The Tummy Tales

Easy Whole Wheat Focaccia

2014-02-09T18:07:00.000+05:30

Life is made up of experiences; some sweet, some not so good, some which you just want to lock up in a treasure chest and keep close to your heart and some you wouldn’t want to touch even with a barge pole. These little and large, bitter and sweet memories come together and form the screenplay of life. We may not remember every one of our experiences but most of us have pretty vivid memories of the various ‘firsts’ in our life… the first crush, our first job/ paycheck, our first drive may be. Only the thought of them is enough to make you smile. This post is about one of my first experiences, my first attempt at baking bread.

I have always been a breads person. Give me bread and butter for breakfast and I’m sold. Bandra, where I grew up is famous for numerous bakeries where freshly baked bread is available round-the-clock. So, for all this self-professed affinity to bread, I never attempted to bake it. The reason? Baking, my Achilles heel. Somehow, my baking attempts have not been satisfactory. I have a pretty decent oven who behaves himself most of the times, I grill, I toast, I even managed to get the perfect roast chicken but when it came to baking, a cake or muffin was only as far as I got. So baking bread which I was told was an experts domain, remained a distant dream. I always wanted to bake bread but somehow never got myself to do it. Much like the shy, introverted good guy in college who secretly aspires to ask his lady love for a date, but doesn’t have the courage to do so. Not that I didn’t try, I did make the occasional prep but backed at the end moment; just like the shy guy in college would have his fears what if she snubbed me? What if she refused? I had my doubts, what if it didn’t come up as well as it should? What if it didn’t sound hollow when knocked. Amongst all this one thing was for sure, she was his lady love and he had to win her over.

The moment of truth came in when on a very lazy Saturday when I happened to walk to my kitchen and began to scan the cabinets to search something. There it was, yeast and flour cheekily peeping at me. Which One? Focaccia was the easiest to make. That was it. I will make bread I thought. I started kneading the dough; gently cajoling and caressing it. With each gentle caress, she responded more eagerly. I learnt to handle her. Handle her well. She moved from being a powdered mess to a a gentle dough. First part done. I was happy. Now it was time for her to respond. I gave her the space and time she needed. She responded by doubling in size. A few more gentle caresses later, she was ready for another rest, before the final test of fire. Literally. I gently laid her in the tin drizzled her with olive oil and Salt. Then, with a prayer on my lips, adjusted the settings of the oven. The wait would be a good 35 minutes. I picked up a book from the shelf and started to read. The oven timer went off after almost an eternity. I rushed to the kitchen and there she was; resplendent in all her glory. Shiny crust, nicely risen and a very satisfying hollow sound when tapped at the bottom. I was ecstatic. My joy knew no bounds. That evening we had bread and chicken stew for dinner. Pure sensory delight.

That night, I went to bed a very satisfied man. After a lot of time and effort, I had mustered the courage to approach my lady love. To my surprise, I got to know that she loved me back. We confessed our love and promised to be together. Forever.

Easy Whole Wheat Focaccia

Ingredients:

500 grams, whole wheat flour (You could even use all purpose flour) + some more for dusting
5 grams yeast (+ 2 teaspoons sugar and some lukewarm water)
150 ml, extra virgin olive oil (please don’t use any other oil) + some more to sprinkle on top of the bread.
5-6 cherry tomatoes
10 cloves of garlic
A generous helping of rosemary
salt to taste

Procedure:

Active the yeast by combining it with the sugar and warm water. Leave aside for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt together. Now make a well in the center and add the yeast solution. Knead till it just about comes together.
Add the olive oil bit by bit and knead in stretching motions till the dough has formed a single smooth mass.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place to prove. This will need about 45 minutes to an hour.
One the dough has risen, knock it back gently, and deflate it. Then, give it a knead for about 8 minutes.
Grease a square or rectangular baking tin and put in the dough.
Gently create small dents in the dough and put in the tomatoes, garlic and sprinkle the rosemary.
Once again leave it in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes. Your dough should have doubled by now. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes at 150 C
Sprinkle salt and olive oil in on the dough and bake at 180 C for 35 minutes.

Stollen Bread (Germany)- The World on my Plate series!

2014-02-06T21:18:00.000+05:30

In the concluding part of “The world on my plate series”, we travel to a land far, far away from India. Germany. What do I make? Stollen Bread. Let me tell you a little bit more about my fascination for breads.

If you have been reading my blog; you would know that I don’t bake much. I did try a butter cake sometime back but that was it. Baking breads, seemed a distant dream. I was told its only for the professionals. But, I always loved eating breads, perhaps because I’m a Bandra boy; and we all know how famous bakeries in Bandra are across Mumbai. But I was wanted to make (or should I say bake) my own bread. It was very therapeutic I was told. Sigghhh.. Didn’t work with me.. But, I knew I wanted to culminate the series with something sweet. Something that we all could cherish.

I happened to be reading on various breads made in different parts of the world which was when I came across the ‘Stollen’ made in faraway Germany. This bread bears an uncanny resemblance to the Christmas cake. The difference being this is Stollen is leavened with yeast, stuffed with candied fruit and baked. The bread is shaped to look like the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. I had found the bread I’ve always wanted to make. I decided to jump into the battle field and tame the proverbial yeast monster. It yielded quite easily. After a while the yeast did the trick and the dough had risen…first part of the mission accomplished. Next step followed suit and my confidence grew.. I knew this was going to be something good. Second proof too passed the test and then it was time to test by fire. Off she went into the oven to be baked. She was out after some 40 minutes. steaming hot like a lady fresh out of a sauna ;). Almost seducing you to have a peck :). What did she taste like? Ummm… delight in every bite.. the soft dough provided a solid base to the candied peels and slight nudge from the spices right the down your throat. An experience that you need to have.

All through, I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing you this series. There has been much learning about the different cultures of the world and food. As you would have seen, there is no other universal language than the language of food. I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did bringing it to you

Stollen Bread

Ingredients:

250 grams all purpose flour
150 grams (I used a mixture of Tutti –fruity, finely chopped glazed cherries, finely chopped dates, raisins) + some almonds hazelnuts and almonds for garnishing
7 grams fresh yeast + some warm water and 1 and 1/2 tablespoon sugar
125 ml warm milk
80 grams caster sugar
60 grams butter
2 large tablespoons icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Marzipan for garnish (optional, i skipped this)

Procedure:

Activate the yeast, by dissolving it in the warm water along with the sugar. Leave aside for 15 minutes till frothy.
In a sufficiently large vessel, combine the flour, caster sugar, salt and butter and combine gently.
Now make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Knead with the milk to form a smooth, but pliable dough. Knead for some more time till the dough is slightly more softer and you are comfortable working with it.
Place the dough in lightly oiled vessel and allow it to rest till it has doubled in size. This should take approximately 40-50 minutes.
Once the dough has risen well, gently deflate it b y knocking it with your fist lightly.
Give it a another knead for about 5 minutes.
Roll out the dough to about 1 inch thick square
Place the mixed fruit in the center and roll up the sides and fold the dough to cover it. Seal the ends by pinching it.
Leave it for another 30 minutes to rise until it is double in size.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 100 C
Bake at 170 C for 35 minutes or till it has a golden crust.
Once done allow it to cool for a while. When cooled, roll out the marzipan (if using) on the bread.
Else, sprinkle with icing sugar and garnish with almond and hazelnuts.

Middle Eastern Meatballs- The World on My Plate series!

2014-01-19T17:35:00.000+05:30

There is nothing more pleasurable than dunking into a plate full of meatballs also known as kebabs on a chilled winters afternoon. The other day, i had a few guest for lunch and they disappeared as if they just weren’t there. Happiness for the cook

Meatballs or Kebabs are usually served as appetizers in the Middle Eastern Mezze Platter. Unlike cutlets, that require a boiled potato to bulk it up; meatballs use just meat and are shallow fried. The trick is in getting meat with a little bit of fat on. This fat is rendered during cooking and gives the final product a nice kiss of fat while helping to retain the moisture.

It may also be a good idea to make an extra batch and store in the freezer. Just take out whenever you want them and fry. Hot and fresh!!!

Middle Eastern Meatballs

Ingredients

400 grams minced meat (feel free to use any kind of meat you like. Also, make sure to buy meat that has some fat on it.)
1 small bunch spring onions, finely chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 small piece of ginger, minced
2 small green chillies, finely chopped
2 teaspoons, paprika Or 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon, sumac Or 1/2 teaspoon, lemon zest
1 teaspoon oregano flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
A fist full of Corriander and mint leaves, finely chopped
Oil for shallow frying
Salt to taste
A nice helping of freshly ground pepper.

Procedure:

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients (except flour) and mix well so the spices are well integrated into the meat.
Refrigerate for about 20 odd minutes.
Once done, add the flour and once again give it a good mix. Meanwhile heat the oil in a shallow pan
Shape the mince into quenelles or desired shape and fry till rustic brown on each side.

Pad Thai (Thailand)- The World on My Plate Series!

2014-01-12T13:04:00.000+05:30

Almost two decades ago, when Chinese food first came to the country; there was a barrage of dark red carts all over the streets. Over the years, the Indian palette was bombarded with MSG coated dishes. Then came Thai food, which some of my friends described as "Kooch Chinese Jaisa" (Something like Chinese), but very spicy. Thankfully, with the internet coming in and the advancement in travel, that trend changed. Today, fine dines and even normal restaurants are trying to replicate authentic Chinese and Thai food.

Coming to the point, I have tried my hand at many a Chinese dishes and with a reasonable amount of success. But I always believed that cooking Thai food is an art. Literally. Achieving the right balance of flavours, the texture and some of the ingredients, which until recently were exotic and purchasing them would mean you pay and arm and a leg. Made sense to actually drop by at the nearest Thai restaurant or takeaway and grab a bite. But then, it left you with a sense of void, a feeling that this same bowl of curry should be replicated at home. It should be!! I waited for an opportune moment.

The World on my plate gave me the opportunity. As I read, spoke, tweeted, I realised there was a dish that is symbolic to Thai street food as the two versions of curries.The choice was made; the dish that would be Pad Thai(pronounced Pud- Tha-e). Strangely for its status symbol is very rarely cooked in Thai homes. It is more of a street food and is available for as less as a dollar. So, I decided to go the entire way and make it with prawns. Personally, I have faith that prawns can single handedly make anything taste good.

The path was not as difficult as I thought. All went as per plan and the rice noodles which I was making for the first time, behaved like a well mannered school kid, turning out just the way I liked. How did it Pad Thai fare? All of us wished there were more noodles that night.

