Spices and aroma

Shrimp Cocktail with South Indian Spices

2012-11-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Traveling to an exotic location for a special occasion is always fun. It is even more fun when planning happens weeks before the special day. My trip to Las Vegas earlier this year was so special as my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary there. We had been discussing on which place to visit with a toddler in hand. We narrowed down to some place in the West Coast as we had just five days in hand and didn’t want to spend all the time travelling. San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland , Reno and Vegas topped the list. Nobody would have thought about travelling to Las Vegas with a toddler but trust there are equally good amount of child friendly attractions to check out. It was a four day trip and we spend all the time in the strip. If you are planning a trip, make sure you check the to-do list online. Vegas has much more attractions than poker.

Las Vegas is considered the most populaous city in the United States. Everyone wants to visit it more number of times in their lifetime. It’s a perfect place for singles, couples, kids, seniors and everyone inbetween. It is a casino city. The gambling and entertainment attractions are mostly popular in the Las Vegas Strip. If you want to stay closer to the strip, try to book your hotel around that area. It makes it easier to walk to and from the hotel instead of running around to find a parking spot. We stayed at Hilton, Convention Center but prices were high as we booked it at the last moment. So if possible, make sure you plan your trip stay ahead to get good deals on hotel price.

Apart from Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at Mirage, M&M world, Aquarium at the Silverton and V-the ultimate variety show for the kids, there are tons of great food to enjoy in Vegas. We dined like there was no tomorrow. One place which I am sure everyone would love is the ultimate 24-hour buffet called Buffet-of-buffets that lets you enjoy all day access to six specific restaurants in the Vegas Strip. It costs around $50.00 and is valid at the participating buffets. I love appetizers and if its deep fried I love it even more. Vegas is all about eating, walking and getting drunk. But with a kid in hand, we didn’t want to get drunk so we enjoyed the long walks with a plush in hand to kill the heat and some crunchy appetizers to go with the drink. One such delicacy we loved the most was shrimp cocktail. Vegas is no fun without a cocktail in hand but this time, get the Vegas feel at your residence with my shrimp cocktail.

Shrimp Cocktail is a seafood dish where shelled and cooked shrimps are served with a mayonnaise-tomato dressing. Since it’s served in a martini glass, it gets the name Shrimp Cocktail. I made a South Indian twist to the dip by using basic spices like mustard, cumin seeds, shallots and spice powders.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL WITH SOUTHINDIAN SPICES

Source: Self
Serves: Party of 6-8

Ingredients

1 lb cooked, shelled shrimp (store bought)

For the dip

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida powder
10 curry leaves (optional)
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2-1 cup water
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoon sugar or honey or agave nectar
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

Direction

Heat oil and once they are hot, add mustard seeds and let It pop. Throw in the cumin seeds, asafoetida powder and curry leaves.
Add the shallots, ginger-garlic paste and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Don’t burn the mixture.
Add the tomato paste, water and mix to combine. Sprinkle turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin powder and garam masala. Stir well.
Add sugar/honey or agave nectar and salt to taste.
Bring it to a boil and simmer it for 5-8 minutes.
Remove from flame and garnish with chopped cilantro. Cool it down to room temperature and serve with shrimp.

Additional notes

If you omit the sugar/honey or agave nectar, then the dip is ideal for those who are following South beach diet.
This dish can be eaten by women with gestational diabetes if your OB/GYN allows you to eat seafood.
This hearty shrimp meal is perfect after a power work out. Since seafoods are healthy and has low glycemic index, this dish can be made without added sugars during weightloss.

Spices and Aroma has moved!

2012-11-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

Spices and Aroma is a blog that was created in the spur of a moment. I started it pretty causally with no plans in hand but surely it has changed my life along the way. My blog has made me a better cook, writer and photographer. It has brought a lot of positivity to my life and importantly, I made inspirational friends along the journey. Spices and Aroma will always be very close to my heart and plays a very special part in my life. This blog is an extension of my achi’s culinary journey. I call this space as her voice to share her love for cooking to the world. I inherited most of her genes that has passion in cooking and traveling. I hope to learn and grow through the posts of Spices and Aroma. I am grateful to each and every reader who has visited, commented or just enjoyed their time on my blog.

Yes I have moved to a new domain and you can find me here www.spicesandaroma.in.

I am welcoming you all to my own page with the most famous Diwali sweet of all time – Mooti Chor Ladoo. Since Mooti Chor Ladoo is the most favorite Indian sweet, I thought it would be the apt post to start my journey at www.spicesandaroma.in.

Meen Kozhambhu for Sunshine and smile

2011-12-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

We had been on a vacation to India to celebrate the first birthday of my little dumpling. Yes, time just went by so fast and today he is 13 months old. Things had been crazy busy at my end. It's been a week since we arrived and we are still jet lagged, living on Dennys and Subway and my house is super messy with huge suitcases and mountains of clothes piled in every corner. That summons my absence from blogging for the last 6+ weeks.

Today I am writing a short post and linking you to a very beautiful blog - Kankana's Sunshine and Smile. She is one of my very few blogger friend whom I have met in person and we as a group with two other bloggers cherish our together times greatly. I am hoping to meet them all over a coffee soon.

Before you hop over to her blog, Spices and Aroma wishes her readers a merry Christmas and a very happy New year. May you all be blessed with immense happiness and good health. Love you all!

Click to see my guest post.

The Azulia, GRT Grand, Chennai - A review

2011-12-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Sipping a hot cup of steamy elachi chai, I sat curled up on the bed of my home. A moment later an email popped up in my phone. I read an invitation for a food review in one of the Mediterranean restaurant in town. I read the contents twice over. Being married to a man who loves Middle Eastern food more than me, I am used to falafel, pita bread, hummus day in and day out. Having tasted them around the globe, I was looking forward to check the authenticity in Chennai. The restaurant Azulia in GRT Grand, T Nagar was unknown to me. So who would want to miss this experience? I replied back with a yes with curiosity and excitement in mind.

The tall doors of Azulia with a waiter clad in black, welcomed me with a warm smile. I entered with an open mind and an empty stomach. The well-layed open kitchen caught my attention first. I love restaurants with a kitchen where I could see the firing dancing, sauces flying and spices jumping over the hot wok and also the anxious face of the chef as he waits for his masterpiece to be cooked and plated to perfection. I hastened my footsteps to the table they pointed for me. A majestic wooden table covered with simple yet classy motifs on the table cloth resembled a wall paper to me, the shining silverwares, sophisticated pepper mill and a water bottle holder with a collage of broken glass pieces looked uber gorgeous. From the ethnic lanterns to waiters dressed in Moroccan outfits to the window panes to the overall décor screamed Mediterranean to me.

Since I showed up a little early, I had a wonderful opportunity to chat with Chef Ethem Aydemir, a handsome man whose accent reminded me of my Israeli friends. He was warm, friendly and so knowledgable with what he was loves. “I have been cooking from age 14” he narrated his story with pride in his eyes. He comes from a family of great cooks where cooking, eating and sharing the food is part of their life and he has been cooking on a professional level for the last 25+ years. “Azu means blue in Spanish and Portuguese”, he added when I asked him about the name Azulia. “The name signifies the bright blue Mediterranean Sea” he added. He cracked jokes about his failed experiments growing herbs in Chennai and that he stopped his attempts with gardening. He sighed and said “Everything is imported here, including me”. He was too witty and was a fun to be with. Before he left for the kitchen, he gave choices of the food to taste and I can assure that you can blindly follow his suggestions. He made me feel at home with his constant trips from kitchen to the seating area, making sure that every dish is served with utmost care and love and hospitality, giving me the experience of dining in his home.

There was another equally knowledgable gentleman Ricardo, restaurant manager who gave me details about the origin of the restaurant, the produce and meat sources. “The silverware were custom ordered from England” he said as he handed over a colorful book. I thought it was a cookbook, but he corrected that it’s a book which carried stories of food and brief history about ten countries that are predominant with Mediterranean cuisine – Turkey, Israel, Arab, Greece, Lebanon, Egypt, part of Italy, Spain, France and Malta . “The chef also caters to special foods like gluten free, vegan, nut-free, name it and he will custom make it for you” he boasted as I was flipping through the pages. I loved the book and if you are a curious seeker for world cuisines, this book is sure to take you on a journey around the countries of Mediterranean sea.

Now coming to what I love: Food. As we got seated, a young waiter arrived with a shot glass filled with water.

He said “Turkish magic mam”.

I went “What? Come again”. I thought it to be a floating candle.

“It’s a magic mam”, he smiled back. He then dropped a pill that looked like Mentos into it. Once it touched the water, the pill magically blossomed into a wet napkin. I slowly opened the tightly wrapped napkin and wiped my fingers and was all ready to indulge guilt free.

