Tomato and Cashew Rice

Hey everybody,

I haven't posted for a long time, but that doesn't mean I have been idle. I have experimented with some really interesting recipes. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures. Without images it is difficult to get a feel about how a dish looks like. Next time I promise not to be so lazy.

So last weekend I had a near constant party at my place for 2-days at a stretch for some friends and relatives came over and we had a blast cooking, eating, singing, chatting, guzzling drinks and in general making fools of ourselves.

Naturally the next day when they were gone and I was alone in my house, I didn't have the energy or the inclination to go out to buy something and I wanted to make something simple anyway after the hectic day at office.

I found a cup of diced tomatoes, a cup of cooked rice, a handful of cashewnuts (gone soft) and half a cup of chopped cilantro leaves (I had used up the stalks elsewhere) and I had to make do with these.

Surprisingly it came out so delicious that I decided to post the recipe. It is dedicated to lazy people like me who want to make something quick but comforting with things that are available in their refrigerator after a long day.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice (the regular one, no need for the long-grain and more expensive variety)

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

1 large tomato diced and puréed

1 handful of cashew-nuts

1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds

1 green chilli (chopped)

1 dried red chilli (whole)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Salt and sugar for seasoning

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saucepan and throw in the mustard seeds and the whole dried red chili. once they start to splutter add the cashew. As soon as the nuts turn golden brown add the tomato puree and the coriander leaves and stir. Add the chopped green chilli. Add half a teaspoon of sugar and salt as required. I added a few drops of lime juice too. When the mixture doesn't look watery anymore and the colour is darkened add the rice. Stir all the while on high heat. The entire thing should not take more than five minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Mangsher Ghughni (dried white peas cooked with chicken)

Hello,

So today I am going to divluge you the secret of making the Kolkata-style ghughni with chicken. You can forgo the chicken of course, but where is the fun in that?

Ghughni is a quintessential Bengali delicacy which was no doubt imported from the middle-east like many other food items favoured by the Bengalis. We really need a deep and meaningful research on the connection between the two places, but as of now, let us just concentrate on the recipe.

Ingredients:

250 grams of dried white peas or matar
200 grams chicken (on bone, but without liver) cut into small, bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste
2 onions and 1 large ripe tomato ground together into a coarse paste
1 tablespoon cumin powder (dry roasted)
1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli/paprika powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 cup oil (any flavourless vegetable oil will do)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 sprig of coriander, chopped (for garnish)
Julienne of cucumber, onions, carrots and de-seeded chillies for garnish

Preparation:.

Soak the white peas for at least 12 hours. Rinse thoroughly and drain. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté and add onion and tomato paste. Cook on high heat until water evaporates. Add the chicken pieces and the dry spices. Stir on high heat for about five minutes or until half-way cooked.

Add the dried peas and sauté again. After a few minutes add salt and 2 cups of water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes or until the peas soften. It does take time for they are really stubborn. The chicken pieces will break and mix with the gravy and will enhance its taste.

Once done, remove from the heat and add lime juice. Sprinkle the garnish on top and serve hot with toasts.

Apple Hand Pie

Hello friends,

So I have been bogged down with work of late that really don't leave me much time to experiment. But I wanted to try my hands at an apple pie for a long time. Since I am yet to buy a pie tin, I decided to go rustic and make a hand pie instead.

It came out FABULOUS!

I really did not imagine it to be so good at my very first attempt.

Here is the recipe...enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the pastry dough:

1/2 cup butter cubes (frozen and grated and re-frozen)
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
3 ice cubes (crushed)
1 tablespoon chilled water
A pince of salt (ONLY if you are using unsalted butter)
1 egg mixed with two teaspoon of milk
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

For the filling:

2 green apple (peeled, cored and diced)
1/2 cup sugar (based on how sour the apple is)
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
1 pinch of salt
3 to 4 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon melted butter

Preparation:

First prepare the filling by melting butter in a saucepan and throw in the cinnamon sticks. When the butter is aromatic, add the diced apple and sweat until they are softened. Add sugar, salt and honey and let it cook over low heat until it is cooked to its desired level. You can cook it until the apple cubes are almost breaking down, so that the filling is more like an apple jam or you may want to cook them less and let them be somewhat crunchy. I cooked them until they were tender and caramelised but still holding their shape.

