THE RECIPE LARDER

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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Kachcha Sambhar (raw sambhar)

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kachcha sambhar

I was all set to meet the husband for a romantic lunch, but Bangalore being crowded, over populated, Bangalore, the traffic was such that it was either the lunch or the airport. And that airport had a plane parked which was going to take us to Goa! So really there was no dispute, the airport on time – it was.

 

I surprised our care taker with a lunch request. She wasn’t prepared to make anything since I had announced gleefully about my romantic plans. So she hemmed and hawed, wondering what to make. (And I was feeling fussy about food that day!) Her husband (I have mentioned him before in my blogs. He is a complete foodie- for which I am eternally grateful!) Well her husband suggested “Kachcha Sambhar” in his typical local accent. It took him three repeats of the word, before I realised that is what he actually meant. Raw Sambhar.

I have learnt to experiment and sometimes leave the suggestions to the experts. AND I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. In fact I was in food paradise. Every spoonful going in, was ambrosia. Now I love garlic, and I love spice, and the funnest part was it has not one drop of oil!! Perfect right??

We did take off to Goa, and we had an amazing time, caught up on that left over romance and all that! 😛 But I raved and raved about the Kachcha Sambhar, and he finally told me to use other methods to turn him on!! ( 😛 we are a foodie family!!)

Here is the recipe — the tomatoes have to be burnt — burnt black on a high flame. Wait for it to cool, and skim the skin off. Please do wait for it to cool — this way the skin comes off and does not leave small pieces of black burnt skin behind. We don’t want any black stuff in the sambhar. Same goes for the green chilly.

This is a very spicy dish. Deseeding the chilly reduces the spice. If you want it less spicy, reduce the quantity of the chilly, but don’t delete it completely. That would be a SIN! and Karma will pay you back!!

Tastes absolutely amazing with rice and a bland veggie. I love it with chilla. You make your own combinations and message me.

I was on the floor worshipping this dish! Hope you like it too!

Ciao!!

 

 

 

 

 

Kachcha Sambhar (raw sambhar)
Print Recipe
Quick, elegant and earth shatteringly tasty!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 5 minutes
Passive Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 5 minutes
Passive Time
5 minutes
Kachcha Sambhar (raw sambhar)
Print Recipe
Quick, elegant and earth shatteringly tasty!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 5 minutes
Passive Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 5 minutes
Passive Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Burn the tomato over high flame. Tomato should be rotated. It should char completely.
    Burn the tomato over high flame. Tomato should be rotated. It should char completely.
  2. Burn the green chilly over high flame. Rotate and burn till completely charred.
  3. Let the tomato and chilly cool.
  4. When cooled, peel the black skin off the tomato and discard.
  5. Wash your hands so that no black stuff sticks back on the peeled tomato
  6. Chop as finely as possible. This reduces the time required later while pureeing with hand blender.
  7. Peel the black layer of the green chilly. Deseed the chilly. (This is very important)
  8. Chop the chilly into small pieces.
  9. To a pot, add the tomatoe, green chilly, salt and water. Mix well with a hand blender. No large pieces of tomato should be left.
  10. There will be a few small pieces of tomato floating around, let them be.
  11. Transfer contents to a serving bowl, add onions, garlic and garnish with corrinader. Serve cold.
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Italian Tomato Sauce

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italian tomato sauce

Apologies about the link —- this is the corrected version.

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I am super super excited about this recipe. It’s complicated (a little bit!) but it looked so brilliant. I saw a version of this on a cooking channel and I got up from my chair, headed to my bar, collected the vodka, (yup! It has Vodka!!) and all the ingredients and started making it, changing a little bit of the recipe here and there.

After 15 minutes into cooking, the fragrance wafting from the kitchen to the rest of the house, drew many of the family members and a few neighbours into our kitchen. I tell you I am on my knees, worshipping this sauce.

It’s a thick sauce. Really thick. It’s not to be had on its own (but you might finish a lot of it while tasting it – I warn you!). You will have to mix it with some stock water, hell even mixing it in the water used to cook pasta lends it an amazing flavour.

Use it as a pizza base, as a base for Bruschetta, in a salad! Just make it, creative ideas will flow in.