Give it a try, It will be fun. And whatever you do, dont break the noodles, they represent long life.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

1 Pack Glass Noodles (or rice Noodles)- Refer Note 1 below
5 tablespoons Pad Thai Sauce- Refer Note 2 below
3 teaspoons oil
7-8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 small bunch, spring onion, sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
1 Thai Chilli, finely chopped Or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
100 grams firm tofu, cut into fine pieces OR use 100 grams of Cottage cheese, Shredded chicken or prawns to suit your taste
50 grams, sprouted beans
2 teaspoons, oyster sauce
Juice of Half a lime
80 grams unsalted peanuts, crushed.
Few coriander leaves, for garnishing

Method:

Cook the noodles as instructed on the pack and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok and when the oil is smoking hot, add the garlic and saute till it is aromatic.
Next add the spring onions, chillies, bean sprouts and carrots do quick stirs. Then add the tofu (or chicken, prawn, cottage cheese) and mix well.
Add the noodles, the oyster sauce and the Pad Thai sauce and give a good mix so that all the vegetables are coated well with the sauce.
Sprinkle the lime juice and toss the peanuts.
Garnish with corriander leaves and serve immediately.

Important Notes

Cooking the rice noodles: Most packs available at super/ hyper markets will have instructions on cooking the noodles. Please follow the instructions carefully, as the rice noodles tend to get squishy very quickly. Incase the pack doesnt have instructions, all you need to do is heat sufficient water to boiling point. Then take it off the heat and immerse the noodles in the water, till they are soft and a bit chewy and not mushy. The rest of the cooking will be done in the wok.
Pad Thai Sauce: This Sauce is actually the base of this dish and this is what gives the right balance of all flavors. Ready made Pad Thai sauces are available at online gourmet stores and super/ hypermarkets. But, if you like me, prefer making your own seasonings, here is how to make it. Soak tamarind (about the size of a tennis ball) in 100 ml warm water for a few minutes. Discard the seeds and squeeze the juice from the pulp. Add in 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or soya sauce), 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar) and 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or chilli powder). Heat the mixture in a small sauce pan till it simmers. Remove from flame and cool.

Spaghetti Alio E Olio (Italy). The World on My Plate Series!

2013-11-28T22:41:00.001+05:30

The dish was simple, the post was going to be even simpler. But in about thirty odd minutes of dinner last night, we were in a spell. A spell that made us drool with ecstasy. Each bite appealed to each and every sense, leaving you with a nostalgic “morning after” smile. Let me tell you how it happened.

When I had planned “The world my plate series” I was clear that there would be Italian and it had to be spaghetti. Probably, because spaghetti is my favorite variant of pasta. A few days ago, while gallivanting through the supermarket, I picked a pack of spaghetti. Then a few search attempts on Google threw up a rather strange sounding dish “Spaghetti Alio E Olio” translated to Spaghetti in garlic, chillies and olive oil. There had to be some merit I thought. More reading told me it was an Italian nonna classic.

On face value, this seems a very simple dish, one that has the regular Italian superstars garlic, chilli, olive oil and pasta. Each playing his part perfectly yet consummating every other component of the dish perfectly to form a masterpiece. I added a dab of butter just to give it that salty complexity. The rest just fell into place like the perfect dance moves of a ballerina.

I once seen an Italian chef say on TV “If you cook Italian food well, it sings”. If that was the benchmark, I promise, sing it did.

Spaghetti Alio E Olio

Ingredients:

1 pack Spaghetti (The one I used was about 400 grams, refer notes)
20-25 garlic cloves, slivered
8-10 medium sized prawns (optional)
100 ml olive oil (do not substitute with any other oil)
1 tablespoon, butter
1 teaspoon, red chilli flakes
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt- use some more than your regular amount
Water- to cook the spaghetti (refer notes)

Procedure:

Cook the spaghetti as instructed on the pack. Drain and keep aside. Drizzle some of the olive oil and mix.
Keep about 3 tablespoons of the olive aside and heat the rest along with the butter till you hear a sizzle.
When the oil is hot, add the garlic and allow it to cook till it is reddish brown. Add the prawns and the parsley and cook till prawns are pink and getting done.
Now add the red chillies and the herbs and stir well.
Lastly add the spaghetti and mix well so that the olive oil coats each strand well.
Just before you serve, drizzle some olive oil over the spaghetti.

Notes:

Spaghetti needs a lot of water to cook. A safe ratio is 1 liter water for every 100 grams. The same goes for the salt. Add enough salt to make the water more salty than you usually prefer.
Unlike noodles, do not add oil while cooking the spaghetti or any pasta for that matter. Adding oil prevents pasta from absorbing the flavour of the sauce.

Chicken Yakitori (Japan)- The World on my Plate Series

2013-11-17T15:44:00.000+05:30

As a food writer, I am often asked “What is my favorite dish?” or “Which is my favorite cuisine?” Well, if it’s the Mangalorean Chicken Sukkha that perks me up, I go weak kneed over the Japanese Miso Soup. From Pavlovas to Tiramisus, I have a tough time choosing desserts to round off a wholesome meal. Frankly, it is quite difficult to stick a finger and name a particular cuisine or pick a particular dish. That’s why, when I was thinking of ways and posts to celebrate the blogs first anniversary, the idea of doing a series of posts titled “The World on my Plate” came up, i couldn't help but take up the challenge. Then, as I sat brainstorming with chefs, co-bloggers and friends we collectively concluded that while the Indian palate has accepted global cuisine with open arms, there is a deep disconnect in the understanding of global cuisine. The vast range of home cooking across the world is virtually unknown. This series will (hopefully) try and bridge that void.

If you are reading this in India, there is no better time to be a foodie. Especially when restaurants and chefs are going beyond traditional Indian cuisines and exploring cuisines otherwise unknown to the Indian palate. Even for the globetrotting Indian, there would be times when you've tasted something abroad and aspired to create those dishes back home. Now, it will be possible to recreate that magic in your very kitchen. So what’s the menu for this amazing series? I promise you will be spoilt for choice. Japanese Yakitori, Spanish Patatas Bravas, Pad Thai among so many others. I urge you, try them all.

Now, the question is where do we begin from such an amazing line up. Then I thought I would highlight a cuisine that is just beginning to make it way to restaurant menus across India. Japanese. Dive deep and you will see there is so much more to Japanese cuisine than the sushis, shashimis and tempuras. These homestyle, melt-in-the-mouth chicken yakitoris are Japan’s answer to Indian Kebabs. The crunch from the spring onions complements the chicken texture just right. If you like you could replace chicken with beef, pork or mushrooms to suit your tastes.

Dive in, to a world of food sans any frontiers. My way of expressing my love and cravings for flavours from across the world.

Chicken Yakitori (Japanese Grilled Chicken)

Ingredients:

500 grams chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite sized cubes
5-6 Spring Onions, cut lengthwise
1 teaspoon, red chilli flakes
4 tablespoons, soya sauce
2 tablespoons, mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon, white pepper powder
1 teaspoon, brown sugar
salt-to taste
Wooden skewers, as required

Procedure:

Dip the bamboo skewers in water and drain.
Pat dry the chicken and rub the salt and pepper powder to coat each piece well. Keep aside for 10 minutes
Meanwhile, make a mixture with the soya sauce, mirin, sugar, red chilli flakes. Heat on a medium flame till the mixture comes to a boil. Once it begins boiling, reduce the flame and cook until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and cool.
Line the chicken and spring onion on the skewers alternatively. Brush a little bit of the sauce
Heat the grill and place the skewers on the grill. Keep alternating the sides so that the chicken is cooked evenly. While turning the chicken, keep basting it with the sauce.
Serve immediately

Citrus and Chilli Cheese Cake-Celebrating one year of blogging!

2013-11-07T09:35:00.004+05:30

Every once in a while, life gives you an opportunity; that tests the extent of your extreme potential. Once in a lifetime, comes an idea so inspiring that it gets deeply rooted into the very core of your being, that it fires every cell in your body with such enthusiasm and excitement; because all you can see at the end of the road is that little signpost that says ‘Happiness’. My dear friends, for me Tummy Tales is that one idea, that one such journey. It all began a little more than a year ago, when I cooked something one lazy Sunday afternoon and much unlike me, posted a picture on facebook. Seeing the picture a friend called me asking for the recipe, which I happily shared with her. She called again, a few days later asking for another recipe. This was when she had a flashbulb moment and suggested I start a blog. I made the best excuses I could. Honestly, I was happy cooking on Sundays or whenever the opportunity arose. Blogging never occurred to me. My friend though remained undeterred; she pursued with her follow ups; until one day, I decided I needed to get the monkey off my back. I thought I’ll just blog once and that would be it. So, up went my first post. But deep down, I was happy, I had shared a recipe to the world. My recipe. I don’t remember, but I think that post got about 5 views. Excitedly, I put up another post. One post followed another, slowly, followers signed in and today, 61 followers and roughly 10,000 page views later my blog turns a year old. There couldn’t be a more happier moment and how I wish I words could express the joy my heart feels. Simply, on the top of the world.

I did try very hard writing a blogversary speech; but I realised that I had a long list of people to thank. That would make it seem like one of those glycerin drenched film award shows, but here’s a toast to each and every one of you, my readers and all others who have walked this path with me.. I am hugely humbled to know that so many of you spend your precious reading the blog and sharing my world. Thank you once again. For sure, in the coming times you will see more interesting and innovative recipes on the site. In fact, how about kicking off a series titled “The World on my plate” where we savor the best of world cuisine from the Yakitori of Japan to the Spanish Potato Bravas and the works. Drop in a line and let me know what you think. I shall wait to hear from you.

A birthday celebration incomplete without a cake right? And yes, a special cake was made for the blogs birthday. A cheesecake but I wanted to spruce it up a bit and yes, deviate from the traditional New York cheese cake. Then, it had to be healthy. Ahh, so many briefs to fit into one final cheesecake. So finally, I came up with “No bake, Citrus and Chilli Cheesecake”. Did I hear you swoon already. I have recently been intrigued by chilli. That robust flavour, that subtle back of the head kick. And then, the ever so dependable and very refreshing citrus. How can you ever go wrong when you have the goodness of oranges in it. All this held together by the rich, creamy, smoothness of cheese. This is going to be a cake to remember. When I tried this one for the test run, I found it had a very intense chilli taste; to the extent of the citrus being overpowered. So, I had to go back to the drawing board and rework on the ingredient quantities. The point here is you only need the chilli flavour and not the taste. Citrus and chilli are my recommended flavors; go berserk with your choice of flavors like ginger-honey, citrus-cinnamon, or the more adventurous whiskey and nuts or vodka and star aniseed.

Its been a fabulous year in blogging, and here's to many more of the same. And finally, A big “Thank you”. This would not have been possible without your support, inputs, comments and the so many other ways you show your love to “Tummy Tales”. I do hope we share an even bigger camaraderie and the love of food we always had.

Keep smiling and happy cooking.

Citrus and Chilli Cheesecake

For the biscuit base:

6-8 digestive biscuits
1 tablespoon, brown sugar
2 tablespoons, butter

For the Cheese layer

200 grams, hung curd
80 grams, mozzarella cheese or cottage cheese
100 ml condensed milk
1 green chilli, de-seeded
1 teaspoon, citrus zest (use a combination of orange and lemon zest)
2 teaspoons, edible gelatin

For the Citrus reduction

Juice of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon, brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon, red chilli flakes

Procedure:

To make the biscuit base:

Combine the biscuits, sugar and butter in a zip lock bag and pound using a pestle or a rolling pin until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand. Alternatively, use could use a mixer.
Now, place a circular mould on a sufficiently large plate and empty the mixture on the inside of the mould. Level this out using the back of a spoon.
Keep this in the refrigerator for about half and hour till it sets well.

