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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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Our trip to Japan was largely about Japanese food. Tofu meals, Zen meals and meals in the temple. We all developed a love and respect for Tofu and all its variations. This one restaurant that we went to and which was purely fusion was Rigoletto, in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. They had very few choices for vegetarians, but all of them were sumptuous.

I made the garlic mashed potatoes for my husband’s birthday. It was a smashing hit.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Yeah yeah, it has a lot calories and all that. But hey! its really tasty. And you gotta cheat once in a while right? How else will you enjoy life?

The potatoes have to be boiled and later mashed along with all the other ingredients. The entire mixture can be a heavy load for most blenders. Even mine protested mightily, but held its own. By no means am I proclaiming Technora blenders to be the best, but where I am concerned it has stood the test of time and use. I love their inbuilt stirrer. I don’t have to open the lid and stir the food, I can do it while the blending is on. Pure genius.

garlic potatoes

This is a copy cat recipe, so my imagination can take no credit for it. But I added a twist to its story, by cooking it in an earthen bowl. It wasn’t coated inside with any kind of ceramic polish. Just pure earthen ware. So when the garlic mashed potatoes cooked, the flavour and fragrance of the natural clay seeped into the potato, giving it that extra kick and twist.

Wash the earthen ware once and dry it in the sun if you can. Fill the mashed goodness, add dollops of butter, garnish and bake. It’s a quick and easy recipe, and I shall become famous – because everyone is going to ask you for this recipe.

😉

Have fun guys – I promise you a piece of heaven!

Ciao!

garlic mashed potatoes 2

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Print Recipe
Served in earthen ware, so the smells and flavours infuse into one good yummy dish!
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 10 minutes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Print Recipe
Served in earthen ware, so the smells and flavours infuse into one good yummy dish!
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the potatoe
To Garnish before cooking.
Accessories
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Boil the potatoes.
  2. Once the potatoes are boiled, peel and run it through the ricer.
  3. Add all the ingredients for the potatoes and load it into the blender.
  4. Blend well. You might have to do it in parts. It should have no lumps.
Garnish
  1. While the potato is boiling, peel the garlic meant for the garnish. Slice the garlic into thin slivers.
  2. Rub the olive oil and salt on it and pop into the oven. Bake for appx 10 minutes, till it is dehydrated and a wee bit brown. You don't want to make it crisp and completely baked
    Rub the olive oil and salt on it and pop into the oven. Bake for appx 10 minutes, till it is dehydrated and a wee bit brown. You don't want to make it crisp and completely baked
Final Dish
  1. Ladle the mixture in the earthen ware / baking dish, garnish with parsley, chilli flakes and the par baked garlic.
  2. Add dollops of butter (the one kept aside for the garnish) on all sides and slide into the oven.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes. First the butter will melt and then cook and infuse into the potato. When the butter sizzles, and the garlic on top looks browned, take out and serve hot.
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Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil

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Scrambled eggs with truffle oil

Scrambled eggs with truffle oil

We ate at the most amazing restaurant in Hong Kong a few months back. Chef Patrick of La Table De Patrick. It was a small restaurant, with immediate and intimate service. We had called earlier to let them know we are vegetarians. He rotated our entire 5 course meal around it, using wonderful freshly available ingredients.

One dish which Chef served had a sprinkling of truffles on it. With gleeful hands we tore at the food, but it came up short on the truffle flavour. It was crunchier and had very mild to non existent truffle taste.

Chef explained that it was summer truffles, and has very little flavour. We uneducated, but truffle fans, learnt a lot that evening.

The most flavourful truffles are the winter ones. The white winter truffles are available from October to Christmas. These have a strong flavour and can deter new truffle tasters.

The black winter truffles are what most people serve and is more easily available. Its the most preferred variety of the lot. Available from Mid Jan to Easter. (What will happen to us truffle lovers from Christmas to Mid Jan? Hoarde! Hoarde! )

The summer Truffle is available from April to July and has a very light flavour. Almost non existent. None of us much appreciated it.

