THE RECIPE LARDER

Rum Wale Aloo – a la Ajit.

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My friend Ajit invented this absolutely unusual recipe on the spot.

 

the husband and ajit

We were all in Mahabaleshwar, wondering about the dinner menu. Naan, and Kaali Dal were already in the picture, and he volunteered to make an Aloo (Potato) veggie. This jovial, happy – go – lucky, man waltzed into the kitchen at 10 am, fiddled around with pots and pans, and waltzed back out. Then at 7 pm, he took a stiff drink of whisky in his hand, asked for a bottle of rum, (leaving me wondering, as to how we will get him off the kitchen floor and into bed!!) and marched into the kitchen again. I confess to taking a few peeks into the kitchen, just to check if he was still standing. The one time I peeped in, I saw him drain the bottle of Rum into the pan of simmering potatoes. I heaved a sigh of relief, and went about my business grinning, impatiently waiting to taste these crazy Rum laden potatoes.

Rum Wale Aloo – a la Ajit

I really don’t need to tell you how good it was, because I know as soon as you read the recipe you will definitely want to try it at least once. After that you will be hooked. And all those who eat it with you will be hooked. I have already made it thrice in a span of three weeks, and I am a very very happy person when mealtime arrives.

This dish takes a little bit of planning, a little bit of sweat and a great deal of Rum. I really suggest you make it just the way I have mentioned. Everything that Ajit, has put into this Rum Wale Aloo – a la Ajit – has a purpose and imparts some sort of flavor.

Get hold of the smallest potatoes you can. And please see that all of them are approximately the same size. This way, they will all cook uniformly.

Marinate it for a at least 6 hours. I did a huge boo boo, last week. I was asked to make this recipe for a friend’s party and so I marinated the potatoes, a night before to make it next morning, only to realise that I have miscalculated the dates. It was not due for yet another day. I just said a fervent prayer and popped the potatoes into the fridge and let it marinate for yet another 24 hours. So in all – 36 hours of deep marination. Whoa! It cooked faster, tasted bloody good and it did not smell like over worn socks.

So yay!! Go for it – marinate it for as long as you can.

Besides a long marinating time, it also takes a little while to cook. I would suggest good Jazz music in the background (Why Jazz? – well it just seems to set the right tone for this dish! All sultry and seductive. Something good waiting to happen!) A good drink in the hand, and a happy go – lucky nature like the inventor of this dish.

 

Oye AJit – Cheers!!

Enjoying a Cigar, after a hard days work.

 

 

 

Rum Wale Aloo - a la Ajit
Print Recipe
Marinated for hours, drenched in black rum, cooked patiently on slow fire - to be eaten with grins and smiles!
Servings Prep Time
6 pax 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 8 + hours
Servings Prep Time
6 pax 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 8 + hours
Rum Wale Aloo - a la Ajit
Print Recipe
Marinated for hours, drenched in black rum, cooked patiently on slow fire - to be eaten with grins and smiles!
Servings Prep Time
6 pax 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 8 + hours
Servings Prep Time
6 pax 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 8 + hours
Ingredients
Marinade for Potato
Initial Tempering
Final Tempering and Ingredients
Garnish
Servings: pax
Instructions
  1. Wash the potatoes very well. Poke holes in all the pcs, with a fork. Please see to it that all sides of the potato are poked
  2. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade into the curds. Mix well.
  3. Toss the potatoes into the marinade. Mix it well and keep covered in a refrigerator for 8 hours.
Making the final dish
  1. Pour the oil in a wok (kadhai), and set it on medium to high flame.
  2. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the ingredients of the intitial tempering. Cover it so that the flavours retain within the oil
  3. In exactly 30 to 40 seconds, open the lid and take all the tempering material out. Leave the oil inside the wok.
  4. Reduce the flame.
  5. Add the hing, and within seconds add the onions.
  6. Fry onions really well. Keep stirring. They should become brown but not burnt. This will take appx 25 to 30 minutes.
  7. Pound the garlic, ginger and green chillies in a mortar pestle, and add to the onions.
  8. Add the turmeric, corriander powder, salt and red chilli powder as well.
  9. Fry well.
  10. Drain the potatoes from the marinade. Keep the marinade aside.
  11. Add the potatoes. Mix well.
  12. Cover the wok, and leave the potatoes to steam. This should take appx 25 to 30 minutes again.
  13. Keep mixing once in a while so that it does not stick to the wok.
  14. When the potatoes are cooked, take off the cover and add the marinade.
  15. Mix well and let the marinade dry up.
  16. All this while the fire should be at medium to low. Keep it this way.
  17. When the marinade has cooked and dried up add the rum. (finally!!)
  18. Let it cook coating the potatoes by stirring and tossing.
  19. The colour will turn black.
  20. When the rum reduces to half, add the lime juice and tomato puree.
  21. Toss and mix well.
  22. When the tomato cooks, take off the fire. You will know its cooked when it does not smell raw anymore.
  23. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with any form of Roti.
Recipe Notes