I don’t want you to read all these descriptions and explanations. What I want you to do is get hold of all the ingredients and start making it. Let them family members walk in with appreciative sniffs and exclamations. Keep them waiting, and then hit them with a pasta made from this recipe. Lie back and bask in the glory!

PS: There is one very important thing that you have to follow, thats – the instructions. There will be times while making the recipe you might think I am joking or that I have lost my mind. Have faith. I am very serious when I say what I say, and I am very sane and going to wait for your comments after you have made this recipe. You can advocate my sanity.

Without more blah blah – here is the recipe for Italian Tomato Sauce.

PS _AGAIN__and here is the link to the video —–

A shout out to my school friends who always have my back — hey there girls 🙂

Thanks to Brinda – for helping me with this video.

 

Italian Tomato Sauce
Print Recipe
An amazing base sauce. Let your imagination flow and get creative.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Italian Tomato Sauce
Print Recipe
An amazing base sauce. Let your imagination flow and get creative.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat a heavy bottomed non stick pan. Add olive oil and butter. Olive oil should completely cover the bottom of the pan. Let the butter melt
  2. Add garlic and saute till it's a bit brown. Take out the garlic and keep it aside.
  3. Add 1 1/2 tubes of tomato paste to the hot oil/ butter mix. DO NOT STIR. I kid you not - DO NOT STIR!! Just see to it that the paste is completely submerged in the oil.
  4. Cover and cook for 10 minutes in med/ high flame.
  5. Add Brown sugar, salt and pepper. Once the bubbles subside, add the diced onions and cherry tomatoes.
  6. Now you can stir and mix. You might see a little blackened sauce when you mix. Don't worry, its normal. Ofcourse the entire bottom shouldnt be burnt. This means your pan wasn't thick enough at the bottom.
  7. Cook covered till tomatoes get squishy and cooked.
  8. Add the left over 1/2 tube of tomato paste.
  9. Add lemon zest and cayenne pepper and mix.
  10. Add the pre cooked garlic.
  11. Mix
  12. Add the vodka and mix.
  13. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Then add the basil. Cook again for 2 minutes.
  14. Add the red wine vinegar and taste!!! Voila-- you are done.
Recipe Notes

Dilute with pasta water or stock and add to pasta.

Liberally coat a salad.

Layer your pizza.

Use in baked dishes.

Use for base of crostini or bruschetta.

 

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Hummus Beiruti

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I had Hummus for the first time as an adult. It picked up as a rage, and every party had a bowl of Hummus, with Pita. Then came the Lavash. Crisp flat wheat savouries topped with seeds.

Hummus with Lavash.

Hummus with Lavash.

I had Hummus for the first time some 20 years ago, in a restaurant called Olive. They had the typical platter of Baba Ganoush, Hummus and Tzatziki. At that time – I thought it was made with magic. How could something so tasty, so creamy be so amazing and healthy? When I learnt to make hummus, I was amazed at how easy it was, but I never seemed to like it as much as I liked the ones in a restaurant.

The fact is – I used terrible short cuts. Sesame instead of Tahini. Sacrilege!! (my logic – Tahini is made out of sesame right??) Too much garlic, not enough creamy texture — blah blah!

I thought I would never be able to replicate the hummus, we have in good Mediterranean restaurants.I love the Hummus Beiruti. Its creamy with a mild tang of spice. Polishing off a small bowl is no big feat.

Hummus Beiruti

Hummus Beiruti

I tried Hummus again, (after my many not so good tries) and this time I used the proper Tahini. Another thing a chef friend of mine suggested was using cold water.

In this recipe I use a little left over water after boiling the chick peas. I like to soak the chick peas at night, and cook it the next morning and make the Hummus a few hours later. The water left over from cooking the chick peas and the chick peas itself are cooled down and refrigerated.

The hard work is soaking and cooking, after that its the quickest recipe you can make.

Serve it with a Rocket and cucumber salad, over toast with Avocado, obviously with Pita and Lavash. So many ways!! Do write in and tell me how you like to present it.