With the new found friends to chat with, a tummy that was growling aloud and looking forward the fun that was going to unfold, I started off the day with a glass of Four season's Merlot. I swirled the glass just like the way my husband taught me, inhaled a lungful of its aroma and sipped a little of the gorgeous medium red wine. It journeyed around my mouth and as I gulped it down, I could feel the warmth of the wine. It was crisp, rich and fruity flavored. I was happy that I made the right choice.

Soon the cold and hot Mezze platter was filled over the huge table. Under the cold ones were the tzakziki ( a cheese based dish) , hummus (a chickpea based dip),dolamdes (grape leaves stuffed with raisins and pinenuts), moussakka marakkech (aubergine and chick peas based tangy tomatoey dish) and mutabal (an eggplant based sloppy dip). My most favorite one was moussakka and the least one was mutabal. I love hummus and my refrigerator is always stocked with different types of homemade hummus. I could eat it all by itself and this hummus was definitely a winner but for my taste bud I would go with a pinch more of salt. I had tasted dolamdes for the first time in Dubai and I hated it then. I couldn’t eat a piece more after the first bite. But over the years, I have developed a liking for it. Just like wine, I feel dolamdes is an acquired taste. Here, they were perfect, moist and extremely well done.

Coming to what most of us love to munch at any time of the day – deep fried wonders. The hot mezze offered were falafel, fatayer, bourak bel jibneh, jawaneh, gamberoni Aglio e Olio, bourakakia and kebbe laktine. I fell in love with bourakakia, it was a cigar shaped, gooey cheesy delight. I munched one, then went for the next one right away and also the deep fried chicken wings, they were juicy and tender. The chicken was cooked in lemon, garlic and coriander. Even the sautéed prawns caught my attention. They were lip smacking good. The dish was called Gamberoni Aglio e Olio. Don’t forget to remember this name. I know its tad long. Never mind, ask the waiter for the king prawn starter and they are sure to help you. For a change, I found a restaurant where the waiters knew what they were serving. The boys posed a smiling face and a hospitable look and they refilled the empty glasses right away. Even the way they poured a glass of water, with a straight tilt and no spill was commendable.

And then there was Italy on the table. Yes, the pizza! The manakish pizza was a thin crust one with well-balanced toppings - tomato, cheese, fresh mint and olives. The smell of the cheesy pizza was wafting in the air and as I took my first bite, I could the hear the crunch in every chew. It had a green base which I initially thought to be a basil pesto but later realized the flavor of zaatar ( a mix of Middle eastern spices). My husband got me this spice from Israel. I have even used it to marinate chicken and seafood for one summer BBQ, I recollected.

Before the main course, a cup of passion fruit sorbet arrived at the table.

“It’s a palate cleanser, madam” the waiter reassured when I was lost on why a dessert has arrived a little early. It was refreshing, perfectly sweetened and smooth to perfection. I stopped myself with few licks and waited for the main course to arrive.

The Tuscan sun popped over my head and made me crave for some Italian pasta. With no second thoughts, I ordered Cannelloni al a Bolognaise when I spotted it on the menu. It’s cannelloni (a tube shaped pasta) filled with lamb meat and topped with creamy cheese sauce. It was one of the best plated dish I have seen so far. I hardly took notice of what others ate as by then I was almost full, scanning and saving my stomach for the dessert and I got sweaty and tired, guess the air conditioner was little under the weather that day. I had to keep insisting the manager and waiter to get the temperature right. That part of constantly wiping my forehead with the napkin was definitely not expected with the reputation of GRT.

Baklava, hot chocolate soufflé and orange cheesecake were the desserts on the list. Having tasted a light, flaky baklava from couple of Middle eastern shops near my home, I found this much sweeter, syrupy and rich. Yes, I did like this one for sure. But the cheesecake and chocolate soufflé was a huge disappointment. The molten chocolate was too watery for my liking, I would prefer a much thicker chocolate syrup anyday and for the cheesecake, it was too “orangy” for me.

Overall, I loved the food and it is definitely one of my choice to bring my husband for dinner. There are umpteen parking space available and it is better to make reservation before you show up at the doorstep. The ambiance and settings are family friendly and it is sure to take your family and friends on culinary journey.

Food – 9/10 (except for the dessert)

Presentation - 10/10

Ambiance- 5 /5

Service- No rating as it was a review meet!

Price – Rs.2-3000 for a 2-3 course meal for a couple

Address:GRT Grand, 106 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T.Nagar , Chennai

28150500

Disclaimer: I have been invited for a review at GRT grand. I did not receive any monetary compensation for the review. An invitation was sent to try out. My thoughts and opinions in this review are unbiased and your opinions may differ.

Chapati with methi murgh

2011-10-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

On the first weekend of every month, amma would take me for a trip to Subiksha supermarket to buy provisions. I used to hate that ritual. Thoughts about spending that evening shopping and collecting huge bags of lentils, spices soaps, horlicks and other necessaries for the house petrifies me every month. If I get lucky, it would also be a day for a color book or a painting box or a fancy ruler/pencil/eraser at the Murugan stationary store on the way. She wouldn't buy anything for herself, she feels shopping just for the heck of it is a waste of time and money. She would always ask me about how people find time for window shopping. She is a simple women with practical dreams.

Subiksha supermarket was located at the left side, diagonally opposite to a wine shop. The roads were always busy as the famous Station road of West Mambalam was right behind it and further away was the more so famous Ranganathan street with a railway station separating both the streets. Most part of this lane sells vegetables and fruits - plump pumpkins, round oranges, juicy apples, crisp cucumbers, beautiful red tomatoes, piles of okra that would click when amma snaps its tail. That's how she tests for freshness till date. If not in a good mood, the vendor would snap back,"Just touch the vegetables madam, don't break them open".

Its a narrow alley always packed with thousands and thousands of people. Cows would block the traffic, two-third of the road on both sides occupied by the pavement shops, crows scavenging on the dirts, non-stop honking sound, scooter and bicycles on a bumper-to-bumper distance and pedestrians would walk in the middle between the vehicles that inche their way in that tiny street. I hate it. Amma wouldn't stop at Subiksha alone, she will say we should walk till the end of Station road to buy fresh greens and vegetables. Even though I would fuss and make faces, amma wouldn't budge. After a point I would surrender as my attitude and grumbling would annoy her mood, already irritated with the dirt and noise in the surrounding.

Shopkeepers would sit on a small stool, elevated high from the platform, screaming out their prices and promising to offer a better deal if bought in bulk."Come madam! Fresh, fresh" called the vendors pointing at their produce. Amma found Station road greens the best and freshest of the lot. When I complain to walk till there, she would say that the one our regular Keeraikari (Lady who sells greens and herbs) brings are wilted and few days old.

At one end of the lane was the sugarcane juice stall, amma would order two and say "No ice, no water, just the plain juice". After sipping the delicious juice till the last drop, we would walk back to the provision store to pick up our stuffs. Before that, we would stop at the Music shop to check whether any new Carnatic songs cassettes arrived. We would head back home tired and hungry. Chapati and dhal for dinner today, she will announce as appa and I would help her unpack the groceries.

Finally amma learned to make good chapatis, I thought to myself that day. She has come a long way in the art of chapati making. South Indian families atleast the Tamilians I know weren't familiar with the process of chapati making. Even the ones we get in Saravana Bhavan are different. Achi, amma, perimma, who ever it is,their chapatis would be sticky, oily, bulky and I have always wondered how my North Indian friend's mom would make soft, fluffy,easily tearable, chewable ones. Well, over the years my mom had learned it well and she is a pro now.

Here I am sharing my post about making good chapatis and also methi murgh (chicken cooked with fenugreek leaves) to go with it.

Chapati

Makes 8
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 teaspoon salt

1-2 cups water ( use per requirement)

Directions

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a large deep bowl. Sprinkle handful of water over the flour. Mix with the hand. Keep adding water little by little until you reach a soft dough.

2. Keep massaging them with two hands to smooth out the dough. More the kneading, the gluten will break down well. Roll them into a ball and set aside covered with a moist kitchen towel or damp cloth for 30 minutes.

3. Roll out the dough into a long cylinder about 8cm length. Slice them into 1cm cubes and roll each into a ball.

4. Set a pastry brush, oil, flour on the work station. Sprinkle flour on the surface and place one ball. Flatten them to a circle and sprinkle flour on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle of 2 cm radium.

5. Spread oil over its surface with a brush and fold them into a triangle.

6. Sprinkle flour again on the dough and on the surface to avoid tearing.

7. Roll out the triangle to form a large triangle and set aside until you are done with the remaining dough.

8. Heat a flat tava ( saucepan) for 5 minutes on medium flame. Keep your hand on the surface, if you cann't keep the hand for more than 2 seconds, then you are ready to get started.