Set aside and let lit cool (don't forget to take out the cinnamon sticks with at this stage for they have served their purpose.

Now place the bowl and the fork with which you are going to make the pastry dough for at least half an hour.

Sift flour into the chilled bowl. Add the sugar, salt and mix. Add the butter and mix with the fork. Don't use hands. The trick is into keeping the mixture at a low temperature so adding body-heat is a strict no-no. Break the butter cubes to mix them with the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

Now add the crushed ice cubes and mix again. It will soon look like wet sand. At this stage take a little bit of the crumb between your thumb and index fingers. If they come together and sticks like a dough it is ready. If not add a teaspoon of chilled water.

Now using your fingers very sparingly make the dough come together. Don't knead. Just make sure that the dough holds itself together, wrap it up in a plastic and stick in inside the fridge for half an hour.

When the filling has cooled down and the pastry dough has been chilled, divide the latter into three/four portions and roll them out individually. Place the filling inside them. Brush the border with melted butter and fold them in a half-moon shape. Cut the edge so that they look even. Now press down the borders with fork to seal it or you can carve them with fingers like I did. Be creative, but just make sure it is airtight.

Now, most importantly, make a few holes with knives on the top of each pie. Otherwise your pie may burst inside your oven and that will not be pretty!

Deep your cooking brush/spoon in the egg and milk mixture and paint the top of the pie (very, very important finishing touch for achieving the striking golden-brown colour). Sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake at a preheated oven at 200 degree celsius for 30 minutes in the convection mode.

Cool the pies for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm, but not scalding hot.

What can I say...it is one of the most delicious things I have every tasted!

Doi Ilish (Hilsa fish in yoghurt gravy)

Hello friends,

Recently I made a most extravagant purchase and therefore I thought it warranted a post on the blog. It was a hilsa fish weighing around 1 kilo. I know monsoon is the traditional season to enjoy them, but I just couldn't resist myself. Don't even ask how much it cost!

Now those who don't have access to hilsa, can replace it with shad. I have it on good authority that North American shad tastes pretty similar to our beloved hilsa and is supposed to be a good substitute. I never had an opportunity to put the theory to test (or taste) though.

But one component is absolutely essential and that is the mustard oil and that the dish must be accompanied with steamed rice, piping hot.

So please follow the recipe and enjoy:

Ingredients:

1 hilsa/shad fish with bone (weighing around 1 kilo, cut into 8 to 10 round pieces after discarding the head and the tail portion)
1 cup hung curd/plain Greek yoghurt (placed in cheesecloth or a rectangular piece of cotton cloth, folded once and tied up and hung for an hour or two over the sink so that the excess moisture is drained off)
3 tablespoon white mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds or kalonji)
4 - 5 green chillis (slit in the middle) (or whole, depending on how much heat you like)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup mustard oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

You can prepare doi ilish in microwave or in ordinary gas oven. I have described both methods here.

Preparation in microwave:

Wash and clean the fish thoroughly. Pat dry with paper napkin. Grind the mustard seeds  in a food processor  into a smooth paste with a little amount of water and a pinch of salt. Mix the mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder with the hung curd and beat thoroughly. Add it to the fish pieces. Add the oil and green chillies to it. Mix everything with hands very gently. Layer the fish into your oven-proof baking dish. Pour the marinade over it. Don't add any water. Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius and cook for 45 minutes. If the hilsa comes with eggs then it will take more time to cook - possibly close to 1 hour. You can prick the fish with a toothpick to see it is cooked thoroughly or not.