Autumn burgundy truffles are more medium bodied and great for someone who likes truffles but cannot have too much of it because of the strong flavour and aroma.

scrabled eggs

 

scrambled egg with truffle oil

scrambled egg with truffle oil

In my family of four – three of us adore it, while the fourth needs to taste the autumn burgundy one to start developing a taste. (I have no clue where to get it from!!)

scrambled on toast

It was an educative and tasty evening, and inspired me to make this scrambled egg.

If you have seen the movie or read the book – A hundred foot journey- the, to be great chef, Hassan meets Mallory the owner of the restaurant. This is a synopisis from the book -Hassan, having heard from Marguerite that Mallory hires potential chefs by taste-testing an omelette and deciding whether the person is indeed a great chef, asks if he may cook an omelette for her to his recipe. Due to his injured hands, Mallory helps under Hassan’s supervision. After tasting the omelette, Mallory recognizes Hassan’s potential and invites him to work for her.

The omelette they made looked so amazing!! I used a part of the recipe for this blog.

Take a look!

 

scrambled egg and oil bottle

Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil
Print Recipe
Simple scrambled eggs, finished with a copious dash of black truffle oil.
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil
Print Recipe
Simple scrambled eggs, finished with a copious dash of black truffle oil.
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
The Eggs
The Accessories
Servings: person
Instructions
  1. Break the eggs in the bowl. Yolks and all.
  2. Add the milk, salt and pepper and whisk gently. We dont need air here, just the mixture semi blended.
  3. Add the mint and chilli flakes, and mix gently till incorporated well.
  4. Heat the skillet (medium high) and drizzle some butter. Coat the skillet with the butter and let it sizzle.
  5. Pour the mixture into the skillet and let it be for approximately 45 seconds. It should not set and start turning into and omelette.
  6. Now start agitating the eggs, with the wooden spatula. Keep moving in small but consistent circles all over the skillet.
  7. After about 45 seconds, the eggs will clump but still be runny and soft. At this point if you like your eggs a bit runny, take it off on a plate.
  8. If you like it a little more well done, continue cooking, moving the eggs in the same round pattern. Do not stop agitating the eggs.
  9. Take it off on a plate and immediately drizzle the truffle oil. Enjoy hot off the skillet!!
  10. Umm! Goes really well with Champagne or white wine 😛
Recipe Notes

Here is the link to more happy education on truffles.

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Red Chilli Chutney – From Bangalore.

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In the din and pollution of Bangalore, exists a quiet retreat. The garden is lush, and in the centre of it all stands my favourite tree – The Parijat. There is something about the small white flower with the orange stems. It has a hard grip on my list of all time favourites. In the days of the old, my grand mother and her sisters in law, would break the orange stem, and make a dye with it. They used it to colour their sarees, and wore them for auspicious occasions.

The parijat flower

The parijat flower

In that serene atmosphere, lives Rekha with her husband and daughter. When she got married, her very foodie husband was appalled at her cooking skills, so he took her to his mother’s home for some training. Rekha being Rekha, understood that way to her husband’s heart is through his stomach (as it is with mine!) She dedicated her self to traditional cooking training. I say “well done” husband, because otherwise we would have lost out on eating out of the hands of one of the best cooks I have ever met.

Rekha is clean, neat and extremely efficient. Her recipes have been so well measured, that nothing goes waste.

In the next few weeks I will be adding a few of her recipes. Food you must have eaten, but her’s are worth trying out once.

red chutneu feature

Here is a simple Red Chilli Chutney. I asked her the traditional name for it, she just shrugged and said – Red Chilli Chutney. Well then. So be it!!

Since the time I made it, I’ve had it with everything – toast, pooran poli, in a salad. I even layered the base of Lasagna sheets with it, before putting in the fillings. Its not as spicy as it looks.

Red Chutney with anything

Red Chutney with anything

The taste of the jaggery and imli (tamarind), blend with the chillies, giving it the right tang and a hint of spiciness. For the palate that does not mind experimenting with a little spice, this recipe is a must try. And it’s adorably simple.