9. Place the chapati carefully without tearing them apart. Cook for 2 seconds and flip them over. Cook for 4- 5 minutes and then turn them over for the other side to cook for 2-3 minutes. Brush little ghee or oil on its surface as they are done.

10. Set aside and serve with your side dish for the day.

Tips

1. Cover with a damp cloth to avoid cracking on the dough.

2. Use the flour and never store it for days together.

3. Don't add too much oil during its making.

4. Once cooked, covered the hot chapati with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Methi murgh - Chicken cooked with fenugreek leaves

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds chicken - cubed

2 cups fenugreek leaves (fresh) - chopped

1 large red onions - chopped

1 large tomato - chopped

1 tablespoon garlic - minced

1 tablespoon ginger - minced

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder ( highly spicy)

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large cooking pan. Once the oil ripples, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.

2. Then add the onions and a teaspoon salt and let it cook covered for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the turmeric, red chili and coriander powder. Saute for a minute till the raw smell disappears. Then mix in the tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and mix well to combine. Cook covered for 10 minutes. After that add the fenugreek leaves and cook covered on medium-low flame for further 25-30 minutes.

4. Don't add any water and let it cook in its own water. Sprinkle garam masala and check for salt.

Log cabin - Restaurant review

2011-10-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Crisp September morning,with the gentle breeze caressing the cheek, sun shining bright across the horizon, with summer hat and sunglasses and a vast beach waiting for you, this place is the perfect spot to treat your hungry stomach before setting out for some water fun. Find out why?

2nd September 2011: S, my little cub and myself were on the long weekend trip to Reno, Nevada. It takes about 4-5 hours from San Francisco to reach Reno by road. On the way we kept planning about the eateries to check out, trails to hike and places to see for this year. We visit Reno every year as S's best friend SM lives there. Since there is a beautiful home and lovely company awaiting us, we are always looking forward our road trip to Nevada. We decided to explore more of Truckee and Lake Tahoe this year. My husband told about the Ribs cook off this year. I continued my list with Emerald bay hike, Log cabin, Donnor lake and my little one added "Da da daa!!! Tha tha tha!!!" language to the conversation. After nodding and agreeing to his views about the topic, we decided to stop at Auburn oldtown for some coffee and photo shoot. Pictures here. After that as expected there was bumper-to-bumper traffic in I-80E and to entertain ourselves, we spoke about what we I like. FOOD!!!

I first heard about Log Cabin Cafe from a friend I know, I explained to S. It is seems its one lovely place with super delicious food. She kept insisting that I should visit that place when I visit King's beach. Even my helpful blogger friends gave me tips on the list of places to check out during my visit to Reno this year and Log cabin was there in everyone's list. He was still not convinced and yelp reviews helped me to do that. After reading great reviews about food, we got really tempted to try it as the first thing when I arrive King's beach. Thank God! He was sold for sure. It would sound like a sales meeting for others when they listen to our conversation. That's what happens when two highly opinionated people marry, one has to try hard to convince the other with the idea.

We entered King's beach around 11 am on Saturday and the place is tiny enough to get missed. We drove past it but my husband located by chance and we made a "U" turn and arrived at the small parking lot. Somehow we managed to find a spot after 15 minutes waiting time. There is a private lot for parking and I am sure you will find one on the road too. When we arrived there was no wait time but the place was almost full and there was only two empty tables left. We were seated in the extreme corner right next to the kitchen. So you can imagine how hot and smoky it would have been. Note to self: Next time get seated elsewhere.

There was an American couple with four kids on the table to my left, a old couple near the window, a group of girl friends on the table to the right of the counter and few families on the remaining tables. I waited for the waitress to arrive, finally she showed up tired and exhausted. Blame the long weekend again, I told myself. She wasn't in great mood. I could say that from her tone.

Having said that, the food is worth the money. The menu is a definite hit and the food tasted out of the world. We started with Arizona toast dipped in corn flakes and oats, it was crunchy, sweet and irresistible. There were 6 slices in total. We were four of us and I liked it so much that I ate 3 triangles straight. The other 3 boys were generous enough to accept by definition of equal sharing.

I ordered house smoked salmon eggs benedict with croissant because I love smoked salmon with eggs and the waitress highly recommended it. You can also get it served with toasts. No doubt it tasted yummy but was little bit salty for my liking. The presentation looked clumsy, by the by who cares, it's a simple breakfast joint and not any signature restaurant. What matters here is the taste and they get 5 on 5 for that. Crunchy croissants with gooey eggs infused with hollandaise sauce and perfectly cooked potatoes were a combination made in heaven.

Next on the list was scrambled eggs with cheese and sundried tomatoes served with toast and potatoes. My husband ordered it. It's a simple dish made with ingredients you can guess by looking at the plate. That's what I like about small town restaurants, the taste is just like homemade. His empty plate suggested that his tummy was full and his bright smile suggested that he was impressed. Our other two friends stuck with smoked salmon and chicken sandwich. They loved it. Do I have to say "loved it" statement about the food over and over again????

Log cabin has maximum 7-8 tables and when we walked back to the car park, I found a beautiful patio behind the restaurant. It would be wonderful to enjoy scrumptious meal on a warm sunny day outside. The interior is warm and rustic with country style fittings. There is a cosy seating area upstairs where you can watch television while you wait for a table. There was a tiny restroom, not maintained really well but was decent enough to use. What was annoying was that I couldn't find a diaper changing shelf, as my little one needed a change. I had to run back to the car to get that done.

The total bill came upto $60.00 including tips for four which I wouldn't call an affordable one for everyday breakfast but definitely worth the money in a tourist spot.

It is open from 7 am till noon, so don't miss this spot which right at King's beach. They take reservations, so book your table ahead and indulge guilt-free in their awesome meals. From my experience, I would give Log Cabin 4 stars.

8692 N Lake Blvd
Kings Beach, CA 96143
(530) 546-7109
www.logcabinbreakfast.com

Suvir Saran 's Salmon "en papillote" with my tomato chutney recipe

2011-10-04T02:19:00.001-07:00

The post for today is Suvir's Salmon "en papillote" with tomato chutney. I met Chef Suvir Saran on facebook. I have heard great reviews about his restaurants and came to know about his books. I immediately ordered a copy of American Masala and this dish is from his book.I loved the rich and intense color of the book, they look so Indian and so ethnic. The pictures speaks a million words, the photos makes me crave for a plate of his food. I was tempted to re-create the magic he created in his book. I cooked his salmon dish with my tomato chutney. Since I had bought loads of frozen salmon for my South beach diet, I felt this is an excellent dish for Indians who are following South beach diet. It is a convincingly likable taste for us and a good way to get your omega-three. I tried couple of other dishes like Goan shrimp curry and cardamon-roasted cauliflower. They were fantastic. This book is a keeper for sure. Do get your copy soon. Spices and aroma takes this opportunity to wish my dear friend Chef.Suvir the best of everything in life. God bless him!Thanks a lot for bringing out this wonderful book and keep more coming.

Tomato Chutney Recipe

Makes 1 jar (8oz)
Source: My mother (amma)

Ingredients

8 ripe tomatoes - cubed

1 tablespoon garlic - minced

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/2 tablespoon urad dhal

20 curry leaves

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 tablespoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 tablepoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions

Dry fry 1 teaspoon mustard, fenugreek, coriander and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Switch off, cool and grind them to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Once the oil ripples, add mustard seeds, above made spice powder and curry leaves. Saute for 30-60 seconds. Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then mix in the tomatoes and mix well. Sprinkle turmeric, chili and coriander powder. Cook for 2minutes, until raw smell disappears. Cook covered for 25-30 minutes. Add salt to taste and set aside.

Make them in batches and store in air-tight container. They stay fresh for 5-6 days in refrigerator.

Salmon Recipe

Serves 6
Source: Masala farm, Suvir Saran's Cookbook

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups tomato chutney

6 salmon fillets ( remove bones)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground peppercorns

Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Lemon or lime wedge , for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450'F. Cut six pieces of aluminium foil. Place tomato chutney at the centre of the foil and place a fillet on top skin-side down. Season with salt and pepper and top with another 3 tablespoon of chutney.

Bring both the long sides of the foil up over the salmon and fold the edges over twice to seal. Fold up the short ends of the foil, completely sealing the salmon within the package.

Place them on a baking sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes. Mine took 15 minutes to cook. Remove the foil after 10 minutes to let the steam settle. Check for doneness with a fork by flaking the center, if it is so rarem refold and cook for further 2 minutes. The heat within the package will continue to cook the fillet.