To make the cheesecake layer:

Prepare the gelatin as per the instructions mentioned on the pack. Keep aside to cool.
In a bowl, add the hung curd and the grated mozzarella and whisk together, till evenly combined.
Add the condensed milk in small batches and mix well to combine.
Next add the chilli and the citrus zest's. Mix well.
Add the prepared gelatin and combine.
Pour this mixture over the prepared biscuit base and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours. If possible, allow it to set overnight.

To make the citrus reduction:

Add the orange juice in a saucepan along with the sugar and chilli flakes.
Heat till the juice reaches a boiling point. Then lower the heat and boil till the juice has reduced to half in quantity.
Take out from the heat and allow to come to room temperature.

To serve:

Demould the cheesecake and pour the citrus reduction over the cheesecake. Chill for about 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Honey, Chilli and Garlic Noodles- Kid's Special Recipe

2013-10-20T15:13:00.000+05:30

Movies, many a times reflect life. Life as it is. Life as it should be. I recently happened to watch the movie “The Lunchbox”. A deftly made movie, in which the both the male and female protagonist don’t meet; they communicate with each other through a series of notes sent through a “dabba” (lunchbox) that has been wrongly delivered. The Lunchbox hits the right spot when it so gracefully touches the trials, tribulations, fears and hopes of the people of Mumbai. There are many problems that the female protagonist tackles in the movie. One among them is the eternal question of what to pack in her husband’s and daughter’s lunch box. Trivial as it may seem, this is one of the more pertinent questions faced by most mothers today at least in this city. On one level, in a vastly commercialised junk food world, it is about keeping the kid interested in the lunch. Then, at another level, it is about maintaining the nutrition level. Add to it, kids these days are well informed; if you fail to convince them about something on the plate, be rest assured that it won’t be eaten.

So then, what’s the solution we may ask? The way out to me would be to have the kids menu designed in a manner that appeals to them. Few thoughtful touches would make a huge differences, abundance of colours, shapes could do. Another thing could be done is involve them in the kitchen, time permitting small jobs for example, buttering the bread could be theirs.

And so, here is one recipe that should definitely appeal to all kids and as well as adults. Yes, a noodles recipe. Most kids love noodles and I have kept it very simple, incorporating the basic flavours. The good thing is it came of well. Just the chillies and honey to suit juniors taste. Another suggestion is try not to break the noodles when cooking them. There is a certain pleasure in slurping the long noodles.

Hope you like this one and when juniors home, I do hope you get the response that is a famous ad running on TV these days “Dhabba Khaali; pet full”!

Honey, Chilli and Garlic Noodles

Ingredients:

400 grams noodles of your choice
80 grams garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons, soya sauce
3 teaspoons, oil
Juice of half a lime
40 grams, red chilli flakes
3 tablespoons, honey
1 tablespoon, sesame seeds

Procedure:

Cook the noodles as instructed on the pack till they are al dente (75% done). Once cooked, keep them under running water for a while and add a teaspoon of oil to prevent them from sticking. You could add salt now to the noodles.
Whisk the soya sauce and lemon juice together in a bowl and add the red chilli flakes. Keep aside.
Now, heat the remaining oil in wok or a heavy pan and add the garlic. Cook on a high flame for 2 minutes or till the garlic is reddish brown and has started releasing a pleasant aroma.
Once the garlic has browned, add the soya sauce and lemon emulsion and give it a quick mix.
Add the noodles in small batches tossing well each time.
Once all the noodles are well coated with the soya sauce, and the honey and toss again for a final time.
Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve hot.

Simple Butter Cake!

2013-10-02T14:50:00.000+05:30

Its been a while since I posted a cake recipe on the blog. Nearly a year almost.

Why haven’t I baked in all this while…. Well call it my bane. The proverbial Achilles heel. After a couple of baking attempts went put; I thought it would be better if I could focus on eating a cake, than baking one.

The plan worked, till a reader wrote requesting if I could post a simple butter cake recipe. I discussed with a few friends who bake and they said it was pretty simple. I tweeted to another round of encouragement from folks. I wrote back to the reader saying I’d post the recipe. The good thing, there was time on hand. So, I searched for a simple recipe that would fit the brief. I was so spoilt for choice that I didn’t know which to choose. I narrowed down one and sent it to a friend for authentication. He sent it back with recommended changes.

So, preps done and I now was ready to face the music. I started whisking the butter gingerly, much like Sachin Tendulkar’s nervous edge down to third man to get off the mark. But as I covered the steps in the recipe, the confidence in process and myself start to increase. You need to love baking, experienced and professional bakers told me. I was now beginning to love the process. I did see the batter coming out just as my friend described it would. I was happy. The tin was dusted and prepared. In went the batter. I had a few walnuts that I had saved from an earlier dish and felt they would give a nice crunch to the cake. In they went. But now was the true test. Waiting for the cake to bake. Believe you me those thirty five minutes seemed like and endless Rahul Dravid innings. Finally, the timer went off and I dashed off the oven as if my life depended on it. It passed the skewer test. Now too wait for another few minutes, till it cooled completely. It finally did.

As I cut through each slice, the delicate cake was perfect. You will have to excuse the pictures, since it was a quick photo shoot. Trust me, the cake was inviting.

We enjoyed the cake with coffee. And yes, I did send the recipe to my reader who wrote

Dear Elson,

I did try the cake recipe you sent me. It was heavenly. Sheer buttery goodness.

Guess I will now use this cake to show off to all my friends that I too can bake. Thanks a lot for the trouble.

Shall also be trying the Fish Coastal Biryani soon. I’ll write and let you know how it turned out to be.

Do keep satiating our hungry souls till then.

It encouraged me to start a series for readers request recipe. Should you have a recipe that you want me to feature on the blog, please feel free to drop in a line on my email address thetummytale@gmail.com or stop by at my Facebook Page. There’s a lot happening there too.

Meanwhile, here is the recipe for the cake.

Simple Butter Cake

Ingredients:

150 grams butter, (preferably unsalted)
125 grams, powdered sugar
125 grams, all purpose flour
3 medium sized eggs
1 teaspoon, baking powder
15 ml milk
few drops of vanilla essence
Some extra butter and flour for lining the tin
8-10 drops of flavoring essence of your choice (Optional, I skipped this)
A few mixed nuts, for laying out on top of the cake.

Procedure

Brush an 8 inch baking tray with butter; then dust if with sufficient flour and keep aside.
Next, sift the flour and baking powder together at least 3 times and keep aside.
Preheat oven at 100 C for about 10 mins
Using an electric mixer on a high speed cream the butter till it changes its colour to off white.
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and start adding the sugar in small batches. Continue this till the sugar and butter have combined well.
Add the eggs, one at a time and continue mixing.
Now, stop the mixer and start folding the flour in small batches, like we did for the sugar. Combine well using a spatula. Add the milk and vanilla essence.
Gently pour this batter in the prepared tin, spread the nuts on the batter and bake for about 30 minutes. Use the tooth pick/ skewer test to check for the doneness
When its entirely done, allow it cool for another 20 minutes.
Enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee

Note:

Please note that 30 minutes is indicative. The baking time may increase or decrease, depending on your oven's brand.

Black Chickpeas and Ivy Gourd Fugadh

2013-09-29T17:45:00.001+05:30

Nutty black chickpeas cooked in spicy gravy; accompanied by the sweetish Ivy gourd and gently tempered with coconut and jaggery. This is one dish that is close to my heart, the one that takes me back to my childhood every single time, with the taste still lingering in my memory forever.

Though my mum makes this dish often, she confesses to learning it from her mother. My dear grandmother at whose place I’ve spent many a happy holidays. Even to date, whenever my mum gets black chickpeas; I know for sure what’s on the menu. Every step of the recipe is magical, right from the moment when the chickpeas are pressure cooked to when the masalas are being sautéed and then finally the coconut garnish; food porn if I could call it that. And that’s not all, there is a bit of tradition involved as well. The 8^th of September, is a special day; where Christians celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day, the menu is special and is called ‘Noven Jowaan’ roughly translated to ‘new meal’; the new signifying that the meal has been prepared from the new harvest as a thanksgiving to the almighty for his graces. The dishes are prepared in series of odd numbers and this one definitely makes it to that spread.

Somehow, very honestly, I had long wanted to post this but somehow didn't get to do it. It was the only the other day when I headed to a meeting outside office and had to eat a restaurant. I ordered this one and believe me, the beauty of the dish had been massacred. Seriously, nothing pains me more than Manglorean food gone wrong. I decided to come home and get it done.

So then, here is a family recipe. Like its made at my home. Try it, garnish it with spices, temper it with coconut and serve it love. My family loves it, I'm sure yours would too.

Black Chickpeas and Ivy Gourd Fugadh

Ingredients:

200 grams, black chickpeas, refer cooking instructions below in the procedure
100 grams, Ivy gourd, cut length wise
50 grams fresh coconut, grated
50 grams jaggery, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large tomato, finely chopped
3 tablespoons corriander seeds
1 tablespoons, black pepper corns
1 tablespoon, cummin seeds
1 teaspoon, mustard seeds
7-8 Whole red chillies
1 small teaspoon, turmeric powder
1 Sprig Curry leaves
3 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
300 ml water

Procedure:

Soak the black chickpeas in 300 ml water overnight or atleast 6-8 hours. Wash them under running water till water runs clear.
After washing, pressure cook for about 15 minutes or till you hear about 3 whistles. Retain the water if you wish to have some gravy
Dry roast the corriander seeds, pepper corns, cummin seeds, and red chillies till they give out a nice aroma. Once done, cool for a while and then, grind to a fine powder. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. Wait till the seeds splutter.
Add the garlic and let it . Then add the onions and saute till the onions turns translucent.
Now, add the coconut, turmeric and the powder. Saute, till the oil has started leaving the sides
Now, add the chickpeas and the Ivy gourd and mix well.
Add the salt, jaggery and tomatoes and give it a good mix. Cover and cook for about 7 minutes.
If required, add some water from the boiled chickpeas.
Serve hot with rice or chapattis.