This dish requires patience. But your patience will be well rewarded when your palate tastes the punch of rum with the soft but spicy potatoes.

Use the hing liberally. If its very good quality you may reduce it a little, but its store bought use the entire specified amount.

Be careful with the salt. The marinade already has salt, then you add some more while cooking.

Please use all the ingredients as specified. The longer you marinate the potatoes, the faster it will cook. If you want some gravy (this is just coated in the rum and onion gravy - not a runny gravy), then add appx 1 Cup of water in the end, after the tomato cooks. Give it a good boil and you are ready to go.

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Palak Kebab

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Palak Kebab

Another shout out from my daughter, for this recipe. I had made it for their friends when they were here and it was polished off in no time.

Well many a good news hovering around me. The daughter got into Yale, my cooking classes have taken off and this darned blog has got fixed. There was some major issues, so all those of you who tried to come back for your favourite recipes and found gibberish in the ingredient section, my apologies. My very profound and heartfelt apologies. It could have got fixed earlier, but as usual I was traveling.

I was in Mahabaleshwar, a small quaint hill station a few hours from Bombay. I have a home and a farm there, so this time the 12 days I stayed there, I ate off the farm, played with the new pup and chilled with my best friend Nishi.

We cooked, ate and drank!

We would wake up in the mornings, sit in the sun, (it was cold there!), and sip our tea and coffee. Then after a leisurely breakfast, we would put face packs (moisturising ones – like I said it was Brrrrr!) and jabber away for an hour or so. By the time the watch thought of turning both its hands to 12 – we would be sitting with our afternoon drinks – again yakking away to our hearts’ content. It was the most idyllic holiday one can have.

I plucked fresh Spinach, from the field and made this ultra easy and very delicious recipe. It needs very little preparation time. I have cooked it on a non stick, with very little oil, but if you have a large party you can easily fry it in oil. I did it for the kid’s 21st birthday party and it vanished into mouths as soon as freshly fried plates were put in front of them.

cocktail snacks

I have also made a video, for a quick look see. The first video I made was not “good enough” and my niece and son insisted I work a little harder and produce a better one. Well they are not all that happy with this one either, but I lack patience so there is is for all to view.

Unfortunately I am not able to load the video here because of (temporary – I will fix it asap) data restrictions. But here is the Facebook URL

FACEBOOK URL FOR VIDEO OF PALAK KEBAB

and there is the google drive URL.

CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE DRIVE LINK

I hope you will see the video and try the recipe. It makes for great cocktail snacks, lunch box sides, or sides.

Promise to get back with a recipe soon. I’ve been tardy!

 

 

Palak Kebab
Print Recipe
Quick and easy, with minimum fuss and preparation. Great as cocktail snacks.
Servings Prep Time
3 /4 Pax 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 /4 Pax 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Palak Kebab
Print Recipe
Quick and easy, with minimum fuss and preparation. Great as cocktail snacks.
Servings Prep Time
3 /4 Pax 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 /4 Pax 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Garnish
Servings: Pax
Instructions
  1. Soak the dal for 30 minutes.
  2. In a mortar and pestle, pound together the chilles, garlic and ginger.
  3. Wash and chop the spinach into very fine strands.
  4. Bring water to a boil, and boil the Spinach for a 2 / 3 minutes.
  5. Wash and grind the soaked dal into paste with as little water as possible. Preferably no water.
  6. In a non stick skillet, add a appx 1 Tbspn oil.
  7. Add the ginger, chilly and garlic paste. Fry till it is brown.
  8. Add the onions, and fry till brown.
  9. Now add the Dal paste, and again fry till it forms lumps and all the water has evaporated.
  10. Now add the spinach and mix and cook till incorporated.
  11. Add the cottage cheese/ ricotta cheese. Break it and sprinkle it all around for a better mix.
  12. Mix till incorprated.
  13. Add the cashews, garam masala and salt.
  14. Mix well and take off the fire on a plate to cool.
  15. Oil your hands and make small rounds, appx the size of a small lemon.
  16. Flatten it. Repeat with the entire mix.
  17. In a skillet add appx 1 Tbspn oil and cook the kebabs, pressing it and turning it till it browns on both the sides.
  18. You can also fry these kebabs in oil.
  19. Serve hot, sprinkled with chaat masala and garnished with onions. Serve with a corriander chutney.
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Cucumber Boat Salad