While serving, unfold the packets, slide the fish and sauce out, sprinkle cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.

I served mine with grilled veggies and hare chutney.

Kara kozhi kari and the winner is...

2011-10-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

My laptop had been troubling me for the last few days. That explains my absence in visiting and commenting your blogs and chatting with dear friends in facebook. I will back soon to visit your space and comment on those lovely recipes, photos and writeups. Thanks for being understanding. This no-lappy time makes me realize that there is so much time in hand. I have been reading a lot of novels, visiting library, cooking eloquent dinners and reading about food photography. My routine generally revolves around my son and I get to do "my" work when he naps and plays by himself. Now that both the Ss are taking their afternoon nap, I sneaked inside our bedroom to get S's laptop to announce the cookbook giveaway winners and to share the little changes I incorporated to the photo capturing techniques. So here I am using Mr.S's laptop. Even though he really wants to share the laptop with me, adamant-cheeky side of him screams back saying" That's my think pad. You cann't use it. Its new. its expensive. its blah blah...". With those words reverberating my ear and just to see smoke erupts through his ears, here I am typing my new post from his laptop.

Still the delicious aroma of my mother-in-law's dry chicken dry wafts through the kitchen air and my tummy rumbles out loud. Peppery rasam and steamy rice lay untouched over switched off burner. A few moments later, I treated myself with a plate of rice, chicken and rasam and little yogurt by the side to cool off my burning tongues and runny nose. Mixing the warm rice with rasam and biting to juicy chicken I began to eat.

Kara kozhi kari which translates to spicy chicken dry fry is my dish today. The chicken was marinated with the basic spice powders for 36 hours and cooked in hot oil tempered with usual South Indian spices. The spices are sure to release your sinuses. That's what we both need now being tired with cold and cough.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken, skinless with or without bones - cubed

2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder ( add as per your spice level)

2 tablespoon coriander powder

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon salt (as per your taste)

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

10-12 curry leaves (more if you want)

5 dry red chilli

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon water

Directions
Marinate the chicken with turmeric, chili and coriander powder. Mix and add salt to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight or 12-36 hours.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan with a lid. Once they oil ripples and develops a blue hue, add mustard seeds. Let it pop well. Then add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and dry red chilli. Saute for 30 seconds. Then add the marinated chicken and add water. Cook covered for 30 minutes, until oil leaves along the sides. Stir well and serve hot with rasam/yogurt and rice.

The winner of the Sukham Ayu cookbook is ~~Srilekha.~~ Congrats to the winner and I am sure she is going to have a great time cooking with it. Please email me your address to receive your copy of the book.

Update: Since Srilekha has not reached out to me even after constant email, I am announcing the new winner today and it is Amanda. Thanks once again Prathibha Jain and Jigyasa Giri for generously sharing your book.

2011-09-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

Menu ideas for one pot South Indian meal party

2011-09-25T15:37:00.004-07:00

Every month Foodbuzz hosts an online event called 24x24 which showcases 24 meals in 24 hours.When I got the email for monthly contest I immediately knew the kind of dinner party I wanted to throw: a comfort food that my mom would make from the basic ingredients available in the kitchen. Hearing the news that my submission got accepted I instantly called up my new-found friends for "One pot South Indian meals dinner party". This month I am one of the featured publishers chosen to document a meal whipped from the kitchen staples, and yesterday's dinner was special for sure. I went with the theme - budget friendly pantry meals and created a menu, keeping in mind my husband's favorite one liner "Going ethnic means going global" - so here I am making a simple meal that reflects my South Indian origin.

My pantry is stocked with basic Indian spices like turmeric, chili and cilantro powder, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, whole spices like cloves, cardamon, cinnamon and dry red chillies, herbs (some dried and some fresh), ghee - clarified butter, oils from sesame, sunflower and olive, tamarind fruit, three varieties of rice, lentils like yellow split peas, frozen coconut, frozen and fresh and cans of few beans. With these staples, I can make more than 25 dishes and these were the pantry essentials I had during my student life too. Everyday cooking requires meager use of the spice mix, which makes them be used over a long period of time. Indian cooking is simple, affordable and healthy. Even with minimum spices, wholesome meals can be cooked. Like Italian cuisine, nothing goes waste in Indian cooking, any left overs will be turned into a new dish.

Now take a peek into my domain - the kitchen I love the most and my pantry - the one I totally depend on for everyday cooking. I mustered all the courage in the world to show the utterly cluttered pantry of mine. Feel free to voice your views on what you feel about that and also tell me what are the things you stock in your pantry?

Indians love their pressure cooker and I have four in total, each in different sizes - Small, Medium, Large and Extra-large, just like in clothing stores :-) I steam the vegetables and cook my dhaal (lentils), meat, rice, payasams (dessert), you name it and that would have been cooked in my cooker. You can find no house without one. It makes cooking fast and saves ton loads of gas. We have been part of reducing carbon footprint for over 50 years now. That's something to be proud of. Anyways coming back to my foodbuzz event, for today's dinner - all the dishes were cooked in the pressure cooker.

A one pot meal...

One that can be cooked in no time in a pressure cooker...

That is delicious and quick to fix...

Perfect lunch box food...

A definite party hit...

One that fits the bill perfectly is my menu for today.

What's on the menu?
1. Bisi-bele-bath - Rice-lentil based dish
2. Cucumber raita - Cold yogurt seasoned with cumin
3. Cabbage poriyal - Cabbage stir fried with mustard seeds and coconut oil
4. Pathirpeni - Indian dessert

I invited three of my blogger friends, Prerna of Indian Simmer, Rose of Magpies recipes and Kankana of Sunshine and Smile to join me for dinner. We had such a lovely time talking about food, blogging and everything under the sky. All of our Curious Georges had fun playing together, hugging, pulling toys and laughing together. Since all the three were such talented blogger and ardent foodies, I was so nervous about they liking my food. Two of them were from Northern part of India and Rose is from Kerala, so I took this opportunity to introduce them to the foods I have grown up eating.

Since my little one needs to be carried and pampered almost 24X7, I managed to whip just the entree, side dish and dessert and decided to go for a store bought salsa and chips for the appetizer. I know that is no South Indian dish, please show me some love and forgive that part of the meal :-)

After munching few chips, we started right away with Bisi-bele-bath. A South Indian rice based meal made with equal portions of rice, lentils and vegetables cooked in an exotic spice blend. Bisi-bele-bhaath translates to hot-lentil-rice in Kannada, A South Indian language. My mom's second sister, S periamma is known for this dish and I call this her signature recipe. For any family lunch or potluck parties, she would prepare this and the moment she opens her hot pack box, the wonderful flavor of nutty sesame oil will waft through the air and tickle our taste buds in a way that would attract all my cousins to the dining table like bees buzzing around a flower. To get that brilliant taste, she shared her trade secret. Finish the rice with few drizzle of sesame oil at the end, she announced when I asked her for the recipe. Yes perimma I followed your recipe and that tip and everyone loved the outcome. Thank you lovely lady!

I served bisibelebath with cool raita and potato chips and cabbage stir fry. I quickly chopped all the veggies, made the spice mix, soaked some tamarind in water, washed the rice and lentil. Saute, pour and stir - pressure cooker was set to cook for 10 whistles. Once done, the rice-lentil medley was garnished with fresh cilantro. I left them hot in the pressure cooker until the guests arrived.

For the side, I steamed the cabbage for 1 whistle and tempered the fuming oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Saute and mixed in the cooked cabbage and for little color, I added turmeric powder and finally drizzled some coconut oil for an added earthiness. Stirred to combine and ready to enjoy. We paired the food with Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Mondavi wine.

Finally for dessert, I made pathirpeni. That dish was totally new to them and I was so glad that I included it. It is a noodle-shaped dry dish which is soaked in aromatic milk infused with saffron, cardamons and nuts. I pressure cooked the whole milk with cardamons for 8 whistles and once they steam has settled, I mixed in saffron strands, coarse rice powder, nuts and sugar to taste. I bought cute ceramic glasses similar to shot glasses. I placed the noodles at the bottom and pour the warm milk over it and garnished with some chopped nuts.

I’ll post the recipes of bisibelebath and cabbage poriyal in the coming weeks. Since the Pathirpeni was such a favorite, I have posted that recipe couple of days back. Many thanks to Foodbuzz for organizing this event every month. Also special thanks to my most supportive husband who took care of my little cub while I cleaned and prepped my kitchen, and four gorgeous ladies including Rose's mom and Little dumpling - P, Cutie angel - A for making it a lovely evening. Delicious food, good wine and awesome girlfriends!!!