Pork Chilli

2013-09-17T21:28:00.000+05:30

I am absolutely overjoyed as I write this post. More, because I cooked this dish is my own and when I began, I had absolutely no idea of how it would turn out. But look at the pictures and they will tell what a good job I did. I have written earlier on the blog on how pork is every Mangaloreans comfort food and no big or small occasion is ever complete without it. Though, pork chilli may sound an authentically Chinese dish but this one is genuinely Mangalorean. Let me make my case

Every Mangalorean wedding has an interesting function preceding it. This function is called ‘Roce’. For the seekers of the truth, this is a function held on the day before the actual wedding. This is where coconut milk and oil is applied to the soon-to-be- bride or groom; the bath following the ritual symbolizing the last bath as a singleton. It is a very fun event and I seriously recommend you to attend one if you happen to be invited. And yes, how can I tell you about a roce and not tell you about the food? In the olden days, when food was traditionally cooked at home usually consisting of rice, variety of vegetables along with mutton polov and pork chilly. It also depended on how much the host could afford. With the passage of time, the menus started getting creative and contemporary fare started showing up. Two things remained constant though, the mutton polov and pork chilly. Like friends, who had sworn to stand by one another through the test of time. I will do another post on the virtues of the mutton polov; for today, we shall focus on the pork chilly. Doesn’t the name ‘…… Chili’ make it sound it sound very Chinese. It does. For a while I too, was misled to imagining that this was another produce from across the border. But, I frankly haven’t seen this version being served anywhere else than a Mangalorean roce. The other thing is unlike other Mangalorean recipes, this one is not easy to find. I have found different versions as well; probably attribute it to the caterer. That made it difficult to ascertain one texture and base for the meat. After every roce, I’d come back home much more determined to try the pork chilli. With no proper recipe to back me, I knew I had to fend for myself to get this one right. The one that would make both the Chinese and the Mangalorean grannies proud. So I started researching for the recipe. On a recent trip to Mangalore, I even picked up a book, known to be the bible of Mangalorean cooking. A must have for every new Mangalorean bride. I was disappointed. The book didn’t contain the recipe.

Then, a few months back I went to another roce function. The pork chilli was there. This one was slightly different from the ones I had, there was something different. The texture soft and flavors though predominantly Chinese had that hint of extra chilli a typical Mangalorean trait. This not only gave it that extra bite but served as a nice cushion against the crisp but superbly cooked meat. For me, it was the dish of the day. I walked up to the caterer and complimented him firstly putting up a winner. I then quizzed him on the texture and cooking. Thankfully, unlike other Mangalorean aunts who hold their recipes close to their chest, he was pretty fort right and told me that he preferred baking the pork for some time to give it that contrast in textures. Another trick he told me is to get meat with some fat; that would help in marrying the flavours.

With a base to begin, I was now looking at the opportunity to cook. I thought it would be nice if I could marinate the meat for a while. I love the aroma of marinating meat. It somehow takes the flavors of the meat to another level. Marination done, I carefully laid the pork pieces on a baking tray and aligned the settings. Twenty minutes down and the house almost smelt divine. Baking the meat proved to me a master stroke. Later, as the bits started falling into place (or should I say into the gravy), I realized that this was that one dish I had been waiting for. I guess, I more or less made it the the caterer.

Dinner that night was bliss. Pork to me is not sorpotel or vindaloo anymore. As I ate, I recollected something I read. It said that the poet and pig are appreciated only after their death. Not sure about the poet, but i can surely agree about the pig.

Pork Chilli

Ingredients:

500 grams pork, cut into bite sized cubes- Refer note below
120 grams bell peppers, cubed - Suggestion is use 1 each of green, red, yellow
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon, red chilli paste
1 teaspoon, white pepper powder
4 tablespoons, tomato ketchup
4 tablespoons, soya sauce
2 tablespoons, oyster sauce
2 tablespoons, vinegar
2 tablespoons, oil
1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 70 ml water to make a slurry
Salt- to taste

Procedure:

Wash the meat and pat it dry. In a bowl, whisk together half the soya sauce, vinegar, white pepper powder and some salt. Add the meat to this marinade and mix well. Make sure the meat pieces are well coated with the marinade.
Preheat the oven to 100 C
Line the meat pieces on a baking tray and bake in a the oven at 180 C for 40 minutes. Depending on the type of your oven, you may need to increase or decrease the baking time. But, generally 40 minutes is good enough. Once meat is done, remove and keep aside to cool.
Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and saute till garlic has turned brown, but not burnt.
Add the onions along with the greens with and saute for a minute.
Now, add the red chilli paste and give it a good mix. If the paste is sticking to the pan, sprinkle a few drops of water.
Add the tomato ketchup, remaining soya and the oyster sauce and mix well.
Now, add in the bell peppers and coat them well with the gravy.
Lastly, add the pork pieces, salt and mix well.
Now, add the cornflour slurry and give it one last mix.
Garnish with spring onion and serve hot with fried rice

Note on cooking the Pork:

The quality of the meat plays a very important role in its cooking. Always take the best cut of meat from a trusted butcher. Secondly, depending on the quality of the meat, you may be required to boil the meat in salted water for about 15 minutes. If so, reduce the baking time by 10 minutes.

Basa in Soy and Ginger

2013-09-10T15:35:00.000+05:30

Here is a very quick post to a dish that I made almost on the spur of the moment. Sometime back, I had asked readers on my facebook page what recipe they would want to see next and a majority of them responded saying a Chinese recipe was long due.

Last week, I instinctively purchased some basa while shopping and since this was my first time, i was left wondering what to cook with it. One experiment with frying it didn't come off too well. But what I realised was that Basa has a nice and buttery flavour that I felt would go well with Asian seasoning. This took me back a few months when i had been to an Asian restaurant for lunch and managed to catch up with the chef. While chatting with him, he told me about how soya and ginger form a complex but compatible marriage. I decided to give it a try.

I tweeted my anxiety about cooking Basa the first time and folks egged me on. One step followed the other with military precision and by the time I was about half way done, I knew that this was going to be something good. The splash of spring onions on top only jazzed up the entire plating effect. Cooking done, as I was plating I also noticed the sun, who was lazily hiding behind the clouds; coming out in all his splendour as if to demand his share.

As I had dinner that night, I silently thanked the man who decided to get the Vietnamese Basa to India.

Basa in Soy, Ginger

Ingredients

150 grams, Basa Fillets, cut into bite sized cubes
4 tablespoons soya sauce
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1 medium sprig, spring onions, finely chopped- retain some of the greens for garnishing.
2 green chillies, finely chopped (I used red chilli flakes)
1 teaspoon , brown sugar
1 tablespoon, white pepper powder
1 teaspoon cornflour, mixed with some water to form a slurry
2 tablespoons, oil
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the fish fillets and marinate them with the lime juice and the pepper powder. Make sure the juice and pepper powder coats the fish pieces evenly. Refrigerate this for about half an hour.
Add the soya sauce and ginger in a bowl. Now, using the back of a spoon, gently crush the ginger pieces in the the bowl. This will allow the flavour of the ginger to gel with the soya sauce.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok. Add the chopped onion, garlic and chillies and saute for a minute.
Now, add the fish pieces and the sugar. Allow the fish to cook for a minute along with the sugar that will caramelise. This wont take longer than 2 minutes.
Add, the ginger, soya mixture and stir for another minute. If you want some more gravy, add in some water or stock now.
Now, add the cornflour slurry and give it one last mix.
Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot with fried rice

Of Chicken 65 and Rajnikanth Flicks

2013-09-03T22:20:00.001+05:30

Today’s dish Chicken 65, is the second best thing to come out from Chennai. The first being Rajnikanth. And just like Rajnikanth, it is humble, is unassuming, has a huge fan base, and above all, manages to quietly steal the show from everything else at the table. There is a bit of history thrown in behind the invention of the chicken 65, which goes something like this.

Many years ago, a customer walked into a small little restaurant in Chennai and asked to be served a meal. Now, it was around closing time; but not wanting to send back a hungry customer, the owner ordered the chef to quickly prepare something from whatever was available in the pantry. The chef did and the customer left with a grateful heart only to come back the next day and ask that the same dish be served to him. This went on for a couple of days and then, the owner decided to feature the dish on his regular menu. The menu already had 64 items and this went on to become the 65^th item, thus prompting the name “Chicken 65”.

Another story goes back to the pre-Independence era, when the British soldiers who frequented the military café in Chennai. They had a favorite dish whose longish name they couldn’t pronounce and there ordered it by saying “Chicken 65”. The 65 apparently rhyming with the last name of the dish. Sounds interesting right?

Food does becoming interesting when there is a story to back it up. But this dish is not just about the story behind it. It is about its simplicity in every aspect making it a case in point for cynics who don't buy the argument that simple dishes can be tasty as well. Picture this, you marinate the chicken, cover it with batter and fry it, toss it in the sauce. Not too difficult, right? Yet, every bite will make you swoon, towards the end you will be full, but not satisfied and in all probability will have you asking for more. Pretty much like a Rajnikanth classic flick where you know you cannot go wrong.

I had initially not planned to make Chicken 65. I had boneless chicken in the fridge and in all probability would have gone in for a Chinese meal, but as the proverbial twist in the tale, the majority voted against Chinese and I decided to make Chicken 65. The only real effort was staying away from the crisp fried chicken and proceeding to the preparation of the gravy. I was pretty thrilled at the result simply for the fact that I got it right in the first go. My suggestion is don’t make it with a lot of gravy; it just enough to coat the chicken pieces and yet give you that feeling of it lingering on your pallete.

Try it, the feeling of ecstasy and satisfaction you will derive be unparalleled. Mine was!!

Chicken 65

Ingredients:

For marinating the Chicken

550 grams chicken, cut into medium sized pieces (you could either use boneless or with bone)
2 teaspoons, red chilli powder
1 teaspoon, turmeric powder
1 teaspoon, crushed pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste

For the batter

6 tablespoons, rice flour
2 tablespoons, cornflour
1 egg, beaten well
Salt- a pinch
Oil, sufficient to fry the chicken pieces

For the gravy:

100 grams, Greek yoghurt, whisked well
2 teaspoons, garlic paste
1 teaspoon, ginger paste
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
1 Sprig, Curry leaves
1 teaspoon, cumin seeds
1 teaspoon, red chilli powder
1 teaspoon, turmeric powder
1 teaspoon, garam masala powder
1 teaspoon, corriander powder
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons, oil
Salt- to taste

Procedure:

Wash the chicken, pat it dry and marinate it with the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper and lemon juice. Do not add the salt at this time. Keep it aside for an hour.
Sieve together the rice flour, and corn flour and the salt and keep aside. Beat the egg well.
Now heat the oil on medium heat.
Line two bowls one with the rice flour and corn flour and the other with the egg.
Add the salt to the chicken pieces and mix well. Take each piece of chicken and coat well with the egg and the flour mixture (in that order) and fry in the oil till each piece stands out separately and is golden brown in colour.
Take out and drain on a absorbent paper. While we proceed to make the sauce.
In a deep bottom pan, heat the oil (mentioned under the heading "for the gravy").
Once it heats up, add the curry leaves and the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.
When the curry leaves release aroma, add the ginger, garlic paste, green chillies and saute well.
Add the spice powders and mix well. Sprinkle a few drops of water so that the powders don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Now, add the yoghurt, salt and mix well to integrate the spice powders.
Finally add in the fried chicken pieces and mix well so that the yoghurt gravy is fairly dry and the chicken pieces are coated well.
Transfer to the serving plate, sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot.

Beef Roast (Goan Style)

2013-08-22T20:57:00.000+05:30

I had a few friends over for dinner over the last weekend. The menu preference was pretty simple, Sorpotel and Sanna.