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Chilled Cucumber Boat Salad

The Daughter made another demand — I’m so pleased she has got into cooking! The chef in me feels fulfilled and the mom and me feels happy! 😛

I make this salad very often at home. It needs to be served really really chilled, so its a good idea to make it a wee bit in advance.

It’s a messy salad though! Be prepared for a white moustache and a few drips down your chin! But it’s worth the dishevelled look you will sport while eating it.

Look for crisp cucumbers with a clean green interior. I always cut off the side of the cucumber and taste it before using it. Sometimes cucumbers can be very very bitter, and even one bitter cucumber in a salad of 20 cucumbers can spoil the entire dish. Taste it and throw it away if its bitter. (You can always chuck it in the compost pile of course!)

The yoghurt should be thick, so hang it for an hour or so if you want. There is zero neatness in this salad, so there really isn’t any right or wrong way to fill it. Slice the spring onions really thin and small. Garlic can be upped as per your taste. To my mind, too much garlic takes away the sweetness of the yoghurt and the original taste of the cucumber.

I add a little chilli flakes, but you can always add some herbs too – parsley, thyme, oregano. Don’t use very strong herbs. Again – it takes away the original flavours.

The boats can get very wobbly, as the base is rounded. You can slice off a small part of the cucumber from the bottom to make a little steadier base. But – mostly, it will wobble and fall a little to the side, but if the yoghurt is not to drippy things should not slide out and drip into the plate.

I’m attaching a quick video for you.

I hope you enjoy this salad. Do write in.

As always – Cheers! and Happy Times!

 

 

Cucumber Boat Salad
Print Recipe
Crips. filling, gooey, and crunchy. Great as a cocktail snack, as well as a salad. Don't let the fancy look deter you from making this perfectly easy and hearty salad.
Servings
4 peopl
Servings
4 peopl
Cucumber Boat Salad
Print Recipe
Crips. filling, gooey, and crunchy. Great as a cocktail snack, as well as a salad. Don't let the fancy look deter you from making this perfectly easy and hearty salad.
Servings
4 peopl
Servings
4 peopl
Ingredients
Servings: peopl
Instructions
  1. Peel and slit the cucumbers lengthwise.
  2. De seed the inner core using a spoon (see video) Chill in refrigerator till you need to fill it.
  3. Chop the green onions finely. Use all the whites and some of the greens
  4. Soak the alfa alfa in iced water, so that it untangles and the sprouts open up. Drain before using.
  5. In a clean bowl, mix the hung curd or greek yoghurt with all the other ingredients.
  6. Taking a small spoon, fill the cores of the cucumbers with the filling. A little will drip out. You can either leave it, or wipe it with a clean paper towel.
  7. Heap the sprouts on the yoghurt mix.
  8. This salad can be filled in advance, or just before eating. Either way, the filled boat, or the filling and cored cucumber should be in the refrigerator till served.
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Sailani Dal

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Being Indian, and bought up on typical desi meals, Dal has been a staple dish served over lunch and dinner. After years and years of eating dal – Dal tadka, Gujarati dal, Dal Langarwale, Kaali dal, etc etc, all felt so mundane – so over rated and so damned boring. At some point I just lost faith in Dal!!

At a wedding recently, I saw the tag read Sailani Dal. Now that sounded completely new and something I had never heard of, let alone eat. I timidly tried a spoon, hoping my boredom towards dal would not bias my taste. My eyes sprang open, and my mouth instantly watered for more. I quickly filled up a soup bowl, and made a meal of the dal.