Hummus


                                                                               Hummus

I made Hummus for my son last evening, thinking he could have it with Avocado. Confidently, I also made a small olive oil, garlic and Sumac drizzle for the top. Failure of failures! – the Avocado was not ripe enough and we had to chuck it. (Once cut it turns black quicker than a piece of charcoal rubbed on a face!) Then he suggested that we caramelise some onions, and top it with the same. Bigger flop. I had no brown sugar with me, and any case something made in a hurry not always turns out good. It was sticky …. basically – a flop!! I was flapping around about what he would eat, but he said the Hummus was good enough to eat on its own.. YAAAY!! Hummus saved the day!

hummus

 

hummus

hummus

 

Hummus Beiruti
Print Recipe
A Meditteranean staple, creamy and yummy!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 12 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 12 hours
Hummus Beiruti
Print Recipe
A Meditteranean staple, creamy and yummy!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 12 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
15 minutes 12 hours
Ingredients
Garnish
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Soak the chick peas over night.
  2. Wash and cook till its soft. It should not disintegrate. It should retain its shape. I like to use a pressure cooker for this.
  3. Drain the water, cool and refrigerate.
  4. Cool chick peas and refrigerate.
  5. After a few hours, add all ingredients in a blender and blend till you get a fine paste. Keep opening the jar and spoon the mixture stuck on the sides back into the jar. PS: if you use the Tecnora brand of mixie (available on amazon) which comes with a very handy stirrer in the jar. While blending, one can keep stirring the mixture, so that it blends easily. You don't have to keep opening the jar.
  6. Once you have the consistency you want, plate it and garnish with olive oil, sesame seeds, parsley and mint leaves.
  7. Serve with Pita, Crisp Pita and Lavash.
  8. NOTE ON TAHINI: When using Tahini, please stir well and take from the bottom of the jar, as the solids settle way down.
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Mexican Fruit with Tajin

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Peaches and Pineapples with Tajin

Peaches and Pineapples with Tajin

Another Mexican dish? I’m telling you – the last trip to San Diego, I really revved on Mexican Food. It was so very different from the typical Enchilada, Burrito, Nachos!

San Diego stands on the edge of Mexico. My son was told in his orientation, to be very careful while on the local train. One stop further and he would be in Mexico, and if he did not have his visa and college papers, he would land into big trouble. Thats how close Mexico is! Now you can imagine, the Mexican food influence in San Diego!

The Mexican Street Food, was so yum! Very close to Indian food in some ways, yet a different taste bud was touched with each dish. This particular Fruit Salad was and is my favourite. The only hitch is you have to get hold of the Tajin mix, available easily online and in super markets all over USA.

Tajin

Tajin

Mexican fruit salad, was served to us in a broad glass. They stuffed in strips of Pineapple, Apple, Mango, (and when I made it in India, I used Alphonso — OOOH! the taste!!) Melon, and a dried spicy mango, easily available in Trader Joe. The bottom of the glass had a huge dollop of this Tajin mix, and it copiously laden on the fruits too. I wanted to shove my face into the glass and lick up all the Tajin, once the fruits were over. My son had a friend join us for lunch that day. Poor chap must have thought his friend’s mom is completely addled!

watermelon wit tajin

watermelon wit tajin

Eat it on a hot day – refreshing, on a rainy day – soothing, on a blustery windy day – warming. This dish just makes you upbeat! The sour, tangy, mildly spicy (it looks very spicy, but is not), will make you want to sing and dance – the happy tune emanating from your palate. It hits all the right spots in your taste buds, and sends a zing up your body, almost like an adrenalin rush.

Use it with whatever fruit catches your fancy. Strawberries, Kiwi, Apples, Oranges, Pineapple, Peaches, Dried Fruits etc etc.

Pineapple with Tajin

Pineapple with Tajin

It takes only minutes to make – the major task being cutting the fruits. We had it with drinks, and it went very well with Whisky and Beer.

Peaches with Tajin

Peaches with Tajin

Let me know if you went as crazy over this dish as I did.

