Kitchen Confidential

Potatoes With Indian Five Spice

2012-01-25T15:36:19-05:00

Adapted from a recipe by Soma Rathore of the fantastic Indian food blog ecurry.com, this recipe works well with potatoes, green beans or squash (cooking times will vary). You can also try it with diced, firm tofu or diced Indian cheese (paneer).

Makes 4 side-dish servings

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 whole dried red chilies (any kind)
1 teaspoon paanch phoron (Indian five-spice mix)
1 to 2 fresh hot green chilies, such as serrano or Thai bird, thinly sliced (or adjust amount to taste)
1 pound fingerling (or other) potatoes, cut into strips or wedges
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

In a large pan/skillet heat the oil. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the red dried chilies and fry them on both sides until very dark brown. Add the paanch phoron and let the spices sizzle and crackle for about half a minute. Add fresh chilies and the potatoes.

Add turmeric and salt, and mix well while tossing. Cook at high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are heated through and slightly browned at the edges.

Lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the potatoes are cooked through and fork tender and slightly crisp on the edges. Increase the heat and dry off any remaining moisture in the pan. Taste and adjust the seasonings and fold in the cilantro. Serve hot, or at room temperature.

This article first appeared HERE.

Indian, Pakistani chefs to compete in 'Foodistan'

2012-01-18T15:01:54-05:00

Sixteen professional chefs -- eight each from India and Pakistan -- will battle it out for culinary supremacy on a new food reality show "Foodistan".

The highly talented chefs will represent their country's rich and exquisite cuisine, and will be seen competing with each other in the 26-part series, going on air on NDTV Good Times Jan 26.

They will have to cook up new dishes within a stipulated time, after which the preparations will be judged by food critic Vir Sanghvi, actress and food enthusiast Sonya Jehan, and Merrilees Parker, popular British celebrity chef and presenter.

"We have been in love with the food genre. This new show is extremely exciting for us because India and Pakistan are two nations that share a common passion for food. Sitting in India, we would only hear about how they make their burra kebab and biryani ... now we can see it for ourself," said Smeeta Chakrabarti, chief executive officer, NDTV Lifestyle.

Hosted by actors Ira Dubey and Aly Khan, the show will be aired Monday-Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.

Source: (IANS) New Delhi

Cookie maker spices up its offerings

2012-01-11T11:03:29-05:00

When you think about cookies, Indian spices might not be ingredients that readily come to mind.

But that didn’t stop Marshall Tully from developing protein-rich cookies that feature spices such as cardamom and saffron.

That may seem like a strange combination for many people who think about Indian spices as being, well, spicy as opposed to part of a sweet confection, but Mr.Tully’s cookies seem to be satisfying a hunger.

“The thing about Indian cuisine is [that] the longer it sits, the spices get more complex, kind of like stews and curries,” he said in a recent interview. “That is the great thing about Indian food; it ages well, and I just found it lends itself to baking really well. There really wasn’t anything on the market like it in terms of the flavours, such as cardamom.”

So where did the inspiration come to create his different cookies?

Mr. Tully said the roots for his Toronto-based company, Muscle Masala, come from his love of Indian cuisine and travels to India.

In addition to running a private fitness training studio in downtown Toronto, Mr. Tully also prepared catered meals for clients, many of them U.S. actors in town for movie shoots. One of the biggest hits were protein cookies.

“The flavour profiles for our products are inspired by Indian dessert spices,” he said. “I developed the idea for the product a couple of years ago, after spending a month travelling through India. It seemed like a natural marriage between my love of Indian cuisine and my alter ego of fitness/nutrition coach.”

Mr. Tully said the cookies, which contain no preservatives or artificial sweeteners, have become popular with fitness-conscious people because they’re an alternative to store-bought protein bars. There is also healthy demand from the South Asian community, as well as foodies who are simply into new and interesting flavours.

Before Muscle Masala started selling the cookies last April, Mr. Tully said he had to formulate the recipes, establish the nutritional information through a food laboratory, and get a food safety inspection done.

There was also an investment to buy commercial-grade equipment to bake the cookies, design the packaging, and build a website that could handle online sales.

Mr. Tully said Muscle Masala is selling 300 to 400 cookies a week. They sell for $3.50 each at a small number of retail stores, gyms and yoga studios, and run $44 for a dozen cookies through the company’s website.

His goal, he said, is to push sales to about 1,000 cookies a week within the next few months.

The cookies are baked on Sundays, and delivered using bike couriers for local purchases or Express Post nationwide on Monday.