While extolling the virtues of the sorpotel and the provenance of the slain pig, one of my friends asked the question that would have pricked the heart of any Mangalorean, “What’s better Goan Cuisine or Mangalorean cuisine”? All eyes turned to me… I felt as if the answer to world peace lay in what I was to reply.

Was there ever something we called “Goan Cuisine”? I wondered. Lots of fish, beef and pork, I’d presume. Vegetables? Could be.. I had always been seen as the preacher ultimate for Mangalorean cuisine and now I was to explain something that I always thought had been derived from us Mangloreans..I did check, a couple of Google pages and a few phone calls later I had my answer. Well, more or less…

From a bird’s eye view, it would be easy to believe that Goan cuisine begins and ends with sorpotels, vindaloos and balchaos; thankfully, it doesn’t end there. There’s a lot and more to be explored. Classified as Goan Hindu and Goan Christian it largely deriving largely from the influences of their erstwhile colonial masters, the Portuguese. All you need to do is visit Goa, and allow your nose to lead to a myriad of flavors of a cuisine that is complex and intriguing but something that needs to be cherished and loved.

To be honest, you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that serves an authentic Goan meal. The kinds that would remind you of mum and of home. Like in Mangalore, the recipes are handed down from generation to generation and in the constant danger of being lost in the quickly spinning wheel of time.

The question for me then was what dish do I prepare for the post. I didn’t need to search long and hard. My mum quickly gave me a recipe she’s aced and perfected for almost a decade now. I remember having this Beef Roast even as a kid. It’s not quite like a dry roast, not really a gravy but somewhere in between. The best thing is that it’s pretty easy to make and the only time it really take is for the marinating. So, this is something my mum made and like a good student I watched and made notes while she expertly went about her chores. When she finally opened the pressure cooker there was an explosion of flavours that would make any food lover go weak kneed.

As we were at the table, my mum did give a small tip we could use for all recipes- to make a perfect dish pay attention to all the ingredients, but don’t forget the huge scoop of love that you will need to add the very beginning.

Goan Style Beef Roast

500 grams beef (preferably in 1 large piece)
2 large potatoes, cubed
3 large red chillies
1 tablespoon, red chilli powder
1 tablespoon, turmeric powder
2 tablespoons, corriander powder
2 tablespoons, cummin powder
2 tablespoons, crushed pepper
1 tablespoon, garam masala powder
60 ml, Goan Vinegar (or any other vinegar will do)
2 tablespoons oil
300 ml water (or more as may be required to cook)
salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the meat and pat it dry. DO NOT cut the meat at this point.
Use a fork and gently prick the meat on all sides. Now, rub all the spice powders, salt and vinegar all over the meat. Keep the meat side for atleast 3-4 hours, better if you could keep it over night.
Once the marination time is up, take out the meat and cut in into medium sized cubes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the red chillies and potatoe cubes and cook for a while
When the chillies begin to crackle, add the meat and give it a stir. Add the water, some salt only if necessary, and close the lid of the pressure cooker and allow it to cook for about 30 minutes. Please note that the cooking time may differ as per the quality of the meat.
Serve hot with rice or sannas.

Coastal Style Fish Biryani

2013-08-15T21:52:00.000+05:30

If ever there was a dish that unites and divides us Indians it is the Biryani. Rarely in the history of mankind has dish, not native to the land, come in a made a place for itself in the heart of its people. We all know that biryani came to India courtesy the Mughals. Today, centuries after Mughals have long gone, the Biryani still continues to rules our hearts and palletes. I have often wondered what is so unique about this combination of rice and meat. The answer is simple. Across the length and breadth of this country, the biryani has integrated with the local flavours and suited tastes. You will not find a similar biryani anywhere in the country. So, while on one hand you have the gentler, more of meat, oil based ones in the north, Lucknow to be precise where it is known as the “Pakki (fully cooked) Biryani”. The cooking process here involves cooking the marinated meat and rice separately and then layering it together and cooking it on dum (steam). You then have the larger than life, biryani from Hyderabad where you would come across the “Kachchi (raw) Biryani”. Here, the rice (which is cooked al-dente) and meat are layered together and then given a dum. Move eastwards, towards Kolkatta and you will find the Kolkatta styled biryani, easy on the spice, generous helping of potatoes and with a lower proportion of meat. Here, the biryani will be more often than not be accompanied by the chap or rezaala. In, Mumbai, on the west coast you have the spicier variety with varying degrees of meat and rice to suit the Mumbai taste.

The true test of a biryani is how the rice is cooked. It is essential to keep a hawk eye on the rice while it is being cooked. The usual method is to cook it till it is about three-fourths done and done while it cooks on dum, you have each grain proudly standing out, vying for attention and wanting to tell you a story. The meat is usually marinated in curds before cooking. This forms the perfect bite when you take in a morsel of rice, covered in the masala and then melt in the mouth meat. Truly, this is a moment that needs to be savoured.

Usually, when there is talk of a biryani, the combination is usually that of rice and meat. You would not associate something as delicate as fish with such an elaborate method of cooking. While I was discussing with a friend the other day the concept of a fish biryani, he joked that fish biryani would probably have been invented in a coastal area like Kerala or Goa. I so wanted to add Mangalore to the list, for obvious reasons you see. Some research and bit of experimentation, I finally cracked the code to a fish biryani; what I also managed to do was integrate into it some coastal flavors. Usually, curd is used to marinate the meat and as a base for the gravy. I substituted the curds with another coastal staple, coconut milk. The end result was a creamy and sturdier gravy. The coconut milk also helped balance the spice giving it a nice even taste. Another change I made was not marinating but gently frying the fish. That helps to give the fish a slightly firmer texture that helped when cooking the fish in the gravy.

In all earnest, which ever biryani works for you, the best thing to do is go through the entire process of cooking the biryani, whilst doing so savour the aroma and once done, dig in and enjoy a meal fit for royalty.

Coastal Styled Fish Biryani

Ingredients

For the rice

2 cups long grained rice
1 Star Anise
1 Inch cinnamon stick
3-4 green cardamom
3-cloves
3-4 pepper corns
1 black cardamon
salt to taste
A pinch of orange food colouring mixed with 20 ml water or milk.

For the Biryani Masala

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped (Increase the quantity if you want it spicier)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons Biryani Masala Powder (I used Everest Biryani Masala)
1 tablespoon tumeric powder (haldi)
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 large tablespoon cumin seeds
200 ml thick coconut milk
1 large bunch of corriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 Bundle of Mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

1 cup coriander leaves
1 bunch mint leaves
10 cloves garlic
2 green chillies (adjust to taste)
3-4 pepper corns
1 teaspoon coriander leaves

For frying the fish:

5 pieces of any firm fleshed fish (I used kingfish)
plain red chilli powder to taste
turmeric powder
salt
Oil for frying

For the Garnishing

2 large onions, sliced finely
10-15 cashews, slivered
5-10 almonds, slivered
10 -12 raisins
Ghee/ Oil to fry
Few Mint leaves
1 lime, quartered
Salt

Procedure:

To prepare the fish:

Wash the fish and pat it dry.
Add the lime juice, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to the fish and rub well. Keep aside for an hour or so.
Now, heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish for about 3 minutes a side. You don't need to entirely cook the dish at this stage.
Once done, remove and drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

To prepare the rice:

Heat 4 cups of water in a large vessel and bring to a boil. Tie the whole masala in a small muslin cloth and drop in the boiling water.
Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes. Then wash under running water till the water runs clear.
Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for sometime till you see fluffy grains of rice. Don't stir the rice at this time since you may end up breaking the grains. Add salt and cook till the rice is cooked al dente (75% done)
Drain the rice using a colander and make sure the rice is completely devoid of any moisture. Leave it open in a dry place and do not cover the rice
Take about a handful of rice in a seperate vessel. To this, add the water in which we had mixed the food colouring and mix well so that the rice absorbs the colour entirely

To prepare the garnishing:

Heat oil in sufficiently large frying pan on medium heat.
Add the sliced onions and give it a mix so that the oil covers the onions well. Add the salt.
Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes till the onions turn reddish brown in colour.
Take out from the heat and cover and drain on an absorbent paper.
In the same pan, add the cashews, almonds and fry till they turn reddish brown. Once done, take out from heat and drain on an absorbent paper

To prepare the biryani masala:

In a large vessel, heat the oil and add the whole spices, curry leaves and allow them to splutter.
When the spices begin spluttering and releasing aroma, add the chopped onions and let them cook till they turn golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic pastes along with the chillies. At this point add half the onions that we had fried. We will retain the other half for garnishing.
Once the onions are done, add the chopped tomato and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and limp.
Add the green paste along with very little water. Saute this on a medium flame till the oil begins to leave the sides.
Lower the heat and add the coconut milk and mix well. Once the mixture has integrated well add the spice powders. Mix well.
Add the fish, and stir gently so that we don't break the fish fillets/ pieces.
Once done, add the chopped corriander and mint leaves.

To assemble the biryani:

Line a large vessel with ghee/ oil.
Add the gravy mixture. Now add in one half of the onions we had fried earlier and some of the fried cashews, almonds and raisins.
Layer the gravy mixture with the cooked rice. Sprinkle the surface with the rice that was mixed with food colouring.
Finish the layering with the remaining fried onions and dried fruits.
Cover the vessel with a lid that fits perfectly. Or you could cover with aluminium foil so that no steam escapes.
Place the vessel on a tawa and cook for 30-40 minutes on a medium flame. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes after you've turned off the gas.
Serve hot with raita.

Vorn- Mangalorean Green Gram Pudding- Celebrating 100 likes on the facebook page.

2013-08-10T19:25:00.001+05:30

A very special dish for a very special occasion. This recipe is by none other than the original masterchef herself! Yes, it my mums recipe and a Mangalorean classic, Vorn (pronounced- War-rn). So then, what’s the special occasion? Well friends, my face book page has reached 100 fans and that calls for a celebration, doesn’t it? Remember, I told you special dish for a special occasion. Thanks a ton, dear readers, without each of you being there to cheer me on, this would not be possible. And yes, a special mention to my mum and sister who have been the backbone of this blog. Tasting, criticizing, cheering, suggesting and almost everything backstage is done by them and their input goes a long way in deciding what goes on the blog and what is left out.

It was only obvious that I would choose Vorn for this post. It is a sweet dish reserved for very special Mangalorean functions. I remember, sometime back I attended about 3 weddings in 4 days and then there was roce (which is the pre-wedding function) & every roce had vorn. Just goes to show what it means to us Mangaloreans. I remember my mum and even my grand mum making vorn in a large vessel that was specially reserved only for that purpose. As with most Mangalorean recipes, this one too doesn’t have a standard recipe, each household claims theirs is original and authentic. We’ll leave it to the food historians to investigate.