Preparation in gas oven:

Rub salt and a little bit of turmeric on the fish pieces and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat mustard oil in a saucepan. Fry the fish pieces lightly on both sides. Add the onion seeds and the slit green chillies. When the spices begins to pop, remove the pan from the flame and add the curd and mustard paste mix with a little bit of water. Bring it back to the flame and cook over very low heat. Add salt and a pinch or turmeric. Mix with a light hand. Cover and let shimmer for five to eight minutes on gentle heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of water if needed. Turn the fish pieces once, so that they are all well-coated with the gravy. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mutton Curry (Bengali-style)

Hey everybody,

It has been some time since I posted the last recipe. I have not been very active in the kitchen lately because my mom was staying with me for a few weeks, preparing the food for both of us. Also, I have been busy with writing a fanfic on my favourite character of Teen Wolf - the adorable douchebag Derek Hale, who is a devastatingly handsome grumpy werewolf on the surface, but really a teddy bear at heart. I have provided a link below if you are interested (you better be, for I spent a lot of time and emotions on it) and therefore had little time to cook.

Anyways, my mom left this afternoon and I prepared a farewell dish for her, which happened to be one of my favourites.

So here we go...

Ingredients:

1 kg mutton with fat (medium pieces, preferably the front leg portion of a goat or you can replace it with lamb as well and it will taste just as good)

1/2 cup lime juice

5 large onions (red/Spanish ones will taste better)

1 whole garlic

1.5" piece of ginger

2 large tomatoes 

1/2 cup well-beaten curd (yogurt) (optional)

1 tablespoon of cumin powder

1.5 tablespoon coriander powder (optional)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder/paprika powder

2 or 3 green chillies (or according to taste)

3/4 teaspoon sugar

4-5 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or half a teaspoon of baharat whichever is available)

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

3/4 cup mustard oil (or any vegetable oil if mustard oil is not available)

Preparation:

First clean the mutton well and pat dry with paper napkin. marinade for 1 hour with lime juice. It will help tenderise the mutton as well as lend a nice flavour. In the meanwhile, slice the onions thinly and chop the garlic finely. Make a paste of ginger in a mixer-grinder with the help of a little water. Roast the garam masala/baharat for half a minute or until the flavour comes out on high flame and set aside. Chop the tomatoes after discarding the seeds. 

Now heat mustard oil in a large wok/Dutch oven until smoke comes out. Reduce the heat and wait for half a minute. Put in the bay leaves first. After half a minute, add the sugar. Stir and immediately after and add the chopped garlic. When the garlic gives out a nice aroma, add chopped onions. You have to be very quick otherwise the the sugar will burn and stick to the bottom. You may of course add the sugar after you add the onions in oil just to be on the safer side. Stir fry the onions until pink and glossy and some of them at least has started to take reddish golden colour. Now increase the heat and add the meat pieces one by one. Continuously turn them to make sure they start to brown on all sides. Stir-fry the meat with the aromatics for about 10 minutes. Add the ginger paste. Continue turning the meat pieces after every 1 to 2 minutes. Keep doing it on high flame for about 5 more minutes or until the moisture from the meat evaporates. If the mutton catches the bottom of the pan, then reduce the heat and add a few drops of water. At this point the mutton pieces should look cooked at least from the outside. This is the time to add the chopped tomatoes, whole green chillies (slit them if you can handle the heat) and all the spices, that is: the cumin and coriander powder, garam masala, the turmeric powder the red chilli powder/paprika powder and salt. Now continue stir frying the mutton on low heat. after 10 more minutes, add the curd. Mix with light hand, cover and let it shimmer for a few minutes. Now transfer the the entire curry into a pressure cooker add 1 to 2 cups of warm water (it depends on how long it will cook in the pressure cooker) and pressure cook on high flame for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Wait until it cools down. When you open the pressure cooker, you will see the fat has risen to the top and the curry has taken a wonderful reddish-golden hue. This is the best time to taste the seasoning and to see if the mutton has cooked thoroughly or not. If it hasn't, put on the lid and cook the mutton for further 10 minutes. Serve steaming hot with steamed rice or flat bread (roti) or even pita bread. You can garnish it with chopped coriander leaves, but it is not really needed. The sight of a bowl of mutton curry with an angry red gravy is itself a balm for sore eyes.

Try it out and enjoy...

