1 litre
Gram flour (besan) - 5 heaped tbsp
Onion - 1 large - chopped lengthwise
Green chillies - 2 chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 4 tbsp
Fenugreek (methi) seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp - chopped
Salt as required
Potatoes - 2 medium - chopped into thin square slices (optional ingredient if you are not using pakodis)

Method for kadhi

Mix curd, besan, salt, turmeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala powders and beat well so that no lumps are formed.
Add water (1 cup) to make the mixture thin.
In a cooker or heavy bottom kadhai, heat mustard oil, splutter the methi seeds and add chopped curry leaves.
Saute onion and green chillies in high heat with a little salt till the onion becomes translucent.
(Optional step) Add the potato slices and stir till it is moderately cooked.
Add the curd besan mixture.
Mix well and boil for an hour in low heat. If you are using cooker, use the lid with out the whistle.
Make sure that you stir the mixture occasionally.

Ingredients for pakodi

Besan - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium - chopped fine
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt as required
Oil for deep frying

Method for pakodi

Mix besan, chilli powder, salt and ajwain, with water enough to make a thick paste.
Mix onion to the paste and make small balls out of it and deep fry them.
When the pakodis are done, add to kadhi and simmer for 5 minutes.

Tips

Kadhi gets thicker with time. So make it for lunch along side rice and try it with roti or parantha for dinner (yeah of course if you've any left for dinner ;) )

Curried Rajma (Kidney Beans)

2009-03-09T23:51:00.006+05:30

All beans have an unhappy reputation of causing embarrassment after gorging on them. Well you know what I mean. A quick look up suggested what might be happening at the back end. The smelly gas caused by beans "consists mainly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, is the byproduct of bacteria in the intestine breaking down the complex carbohydrates in the beans". Soy beans topped the list.

Apparently cooking with ginger alleviates the problem to a good extent. Eat beans more often and you body sure will get accustomed to it.

Rajma chawal (Rajma with rice) is a Punjabi delight usually made on a Sunday. It probably is every north indian's delight. I just discovered that a bowl of kidney beans and rice has become a traditional lunch in New Orleans on Mondays. Interesting!

I must confess here, my rajma never gets closer to the one my mom-in-law makes. She hints that she never soaks it. That means thrice the cooking time. I believe it is an indulgence. If you too believe in saving resources, you may soak the beans for a neat 4 hours at least. However if it was an impromptu decision you might try soaking the beans in boiling water in a thermos for 2 hours.

Let's get to the recipe now.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Rajma - pale brown coloured - 2 cups soaked. (the maroon shaded variety of Rajma takes longer time to cook)
Ginger - 2 inches
Green chillies - 3
Onion - 2 Large chopped coarsely for grinding
Tomato - 4 medium or 3 Large (halved and grated to get the pulp)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp chopped
Fresh cream - 2 tbsp
Oil - 6 tbsp
Salt as required

Method

Grind Onion, ginger and green chillies together
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute the mixture in high heat, adding 1 tsp salt to it, till it turns a shade brown
Add the chilli powder and mix well
Add the tomato pulp and keep stirring for 5 minutes in high heat.
Add the soaked rajma along with the water used to soak it
Add the chopped coriander leaves and the cream
Add enough water to make the mixture thin in consistency (Probably I will measure the amount and update the blog later)
Pressure cook in high heat for one whistle and then simmer for half an hour.
Allow the cooker to cool and serve with hot basmati rice

Baingan Fry

2009-02-16T23:18:00.007+05:30

Ingredients

Baingan (Brinjal) - thin long purple ones - 250 gms
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Dried mango powder (amchur) - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp (or as required)
Lemon juice - 1/2 - 1 lemon
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

Mix all the above powders with lemon juice to make a thick paste
Wash, chop off the ends and slit brinjals lengthwise
Fill the paste in the brinjals
In a slightly deep flat pan, heat the oil and put the marinated brinjals and stir fry for a minute
Close the pan tightly and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally

Anar (Pomegranate) Raita

2009-01-30T23:10:00.011+05:30

It's of course a yummy thing. But more than anything, it is very visually appealing. Take a look, isn't it just refreshing?