Now, vorn is best had when it is piping hot, straight out of the cooking vessel. Whenever, mum makes it, I readily volunteer to do the tasting bit. When I was younger, I would deliberately sneak into the kitchen and ask that I taste the vorn at almost every stage of the cooking process. Complex as it may sound, it’s fairly simple to make and doesn’t require any alchemy. Just a few household ingredients that are readily available in the everyday pantry and your set to wow your family, friends or guest. And if you are of the diet conscious sorts who cringe at the mere mention of desserts, worry not. This one’s for you as well since unlike other oil/ ghee laden desserts this one doesn’t use any fat. Indulgence at its best!!

And before I began writing, I promised my self that I would keep the post short and sweet. The dish has enough magnanimity to carry it through. As I always believe, food tastes best when eaten with love and shared. I do hope my dear friends you will try this recipe and share it with your family and those who you love.

Vorn- Mangalorean Green Gram Pudding

Ingredients:

200 grams Moong dal (Indian Greem Gram)
150 grams jaggery
60 grams rice paste (Instructions below)
80 grams mixed dry fruits (Cashewnuts, Raisins, Pistachios), roughly chopped
120 ml thick coconut milk
4-5 green cardamom, powdered
300 ml water

Procedure:

Dry roast the moong dal in a pan till it is golden brown on all sides. Once its brown, rinse twice under running water.
In a deep vessel, boil the dal and the water together. The texture of the dal should be whole but not entirely mashed.
Once the dal reaches this stage, add the jaggery and stir well. The jaggery should melt entirely.
Add the cardamom powder and the mixed dry fruits. Keep stirring well so that there are no lumps in the liquid.
To make the rice paste, soak (any variety of short grained) rice in water for about half an hour and then grind to a liquidy paste. Add this paste to the vorn mixture.
When you add the rice paste, the vorn will attain a thick consistency. Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk. Stir well.
Ganish with dry fruits and serve hot.

Mince Cutlets

2013-08-05T19:02:00.000+05:30

There are many blessings that life bestows on all of us. Making and choosing friends is one of them.

The genesis of this post goes back about a decade and half, when I got admission to St. Andrew’s College, Bandra. On the first day of college, I was a nervous wreck. New institute, new places and the fact that I would be interacting with strangers gave me nightmares. But then, along the way, I met the three most diverse, mad and yet strangely, the most funniest people in my life. These are the friends I made in college and today, a decade and half later, careers and commitments have taken us to separate corners of the globe but thanks to innovations in social media, we are always an email, call or if need be a flight away from each other. Ironically, if you would put together the initials of our names it would be ‘BEER’; one of the E’s representing me of course.

So, why am I telling you about my friends and college days? Firstly, it was friendships day celebrated earlier this week and secondly the dish for today is one that we almost spent our entire college life on. Mince cutlets. For those you who know and have been to Bandra (where my college was), you would know that it’s one of the few areas in Mumbai that is heady concoction of the new and old worlds. One of the best things of Bandra is the large number of schools and an equally large number of small bakeries that (still, I guess) churn out all sorts of baked goodies both sweet and savory. The good thing was that the products were reasonably cheap and thankfully the portions large enough to satiate the growling stomachs of young college students. Now, each group in college had its own preferred bakery and so did ours. A few furlongs away from college was an Iranian bakery that the ‘BEER’ group would frequent; run by an uncle who resembled the biblical character Noah and just like Noah didn’t seem to age. We visited the place more out of compulsion and need to look good eating joints that wouldn’t deplete the pocket money our parents gave us. One of the things we loved having from this place was the mince cutlets. Half a dozen medium sized cutlets at about 10 odd rupees was a steal. As time passed uncle almost instinctively knew that along with other stuff an unsaid order was for the plateful of cutlets, at times he would even sneak an extra one much to our delight. We would pack the cutlets and rush off to the sea shore close by and sit there and munch on the cutlets while planning on how to take on the world after we graduate. Those were times when we didn’t have to depend on facebook for our friends birthday reminders and TV meant Doordarshan. I was chatting with a friend a few days ago and we both spent hours recollecting those awesome times, mischief done and of course, the cutlets

As you would have realised by now, this is a friendships day post. Needless to say, one post would not be enough to chronicle the warmth of friendship; I tried and put down as much as I can. And to get as close as I could to relive those memories, I felt there was nothing better than the Mince Cutlets. I have keeping it as close to uncle’s recipe as I could, the taste was more or less there, as they say originals are originals and can’t be replicated.

Serve them with the main course or as an entrée, they fit anywhere into the menu. Better still, have them with ‘BEER’.

Cheers folks!!! And a happy friendship day to each of you. Love well, eat well!!!

Mince Cutlets

Ingredients:

400 grams Chicken Mince
1 small onion, grated
2 green chillies, finely chopped
3 tablespoons rice flour
1 large (or 2 small) potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoon chaat masala powder
1 egg, lightly beaten, for frying
Oil for frying
Breadcrumbs for coating
salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the mince well and add the grated onion, chillies, potatoes, garlic and ginger pastes, red chilli, turmeric & garam masala powders. Mix well.
Refrigerate for an hour. This is to ensure that there is no moisture in the mince.
After an hour, add the rice flour and the chaat masala powder, salt and give it a thorough mix.
Lay out two plates separately with bread crumbs and beaten eggs.
Now wet your hands a little and take a little of the mixture and shape into quinelles, patties or into a shape of your choice.
Dip each into the egg, and then roll well in the breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a pan and fry till golden brown. Once done, take out on an absorbent paper
Serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Dhania Murgh (Cilantro Chicken)

2013-07-22T20:15:00.000+05:30

Hello Guys!! If you’ve been wondering about my whereabouts, relax. I’m very much here. Had been under the weather a bit over the past week or so and therefore cooking and blogging did take a backseat. As much as we love the rains here in Mumbai, they have this uncanny knack of making you ill. I’m better now and back with some fabulous recipes for you. In other (very good and exciting) news, The Tummy Tale has been nominated for the “Indian Blogger Awards 2013”. Do take a moment and check this link for more details.

While I was unwell, I was confined to having food that was bland and so so high on the ‘i-like-that’ quotient. So, after almost a week of illness and boredom, we decided that it was time for some celebration. The brief from the taste queens was that it had to be something light and fresh. One of the things I managed to purchase on my trip to the market was a huge bunch of cilantro which also happened to be my eureka moment. I decided to make th Dhania Murgh. Now, Cilantro or Corriander as it is popularly called is a well known herb and requires little introduction. Cilantrohas mild flavour and is usually used as garnishing. Everyone at somepoint has seen generous amounts of corriander leaves covering gravies, biryanis and even pulaos, however, the subtle aroma and flavour can be made into a gravy that taste equally good. Even if you prefer spicy food, my recommendation is not to use a whole ot of spices as it would tend to overpower the gentleness of the cilantro.

A very Sunday type of dish that just like its hero ingredient goes well with rice, naan and the likes. Best enjoyed with family around you

Dhania Murgh

Ingredients:

800 grams chicken (preferably on the bone)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, pureed
3 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons crushed pepper
5 tablespoons oil
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste:

1 large bunch Cilantro (Corriander leaves)+ retain some leaves and chop them finely
2-3 green chillies
5-8 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
60 grams peanuts (these need to be soaked in warm water for about 15 minutes)

Procedure:

Wash the chicken, pat it dry and then marinate it with the lemon juice, turmeric and 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder for about 2 hours.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and toss in all ingredients mentioned under 'grind to a paste' except for the groundnuts. Fry for about a minute. Allow it to cool, then grind to a fine paste along with some water and don't forget to add the groundnuts.
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and lightly fry the chicken pieces on a medium flame till the chicken gets a light golden char around the meat. This should take about 3 minutes. Remove and keep aside. Save the marinade for later use.
Now, in the same oil add the cumin seeds and crushed pepper and allow to crackle.
Once the spices are sizzling, add the onion and the finely chopped cilantro leaves. Stir well till onions are pink and translucent.
Add in the green paste and red chilli powder and the remaining marinade. Reduce heat and saute for about 5 minutes. Don't overdo this as you may lose the gentle aroma of the cilantro.
Now add the tomato puree and saute for a bit till you see the oil leaving the sides. Add the chicken pieces and toss well to combine. At this point, you may need to add some water to suit your desired gravy consistency.
Add salt and mix. Cover and cook for about 5 more minutes.
Garnish with ginger juliennes and serve hot.

Pineapple and Prawn Fried Rice

2013-07-10T18:13:00.000+05:30

Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health ~ Julia Child ~

Julia Child, in this one statement has almost covered my entire post. Whenever I write a post I try and describe the essence of the cuisine and the dish that I am covering. But then, what I want to cover today is something special, a first of sorts even for me. And so, I’m thinking, how do I describe a cuisine that that ranked number 4 when people were asked to name an ethnic cuisine. And in list of the “World’s 50 most delicious foods” compiled by CNN, 5 dishes from here made it to the list including the number 1 dish. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Any guesses which cuisine is it? I so want to be partial and say its Indian cuisine, but this time we’ll have to give it to Thai Cuisine.

Just like what Julia Child said, Thai cuisine is simply a little of everything. What may seem a simple dish to casual on looker, is actually a complex coming together of many flavors. Thai food is known to have a balance of at least 4-5 flavours in each dish.

Pineapple and prawns is a combination that absolutely made in heaven. This is again a one pot meal that you could put together in like 20 minutes flat. I made this as a first attempt on Thai food and it came out pretty well. Many more to come, I promise.

Do give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turned out.

Thai Pineapple and Prawn Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 Cup pre-cooked rice
100 grams fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes
50 grams fresh prawns
2-3 Thai red chillies
4-5 French beans, cut into bite sized bits.
5-6 cloves of garlic
5-6 leaves fresh basil leaves
50 ml fresh Pine apple Juice
2 tablespoon Soya Sauce
2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
4 tablespoons oil
Salt- to taste

Procedure:

Using a mortar and pestle, roughly pound the chillies and garlic to a rough paste.

In a large pan or wok, heat oil and fry the basil leaves till they are crisp. Remove and keep aside.
To the same oil, add the chilli garlic paste and fry till the garlic is brown (but not burnt). Add the pineapple and stir fry till the pineapple have a slight brown coating.
Add the prawns and cook for about minute till the prawns are cooked. Add the french beans and cook.
Combine the Pineapple juice, Fish Sauce and Soya Sauce in a bowl and stir well to combine.
Add rice to the wok and and some of the mixture of the sauces and pineapple juice. Mix well to combine.
Repeat this process for the remainder of the rice and the juice mixture.
Now add the fried basil leaves and give it a final mix.
Serve hot.

Hariyali Paneer Tikka

2013-07-01T18:50:00.001+05:30

Ever since I posted the recipe for Butter Chicken on my blog, I was inundated with a number of emails, some thanking me for the recipe, some tried it out and wrote back to tell me how well it turned out. To me, that’s the best part of being a food blogging; the effort of carefully selecting a particular recipe, working on it till it’s perfected and then attempting to get the best clicks; this process comes a full circle when you, my beloved readers tries a recipe and writes back with feedback. The joy is unparalleled.