 

Mexican Fruit with Tajin
Print Recipe
Easy and immensely satisfying dish to make.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Mexican Fruit with Tajin
Print Recipe
Easy and immensely satisfying dish to make.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Ingredients
Tajin Mix
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Cut all the fruits and Chill.
  2. Add Tajin and Lemon juice. Add the juice a little at a time. The mixture should be a thick paste and not runny.
  3. Tajin mix already has dried lemon in it, so you don't want to drown the Tajin in too much lemon.
  4. You can make more Tajin, if the mix is less than you need. If making less the ratio become 1:1 - Tajin powder : lemon juice.
Assembling
  1. Arrange all the fruits in a dish.
  2. Drizzle the Tajin mix over the fruits.
  3. Serve a small bowl of the Tajin mix with the fruits. Some people might want to dip in for an extra dose of this amazing mix.
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Mexican street corn (Elotes)

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corn the mexican way

corn the mexican way

I am really not that big a fan of corn. According to me, eating it off the cob is the only way – boiled, roasted, barbecued! But man! Its too much of an effort! The son took me to Puesto, in San Diego. We had Mexican Style Street Corn, and I tell you, the effort of stuffing huge gobs of corn in your face, yanking off the kernels, and getting all the mayo and cheese stuck on your nose and cheeks was well worth it.

Many years back, I read an article, on corn in National Geographic magazine. A very young and naive me, almost had a hysterical moment, when I saw the variety of different types of corn grown around the world. Mexico takes the top position for it. I saw pictures of blue corn, 2 coloured corn, black corn, red corn, small corn.

See the images of different types of corn here!

The world just opened up for me. So now while I travel, I look for the local food caverns and stops, drink the local alcohol and eat the local food. My friend is a big believer in this – and has tasted alligator meat too. (Yup! she landed up with a massive stomach pain the next day!) I have always been taken by surprise on how local salt, local water and local ingredients can paint each dish with different colours.

When we have dal ki pakodi, in our native village in Rajasthan, the flavours are so original, so specific off each ingredient. And the same thing tastes a bit bland and bleh, back in Bombay. Its the local dal, and the water, which makes the dish all that much more delicious.

Corn with mayo and feta and mexican chillies

Corn with mayo and feta and mexican chillies

Corn from my farm in Mahabaleshwar tastes really good. It’s organic, and we cut it just a few minutes before we want to cook it. This recipe requires crumbled Feta Cheese. I like to freeze the cheese for an hour or so, then grate it with a cheese grater, then again freeze it. Just thaw it an hour before I need to use it. The cheese looks really nice and even and does not coagulate. I use the same trick when I need to crumble Goat’s cheese.

mexican style corn

mexican style corn

See the link of “how to roast corn”  as shown in my previous post. You can of course use boiled corn too for this recipe.

Lets go – visit the streets of Mexico with this one!!

mexican style corn mexican corn

Mexican street corn (Elotes)
Print Recipe
My favourite way to have corn! Very easy to make.
Servings Prep Time
2 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Mexican street corn (Elotes)
Print Recipe
My favourite way to have corn! Very easy to make.
Servings Prep Time
2 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 person 10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: person
Instructions
  1. Brush corn with mayonnaise, turning the corn to get it spread evenly.
  2. Keep the feta cheese on a flat dish or plate, and roll the corn on it, so that it sticks on all sides.
  3. Stand the corn on the serving dish and sprinkle paprika (or any other chilli powder) on the corn.
  4. Serve warm.
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How to roast corn.

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roasting corn

Firstly – apologies for a late blog. I have been stubbornly trying my hand at making a video. (Sometimes a 7 sec video does the work of 70 words!) You will see the videos – its a clumsy first effort – but its there! And I refused to sit and refine it further as I was too impatient to get this post out!

It’s the monsoons in Western India, and corn grows like a rapidly thriving weed in this season. Our farm in Mahabaleshwar (Mahabaleshwar is known for corn) is throwing them out by the bushels. Unfortunately my corn loving daughter is in the throes of digging our skulls and bones in the Caribbean. The husband travels around too much and the son and mom are not too fond of corn.

 

(Check out the anatomy of a cob of corn.)

Nevertheless, the way we roast the corn is something I wanted to share with you. (btw – I looked up the word roast in the thesaurus. It has a completely different meaning than what I am trying to do to the corn!!)