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Pomegranate - 1 medium or large
Curd - 500 ml
Cumin seeds - Roasted and powdered - 1 tsp
Pepper - crushed or powdered - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
A pinch of chilli powder (optional)
Corainder leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

Beat the curd
Add the cumin, pepper and salt
Add the pomegranate seeds, save some for garnishing.
Mix well
Garnish with the remaining pomegranate seeds, coriander leaves
Sprinkle a pinch of chilli powder (optional)
Serve chilled

Carrot Soup

2009-01-28T21:39:00.007+05:30

It's red carrots every where these days, even in the vegetable compartment in my refrigerator. It comes very cheap in winters. So this time around every year I always have them in surplus.

That says a word about my husband's love for the vegetable!

What do I do with them? Oh I make several things out of it right from salad to dessert. This time all I wanted was to get rid of at least a bunch of them, but of course in an easier, healthier, less time consuming way.

My husband has a thing for 'healthy stuff'. So I decided to make some nice soup out of all those carrots and here is how...

Ingredients (serves 4 people)

Carrots (Red or Orange) - 400 gms or 5 - 6 medium sized - cubed
Potato - 1 large - cubed
Butter - 2 tbsp
Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp ground paste - coarse or fine - doesn't really matter
Black pepper - coarsely ground or crushed - 1 tbsp
Salt - as required
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp

Method

In a cooker, heat 1 tbsp butter and add the carrots and potatoes to it. Stir fry for a minute
Add around 3 - 4 tea cups of water (around 700 ml)
Pressure cook for 2 whistles in high heat.
Once it cools down, blend and strain
In a pan, heat the rest of the butter and saute the coriander paste for 30 seconds
Add the strained vegetable mixture
Add sugar, salt and pepper
Bring to boil and then simmer for a minute or two.

Tips

More the pepper, better the flavour. So you can sprinkle some ground pepper while serving too
If you like your soup to be meaty, go ahead and add some bread croutons
And finally I still have some more carrots left. Would you like to try them for free ;)

Dal Makhni

2008-12-21T22:17:00.010+05:30

Dal Makhni, though complex it may sound, in fact is one the easiest you can make. I've had many people exclaim to me "Oh you know to make Dal Makhni!" and many even go on to tease if I add coconut in it ;)

Make sure that you soak the dals atleast for 4 hours. If you don't have enough time boil water and soak the dal for 1 - 2 hrs.

The best thing about this makhni dal is it gets better with time. So if you can make it and leave it for some hours, it is going to taste better.

Ingredients

Whole Urad dal (black lentil) - 1 cup
Rajma - 1 fistful
Fresh cream - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Onion - 3 medium chopped fine
Ginger - 1 inch chopped fine or crushed
Garlic - 3 large pods chopped fine or crushed
Green chillies - 3-4 coarsely chopped
Tomato - 2 medim chopped fine
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin (Jeera) powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required
Butter - one chunk (optional)

Method

Pressure cook the urad dal and rajma together. Let the water stand 2 inches above the dals. Give one whistle in high heat. Lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Once the cooker cools down, add the cream to it and mix well. The liquid will have a sticky texture
Meanwhile heat oil, splutter jeera, add chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and salt
Saute in high heat till onion turns brown and transparent
Add chopped tomatoes and saute till the oil separates
Add all the powders and mix properly
Add this to the cooked dal
Add the coriander leaves
Put the butter chunk if required

Tips

If the dal is too thick or if you want to improve the consistency, you can add some milk to it

Aalu Palak (Spinach and Potato)

2008-12-08T19:10:00.028+05:30

As a kid I detested eating leaves. My father would tell stories about how Popeye consumed it and grew stronger. And my mom would go technical, why I should be eating a lot of this leafy green. It took me 26 years to consider spinach as a part of my diet. If it sounded anything familiar, I must say spinach can taste great too.

This recipe is my discovery of spinach. The recipe is simple and I make it at least once in 3 weeks or so. But yeah cleaning the stuff might be a little time consuming. There are some handy hints on cleaning palak towards the end of this post.