Red Chilli Chutney

Red Chilli Chutney

Ingredients for the chutney. Sans the red chillies

Ingredients for the chutney. Sans the red chillies


Red Chilli Chutney - From Bangalore
Print Recipe
For the complex tastes that hit your palate, this is a very simple, easy and quick recipe to make. Phenomenally versatile....
Servings Prep Time
150 grams appx 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
150 grams appx 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 5 minutes
Red Chilli Chutney - From Bangalore
Print Recipe
For the complex tastes that hit your palate, this is a very simple, easy and quick recipe to make. Phenomenally versatile....
Servings Prep Time
150 grams appx 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
150 grams appx 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 5 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: grams appx
Instructions
  1. Take off the stems of the red chillies and soak them whole, in room temperature water.
  2. While the chillies soak, dry roast the methi, jeera and curry leaves, on a non stick pan. Roast till the jeera gives off fragrance and the curry leaves look just a bit wilted.
  3. After 15 minutes drain the chillies and throw away the water.
  4. Blend together, soaked red chillies, dry roasted methi, jeera and curry leaves, tamarind, jaggery, garlic and salt in a blender. Use a little water to blend.
  5. Make a coarse paste. Don't blend till its too fine.
  6. Stores well in refrigerator for a week.
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Mango Salsa

By 2 Comments

mango salsa

mango salsa

Mom’s house, has this huge mango tree. It’s not  ours. It belongs to the next compound, but every single leaf and mango grow into our side. Those poor dudes watered the tree and looked after it, but we reap all the benefits.

As kids we would make this huge stick, one tied to the other to make it as long as possible. On the edge, a blade was jammed in, and using a sawing motion many a raw mangoes have been cut and taken down. Of course we had to do it as unobtrusively and slyly as possible. But even then the gardner would hear his beloved tree rustle and run after us with a stick. He was not allowed to cross over to our side, so obviously we dangled our stolen goods under his nose and felt thoroughly pleased with ourselves. This was summer holiday time, and a very seriously planned agenda in our schedules.

We would then proceed to cut open the raw mango (we never washed it!) and spread salt and chilly and lick it for hours. Then spread some more salt and chilly and bite into the tart fruit. Our palate would go pop, and eyes would tingle, but the taste is embedded somewhere deep in my soul. Now when I eat a raw mango, I am transported back to that spot under the tree, where I either helped to hold that huge stick and saw off the mango bunches, or I stood under the falling mango, to try and grab it so that it did fall and get damaged.

As I grew up, the love for raw mango became a love for mangoes. I still love raw mangoes, but I cannot go at it with wild abandon like I used to.

 

mango salsa

mango salsa

 

mango salsa with nachos

mango salsa with nachos

I saw my friend Rekha, (the one who has lead me to this wonderful thing called food!) make a mango salsa. She whips up the most delicious of dishes, with the most absurd of combinations. When I first saw her make the mango salsa, I was stunned. I mean, she was adding olive oil and herbs and spices to a fruit. A fruit which is so revered in India, for its taste and limited availability? Weren’t fruits supposed to be eaten as is???

mango salsa

mango salsa

Very reluctantly I tasted the mango salsa, and immediately landed myself under the tree, where we caught falling mangoes. I tweaked the recipe, but I cannot call it mine. It still belongs to Rekha – my mentor.

The sweet and mildly sour, and extremely wholesome flavour of the fruit will pop open your eyes. You might then pick up the spoon and wolf it down! That’s what my friend does, whenever I make it.

mango salsa

Serve it with nachos, or chips.

Its not an Indian recipe.The closest is Mexican Fusion.

I love it with my all time favourite – Whisky.

mango salsa nachos

 

Mango Salsa
Print Recipe
Quick and easy to make. A sure fire hit in a party.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Mango Salsa
Print Recipe
Quick and easy to make. A sure fire hit in a party.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Peel and chop the mango. Cut the fruit into small squares. Don't cut so small that the fruit gets mashed up while mixing.
  2. Chop the onions into thin rounds. Chop some of the green as well. So basically it should be more that 3/4th whites and rest the greens, finely chopped.
  3. Add the onions to the mango.
  4. To the olive oil, mix all the other ingredients,( except the spring onions) and mix.
  5. Add the olive oil mixture to the mango and onions, and very gently toss it all together.
  6. Voila - its ready! Simple?? Serve Chilled!
Recipe Notes

Serve with nachos, chips, on a salted biscuit, with toast, toss it with croutons and serve as a salad!

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Fried Garlic

By 7 Comments

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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