During the monsoon, every corner has a street vendor selling corn. We were in the market in Mahabaleshwar, and saw this new technique. It takes longer, but the corn gets less burnt and tastes way sweeter.

The corn is peeled off all its layers, except the last. The silk (long strands) stays inside that layer. Then over hot charcoal, the corn is cooked, turning it repeatedly, along with the last layer of the husk (leaves). What happens is that the corn inside starts getting steam cooked, and the sweetness of the silk (the long thin strands) and the flavour of the husk (leaves) permeates into the kernal.

Once the leaf layer, burns off, you will start seeing the kernels. The corn might burn a bit if you are not careful and if the flame is too high (as it did when I shot the video!). So one has to be a bit careful here.

After the last bit of husk and silk are burnt off, and you feel the corn has cooked (press a kernel and check) you can manually peel away the rest of the (now semi charred) husk.

almost done corn

Your corn is now ready to eat.In India, we rub this corn with a slice of lemon, dipped in salt and red chilly powder. While rubbing the corn, squeeze the lemon wedge into the corn. You can make it as tart and as spicy as you like. This is a typical street style corn on the cob.

I make this very often for the husband. But this time around I made Mexican style street style corn (next on the blog).  The son had taken us to an excellent restaurant in San Diego, called Puesto. Mexican food bug bit me hard there. The menu was so very different from the typical Nachos, and Burritos. There is another dish that I have to put up on the blog soon – Street style fruits. I was very reluctant to let go of the water glass they had served it in. Bits of the spicy tangy mix was left over and I wanted to push my face in and lick it clean. I think letting go of the glass was as difficult as letting go of my kid, when she first went to kindergarten.

Its the season to walk hand in hand with your partner or kid, get wet in the rains and munch on a hot spicy corn on the cob, straight off the street vendor. Go do yourself this favour – immediately!!

Then bring back home some corn and try roasting it my way too! How you eat it is up to you!  😛

 

 

 

How to roast corn.
Print Recipe
Sweet corn, over a hot charcoal grill ..... what's not to like??
Servings Prep Time
1 person 15 minutes
Cook Time
5-10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 person 15 minutes
Cook Time
5-10 minutes
How to roast corn.
Print Recipe
Sweet corn, over a hot charcoal grill ..... what's not to like??
Servings Prep Time
1 person 15 minutes
Cook Time
5-10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 person 15 minutes
Cook Time
5-10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: person
Instructions
  1. Start the charcoal grill. When flames are medium high peel the cob, till the last layer of husk (leaf) remains on the kernels.
  2. Start roasting the corn on the fire. Keep turning the cob repeatedly.
  3. Once the husk starts burning off, your corn might burn so be careful and turn the corn faster.
  4. Check a kernel to test for doneness.
  5. If you think the corn is ready, manually remove the left over husk and silk. Be careful, it might be hot.
    If you think the corn is ready, manually remove the left over husk and silk. Be careful, it might be hot.
  6. Mix the salt and red chilly powder.
  7. Dip the wedge of line into the salt and chilly mix and rub into the cob, squeezing the lime a little all along the way.
  8. Serve hot on a thick wad of husk - the Indian way of eating it.
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Puran Poli

By 2 Comments

Aloha! From Maui – Hawaii!

It’s been a busy happy week for us. Our daughter graduated with double majors in History and Anthropology! What a ceremony and what a delightful time for us proud parents. A huge bunch of us attended her graduation – her grand parents, brother, parents and her many many loyal friends. We hooted and cheered, and of course her dad n me wept quite openly.

Will post pictures soon……! It’s all in the camera right now, and we are vacationing in Hawaii!

 

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puran poli

puran poli

It’s a recipe from Rekha once more. Rekha of the serene nature and yummy cooking!

The recipe is really tedious for the first time. But once you make it (and you will – again and again, I promise you), it will become easier and easier.

puran poli - cooked to perfection

puran poli – cooked to perfection

The trick is in the dough. Once you have got that right, everything falls into place as easily as a beer in a glass.