Mr. Tully said Muscle Masala lets customers know about each new batch via e-mail, and then promotes their availability on Facebook and Twitter. Muscle Masala has also driven awareness by sending cookies to chefs, and influencers within the South Asian social media community.

With Muscle Masala quickly turning into a viable business, Mr. Tully said the company is already looking to preparing itself for more growth. He said a priority is to determine if the shelf life of the cookies, which is about a week, can be extended without adding preservatives or additives.

Muscle Masala currently sells two types of cookies – chocolate cherry cardamom and vanilla fig saffron. Mr. Tully said he is working on a new flavour that will cater to endurance athletes, such as triathletes and bicyclists.

As well, he’s hoping to branch into the non-athletic world by creating high-end cookies but jokes the challenge is convincing people that a cookie using Indian spices can be as delicious as a muffin or a “normal” cookie.

This article first appeared HERE.

What’s for Dinner: The Upadhyaya family

2012-01-04T13:27:06-05:00

The Upadhyayas don’t have any urgent food-related New Year’s resolutions.

Geetha and Rama, their son Shyama and nephew Krishna are vegetarians who rely on protein-rich, homemade meals and consider restaurant trips a treat.

Sure, they have a few challenges.

Rama developed Type 2 diabetes 11 years ago and must make healthy choices. Shyama and Krishna have a weakness for Chocolate Cheerios and Nesquik cereal. The three adults work in information technology but have a rule that laptops, cellphones, smartphones and iPods are not welcome at the dining table.

Other than that, mealtimes are pretty peaceful at the Upadhyaya family’s Agincourt home near Tam O’Shanter Golf Course.

Tonight Geetha is making dosas — thin, crispy, South Indian pancakes. Dosas are usually a weekend breakfast treat, but it’s the last night of Geetha’s Christmas holiday and she has extra time and energy. The batter, made from idli rice, channa dal, urad dal and fenugreek seeds, needs about two days to soak and ferment.

Around 6 p.m., Geetha starts preparing the rest of the meal: coconut-chili chutney, spicy sweet potatoes, and a fruit salad with black chickpeas and tamarind sauce.

There’s a plaque hanging in the kitchen that’s at odds with the idyllic scene. It reads: “This kitchen will be closed today because of illness. I’m sick of cooking.”

“That’s Rama’s from his college days,” laughs Geetha, 40, a project manager for a downtown information technology company.

“I spent five years at Queen’s (University),” says Rama, 48, a software developer. Having to cook for himself is clearly not a fond memory.

He hovers as his wife makes chutney from freshly grated coconut and toasted Kashmiri chilies, and puts sweet potatoes (diced with their skin on) in the microwave to soften.

“Want to start cutting the fruit?” Geetha asks Rama, handing him a Royal Gala apple and Bartlett pear.

He cheerfully chops apple, pear, banana and grapes that are mixed with the black chickpeas (kala channa) that Geetha has prepared in a pressure cooker. With a drizzle of lemon juice and tamarind sauce and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds, the salad is done.

“This makes a good lunch as well,” says Geetha, who deliberately cooks enough for leftovers.

The sweet potatoes are finished in a pan with ghee (clarified butter), black mustard seeds, Kashmiri chilies, fresh curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder and unsweetened dessicated coconut.

The dosas, however, require a fair bit of time and attention. Geetha makes her home-sized dosas in two, cast-iron skillets brushed with olive oil. Rama’s are cooked with fresh minced ginger, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, curry leaves and millet powder and so become uttapams. The others opt for plain dosas.

Each dosa is eaten as soon as it’s ready. When Geetha wants to eat, Rama takes a turn at the gas stove.

The family sits at the kitchen table and eats everything by hand. Tonight, like most nights, they drink water. Geetha likes to finish her meal with a few spoons of homemade yogurt.

“We’re quiet until after we eat,” explains Shyama, who’s 11 and in Grade 6. He has awards on the fridge from his public school for honesty, teamwork and character development.

“Dinner is over in 15 minutes,” adds Krishna, 24, who works at the same company as his aunt as a software tester. “But we might sit here for 30 or 45 minutes talking.”

The Upadhyayas are Havyakas from Karnataka (a state in southwest India) and have always been vegetarian. Brown rice and vegetables are staples. Breakfast is usually toast and cereal with nuts. Lunches are packed. They rarely deep-fry. The cupboard is loaded with a dozen jars of lentils, pulses and grains, including dried green peas, black-eyed peas, toor dal, moong dal, masoor dal, quinoa and cracked wheat.