Ingredients

Spinach - Washed and chopped 3-4 cups
Potato - 1 Large diced
Tomato - 1 Large chopped coarsely
Onion - 1 Large - 1/4 chopped fine and 3/4 chopped long
Garlic - 8 - 10 pods
Green chillies - 3-4
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt and oil as required

Method

Crush garlic and green chillies together
Heat oil and saute the crushed garlic, green chillies and the onions
Add potatoes, turmeric and chilli powders, mix well
Add tomatoes, saute for 2 minutes
Add spinach, mix well and cook covered. Make sure that no water is added
When cooked, heat oil, splutter jeera, saute onion and add to the cooked dish and mix well

Tips

The easiest way to wash spinach is to put it into a sink filled with cold water. Swish leaves around, drain the water off. Repeat the process thrice.

Kadhai Paneer

2008-11-11T23:28:00.007+05:30

Kadhai dishes, be it Kadhai Chicken or Kadhai Paneer essentially have Capsicum (Green Pepper) as a main ingredient...I am not too sure if the 'Kadhai' term attributes to making it in a Kadhai (wok) or the inevitable capsicum...

I find this recipe so irresistible that I munch away half the paneer before it reaches the dining table ;)

Ingredients

Paneer - 200 gms cut in cubes (the shape is, however upto you, I infact mash a couple of cubes to give it a nice texture)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 5 large flakes - crushed
Tomato puree - 4 tbsp ( or 3 small tomatoes halved and grated to get the pulp)
Salt - 1 tsp or as required
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander (dhania) powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Capsicum - 1 medium ( or 2 if you need more volume) cut into thin long strips

Method

In a kadhai, add oil and when hot add the crushed garlic
Add the tomato puree
Add salt, sugar, chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala and mix well
Add capsicum and under high heat stir fry until the capsicum turns in colour to a dull green
Lower the heat, add the paneer and cook for a couple of minutes until the paneer softens

Tips

Make sure no water is added. If done properly you will not have to add water. When capsicum is cooked in water, it leaves an unpleasant taste
You can derive inspiration for stir frying from any street side fast food guy
At the end while Paneer is being cooked, sprinkle some water and cover for a couple of minutes while it softens

Do onions make you cry?

2008-11-07T00:57:00.011+05:30

NO! You probably haven't dated one yet...

It does make me teary-eyed and here's the explanation why...

When an onion is cut, the ruptured onion cells release enzymes which break down nearby sulphur compounds into oxides and acids. These re-form to make a gas. This gas moves into your eyes and then mixes with your tears to form sulphuric acid.

Check out here for some suggestions to have fewer tears.

Aalu Mattar

2008-10-12T23:05:00.005+05:30

A little bit of history behind this recipe ;)

When I got married I had the culinary skills of a rat. After a stint with dishes that eventually made way to my garbage, I had a choice either to leave my foodie husband for good or do some serious research and establish myself as a cook. In any case it was too early to give up.

I don't remember where I found this recipe. At that point, I used to browse, gather, print recipes left right and center. It's been 3 years since and this recipe is still very dear to me for it marked my metamorphosis. So let us get going!

For the green peas you can either get them fresh which definitely adds to the taste or settle for frozen peas. In India green peas get cheaper in winter and almost unaffordable in the later months. I store Safal green peas in my refrigerator in all seasons. It definitely comes handy.

Ingredients

Oil / Ghee - 4 tbsp
Ginger - 1tbsp finely chopped
Garlic - 1tbsp finely chopped
Onion - 2 medium chopped fine
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp ground
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato - 2 medium - ripe and firm - finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp - fresh -finely chopped
Potato - 1 large - peeled and cubed
Peas - 2 teacups
Water - 1 cup
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Method

In a heavy sauce pan, heat the oil/ghee over high heat until a drop of water flicked into it splutters instantly. Stir in the ginger and garlic, then add the onions and salt
Lower the heat to moderate and stirring continuously, saute the onions for 7 - 8 minutes, until they turn soft and golden
Add the cumin, turmeric and chilli powders.
Stir in tomatoes and 2 tbps coriander leaves. Keep stirring and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thick enough to draw away from the sides and bottom of the pan in a dense mass.
Drop in the peas and potatoes and mix thoroughly.
Stir in the water and bring to boil over high heat.
Cover tightly and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer for 10 minutes or until the peas and potatoes are tender.
Sprinkle the garam masala and the remaining coriander leaves.

Tip

Adding salt along with onions helps speedup the process of sauteing. The salt will help to draw the moisture out of the onion, and will make it cook softer. For more details on how to saute onions click here.