She made it on a plastic surface, but she said using a banana leaf gives amazing results. “The flavour of the leaf seeps in”, she said.

I have given the measurement for the water, but each flour behaves differently from the other. Some soaks up too much water, while others use less. Use the water little at a time, till you get the right consistency. I have put up images and videos for the same.

Stack Of Puran Poli

Stack Of Puran Poli

Without further ado – here is the recipe.

the filling of the poli

the filling in the poli


Puran Poli
Print Recipe
A little work, but the final dish will have you dancing.
Servings Prep Time
15 pieces 30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
15 pieces 30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Puran Poli
Print Recipe
A little work, but the final dish will have you dancing.
Servings Prep Time
15 pieces 30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
15 pieces 30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
For the filling
For the dough
For making the poli
Optional
Servings: pieces
Instructions
The filling.
  1. Wash and boil the channa dal, till it is well cooked. It should not be over cooked. The grains should look whole, and when pressed with a spoon should smash.
  2. Once cooked, leave it to drain completely. No water should be left in the dal.
  3. Deseed the cardamom pods and smash the seeds in a mortar.
  4. In a heavy bottomed pan, add the drained dal, jaggery, cardamom pods and desiccated coconut. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, till the jaggery just melts.
  5. Scrape out on a plate and let it cool.
  6. Once cool, blend it in a heavy duty blender. Blend little at a time. The mixture will be very dense and you might think of adding a little water. DO NOT DO IT. Be patient.
  7. Make 35 gm oblong balls.
For the dough.
  1. Make a sticky dough using a little water at a time. Keep your hands oiled, using the oil mentioned in the ingredient list. Do not pour the oil in the dough mixture. PLEASE SEE THE VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECIPE FOR THE DOUGH TEXTURE.
  2. Once the dough is kneaded, let it rest for 15 minutes.
  3. Make 25 gram balls.
Filling
  1. Take the dough balls and flatten them into a 2 inch diameter circle.
  2. Take the balls made with the filling, and roll in into an oblong shape. It should look way larger than the dough ball.
    Take the balls made with the filling, and roll in into an oblong shape. It should look way larger than the dough ball.
  3. Put the filling into the ball and start pushing the filling into the ball, gently but firmly. At the same time keep pushing the dough over towards the top of the filling. Basically the dough has to engulf the filling. PLEASE SEE VIDEO NO 2 AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECIPE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FILL THE FILLING INTO THE DOUGH.
  4. Once the filling has gone into the dough, cover the top with a twist of the dough and pat it into a 3 inch circle. KEEP YOUR PALMS AND FINGERS OILED. (I'm glaring at you when I say that!!)
How to roll the poli
  1. Oil the banana leaf. If you are not using a banana leaf, you will need a 15 inch square of food grade plastic.
  2. Keep spreading the poli till it is really thin and you think now it will break. PLEASE SEE VIDEO NO 3 AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECIPES FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Cooking
  1. Heat the non stick pan. Keep the flame / intensity to medium high.
  2. Ladle a teaspoon of ghee into the non stick pan.
  3. Gently lift the poli off the banana leaf and put into the non stick pan.
  4. Spread another spoon of ghee all around the poli
  5. After a few minutes lift and turn the poli. The non cooked side will now be touching the non stick pan.
  6. Add another spoon of ghee and take off the fire, after 3 odd minutes.
  7. The filling is dry and the flour used for the dough is greedy for ghee. You may add as much as you require or as less. But remember, that hot poli eaten with a small spoon of hot ghee spread on it tastes the best.
  8. Serve warm with ghee and red chilli chutney. (See previous blog!)
    Serve warm with ghee and red chilli chutney. (See previous blog!)
Recipe Notes

 

 

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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 Curry – Fajeto

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While growing up, we lived in this huge rambling and wild compound. The coconut trees far outnumbered the humans. Everyone was equally immersed in the neighbours’ life, as much as their own. Without exception, every evening we kids met up at 4 pm and were dragged home at 8 pm, by parents who had to spell out dire consequences if we delayed leaving our playmates to come home. We cycled, played hide and seek – a complete torture for the person who was the “den”! The game went on forever because someone or the other always got the better of him. Our compound was massive, with many many hiding places. And new ones were found everyday.