Tips:
1. For women with gestational diabetes, replace white rice with brown rice. Its better to overcook the brown rice, as the mushy consistency of the brown rice when mixed with lentils and other spices will not taste any different from white rice.

Update on Jan 10th 2012:

Hope over to my good friend Grishma's blog to know the recipe for bisi-bela-bhaath. She is such a warm person who is so passionate about cooking and I love her smile :-) Infact I see magic in her hands be it with food or garden. Yes she is a pro gardener who attempts to grow every possible vegetable, fruit and herbs in town. Hop over to her space to know more her and her love for food and cooking.

Pathirpeni - Indian dessert

2011-09-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Pathirpeni is originally from Karnataka and I just adore it. Most of the time (naah!! may be all the time) people seem to confuse this with Paal poli (deep fried flat bread soaked in sweet condensed milk). Most of my friends have not heard about this dish.

I have a very sweet memory attached to this particular dish. I made it for the first time in UK and that day happened to be my birthday - 2007. My mom couriered new dresses and a packet of raw pathirpeni packet along with a small packet of crushed almonds, pistachios, cashewnuts, saffron and cardamons to be used for it; a small chit was also attached to its cover, which summarized the recipe. I still remember that day - cold gloomy day with drizzling now and then, my friend announced that a parcel arrived, I rushed down in excitement to see what amma had sent me. I opened to see my birthday gifts and little note tucked inside a greeting card slid down my hand. I saw my amma's hand writing after such a long time, I vaguely remember the last time I saw it. I still have them, have saved it in my dairy.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 Packet Pathirpeni (you can get it in any supermarkets – Spencer’s daily, Nilgiris but I doubt its availability abroad) - Picture above.

1/2 cup nuts (Almonds, Pistachios and Cashews) - chopped (Save some for garnish)

1 teaspoon Cardamon powder

1000ml whole milk

Sugar to taste

10-12 strands Saffron+ 1/4 cup warm milk

Directions

Warm 1/4 cup milk and place the saffron strands. Set aside.

Bring the milk to boil and once they boil, lower the flame and cook for 30 minutes until they reduce to half. Allow the milk to thicken a bit. Now add the crushed cardamoms or cardamon powder and nuts. Now slowly add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Simmer it for next 5 minutes. Keep a cup of remaining milk aside.

Now take a serving bowl,preferably small one. Place the Patherpeni and pour the thick milk on top. Let the peni soak in the liquid well. Garnish with the nuts and serve immediately.

Note:Don’t cook the milk till they go really thick, not too thick or not too thin.

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset in Emerald Bay

2011-09-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Kesar kulfi - Frozen Indian dessert

2011-09-18T00:59:00.000-07:00

"Junoon!Junoon! Junoon!" - The most famous Indian TV soap I grew up watching ends with these words at 10.00 PM. In every home, this memorable song of 1990's would echo between the walls and the entire housing complex where I lived would remain silent when the show airs. With no cable TV or fancy play stations to play with, everyone from 6 to 60 years of age will be glued to watch simple yet quality shows in doordarshan (Indian national TV channel). And at exactly 10.01 pm, there in the distant corner of the colony entrance, I will hear "ding..ding..ding" sound of an aluminum bell. I would climb up the sofa to the window pane and stand between the iron beam of the window grill to tuck my face between it and watch the glorious entry of that tricycle guy with a huge circular tank covered with a red cloth. A rustic chimney light by his side would attract the flies that would happily jump between the luminous light, cleaning water and the red cloth.

It is a strict no from my parents to eat those kulfis and that's the case in most homes. Everyone finds its dirty and unhygienic. But sometimes during summer time, my mom would buy it for me. My dad is one super picky and super hygenic person who will stare at a water tumbler zillion times before taking a sip and his eyes would scan for microscopic dirt.So appa is ruled out from the list. With a ten rupee note in hand, I would walk with my dad to buy 5 kulfis, one for each of us (my cousin,amma, perimma, perippa and myself).

I would run to that young guy clad in colored lungi and red shirt and say "5 kulfis, anna!" displaying my tiny five fingers and after a pause, I will complete "Special". Special means he will add some more nuts while serving. He will break open a small cylindrical container made in plastic,with a pairing knife dipped in his water, he would tap around its surface and loosen its edges by running along the corner and tactfully force a wooden stick at its center and pull out the voluptuous kulfi. Finally drizzled with some crunchy toasted pistachios and cashews that will stick to it like a paper to its glue, you are sure to enter heaven alive. While enduring its taste, my amma would add "don't know he made it with which water, look at the water he dips his knife, its milky and blurry and I am sure you are going to fall sick". Even after those strong warnings, yes it was indeed a scary statement for a 7 year old, I would lick and enjoy it every bit. My heart would feel light and the air around me would fluff up into an imaginary cloud that will fly me up in the sky. As I finish clicking the last drop of the kulfi, my first question will be when can we have it again and my cousin would jump in to ask the same. Both the moms would say next summer.

But the craving got uncontrollable, I would beg and cry to buy them often. That's when my mom started making it at home. Even those kulfis were rationed and it was made sporadic. Whenever she made it, I made sure to stick around her. As she simmered and cooked the milk to a thick liquid and added condensed milk and nuts, I would watch her with curious eyes, absorbing her directions step-by-step. My mom while pouring into the molds would say that the freezer should not be opened for 8 hours. I would nod in excitement that I will not open it for sure. But after my mom naps in the afternoon, I would tip-toe to the Godrej fridge, painted in red to check the molds. I will keep opening it every now and then to see whether they were done. Little annoyed with the doors being banged often, my mom would shout from the bedroom that this constant opening is going to delay the freezing process. I closed them after a final check and sat in the corner of the rectangular dining table next to a window gazing at the tall grasses in the backyard until my mom woke up, around 4.00PM. Can we have it now? was my first question when I saw my amma enter the dining room tying her loose hair into a bun, koondai. I don't think so, may be after dinner. Disappointed. I would set out for my evening play time in our park with a hope to come back for some yummilicious kulfis. All set - creamy, nutty and hard, they were delicious till the last drop.

Now its 10.00PM here, there is no Junoon to watch, there is no "Beware" statements from amma, there is no ding-ding-ding sound in the distance but there is my amma' plump-plump-kesar kulfi in the freezer ready for me to indulge. While I engulf myself in that sinfully irresistible dessert, let me tease you all with some pictures.

Makes 6 molds

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk

1/4 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

1/2 cup choppedalmonds

1 teaspoon cardamon powder

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a microwave for 30 seconds, add saffron strands and keep aside.

2. Bring the evaporated milk to a soft boil. Then add the cream. Bring that to a soft boil, add the warm milk with the saffron and condensed milk. Whisk while cooking for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Add the cardamon powder, pistachios and almonds. Remove from flame and cool it to room temperature.

4. Pour them into plastic molds. Freeze for upto 8 hours or overnight.

5. To serve, remove from the freezer and keep it out for 5 minutes. Try to pull out with a stick. Most of the time, like me if you end up with just the stick, don't panic. Use a pairing knife, tap the surface and work your way along the edges to loosen it. Then insert the stick at its center and pull it. This time you will not miss it for sure. Enjoy! :-)

Junoon title song for you all - Nostalgia!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Truckee

2011-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Semi homemade: Egg scramble with smoked salmon

2011-09-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yet another semi homemade recipe from me to you. Egg scramble with smoked salmon is one easy to fix energizing breakfast. I have read and heard from a lot of health shows that having eggs for breakfast is the best way to start your weight loss journey.

For those of you who buy eggs in bulk, this is the test I recommend to check its freshness.This is what my friend taught me. Place the egg at the bottom of a glass and fill it with water until the rim and what what happens. I did this test today for fun and as I ran the experiment I was explaining the process to my son. Well, he was too cranky today and this was the only way to keep him engaged. It's practically not possible to carry the baby all day long. So, I buckled him in his high chair and gave a plastic spoon to play with and kept talking to him as if I was doing a presentation.

He smiled back and nodded his head as I finished my talk. Alright, coming to the point, what you will find is:

1. For fresh eggs: The egg will lie at the bottom on its side

2. For old yet edible one: Egg will partially sink

3. Throw them away, time for a new one if the egg floats

Remember the smoked salmon I bought from Costco the other day, I make lettuce wraps, sandwiches or omelets with it. The smoked salmon has loads of salt in it, about 20-23% of your daily requirement. So don't add any salt during the cooking. I prefer the ones smoked without any sugar (brown sugar). Look for the ones with zero sugar if you are in South beach diet. This is an ideal breakfast recipe for phase 1 dieters and for those in phase 2 and 3, you can enjoy it with a toast and any zero sugar juice. Egg scramble is an ideal breakfast food to fix for working mothers. You are just stuffing your little ones with good food and I am sure this is also a great dish to fix for anyone.