The taste, the different flavours stayed in my mind for the longest time. It’s like one of those right moments, when you read, smell or taste something, your senses just inhale it and push it deep into your conscious mind,keeping that memory forever fresh. And at anytime when you bring it to your mind, it feels like it happened only a few moments ago.

Completely besotted, I went online for a hunt for the word “Sailani”. What was it? Turns out, it was the Maharaja of Sailana who invented this recipe. The Sailana’s hail from the Indian, Princely State of Madhya Pradesh. They were avid foodies, and revamped recipes not only from their home town, but from all over India. In the 1980’s a book of their recipes was published, but is no longer available easily.

The dal itself is super easy to make. Even the ingredients are minimal. The recipe calls for Toor (Arhar – Split pigeon peas). I urge you to use the best quality spices while making the Sailani Dal. Eat it with rice, or roti – it’s up to you. But eat it you must-

 

PS_ dedicating this recipe to my baby girl Kanak, who sits far away in USA. She had loved this dal when I made it for her. HEY! Kanak – do try this out and send me pictures. KISS KISS!!

Sailani Dal
Print Recipe
Flavourful and by far the tastiest and easiest dal you could make.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Sailani Dal
Print Recipe
Flavourful and by far the tastiest and easiest dal you could make.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Soak the dal for 30 minutes. Wash well and drain the water.
  2. Add haldi and hing, along with 1 Cup of water and add to pressure cooker.
  3. Boil the remaining water, and keep it very hot. Set aside for use later.
  4. The cooked dal should be thick, not thin and watery.
  5. When completely cooked, place a heavy bottomed pan on medium fire.
  6. Add the oil and ghee.
  7. When hot, but not smoking, add the cloves and garlic.
  8. Sauté for a few minutes.
  9. Add the dal. Add the balance hot water.
  10. Add the salt and let it cook till it starts to boil.
  11. Add the kasuri methi and cook for a few minutes more.
  12. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes

The dal tastes better if cooked atleast 2 hours before it is consumed.

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Mirchi ka Thecha

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I first had this fiery crushed green chilly mixture, many many years ago, made by a Maharastrian lady. It fired up my taste buds, made my eyes water, my nose run, but I craved more. That day I ended up over eating my lunch, because I wanted to keep eating more and more of this spirited dish. Over ate lunch because, one cannot have this just as it is by the spoonfuls. You have to eat it with some sort of roti or rice.

Non heat eaters – REFRAIN!!

 

My taste buds start craving this, as soon as December starts fading away. The best spicy green chillies, come around January first week, and these make the best Thecha. I went hunting in the farmers market and came upon a lady selling only chillies. Luster green, shinning chillies. I did not have my camera with me ( a lesson learn’t), else it would have made a very evocative and vocal picture.

This is a very quick recipe. Eat it with traditional, dal chawal, roti, khichdi, omlette – just about anything. If you are game to experiment – add to Kachumber, any vinaigrette, in yoghurt for a raita mix — let loose your imagination.

I used a mix of spicy and less spicy green chillies. You can use the entire lot as spicy green chillies, or less spicy ones. The less spicy chillies, will not give it the punch, but hey if you cannot stand too much spice, at least you will get a taste of this amazing chutney.

If you are allergic to the spice of the chillies – oil your hands before chopping, or wear gloves. If  I have any sweat on my face, the vapour of the chillies, sets my face on fire. I always, always use help for chilly chopping. If I have to do it myself, I use kitchen scissors.

This stays well in the refrigerator for a month or two. Use a clean spoon to take out as much as you need, (each time), and nothing will happen to it.

Enjoy! And do write back and tell me how you liked it.