We had a fish pond, which was religiously cleaned one Sunday a month, and in summer vacations. We lived by the sea, so horse riding, football, cricket were our favourite pass times.

Well – now that I have drowned myself in serious nostalgia, I might as well get to the point, before I sit down to write childhood memoirs of Appu!!

Mango Curry

Mango Curry

Our neighbours were 2 boys and their parents. Sweetest most friendly people alive. Of course the boys had to torture us time and again, which they did with glee and wild abandon. We are all grown up now and treat each other with respect, but I loose all semblance of maturity when I eat anything at their home. Aunty (the sainted mom, who handled two, very naughty boys) still cooks. We very unabashedly invite ourselves to their dining table every once in a while. Right down from the chapati to the pickles have hitherto unknown flavours and fragrances.

mango curry

mango curry

Yesterday I passed by their home, and the redolent aromas emitting from their kitchen window made my stomach growl. I had to stop by for a quick chat, and had a taste of the mango curry  –  or as the Gujrati’s call it _ Fajeto. I think I must have gone into a trance for a bit! Mango exploding with a bit of ghee and a high taste of asafoetida! This was made by the wife of one of the boys (ah! alright Men now!) – Smita. And … well I think the staircase to food heaven starts right there!

I made it today for lunch, it turned out amazing. I took her permission and am now publishing it in the blog.

mango curry

mango curry

Don’t wait up too long. The mangoes are perfect right now. Use ALPHONSO only. As far as I am concerned all other mangoes are not mangoes. They are frauds! Duplicates! Imposters!

Very easy, very quick and very tasty! You will make it again and again!

Mango Curry - Fajeto
Print Recipe
Made very quickly, eaten up as fast! Will leave you salivating for more!
Servings Prep Time
3 - 4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 - 4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Mango Curry - Fajeto
Print Recipe
Made very quickly, eaten up as fast! Will leave you salivating for more!
Servings Prep Time
3 - 4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 - 4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
To blend together.
For the tempering
Add while cooking.
  • 1 Tspn heaped Sonth (Dried powdered ginger)
Servings: people
Instructions
To make the mixture for blending.
  1. Squeeze out the pulp of both the mangoes. Using your hands, squeeze and rub the pulp from the seed also.
  2. In a bowl, add the pulp, curds, besan and water, and blend well using a hand blender.
Tempering
  1. To a heavy bottomed pan, add the ghee.
  2. When the ghee heats up (don't let it smoke), temper the cumin seeds.
  3. When you get the fragrance of the tempering seeds (see that the seeds dont burn), add the ginger chilly paste and fry for a few seconds.
  4. Add the curry leaves (be careful, it might splatter).
  5. Add the hing, and quickly pour the blended mixture into the pan.
  6. PLEASE NOTE CAREFULLY - from now onwards till the curry boils, keep stirring the curry continuously. It doesn't have to be vigorous. The curry might split and / or stick to the bottom and give it a burnt taste. PS - It's actually quite easy. Just be a pro and keep stirring it.
  7. After a few minutes add the salt. Keep stirring.
  8. After another few minutes, add the sonth.
  9. Keep stirring till you see big bubbles rise to the top.
  10. Still keep stirring. At this point I thought my curry had split, but not so. So don't get worried if you see small little pieces of now mango coloured curd floating around.
  11. Keep stirring till it boils vigorously.
  12. After one big large boil, take it off the heat and serve hot.
Recipe Notes

Smita said it goes best with Chapati and vegetables, as a side dish. I had it with rice. For my husband's birthday today, I plan to serve it as a small shot of soup. So many versatile ways to use it.

I was thinking of adding a little extra besan, to thicken it. Or maybe I could thicken it with corn flour - and then roll some baked sweet potatoes in it and serve it. how about with fried tofu?

To jazz it up a little, you could increase the spice quotient in the ginger chilly paste, or add a few dashes of red chilli flakes.

I think it will taste amazing with sticky rice too, in a hot bowl with some sesame seeds and crushed roasted peanuts.

mango curry shots

mango curry shots

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mango curry

mango curry


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