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 eggs - beaten (you can egg whites too)

1/4 cup onions - diced

1 garlic clove - minced

1/4 cup salmon - chopped

1 red chili - chopped

Pepper

1 teaspoon extra-virgin oil

Directions

1. Heat a saucepan with oil. Once hot enough, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

2. Add the onions and cook till they become translucent. Then mix in the salmon and red chili. Stir to combine.

3. Break open the eggs into the saucepan and stir to cook, about 3-5 minutes on medium flame or until done.

4. Sprinkle pepper to taste and combine.

5. Serve with a toast.

Since I prefer just the eggs for breakfast, I avoided the bread and to wash the spicy scramble down I drank Bolthouse farm organic carrot juice (It's really good, no added sugar - that's what I am looking for). Also I love to eat just smoked salmon with pepper too!

Semi homemade : Spaghetti in creamy tomato sauce

2011-09-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

I am always wishing that how great it will be when fixing a meal is easy and time saving. There were days, I will stare at the blank wall to get an idea of what to prepare for dinner as to avoid seeing a frowned face of S later. The no-elaborate-cooking-moods like today are sporadic in our home. Now after a beautiful vacation in Reno, I am still taking time to recuperate the time and energy to get back into the groove. That's when semi homemade foods comes as a savior.

Just few hours after we arrived from Reno, we headed straight to shop groceries/food for the week. And my most favorite place is Costco. I picked most of the things that are ready to eat or that needs some baking or microwaving. Some fresh breads, smoked salmon, ready to eat salads, creamy tomato soups, crackers and dips. The first few days after a vacation are a plateau phase where laundry, cleaning and tidying up tops the priority list and quality cooking time takes a back seat.

Organic creamy tomato soup is super delicious. Even better than the one I buy in Safeway. And two cans for around $7 is an awesome deal. I have tried to reproduce the soup and it came out pretty well. Will share that recipe in another post as I don't have a picture for it.

I served one can as soup and the other one I used it as a base for my pasta. Here is the easy breezy recipe for mouth watering pasta. You can add any veggies or meat or shrimp to create your own version.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups creamy tomato basil soup - from Costco or any store of your choice

3/4 packet - whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 cup peas

Salt and pepper

Water to cook paste

Parmigiano cheese for garnish

Directions

Bring water to a rolling boil and cook the spaghetti as per manufacturer's instruction. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring the soup to a boil. Add the peas or shrimp or meat and let it cook till they are done. Toss in the cooked pasta and mix well. Serve with cheese shavings. Enjoy!

Emerald bay through my lens

2011-09-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

Mint rice and a cookbook giveaway

2011-09-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

When I see a bunch of mint leaves lying peacefully in the corner shelf of my grocery store, images of sorbet garnished with curly sprigs of mint leaves or a lemonade jar filled with mint leaves and lemon roundels or chilling taste of my mouthwash comes by my mind. The menthol present in it gives the cool and refreshing taste. You can find chopped mint leaves used for garnishing at the end of cooking, it is used in soups, desserts, curries, rice, treat health and skin problems. Mint is native to Mediterranean and Western Asian countries where there are full sun, which helps it grow well. Overcooking can make them taste bitter and always fresh mints are used in salads. Leaves could be dried and stored frozen for its use in winters.

There is an interesting story to why mint gets its perfumed smell. It is believed in Greek mythology that once Pluto's lover angered Pluto's wife, who in a fit of anger turned her into a small plant. Pluto was unable to undo the spell. To console his love, he gave the plant an aromatic scent and that's the reason they say that mint has a wonderful sweet smell. I love to hear stories like this, entertaining right? My grandmother is known for sharing these interestingly screen played stories and the memories of those silent nights filled with her voice, me lying on to her right side and D, my cousin on to her other side, nodding to her tales and falling asleep keeps lingering in my heart.

Whenever stuck with cold and cough, my achi would say, pluck few leaves from the garden, wash and chew. Yes, mint leaves relieves cold congestion. The leaves can be boiled in the tea too.I generally buy them in bulk and make mint chutney for Indian chaats/sandwich or thogayal (South Indian pestos) or minty lemonades or this simple mint rice from the Ayurvedic vegetarian cookbook - Sukham Ayu. This rice is simple to make and the flavors are incredible. I am so in love with this book, very informative too.The recipe are easy to follow and most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry, so fixing them is like a breeze. Once you read the ayurvedic use of the foods suggested by them, you will get into the groove to cook healthy and importantly, it has made me feel so proud of my heritage. A homecooked Indian meal served by your mom all these years is one of the healthiest way to live.

Not knowing that ghee (clarified butter) is good for the health, I blindly used to say no to amma. Even without listening to what she had to say, I would talk back. There will be unpleasantness in the dining table and amma would mumble to herself that ghee lowers body heat and living in a tropical country it is important to have it. Then she would continue one should have the brains to think by herself, if not atleast should listen to elders. That used to be our dinner arguments. Anyways now I have realized the significance of eating our traditional foods and that everything in moderation is perfectly OK. If that still sounds daunting to you, then its time to get your hands and eyes on this award winning health cookbook - Sukham Ayu by Jigyasa Giri and Prathibha Jain. You can read my review here. And now for a giveaway you are going to love.Prathibha Jain and Jigyasa Giri are giving away one copy of their Sukham Ayu cookbook to one of my readers. Thank you both for the beautiful gift. Appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

1 medium onion - chopped

Powdered rock salt to taste

Paste

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup coriander leaves

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

3-4 garlic cloves

1 red/green chilli

Tempering

1-2 teaspoon cow's ghee

2 inch cinnamon stick

2 cloves

5 black pepper corns

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Directions

1. Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside. I soaked mine for 30 minutes.

2. Grind the ingredients of the paste adding little water to form a thick paste.

3. In a pressure pan, heat ghee and add the ingredients of the tempering. When they begin to crackle and let out their aroma, add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and cook for further 2-3 minutes.

4. Add rice, saute for a minute and add 1.5 cups (if soaked for 30 minutes) or 2 cups water with salt. Pressure cook for 1 whistle or if using a large cooking pan, cook covered in low flame for 15 minutes.

5. Allow steam to settle down and gently fluff the rice with a fork and serve fresh with raita.

Serve with vegetarian or any dry non vegetarian curry and raita.

SUKHAM AYU COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is open worldwide.

To enter, simply do as many of the following as you want and let me know that you did it by leaving a separate comment each time. Please also make sure to leave your contact email for me to reach you if you win. The giveaway will close on September 23rd at midnight, and the winner will be announced shortly after that. Best wishes!

1. Leave a comment telling why you want to win this book.
2. Like Spices and aroma on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.

3. Link to this giveaway on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me and including a link to the post.

4. Subscribe to this blog, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.

5. Follow Spices and aroma on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do and including your Twitter name.

6. Tweet about this giveaway, tagging me @spicesnaroma and linking this giveaway, then leave a comment telling me and including a link to the post.

7. Blog about this giveaway, then leave a comment telling me and including a link to the post.

Shorshe Maach - A guest post

2011-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Kankana from Sunshine and Smile is my first friend to write a guest post for my blog. She has moved to US less than two years ago, having worked in IT field, this geeky techy girl turned her passion to cooking and started her beautiful blog. I am a big fan to her pictures and I must say that her photographs are perfectly set and well balanced. I hope to learn from her someday. She is sweet, friendly and such a warm person to talk to.She is living in California as well, right next to the city where I am residing and one day we hope to meet each other. Here she is with her recipe, that talks about her Bengali origin and a dish that is close to her heart. I am so honored and excited to have her over my space.

If I have to pick one dish that I'll never get bored of eating, it would be Bhapa Ilish (steamed hilsa fish in mustard sauce). Every Bengali soul can relate to this dish in their own little way. It's one of my favorite and a delicacy in Bengali Cuisine. Hilsa fish, or Ilish mach as we call it in Bengali, is a sea fish but it is mainly available in the major Bangladesh rivers. Ilish is also caught from the sea but these are not as tasty as those caught from the river. As much as I enjoy fresh fish, I don't mind frozen fish at times. Having said that, Ilish is one such fish I like to eat fresh and only fresh!
At home, whenever Mom cooked with Ilish, the whole house would get filled with warm aromatic flavors.

When Vijitha reached out to me to do a guest post for the series Friendship chain – spread the specialty, started by Anamika of Taste Junction, I felt so honored to be a part of this chain. I could have never said 'No' to her :) I started visiting Vijitha's blog couple of months back and within the first few weeks, we became friends - exchanging emails and chatting non-stop. She stays close to my house and we are planning to meet up sometime soon! Yes, you heard me right.. meet up in person :) Thanks you my friend for inviting me at your gorgeous blog!