The kitchen boasts a four-slice toaster, toaster oven, microwave and dishwasher. There’s also a powerful Indian grinder (a Sumeet Mixie), a pressure cooker and a steel coconut grater from India attached to a wooden stool.

Two recipes that Geetha wants to try are posted on the fridge. One is a Hearty Quinoa & Bean Soup from Chatelaine. The others is Whole Roasted Squash With Spiced Cheese, a Jamie Oliver recipe that I tested in 2010 for the Star.

The family considers itself fortunate to not have a food budget. Geetha shops mainly at NoFrills and Loblaws. For Indian groceries, she favours Poombugaar supermarket in Glo-Har Plaza on Birchmount Rd. For convenience, she buys chapatis (flatbread) at Suraj Desi Kitchen.

The family goes out for dinner once a month, always trying different spots including Guru Lukshmi, Saravanaa Bhavan, Fresh, Lin Garden, Joe Maggiano’s Italian Eatery & Bar, Remezzo Italian Bistro, and Alladin’s Palace. It’s important to them to expose Shyama to different cuisines.

“We mostly try to be healthy,” says Geetha. “I like cooking. I don’t mind it because my husband helps me with the chopping and Krishna does the dishes. It’s almost like a family time.”

She’s generally happy with the way her family eats and cooks. When pressed, she’ll make the following resolutions:

“For 2012, I would like to continue trying to make balanced meal for family, continue to eat sweets and junk food occasionally and in moderation, and try out new healthy recipes that are easy to make.”

This article first appeared HERE.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

2011-12-07T14:04:40-05:00

Preparation:             30 min
Marinating/Waiting: 2 h 30 min
Cooking:                   10 min
Total:                   3 h 10 min

16 cookies (servings)

Recipe Ingredients

1½ cups (375 mL) unsalted butter*
2 cups (375 g) sugar*
2 Irresistibles whole eggs*
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
2/3 cup (160 mL) milk
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Irresistibles vanilla*
5 cups (650 g) flour*
Food red and green colouring to taste
1 egg*, white only

Preparation

Using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and salt. Add milk and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour gradually, beating until smooth. Divide dough into 3 parts. Colour 2 parts, blending ¼ tsp. (1 mL) of red colouring into one part and green into the other. The amount of food colouring can be adjusted slightly to make the desired shade. Wrap each of the 3 balls of dough separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1½ hours.

On floured parchment paper, one sheet per ball, roll out the dough to ¼ in. (½ cm) thick. Brush rolled out dough with egg white. Layer the dough. Over the green dough, lay the plain dough, then the red dough. Gently roll into a log. Wrap log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). With a chef’s knife, slice the log into rounds ¼ in. to ½ in. (½ cm to 1 cm) thick. For easy slicing, rinse the blade with hot water and wipe dry. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies on lined baking sheet and bake until set but not browned, about 10 minutes. Leave 4 – 5 minutes on the sheet then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Tip: For this recipe, use the flat beater or dough hook, not the wire whisk. Overbeating a butter-based dough with a whisk melts the butter, making the dough sticky. Refrigerating the dough before rolling it out is absolutely necessary.

For a South Asian Desi Twist:

Add 1 tsp of zeera seeds or zeera powder to the dough.

Courtesy of Metro Kitchens

Click HERE for more Chirstmas and Holiday recipes.

Christmas Wreaths

2011-11-30T15:15:09-05:00

Preparation: 20 min

Marinating/Waiting: 0 min

Cooking: 1 hr

Total: 1 hr 20 min

20 treats (servings)

Recipe Ingredients

        1 cup (250 mL) mascarpone or ricotta cheese
        ¼ cup (60 mL) mixed candied fruit
        3 Tbsp. (45 mL) sugar*
        20 old-fashioned brownies*
        Fresh fruit to taste.

Preparation

In a bowl, mix cheese, candied fruit and sugar together. Spread cheese mixture on 20 brownies and garnish with fresh fruit.

Courtesy of Metro Kitchens.

Click HERE for more Chirstmas and Holiday recipes.