In the meanwhile, here are the links as promised:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5662795/chapters/13043074

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6049900/chapters/13870195

Soybean Sami Kabab

Hello everybody,

So imagine it is a winter evening and in stead of dining out you have invited a special someone to your home to showcase your newly acquired (or barely there) culinary skills. It is both unique and exciting because home is after all the cosiest place of all, and you can be more relaxed in the familiar surroundings. Also, it is a sneaky way to engage your special someone in an informal atmosphere which usually brings out the real person. So, there are more than one reasons you should opt for a date at your home. It is even better if you have an open kitchen for then you can bond over chopping onions and mincing garlic. 

However, what if your date is vegetarian. The usual option is paneer (cottage cheese) in such case, which is predictable and boring. Now we all know how winter is the season of tandoori chicken and kababs. So here is a special recipe for my vegetarian friends or friends who have vegetarian friends. 

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

250 gms of Soybean chunks

1/2 litre of milk

1" piece of ginger

10 cloves of garlic

2 green chillies

1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (or 1 teaspoon allspice)

1 teaspoon of cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon of chickpea flour/gram flour/garbanzo bean flour

1/3 teaspoon of dried mango powder or aamchur (or juice of 1 lime)

1 sprig of coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1 sprig of mint leaves (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon of chaat masala (absolutely essential)

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for shallow frying

Preparation:

Bring the milk to boil and add the soybean chunks. Keep on high heat for a couple of minutes before switching off the gas. Let the soybean sit in the warm milk for 15 to 20 minutes and then strain and discard the milk. Squeeze the soybean well so that there is very little moisture. coarsely grind in a food processor. Chop and blend ginger, garlic and green chillies together to make a fine paste. Heat oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté. Add garam masala, cumin powder and coriander powder and stir for 10 to 12 seconds before adding the soybean paste. Add salt, mango powder (or lime juice) and stir fry on medium heat until the paste leaves the side of the dish. It should take anything between five to eight minutes depending on the moisture content of the soy paste. Set aside and let it cool. Add chopped coriander and mint leaves, chickpeas flour and a couple of pinches of chaat masala to the soy paste and mix well. 

Now put a saucepan on medium heat and add oil for shallow frying. Clean your hands well. Keep a bowl of water near you. Take a large spoonful of soy mix on the palm of your slightly moistened left hand and with both hands form a thick, roundish patties and immediately place in the oil. Moisten your palms and fingers occasionally and this will help to shape the patties easily. If the patties are breaking down, either the mixture was not sautéed thoroughly or it needs more chickpeas flour. Cook each side of the patties for 3 to 5 minutes and take them out on a paper napkin to absorb the excess oil.

Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve with yoghurt chutney. For this blend coriander and mint leaves and add to a cup of yoghurt along with rock salt and chaat masala.

Zero Carb Caesar Salad (My patented version)

Hi friends,

So let's be honest...we usually don't think 'yummy' when it comes to salads (unless you spice it up with chaat masala or tabasco sauce). However, I make a version of Caesar Salad (let's say a remote cousin of the original one) that is actually tasty as well as super healthy, with loads of anti-oxidants, fibre, Vitamin C, Calcium and what not. I don't use the traditional Caesar Salad dressing, therefore you would be cutting down on mayo and unnecessary oil consumption also. So without further ado, here it goes...

Ingredients:

1/2 a head of romaine lettuce (cut into 1/2 inch stripes)
100 gms of grapes (green and black in equal quantity)
1/2 green apple, cubed (please use nothing but green apple and if you don't have it, skip the apple altogether)
1 boiled egg (hard or soft, based on your preference), diced
1 handful of roasted peanuts (for the crunch, NOT optional)
2 cubes of processed cheese (cut into small cubes)

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper powder (freshly ground)
1/4 teaspoon of rock salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Preparation:

Assemble the fruits and the lettuce in a bowl. Add the peanuts, diced eggs, cubed cheese and toss well. Add the ingredients for dressing and toss lightly again. Serve at room temperature.

There you are...simple enough! Please refrain from adding lime juice and trust me when I say this because I am a compulsive lime-juice user in pretty much everything. But the salad will already be quite tangy from the natural tartness of the green apple and the grapes. Prepare it and please keep me posted if you like my version of Caeser salad or not.