When she told me that she enjoys seafood, 'Bhapa Ilish' immediately popped in my mind. Ever since I moved to California, I have been looking for Hilsa/Ilish fish and had no luck so far, so I used Tilapia for this dish. In Bengali, Shorshe is mustard and Maach is fish and since I was not using Ilish, decided to call this dish.. Shoshe Mach :) Typically, we use mustard seeds and mustard oil for this dish and that gives it a strong pungent taste, which I absolutely enjoy. If you want to mellow it down, you can add some coconut milk or grated coconut or even some plain yogurt in the sauce. Another key ingredient to remember is green chili. You can use as much or as little you want. I have not seen my Mom using a lot of red chili powder, but she always uses green chili and that adds an interesting flavor to the dish without making it super hot!

I used a bamboo steamer to steam the fish, but you can always bake it in the oven or use any other steamer. Just wrap the fish tightly in an aluminum foil or parchment paper and it should be fine. Depending on the fish you chose to use, steaming time may differ.

Ingredients:

2 fish fillet (I used tilapia)
2 tbs mustard seeds
3 green chilies

1 small onion
3 tbs oil (preferably mustard oil but I used canola oil)
2 tsp turmeric powder
chopped cilantro, for garnish
a pinch of sugar
Salt

Directions:Grind the mustard seeds to fine dust.
Using a food processor, grate the onion and 1 green chili.
Mix the powdered mustard seeds with grated onion, turmeric powder, oil and salt.
Rub the mixture nicely on the fish fillet.
Arrange each fish separately on an aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Slit 2 green chilies in half, place on top of the fillets and wrap the fish properly.
Let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, steam it for 10 minutes.
Before you open it up, let it rest for 5 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and enjoy it with white rice.

Wordless Wednesday - Auburn

2011-09-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yeasted idly / dosa batter

2011-08-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

I saw monthly mingle challenge in Kulsum's blog to be yeast. I thought of making naan with yeast but was sure that many would come up with it. So I narrowed my thoughts to make something South Indian. I get tons of emails from non-Indian friends to give them an easy dosa batter recipe. I can understand that grinding the batter and fermenting it is tricky for total newbies and it is intimidating too. So I called up my mom asking her for instant dosa batter recipe with rice flour and urad dhal flour. She said yes that should be simple, just mix and try it. The urad dhal is used as a binding agent which will help to get the shape of a dosa, she tutored me. But she was wrong, just mixing the two flours didn't work. We discussed that adding yeasts like she does to her appam batter might work. "Try adding little yeast and may be semolina too", she suggested. After few trials and errors, we came up with this ratio: equal portions of rice flour, lentil flour and semolina. I have tried making idlies with it. They were good too.

Now as I am typing the post, I hopped over to Kulsum's page to get the event page link but as I read it now, it said "yeasted dough" as the theme. Blame my concentration ability with a nine month old infant by my side. My dish is not eligible for the event as I have a yeasted batter :-(

The traditional idly/dosa is gluten free but in this recipe, I have used semolina, so this particular post is not gluten free. I will try to come up with a foolproof recipe with just rice and urad dhal flours. For the gluten free version, see here.

Until then, please enjoy this version of my oothappam.

Makes 8-10 chunky uttapams

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

1 cup urad dhal

1 cup semolina - idly rava (preferable) or upma rava

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 cups warm water

For the tempering:

1teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ginger - minced

6-8 curry leaves - chopped

1 small onion - chopped

1 green chilly - chopped

1 teaspoon oil

Method

Use a large vessel to avoid spilling. The batter will rise high after the fermentation time.

Place sugar on a clean bowl. Pour 1 cup warm water (about 100'F) and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then add the yeast, it will get frothy. This will activate the yeast. Add the flours and keep whisking as you pour water. Start with 1 cup water and work your way up by adding little by little water.

Mix well and let it ferment overnight. I placed them inside the oven (leave the oven door partially opened).

Following day, heat oil until they smoke. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook for 45-60 seconds. Now add the onions, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Add this mixture to the fermented batter.

I served with my achi's South arcot egg curry. Will share the recipe very soon.

Spinach pasta with cold salmon salad

2011-08-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

We had been to San Diego during the first week of June, 2011 for a conference. We stayed there for more than a week and this was my second trip to San Diego. I love the city and I was so excited to visit it again. We had little S with us, so I decided to spent first few days at S's relative's place in Bonita as we thought that he will get time to settle in a new place better and will not fall sick. I was nervous to bits when we took the flight from SFO as I was expecting the little one to get cranky due to ear ache during take off and landing. But he was such a sweet kiddo who was had fun playing with his toys and enjoyed being carried around by air hostess. His favourite toy was an empty paper cup. Since this was his first flight, Southwest airlines gave him the "The first flight certificate" signed by the pilot and first officers. It was a simple card but I saved it and once we got back home, I tucked it safely inside his baby book. I am thinking that he will cherish it later.

N aunty, I uncle and two gorgeous girls S&S were such warm hosts. They made us feel at home and I got a chance to taste easy yet delicious meals from N aunty. With these local guides by my side, I got a chance to know and see even the minute details the town had to offer. Especially the Lotita taco shop in Bonita was worth a visit. San Diego is the best place to taste authentic Mexican food. I loved the clothing outlets on the US-Mexican border and they had amazing deals. I shopped till I dropped!!!

After four days of stay, I shifted back to S's hotel. This time we stayed in Hilton water front near the convention center and the hotel was at a stone's throw distance to Gas lamp. S booked the room on the 14th floor and the view of the bridge that leads to Coronado (man made island) was breathtaking. I suggested to rent a service apartment the next time we visit San Diego and spend a month long vacation there. S for the first time agreed to my idea.

We tasted the most delicious foods from the local restaurants but I couldn't get over the simple dishes N aunty made. After I came back and was still living in that "no cooking mode", I fixed dinner that was quick and easy. The pasta tasted delicious with just spinach and cheese in it and cold salmon salad complemented them really well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pasta

2 cups whole wheat pasta

1 cup spinach - finely chopped

2 cloves garlic - minced

2 teaspoon olive oil

Salt

Water to cook paste

Low fat cheese for garnish (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)

For the salmon salad

1 pink salmon tin (3.75oz)

4 celery sticks - finely chopped

1 large carrot - finely chopped

1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoon non-fat yogurt (thick and no water)

1/2 tablespoon fat free sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

For the pasta

1. Cook the pasta as per the manufacturer's instruction. Drain but retain 1/4 cup pasta water.

2. Heat a large cooking pan. After couple minutes, add garlic and saute for 30-45 seconds. Then add the spinach, cook for 3-5 minutes, until they wilt. Add salt to taste and mix in the pasta and mix well to combine.

For the salad

1. Drain the water from salmon and transfer it to a fresh bowl. Break them into smaller pieces using a spatula.

2. Add the celery and carrots and stir well.

3. Mix in the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Check for salt and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

To serve

Take a shallow plate. Transfer the pasta, garnish with grated cheese and place a dollop of salmon salad in the center. Serve with a glass of wine.

Meat burekas in an edible cup

2011-08-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

One of our good friend N had her 40th birthday last Friday. Her husband threw a surprise birthday party at her residence and along with 25 other friends, we were invited too. It was a pot luck and he suggested to bring a savory dish. Since they come from Israel, I decided to go with a Jewish snack. Having tasted a lot of Mediterranean cuisine in the bay area, I am always partial towards falafel but I doubted whether it will stay crispy for that long, as I have to cook it earlier at home and then take it to her place. So we rules out falafel. S suggested my spicy hummus and pick up pita pockets/ fresh bread from an Israeli store on the way. I felt that it was way too a simple dish to take. But I told him that I will come up with a party appetizer first and then take hummus as well.

Crispy! finger licking good! attractive on the platter! bite size! - These were the criteria I had in mind. Visual image of a plate of burekas came before my eyes. Yes, you heard me right. It is burkeas for N's birthday. But I didn't want to serve it the usual way, I went for a fusion look. When I saw the picture of phyllo cups with fruits in the Athen's phyllo packet. I decided to go with the idea of serving meat burekas in an edible cup, that presentation was convincing to me. I have also seen , so got an idea how it will look.

I did a test run on Thursday and the results were promising as S loved it. He generously gave me 9.5 on 10. Whenever a new dish is made at home, S will evaluate it with a score. He is always stingy with his markings but this time he gave me 9.5, so I know the idea of edible cups clicked.