I have always wanted my blog to inspire people not just to cook, but to fall in love with the process of cooking. Inspiring, yet not intimidating is the overall objective of each recipe. Some are simpler, some are slightly longish and tend to take longer to cook, but not many things are as satisfying as cooking a lovely meal and sharing a few good laughs with the family, correct?

Today’s recipe then, is a simple recipe. Believe me, its so simple I would imagine almost leaving it out from the shortlist of recipes to be put up. But honestly, its quick, no fuss and extremely high on the taste quotient. The Hariyali Paneer Tikka is a dish that makes an appearance at almost every function or party. Cubes of Paneer coated with a spicy green marinade and most often accompanied by cubes of onion and capsicum. Seems simple, correct? Believe me your family and guest will not have enough. Paneer has an innate versatility to it. The ability to blend or combine with almost every ingredient and somehow produce magical results. All you would need is some creativity and I bet, you would create a new dish each time you work with it. While we are on the topic of creatively using Paneer, here is an interesting blog on Interesting Twists to Paneer by my good friend Perinaaz Avari of Peris Spice Ladle; and whilst you are there do not miss the mind blowing collection of Parsi recipes and much more. I am sure you will love her website. And so, here too, the spicy green marinade does most of the talking. Its bright green, fresh and spicy just what an appetiser should be. The actual recipe doesn't use besan, though i did to give the marinade a little more body and texture. Another thing i changed was that i used tooth picks instead of regular skewers, really found them more convenient to pick and eat. My suggestion is dont cook the Paneer too much, just enough to char it on all sides. This ensures that the Paneer is not over cooked and rubbery.

I do hope you will like and enjoy this recipe as much as i did presenting it to you.

Hariyali Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:

300 grams cottage cheese, cut into 2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons besan (chickpea flour)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon Mustard oil
1/2 tablespoon ajjwain (caraway seeds)
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 small capsicum, cubed
1 small onion, cubed
toothpicks- to serve

Grind to a paste:

½ bunch fresh coriander leaves
½ bunch fresh mint leaves
3-4 green chillies
1/2 cup yoghurt

For Garnishing

Juice of half a lemon
Chaat Masala

Procedure:

Cut the onion and capsicum into cubes and keep aside. Wet the toothpicks in some water and remove.
Combine all the ingredients mentioned under head "grind to paste" and grind in a blender till it reaches a creamy consistency. Empty in a bowl and keep aside.
In a non stick pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil and fry the besan till it has the consistency of wet sand. By now it should release a nutty aroma. Add in the ajjwain seeds and mix well and take off the flame.
Now, combine both the curd and besan mixtures. Mix well.
Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, the turmeric powder, garam masala powder and mix well. This is the hariyali marinade.
Heat the oil (for frying) in a non stick pan.
Now, pick an onion cube and coat well with the marinade. Line on a toothpick. Similarly, coat a paneer cube and line on the same toothpick. Follow this with the marinated capsicum.
Continue this sequence for the remaining cottage cheese cubes. The cottage cheese cube should be in the center and the onion and capsicum cube on either side.
Fry the cubes in the oil for 2 minutes a side. Remember, we need the golden brown char on all sides of the cubes.
Garnish with lemon juice, drizzle some chaat powder and serve hot.

Butter Chicken aka Murgh Makhani (The best dish ever invented)

2013-06-23T13:51:00.000+05:30

It’s almost the end of June and before you’ve even realized half the year has gone by. The reality is, time really flies. In the humdrum of our daily routine we don’t even know how days turn into months and months into years. Now, June means monsoons in my part of the world, which obviously means staying indoors, chit-chatting with family over a hot cup of coffee and Goli Bajje. Staying indoors also gives you a good opportunity to have your meals together, a luxury most of us miss in our busy city life. As a family, we always believe in having our meals together. This is a value my mum instilled in us as kids and it is something that we follow till date. So the other day, when we were planning our meal for the coming Sunday, we decided that it needed a bit of glamour; something that is nice, wholesome, spicy and goes with the flavour of the season. My sister suggested Hariyali Paneer Tikka or Butter Chicken, while Mum and I were of the opinion, that we should go contemporary with either Thai Pineapple Fried Rice or Smoked Sausages with Cheesy Mushroom Rice. So we decided to make all of these in sequence and I couldn’t decide which goes first on the blog, so I decided to run a poll on my facebook page. The winner not surprisingly was Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken! ;)

There is probably no one on this planet who hasn’t yet heard of Butter Chicken. It is the face of Indian cuisine to the world; much like what Sachin Tendulkar is to Indian cricket or what Amitabh Bachchan is to Indian cinema. No one can miss the tender, succulent chicken chunks that are just seasoned in the right proportion, immersed in rich, tangy and creamy tomato gravy. I might probably not be exaggerating when I say, that Butter Chicken is not just another dish, it is a cult in India. A dish that would only get better with age, a timeless classic.

I have made butter chicken many times earlier, each version a bit different from the other, for instance I tried replacing the cream with full fat yogurt, left out the cashew paste, didn't grill the chicken and so on. The result? Nowhere close to the original. That is when I decided I would not compromise on any of the ingredients of ingredients and stick to the original version. This is not a dish that can be made every day, so indulge if you must, but remember to jog an extra round the next day!

Butter Chicken, Jeera Rice and a plain vanilla ice cream completed the menu that Sunday. Coupled with a nice afternoon siesta; I couldn’t ask for more.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Tandoori:

Marinade 1:

600 grams boneless chicken, cut into medium sized cubes (Usually, its made with chicken on the bone; I preferred the boneless variety. Feel free to use whatever suits you)
1 large tablespoon Kashmiri red chill powder
2 large tablespoons lemon juice.
Small dash of crushed black pepper

Marinade 2:

1/2 cup thick yoghurt
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon garam masala powder
30 ml mustard oil
Salt to taste

For the Makhani Gravy

8 medium sized tomatoes, pureed (Make sure to choose bright & red tomatoes, else the rich orange colour may be compromised)
5-6 cashews, soaked in lukewarm water
3 tablespoons butter
3-4 green cardamoms
1 gram mace, powdered
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 tablespoons red chilli powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
Water if required
1/2 tablespoon Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves), powdered
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons fresh cream
Corriander leaves, finely chopped- for garnishing
Salt to taste

To make the Chicken Tandoori:

Combine all ingredients mentioned under "Marinade 1" and let the lemon juice and masalas to coat the chicken well. Refrigerate for about an hour.
Whisk all ingredients mentioned under "Marinade 2" except the oil. Add in the chicken pieces that we had marinated earlier and mix well so that chicken pieces are covered well with the marinade. Add the mustard oil and give it a nice stir. Keep aside for at least one hour.
Meanwhile, pre-heat oven for about 10 minutes at 100 C.
Once you've marinated the chicken for an hour, put the chicken on the skewers and grill at 300 C for 3 -4 minutes on each side, basting with butter in between.
That's your chicken tandoori. Ready to be served as a snack as well.

For the Makhani Gravy:

Chop the tomatoes into quarters and grind to a fine puree along with the cashews and very little water. Keep Aside
Heat the Butter in a pan and add the cardamom and mace and saute on medium heat till the spices are fragrant.
Add the ginger and garlic pastes and stir continuously ensuring that the spices and paste don't burn.
Now add the tomato puree, and the red chilli, garam masala and turmeric powders. Mix well. Now cover the vessel and reduce the heat to the low and let it cook for about 7-10 minutes.
After about 10 minutes, you will see that the paste is mushy and has an almost dry consistency . Add some water (to suit your preferred gravy consistency) and cook for a 3-4 minutes. Keep in mind that at a later stage, we will be adding fresh cream which will thicken the gravy.
Once the gravy is simmering, add the kasoori methi and the honey and mix well. Add the chicken tandoori pieces and mix well so that they are well covered with the gravy.
When the gravy begins to simmer, put the heat off for about 5 minutes, add the fresh cream and mix well. This is done to prevent the cream from curdling in the high temperature of the vessel. Cook for another 7-10 mins on a slow flame.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with naan, roti or jeera rice.

Goli Bajje

2013-06-16T20:28:00.000+05:30

One of the 'must dos' while planning any trip is to research on the best eating place in that city. I did the same when I had been to Mangalore on a recent trip. On reaching there, I couldn't help, but admire the tall coconut trees swaying in the summer breeze as if performing a well-choreographed dance. The rivers forming a neat maze, and endless number of jackfruit trees almost seducing you come over and pluck a ripe fruit. A sight, anyone from the concrete jungle would die for. But for me, deep down, something was not complete; the fabled Mangalorean cuisine was yet to show up. The first two days passed by and I was getting worried. Very worried. Almost wondering if the trip would end without exploring Mangalore's cuisine? What a waste! We had planned a trip to a place called Karkala. On the way back home, our tummies started growling and somehow everyone in the vehicle said in a single chorus "let's stop for tea and goli bajje". Wow!!! That was the moment I had been waiting for. Goli Bajje, the first of the many culinary adventures that followed.

Goli Bajje (goli- round & bajje- fried) is another snack from Mangalore. It’s stature in the minds of all Mangaloreans is no less than what 'Vada-pav' is to us Mumbaikars or what 'Sondesh' is to every Kolkattan. Available at almost all snack joints as well as fine dines across Mangalore, it is a hit with office goers and the college students who probably give the boring lecture a slip and sit in a college canteen hogging them by the plateful. Ask someone where you would get the best goli bajje in Mangalore and be rest assured you have stirred up a controversy. For me, I couldn’t have timed this post better. With the rain Gods being benevolent (and surprisingly on time this year), a lazy week end and an India- Pakistan cricket match on TV, all you need to do is make yourself a hot cup of coffee and a huge tubful of these babies and curl on the couch whilst watching your favorite movie or sport. I got this recipe from my aunt in Mangalore, honestly, there’s no fixed recipe to make goli bajje, each house has its own proportion for the ingredients. Play around with the spices to suit your taste.

I got a big thumbs up for this recipe from my mum and sister. And yes, at the restaurant where we stopped to have Goli Bajje in Karkala; we lost count of the number of plates we ordered. Absolutely delicious!

Goli Bajje

Ingredients:

160 grams Maida (All purpose flour)
80 grams Besan (Gram flour)
100 grams thick yoghurt
1 green chilli (increase if you want to up the spice quotient)
1 tablespoon, baking powder
Small piece of ginger, finely chopped
Coconut bits
Few curry leaves, roughly shredded.
80 ml water
Oil to deep fry.
Salt- to taste

Procedure:-

In a large mixing bowl, sieve together the maida, besan and the baking powder.
Add the curd and mix well slowly incorporating air into the mixture. Add water bit by bit until the mixture comes together. The mixture should be of a thick pouring consistency.
Add the chilli, ginger, coconut bits and salt. Mix well and let the batter rest for atleast an hour.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. You could test the heat by dropping a bit of the mixture in the oil. The batter should rise to the surface. It is important to keep an eye on the temperature of the oil as overheating the oil will result in the possibility of the inside remaining uncooked.
Now, take a spoonful of the batter and let it slide into the oil. Repeat the process for the remainder of the batch.
Once a nice golden brown colour is obtained; remove and drain on an absorbent paper.
Enjoy hot with equally hot coffee or tea and chutney.