 


Mirchi Ka Thecha
Print Recipe
Fiery, spicy, highly addictive chutney/ pickle.
Servings Prep Time
500 grams 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
500 grams 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Mirchi Ka Thecha
Print Recipe
Fiery, spicy, highly addictive chutney/ pickle.
Servings Prep Time
500 grams 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
500 grams 20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: grams
Instructions
  1. Wash and dry the chillies.
  2. Cut each chilly into three pieces. The larger ones cut into four.
  3. Heat the oil, in a heavy bottomed pan, large enough to hold all the chillies.
  4. Add the jeera and rai and let it splutter.
  5. Add the hing and curry leaves. When the curry leaves crackle, add the coconut and sauté well, till it browns a bit.
  6. Add the chillies and cook for 10 odd minutes - till it looses a little of its original colour.
  7. Add the salt and vinegar and cook for 5 more minutes.
  8. Take off the fire and cool down completely.
  9. Blend in a mixie, using pulsing action. Do not over blend and make into a chutney. Keep it coarse. Pieces of chillies should be seen.
  10. Store in sterile jars.
  11. Refrigerate. Shelf life is appx 1 to 2 months.
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Fried Garlic

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It’s garlic again folks, and I am very excited to share this recipe with you.

This almost pedestrian cousin of onion (yes, it’s first cousins with onion, shallots and leeks!) can add flavour to almost any dish.

Freshly harvested garlic, drying in the sun.

Freshly harvested garlic, drying in the sun.

It has its own  health benefits benefits too. 

I love garlic, and it seems so does the world! There is a restaurant in San Francisco by the name of “The Stinking Rose”, which even serves garlic ice cream. I havn’t eaten there, but just for the sake of being a good foodie, I will definitely try it out once.

spicy fried garlic

spicy fried garlic

This dish was suggested by my mother in laws, gym instructor. It intrigued me to no end, so I decided to try it out the very next day. Simple, easy and one of the tastiest tidbits I have ever had with a drink. So much so that I forgot the drink and kept eating the fried garlic.

fried garlic. my new go to fa v cocktail snack

fried garlic. my new go to fa v cocktail snack

It’s one of the quickest most simple dishes to make. Try and get new garlic, with the pink/purple skin. It tastes much better, as it is fried with the skin on and the thinner the skin, the nicer it is to eat it.

Chillies can be added as per your taste – I love spicy food, and it tastes absolutely yum with whisky!

When you bite into it, its crisp and then the tender garlic hits your tongue and causes the taste buds to do a nice little jig. And then the salt and chillies ping inside your mouth and the entire taste makes you want to go on and on eating fried garlic.

on the rocks with fried garlic

on the rocks with fried garlic

I’m going to try these in scrambled eggs, cheese toast and pizza!

Try variations – With wasabi and light soy sauce. Black pepper and sea salt. Fry some green chillies with it!

Do let me know if  you try any of these variations. I would love to hear from you.

_MG_9070

 

fried garlic

fried garlic

 

 

Fried Garlic
Print Recipe
Super easy, super quick and super yummy!
Servings Prep Time
2/ 3 people 10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Servings Prep Time
2/ 3 people 10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Fried Garlic
Print Recipe
Super easy, super quick and super yummy!
Servings Prep Time
2/ 3 people 10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Servings Prep Time
2/ 3 people 10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
For Frying.
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil till hot but not smoking. Set stove to medium heat.
  2. Fry cloves of garlic with skin on.
  3. When the garlic looks a tad brown take it out with the slotted spoon and blot on paper.
    When the garlic looks a tad brown take it out with the slotted spoon and blot on paper.
  4. Add salt and red chilly powder.
  5. Tah dah!! It's ready. Pour yourself a drink and enjoy! It tastes very nice warm. But I quite liked the taste when it has cooled down too. Something about piping hot and spicy, is not very enjoyable.
    Tah dah!! It's ready. Pour yourself a drink and enjoy! It tastes very nice warm. But I quite liked the taste when it has cooled down too. Something about piping hot and spicy, is not very enjoyable.
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Schezwan Sauce

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I have grown up eating spicy food, but my go to for super tongue tingling spice has always been Schezwan Sauce. There is a fantastic brand available in the stores, which I keep and use, but nothing like home made. Right? You can guarantee quality, and you can make according to your taste – spicy, super spicy, extra garlicky!

I love garlic – the taste, texture and fragrance. It can liven up the dingiest of dishes. It adds pizzaz to Pizza :P, and makes a mean starter …(I will post that recipe soon. Heard about it – sounded yum! Still to experiment!)

Garlic from the farm.

Garlic from the farm.