Spaghettini with Chicken, Onion and Peppers #6287

2011-11-23T15:20:16-05:00

Preparation:    15 min
Marinating/Waiting:    0 min
Cooking:    30 min
Total:    45 min

4 servings

Recipe Ingredients

500 g CATELLI Spaghettini
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) Irresistibles extra virgin olive oil*
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
1 green, orange or red pepper, chopped
1 jar (700 mL) CATELLI Garden Select Pasta Sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

Cook spaghettini according to package directions. Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat; sauté chicken until golden. Remove and set aside. Add onion and green pepper; sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce and reserved chicken; simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over hot spaghettini and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

For a South Asian Desi Twist:

Add 1 tsp of garlic paste, 1 tsp of cayenne powder and 1 tsp of tandoori masala.

Click HERE for more recipes.

Lamb Chops with Cumin and Yogurt Sauce

2011-11-16T13:38:23-05:00

Preparation:    5 min
Marinating/Waiting:    2 h
Cooking:    10 min
Total:    2 h 15 min

4 servings

Recipe Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil*
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. (5 mL) ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 fresh lamb chops

Sauce:
1/2 cup (125 mL) firm yogurt
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) honey*
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. (5 mL) ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a bowl, mix oil, parsley, cumin and garlic together. Pour marinade over chops and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs. Turn chops occasionally to coat them thoroughly.

In another bowl, mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.

To pan-fry in a skillet, cook chops 3-4 minutes per side to desired degree of doneness. Serve with sauce.

Barbecue - preheat barbecue at medium high.

For a South Asian Desi Twist:

Add 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1 teaspoon red chilli powder for added spice.

Click HERE for more recipes.

Cardamom Panna Cotta with Chocolate Syrup

2011-11-09T11:17:04-05:00

Preparation:    20 min
Marinating/Waiting:    3 h
Cooking:    12 min
Total:    3 h 32 min
6 servings

Recipe Ingredients

1½ cups (375 mL) milk
1½ cups (375 mL) heavy cream 35%
? cup (80 mL) raw cane sugar
cardamom pods, seeds ground
1 7-g envelope plain gelatin
2 oz. (60 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup (60 mL) heavy cream 35% m.f.*
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) Irresistibles espresso or robust coffee*

Preparation

Panna cotta

In a big pot over medium-high heat, bring 1¼ cups (310 mL) milk, cream, sugar and cardamom to a simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
Soften gelatin in remaining milk for 5 minutes.
Stir softened gelatin into cardamom cream mixture.
Pour into small ½-cup (125-mL) glasses, cool, then refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours to set.

Chocolate sauce

In a double-boiler or the microwave, melt chocolate in the ¼ cup (60 mL) cream.

Gently stir in coffee. Reserve at room temperature.

To serve, spoon a little chocolate sauce on each panna cotta and sprinkle with pistachios if you wish.

Suggestion

Refrigeration Time: 3 hours
You can make the panna cotta a day ahead, and do the chocolate sauce just before serving.

You can replace the cardamom with ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract.

For a South Asian Desi Twist:

Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Click HERE for more recipes.

Raspberry-Chocolate French Macaroons #6207

2011-11-02T12:07:53-05:00

Preparation:    30 min
Marinating/Waiting:    10 min
Cooking:    15 min
Total:    55 min

36 macaroons servings

Recipe Ingredients

Macaroons
5 oz. (140 g) ground almonds
9 oz. (250 g) icing sugar
5 egg whites*
2 oz. (60 g) fine sugar*
1 – 2 drops red food colouring

Filling
4½ oz. (125 g) raspberry purée
6 oz. (175 g) dark chocolate*
2½ oz. (75 g) unsalted butter*

Preparation

Macaroons

Preheat oven to 260°F (125°C).

In a bowl, combine ground almonds and icing sugar, then reduce to a fine powder in the food processor. Sift and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at high speed into stiff peaks. Add sugar gradually, then food colouring and continue mixing for about a minute to melt sugar into the meringue.

Transfer the meringue to a large bowl and gradually fold in the almond-sugar mixture. Do not overwork the mixture or the meringue will collapse.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag with a 1¼-in. (3-cm) tip, pipe 72 regularly spaced disks.

Bake for about 15 minutes. When done, the meringues should easily peel off the parchment paper.

Cool completely.

Filling

In a pan, bring raspberry purée to a boil.

Break chocolate up in a bowl. Pour hot raspberry purée and alcohol over it and let rest 1 minute without stirring.

Using a rubber spatula, stir until mixture is shiny. Then stir in butter.

Let rest to gel.

To make the macaroons, put 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) filling on the flat side of a meringue and top with another meringue.

For a South Asian Desi Twist:
Sprinkle coarsely chopped badams (almonds) over the macaroons.

Click HERE for more recipes.