On Friday, we planned to meet at 6.30 pm at her residence and her husband has sent N and H, her third daughter to nail styling parlor. When we heard her park her car, all of us who were setting the table with the scrumptious food went hiding quietly behind the doors and walls. As she walked up the stairs from the garage, we screamed "Surprise" and the remaining crowd continued saying "Yim huledet sameah" meaning Happy Birthday in Hebrew, S and I tried to catch that phrase to the maximum possible ability :-)

She was thrilled and surprised to bits. Her eyes went moist as she thanked us for the effort and time. We started the evening with a glass of red wine and she raised a toast for her husband and three kids. She narrated how her daughter was hurrying her to get back home and she faked hungry prangs in the parlor. We laughed and everyone said "Mazel Tov" meaning Congratulations in Hebrew.

My little one has never encountered this many new faces at a single time. I was bit worried that he might get cranky and cry but I was totally wrong, he went to everyone, smiled, touched them and he seemed to have a good time that day. When we left him on the floor, he crawled fast to the huge fish tank and awed at the colorful fishes. He jumped raising his hands and hitting the glass tank, he kept babbling seeing the teeny-tiny fishes running around in excitement.

There was an awesome array of home from different homes : Hummus, bread, pita chips,three types of lasagne, Israeli salad, Malawach, Rice pilaf with pine nuts, Baba ganoush, Strawberry salad, Potato stuffed flaky bread and beautiful birthday cake. As I sat down to eat, my son was curious to explore my plate. I ended up sharing my plate with him. For the first time, I gave him outside food. He tasted the pilaf, potatoes, bread and hummus, he loved it and he came back for more. Just to keep him happy, I fed really tiny pieces. After getting the taste of those delicious food, he refused to have his formula milk that night. After the dessert, her husband made Café Afuch with his cappuccino maker. We made new friends and it was a beautiful evening. Once again a very happy birthday N.

Coming to the dish, I made a meat stuffing with boneless chicken breasts. The recipe is very similar to my ground turkey salad. I added fried cashews for an extra crunch and sprinkled garden fresh cilantro for an extra zing. The phyllo cups were crispy and flaky and they ground curry and the phyllo cups completed with each other so well. This is a perfect starter dish to serve any party. I can assure that it will be a super hit and you will have tons of people asking you for tips.

Ingredients

For the chicken kheema

1-2 lb bone less chicken breats (pulsed to a paste in a food processor- without water) or use ground chicken

1-2 teaspoon olive oil

1 small red onion - minced

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2-1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 cup water

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup fried cashews

Salt to taste

For the paste:

1/2 inch ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion - chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilnatro - chopped

2 red chilly

Directions

For the chicken kheema:

Heat oil in a large cooking pan. Once they are hot, add the ingredients in the paste sectionSaute for 2 minutes. Then add the onions and sprinkle little salt to let it sweat. Cook for 10 minutes on medium flame and let it brown a bit.

Add the ground chicken and break them down to smaller bits. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the turmeric, chili and coriander powder and mix well. Sprinkle the water and cook covered for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. It should be a dry curry, keep stirring removing the scraped stuck in the base of the cooking pan. Add the thawed peas and cook covered for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and mix well. Switch off the flame and let it cool. Sprinkle the fried cashews and mix well.

For the assembly:

Pre heat over to 350 degrees.

Thaw the phyllo sheets overnight in the refrigerator. Set your working surface. I used my kitchen island. Have melted butter, pastry brush and a damp cloth to cover them while working.

Once thawed, remove and keep them next to you. Carefully remove one sheet, cut them into 7x7cm square inch, more or less depending on the size of your muffin cup. The point is to place the phyllo sheet inside the muffin cup and then top them with your filling.I placed two layers of phyllo sheets.

Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray. Now place the phyllo sheet inside them, work with your finger tips, press them lightly along the bottom edges to get the cup shape.Butter them with a pastry brush,place the next piece of sheet and layer them with butter again. Add the filling.

Bake for about 7-8 minutes, adjust according to your oven setting.

Serve hot with few drops of ketchup and sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.

Note:

1.Phyllo sheets are fragile, handle them with utmost patience and care.

2. While baking, keep an eye to avoid burning them.

Janmashtami / Krishnajayanthi 2011

2011-08-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Eggplant cooked in tangy-sweet sauce

2011-08-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

"A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" I totally disagree to this adage. Why would good food will only make a man happy, why not a women or a kid? I am not trying to sound like a feminist. But on a serious note, I have fallen in love with my aunts and uncles who have cooked scrumptious meals for me. Infact, I have become a secret admirer to many home cooks. I have a special place for them in my life. It has to be re-phrased to something like "A way to a foodie's heart is through their stomach" Does it sounds better? Please excuse me for this attempt. Anyways you guys got an idea of what I meant right?

What would you do if everyone in your family cooks so well and each dish tastes so exotic? How to ape their signature recipes? What's their secret? Yes, these are things that will run through my mind while eating their food. I am blessed to have a born in a family of brilliant cooks. There are certain dishes which will taste good only when they make it, even though you try to follow the recipe as such.That's called as "Kai pakuvam" in Tamil, literally translates to "the magic behind the hands". Lamb chinthamani by my Erode aunt, creamy custard by S mama, Karaikudi chutney by K mami, Pacha millagai sambhar by my MIL and the list of my favourite dishes continues with amma's and achi's recipes.

S perimma, my mom's eldest sister is an excellent non-vegetarian cook and the point to note is that she is a pure vegetarian and comes from a family of vegetarians. She was married at the age of 19 and learned to cook meat dishes only after being married to her purely carnivorous husband :-) She has keen interest in cooking and have seen her cookbook diary pinned with handwritten tips and withered pages of Mangaiyar malar (Tamil magazine) recipes tucked inside the book. Whenever I go to her house, I eagerly wait to taste what she has made for the day.Be it her chicken briyani or moor kozhambhu, her puri- thengai chutney (deep fried flat bread with coconut chutney) or simple poriyals (stir fries), the dishes will be well balanced with spices, perfectly garnished with herbs and salt and finally served with all her love. That's the secret I think - her unconditional love and her magical hands. She passed down her recipes of my favorite dishes to me and one such fool proof dish is this kathirikkai chaalna. Just follow the steps, you will end up in a restaurant style curry and your family is sure to get surprised.

After checking out the recipe for my corn pilaf, many have contacted me asking for the eggplant curry recipe. This curry goes by the name "Kathirikkai chaalna", it has coconut, tamarind, jaggery and every possible spice in your kitchen rack in it and is served as a side to briyani in my family. For a change, I served it with pilaf and they complimented really well with pulao/pilaf too. The smell of peppercorns toasted in oil and its spicy kick while biting it balances so well with the sweetness of the jaggery and earthiness of sesame seeds . Curry leaves and cilantro adds an excellent freshness to the aromatic base curry. The whole eggplants with the stems on it looked attractive in the serving plate.

Kathirikkai chaalna recipe is very similar to "Yennai kathirikka kozhambhu" , a common side dish served with mutton briyani in Mudaliyar household. Around the time I was getting married my amma gifted me the cookbook "Aharam- Traditional cuisine of Tamil Nadu" by Sabitha Radhakrishna as a reference book for the Mudaliyar dishes I am going to cook for S. It's an amazing book for those who want to learn dishes predominant in Arcot district. On a personal front, most of the recipes were known to me and I also had my handwritten dairy which carried recipes of all my relatives. Still, I do use that book to cross-check the list of ingredients.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Baby purple eggplants/brinjal - 6

1 medium onion - thinly sliced

1 tomato - chopped

1 tablespoon ginger - minced

1 tablespoon garlic - minced

2 tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar

12 curry leaves

1/4 cup cilantro

1 lemon size tamarind or 2 tablespoon tamarind extract

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 cup peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 cup water

Salt to taste

For the puree:

1 small onion

1/4 cup coconut - I used dessicated one

2 cloves

2 cardamon

1 inch cinnamon

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 tablespoon peanuts

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 green chillies

Method

1.Wash the eggplants clean. Retain the stem and at the bulkier end, make a 1inch slit like a X. This way the curry can enter the vegetable and can make it even more flavorful. Pat dry and set aside.

2. Puree the ingredients give under its list.

3. Soak the tamarind fruit in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 minutes and using hand, squeeze the juice out of the fruit. Discard the fibrous solid material. Save the tamarind water.

4. Heat oil in a large cooking pot. Once the oil ripples, add the mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add the pepper corn and roast it for a minutes. Add the curry leaves and let it crisp.

5. Now mix in the onions and eggplants and let it brown, approximately 6-8 minutes on medium flame. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chili and coriander powder. Saute till the raw smell disappears.

6. Add the masala puree and cook till the oil separates out, approximately 20-25minutes. Pour the tamarind extract and salt. Stir well to combine and cook for further 10 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro and mix well. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice dishes.