I got this recipe from a friend – shout out to Rashmi. She is a fantastic cook (I am surrounded by them) and very very efficient. Her repertoire ranges from outstanding lambs to authentic Italian. I have tweaked her original recipe. Mine is a little more garlicky.

bottled Schezwan Sauce

Bottled Schezwan Sauce

I would suggest Schezwan Sauce with just about anything. I even dip pop corn in it. It’s a staple during our girls’ night out.

 

Schezwan Sauce

Schezwan Sauce

Dishes you could mix them in – noodles, fried rice, stir fry. All these are conservative ideas. I would recommend out of the box uses. With potato crisps, pop corn, in a sandwich, layered in a bake dish, with dhokla, with cucumber sticks as a dip, with fritters, with sushi….!!

What would you use it with? Do send your comments.

schezwan sauce

While I find weighing ingredients a very precise option, sometimes I also use Cups and Spoon measurements. I have used spoon measurement in the last section, because I found it more accurate and less cumbersome.

I have included the cup measurements in the recipe notes.

Schezwan Sauce
Print Recipe
Tedious to make ( I tend to post too many of those :O ) but the best kind of sauce. Very versatile.
Servings Prep Time
1.800 kgs 1 hour plus
Cook Time Passive Time
30 + 30 minutes 3 hours
Servings Prep Time
1.800 kgs 1 hour plus
Cook Time Passive Time
30 + 30 minutes 3 hours
Schezwan Sauce
Print Recipe
Tedious to make ( I tend to post too many of those :O ) but the best kind of sauce. Very versatile.
Servings Prep Time
1.800 kgs 1 hour plus
Cook Time Passive Time
30 + 30 minutes 3 hours
Servings Prep Time
1.800 kgs 1 hour plus
Cook Time Passive Time
30 + 30 minutes 3 hours
Ingredients
For cooking
To add while cooking
Servings: kgs
Instructions
  1. Soak the deseeded chillies for 2 hours.
  2. Boil the soaked chillies in the same water. It should slip through your fingers. The texture should become slippery and slimy. Drain and cool for 30 minutes. Set aside the water.
  3. Blend together - the chillies, celery stem, celery leaves, garlic pods, green caspsicum, spring onions, ginger. I blend it, till its just a step away from a very smooth paste. Use the drained water, to help in the blending. Dont use too much. The mixture should not become runny.
To cook
  1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Dont let it smoke.
  2. Add the green chillies and garlic and cook till soft. Garlic should not change colour.
  3. Add the blended mixture and mix well with the oil.
While cooking.
  1. Add the ketchup, malted vinegar, pepper powder and salt.
  2. Let it cook till big bubbles erupt.
  3. Cool and store in jars. This recipe makes - 9 jars of 200 gms each.
    Cool and store in jars. This recipe makes - 9 jars of 200 gms each.
  4. When stored, a little oil will rise up. It's necessary to keep the sauce from spoiling.
Recipe Notes

Red Chillies are in gms only. Too difficult to figure out - here are the cup measurement.

2 C celery.

1 C Garlic Pods.

1 C Chopped Green Capsicum.

1 C Chopped Stems of Celery

1 C Chopped Whites of Spring Onion

1/3 C Minced Ginger

------------------------------------------------

2 1/2 C Oil

3/4 C Minced Garlic

1 C Minced Green chillies.

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Spicy and garlicky.

Spicy and garlicky.


Hasselback Potatoes.

By 5 Comments

June 2015, my entire family went for a holiday to Grindelwald – Switzerland. Age group – 3 years to 65 years. You can well imagine the pandemonium!!

Luckily the apartment we had hired had huge cooking utensils, a kick ass oven and some other fantastic gadgets.My sister woke up early, every morning, to cook breakfast for all of us. We would all get out of bed, and sleepy eyed make our way to the kitchen, heap our plates with whatever dish she had prepared, fill up our tea mugs, and sit outside eating our breakfast and inhale the scenic beauty of sublime Switzerland.

One day the elder of the kids decided to cook us parents and their grand parents a luncheon. They had new potatoes in their repertoire of ingredients, and though we were told to stay out of it, I mildly suggested that they make Hasselback Potatoes.

Soon pots and pans were banging in the kitchen amongst loud voices, instructions and trembling music.

I need to go off track here. (The history behind my fascination for Hasselback Potatoes!)