Mango and Cottage Cheese Snowballs in Custard Sauce

2013-06-06T22:12:00.000+05:30

“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts” goes a very popular quote. Couldn’t agree more since desserts somehow, have this innate ability to transcend you into a fairy tale world. A world that has all things nice, mushy; a dream that has no end. Who can deny the mood lifting, luscious goodness of a chocolate cake , the delicate arrangement of a trifle pudding, the creamy goodness of a strawberry ice cream, the rich, silky smoothness of a custard with the caramel set on top. Sheer culinary pleasures!!

Traditionally, no Indian meal is ever complete if there are no desserts. And then there is the omnipresent ‘mooh meetha kijiye’ (‘please have a sweet’) usually when there is happy occasion to celebrate. I am not exaggerating when I say that in a country of the size of India; you would get a new variety of dessert may every 200 kms. At my place, desserts are a regular indulgence. The most regular one being the “kheer” or the very Mangalorean “payasam”; while the more extravagant being the custards and rich cream cakes or puddings. So, like I had mentioned in my post on the "Kheema Kofta Pulao”, when we had guest coming over for dinner and we had Mango and Cottage Cheese Balls in Custard Sauce for desert. Long name ehh? Relax and don’t let it scare you. This recipe is a product of my mums eureka moment. Honestly, I am not much a mango lover. As a kid, and even to this day I ran a mile at the mention of mangoes and when my mum explained the dish; I tried my best to cajole her into making something else but I guess the king of fruits deserved his rightful debut on the blog. You could make the snowballs and custard earlier at your convenience and refrigerate; combine the two just as your about to serve. My guest who were expecting some of the routine stuff, gave out a loud cheer when I brought them out. I felt I just won the moon!!!

Go ahead and try these, the very regal mango given a makeover and perfectly complimented by the custard sauce. Your very own journey into the fabled land of desserts. I promise you mangoes and custard will never be the same anymore.

Ingredients:

To make the snowballs:

2 large and ripe alphonso mangoes, skinned and cubed into fine bits
125 grams cottage cheese, finely grated
50 grams powdered sugar
8-10 slices white bread, cut of the sides
Sugar Syrup, for drizzling on the bread & 2 teaspoons for the cottage cheese and mango mix

To make the custard sauce:

400 ml milk.
4 teaspoons of custard powder (I used Vanilla Flavour)
6-8 teaspoons sugar.

For the Garnishing

1 ripe mango, pureed *Refer notes below
Few glazed cherries

Procedure:

To make the snowballs:

Grate the cottage cheese in a bowl and add the mango cubes & powdered sugar. Mix well.
Cut the sides of the bread and drizzle with the sugar syrup till the slice is sufficiently moist. Do not wet the bread slice too much as it may be too soft and may not bind well.
Now, place a spoonful of the mixture in the center of the bread slice and gently fold the slice into a sphere.
Repeat the same for all the bread slices.
Once you complete all the spheres, refrigerate for an hour

To make the custard sauce:

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat
Combine the custard power in some water in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly so that there are no lumps.
Add this mixture to boiling milk, stir continuously.
As the milk starts to thicken add the sugar. Continue stirring.
Once the mixture has reached desired thickness, remove from the heat and allow it to cool thoroughly.
Refrigerate for about half an hour.

To assemble:-

Keep one snowball in each of the serving portions.
Pour a generous quantity of the custard in each of the serving portions.
Add a spoonful of the mango puree and the cherries.
Serve chilled

Notes:

To make the make mango puree, combine mango pulp, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of milk. Blend using a hand mixer till all ingredients are combined well and the mixture is of a pouring consistency.

Kheema Kofta Pulao (Spiced Mince Dumplings in a Aromatic Pilaf)

2013-05-28T16:14:00.000+05:30

As a family, we love entertaining guests. Call it the Sequeira genes or the Indian ethos of “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Where guest is god), we are happiest when we have guests, friends or family come over. The fact that near about all the family stays within a few blocks of each other also helps. So, really we don’t need an occasion to congregate somewhere and start the banter. After all, isn’t life made up of all these small yet very precious moments?

Now, usually when we have guests coming over, I prefer making something light and that gets done quickly, this way I have more time to spend with my guest. So the other day when we had a few guest coming over from Mangalore, the menu was set, Fish Cutlets and Crispy Fried Squid for starters, Kheema Kofta Pulao for the main course and Mango and cottage Cheese snowballs in Custard Sauce for desserts. Long list right? Trust me, my guests more than expect a kings spread by now. I promise I’ll put the recipes shortly.

As for today, the dish is question is the Kheema Kofta Pulao. Honestly, not something new and may be you would have tasted it at some point in time. A Mughlai dish heavily spiced and oozing with oil and ghee. Considering the Mumbai heat and the fact that my guest don’t really like spicy food, my notes for the revised recipe went something like this, mince, hint of cheese, lightly flavored with spice, whole spices in rice, cook, add koftas.. done. The idea was not giving one big burst of flavour, but to try and marry a couple of flavours and bring them to gether.

This turned out to be an nice fragrant, superbly flavored, not heavy but good enough to satiate. My guest lapped it up with élan and so did the two taste queens, which made me feel I have passed the test. The best compliment always comes from them right? What is good about the recipe is that though is a not the original version, it comes as close to the original in terms of the flavour.

My guest did enjoy the spread. We enjoyed the time we spent with them, memories of which we will cherish for long. After all, like the famous ad slogan says “There are something’s money can’t buy”. Family is one such thing!

Ingredients:

To make the Kofta (the below quantity will yield about 25-30 small sized koftas)

600 grams mince (use any meat of your choice, preferably with a little bit of fat on)
2 small cubes of processed cheese, grated
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon red chilli flakes
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoons corn flour (powder)
2 tablespoons oil
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

For the Pulao

400 grams long grained basmati rice
5 large onions, finely sliced
1 inch cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
1 black cardamoms
5 cloves
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
10-12 peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
4 large tablespoons oil ( Another 3 tablespoons oil to fry the onions)
40 grams of mixed nuts, roasted ( I used almonds and cashews)
2 sprigs of mint, roughly chopped
4 Sprigs of corriander leaves, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon, to be sprinkled while serving
30 ml milk
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
7 cups of water to cook the rice
salt to taste

Procedure:

For the koftas:

Combine all ingredients for the kofta; except the oil for frying.
In a pan, heat the oil required for frying on a low heat
When the ingredients are evenly combined, wet your palm with a little water (this will prevent the meat from sticking to your palm)
Roll the mince into small spheres and keep aside.
Once done, fry the koftas on a medium heat till they get a light reddish colour. I used chicken mince, so mine got done in about 7 mins a batch. The cooking time may be more or less depending on the quality and kind of meat you use.
Take out and drain the oil using an absorbent paper.
Try not to skip the cheese in the koftas since the melted cheese gives a nice coat to the koftas and also prevents it from moisture loss.
Do not over cook the koftas, they may turn dry and hard.

For the Pulao:

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry for a while
Once the onions start to cook, add in the sugar and salt and mix once
When the onions start to brown, take out and keep aside on an absorbent paper.
Meanwhile, wash rice with several changes of water till the water is clear.
Dissolve the turmeric in the milk and let it sit for a while
In a large vessel, add oil, and the whole spices.
When the oil starts to heat and the spices start to release an aroma, add in half the brown onions and the rice. Stir well so that the spices, onions and rice integrate well
Add the water, salt and give it a gentle mix and allow it to cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. The time may differ depending on the rice.
Once most of the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to low and allow to cook for about 2 more minutes.
At this point there will be almost no water left in the rice. Switch off the heat. Sprinkle the milk with saffron and give it a light mix. Be careful not to break the grains of rice while mixing. Cover the vessel and let it rest for some time. Remember the cooking process is on since the steam will cook the rice some more.
After about 10 minutes, remove the lid and add the koftas, mint, coriander, nuts and once again give it a mix gently.
Just before serving drizzle the lemon juice and the remainder of the caramelised onions.
Fragrant, aromatic and bursting with subtle flavours, Kheema Kofta Pulao is ready to serve. Savor each bite!!!

Baby Corn Manchurian!!!

2013-05-21T21:41:00.000+05:30

Hello Everyone!!!! I’m back after a short vacation to my hometown Mangalore. Shortly, I will put up a post chronicling my Mangalore tour. I cannot put in words what an awesome tour it was, I am still reminiscing the memories. And on returning to Mumbai, it was back to the usual grind; office work, sorting out the vacation laundry and a pile of other stuff. With all this blogging has taken a hit for a while now. Worry not, my dearies, I am back now with a whole load of sumptuous recipes from Mangalore and much more ready to flood your inbox shortly. Also, I want to say a big thank you to all of you who have written on email and on the facebook page enquiring on where I was all the while. Thanks a ton guys, for all the love and support you have shown to the bog. And a special thank you to my friend Stephane from My French Heaven for writing and asking about my next post. Do check his wonderful blog here

As is the case with most holidays, we ate and ate and traveled and tanned. One resolution we made on the way back home was go light on the food (no prizes for guessing why… Lol) over the next few days. That is perhaps why, you will see a nearly stir-fry dish making it to the blog today. But, to understand today’s recipe you need to understand a cuisine called Indo-Chinese. A cuisine that’s perhaps a cross between the Indian taste and Chinese stir fry. Honestly, any Indian would swear by this; proof of which is the millions and millions of carts (and small dingy restaurants) with their trademark glaring red colour and signs saying “Authentic Chinese served here”. One of the most famous dishes of the Indo-Chinese is the Chicken Manchurian very simply bite sized chicken bits covered in a batter deep fried and thrown into a tangy sauce. But folks, the only way to stay in the game is through product diversification and so, considering the huge Indian appetite for vegetarian food all sorts of vegetarians options started coming up, the most famous among them being “Gobhi (cauliflower) Manchurian” and followed closely by “Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Manchurian”. For today, the humble baby corn basks in glory.

We had it with Sichuan Fried Rice. But goes well with steamed rice as well.

Baby corn Manchurian

12-15 Babycorn, diced into bite sized pieces

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

7-8 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

2 Tablespoons Soya Sauce

2 tablespoons, tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon white pepper powder

3 tablespoon cornflour and some more for the gravy

2 tablespoons oil, some more for frying

1 cup vegetable stock/ or plain water

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Cut the babycorn into bite sized pieces. Coat them with cornflour and keep for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the baby corn till just about a golden brown. Remove and drain on an absorbent paper. Sprinkle very little salt and some white pepper powder powder and keep aside.
Now, heat the remaining 2 tablespoon oil and add in the garlic. Saute till reddish brown.
Add the onions and saute. Once done, ad the soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Stir for a minute.
Add the baby corn and mix well so that the sauces cover them well.
Add in the stock or water and let it boil. Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining cornflour in some water and keep aside.
Once the stock comes to a boil, add in the dissolved cornflour and stir well
Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.