We had been kindly invited to a party by a friend, who has a lethal ethnic back ground, and leanings from Germany in his extremely artful cooking skills. He had made these potatoes. Even the worst carnivore in our group, attacked these Hasselback Potatoes, as they came out, hot and crisp from the oven, the aroma of rosemary and cooking potatoes with garlic, filling the room.

Hasselback Potatoes

They were tender in the centre, crisp and mildly charred on the first bite. The flavour of rosemary just tickled the senses, instead of overpowering the entire dish. Every piece that touched our tongue, evoked some sort of long forgotten memory. Later, when all of us spoke about the potatoes, we all realised we had some sort of childhood memory revived, yet none of us had ever tasted it before. To date, we still talk about his potatoes, when we meet up.

_MG_8867

Hasselback Potatoes

Going back to the elder babies – they made a mean dish. The melee of dishes also had a kick ass pasta, fresh salad with honey vinaigrette dressing and salsa with garlic bread.

kids who coked for us. Tanay, Kanupriya, Namrata, Kanak.

 

salad by kids

pasta

hasselback potatoe in bowl

Hasselback Potatoes
Print Recipe
Soft and tender on the inside, charred and crisp on the outside. Tiring and messy, but Oh! so worth it.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 45 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 45 min
Servings Prep Time
6 people 45 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 45 min
Hasselback Potatoes
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Soft and tender on the inside, charred and crisp on the outside. Tiring and messy, but Oh! so worth it.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 45 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 45 min
Servings Prep Time
6 people 45 min
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 45 min
Ingredients
Equipment and other requirements
  • oven preheated at 175 Deg C
  • bake dish Large enough to accommodate the potatoes side by side.
  • aluminium foil sized to cover the bake dish completely.
Servings: people
Instructions
Prepping the potatoes.
  1. If the potatoes are medium sized, slice them into half horizontally. If they are small start the prepping right away.
  2. Wash potatoes in running water. Start slicing from one end. Slice all the way in, but not enough to slice so deep that it separates from the potatoe.
    Wash potatoes in running water. Start slicing from one end. Slice all the way in, but not enough to slice so deep that it separates from the potatoe.
  3. Take each potato in the hand and fan out the slices a bit. Be careful to not break them. Having said that, if a few pieces do come out of the potato they can be also added to the main dish.
Olive Oil Mix
  1. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic, chilli flakes, and parsley into the olive oil. Taste for salt. Optionally you can also add 1/3 rd of the parmesan into this mixture. I do it sometimes. Other times I add it directly in the later step.
Final Dish
  1. Now take each potato and scoop them into the dish with the oil. Try and scoop up as much of the garlic and parsley as you can. Manually fan the slices and fill them with a some of the olive oil mixture. Push in a few pieces of garlic here and there into some slices.
  2. When all the potatoes are scooped and filled with the olive oil mixture, set them side by side on the baked dish. Pour all the left over oil on the potatoes in the dish. Pick up the rosemary sprigs and place them on the potatoes. More than one potato can share a sprig of rosemary. If need be cut the sprigs into half or three pieces, but do not chop fine.
    When all the potatoes are scooped and filled with the olive oil mixture, set them side by side on the baked dish. Pour all the left over oil on the potatoes in the dish. Pick up the rosemary sprigs and place them on the potatoes. More than one potato can share a sprig of rosemary. If need be cut the sprigs into half or three pieces, but do not chop fine.
  3. This step should take approximately 1 hour. Each oven has its own tantrums. Please keep a watch on the potatoes. After approximately 45 min to an hour, lift the foil and check the potatoes with a fork. The prongs should sink in easily.
  4. Lift the foil. Crank up the oven to 250Deg C.
  5. Take the dish out and sprinkle all (or the left over) parmesan cheese over the potatoes. Set it back in the oven.
  6. When the potatoes start curling and wrinkling, and look a bit charred at the edges, you can take them out of the oven. At this point if you desire crisper potatoes, bake them for a little longer, but do keep an eye on them. They can go from mildly charred to burnt in a matter of minutes.
  7. Scoop out all the potatoes in a serving dish. Drip all the oil from the bake dish over the potatoes. Replace the fallen (and now toasted) rosemary leaves on the potato.
  8. Serve hot.
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On behalf of the group that went to Switzerland, we hope you enjoy these Hasselback Potatoes.

Here is the link to the travel blog I have written for Switzerland.

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