Eat up!

Get corny the 'Corn Kadhi' way!

2008-06-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Corn Kadhi
This is an experiment that turned up well.

In India, the kadhi is very popular. Most Indians are used to making kadhi in some form or other.It is a delicious gravy made of curd (yogurt) which should be eaten hot with Indian bread (chapatis) or steamed rice. While the recipe for the kadhi is fairly simple and will be given below, the reason I said experiment is because not many people put corn in their kadhis.

But come the monsoons, and when one wants to eat something hot and wholesome, as well easy to make, the kadhi comes to mind. And with the monsoons here, can corn be far behind in India?!

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
* Whole American corn( butta) = 3 nos.
* Buttermilk = 3-4 cups. (Soured buttermilk is preferred. If there is no buttermilk, take yogurt and mix it well with water to get a consistent thick paste)
* Gram Flour (Besan or Chana atta) = 4-5 tbsp
* Red chillies = 4-5 nos (the smaller round varieties work better)
* Curry leaf (Kadipatta) = 3-4
* Black pepper corns = 5-6 nos
* Mustard seeds (Mori) = 1 tsp
* Cumin seeds (Jeera) = 1 tsp
* Salt = As per taste
* Sugar = 1/2 tsp
* Ghee= 1 tbsp (or even oil will do)
* Asafoetida (hing) = 2 pinches
* Turmeric powder = 1-2 tsp
* Red chilli powder = 1/2 tsp
* Coriander leaves = a sprinkling

Method:

* Break each corn into 2 halves or three pieces. Steam it in slightly salted water - or pressure cook it for about 3 whistles- till the corn is soft but not breaking. Let it cool.
* Mix the flour and butter milk well with a hand mixer or whipper and ensure there are no granules of the flour floating. Strain into a container.
* Heat ghee or oil in a saucepan and add peppercorns, cumin and mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillis . Let the seeds crackle.
* Add the buttermilk and flour mixture. Simmer on low heat.
* Stir continuously.
* Add salt, sugar, turmeric, red chilli powder and asafoetida.
* To the above mixture, add the steamed corn pieces. Stir again.
* Allow to come to boil before you stop stirring, and the mixture does not taste floury.
* Garnish with coriander and place a lid.

Heat again just before serving so that the corn gets completely soaked with the gravy.
Serve hot with Rice or chapati. OR have it like soup.

Mango Moramba/Murabba (Sweet Mango Pickle)

2008-04-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

A simple recipe, a little time-consuming...but oh, so yummy! This is a typical Maharashtrian delicacy of sorts.

Ingredients:
* One mango (either green and raw or golden and ripe) = cut in small pieces.
* A cup of sugar
* Cardamom (Elaichi) = 3-4 nos, finely crushed.
* Saffron (Kesar) = few strands.

(Note: One cup of sugar for a cup of mango pieces. If the mango is ripe, then deskin it first. If the mango is raw, then the sugar quantity can be increased a bit.)

Method:
* Take a medium-sized vessel and put the sugar in it. To this, add water till the sugar is just about soaked.
* On low fire, heat the sugared water and continuously stir.
* Keep on stirring till the sugar has completely dissolved and the water has slightly thickened into a syrup.
* Add the mango pieces and keep stirring till the mangoes are well mixed.
* Add the cardamom and saffron and continue stirring till a homogeneous syrup is attained.The scent of saffron rises during this process and the mixture slowly gets a yellowish to orange tinge.This takes about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes.
* Remove from gas, let it cool.
* Bottle the mixture and refrigerate it.

This pickle can be a good accompaniment with almost anything. And since it is refrigerated, it can last for a longer time too. Enjoy! :)

Stuffed Pepper Chillies.

2008-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

When we say chillies, a lot of people may really not want to read this recipe. But hey, hold on. The chillies I'm talking about are not only 'not that spicy', but are also delicious to eat. Especially when stuffed. They are the Anaheim chillis- a type of chile pepper from California, now found commonly in India, which is about 5 inches in length, is green or red in color, and has a mild to medium-hot flavour. Serves 3.

Ingredients:
* Anaheim green chillies= 4-6 nos
* Oil:= For frying.

For the filling:
* Potatoes= 4-6 nos, boiled and cut into small pieces.
* Red Chilli powder = as per taste
* Turmeric powder = 1/3 tsp (basically a little more than a pinch)
* Sarson/ Mori seeds (black mustard)= 1 tsp.
* Jeera (cumin seeds) = 1 tsp
* Salt= as per taste.
* Coriander leaves = a sprinkling

Method:
* Take a little oil in the pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds till they crackle.
* Add the boiled potato pieces, coriander leaves, the turmeric and chilli powder and mix well.
* Let it cook for few minutes on slow fire.
* Once cooked, add salt and mix again.
* Remove from gas and let it cool.
* Once cooled, mash it a bit and make a homogeneous mixture.
*****
* Take the Anaheim chillis and make one lengthwise slit on each of them .
* Deseed the chillis.
* Add the stuffing (the above homogeneous mixture) into the chillis.
* Heat a little oil in a shallow pan.
* Place the stuffed chillies and cover with lid.
* Let the chillis cook on low heat for a few minutes till one side is done. (slightly brownish)
* Turn the chillies and let them cook, till all sides are done.
* Serve hot with Indian bread (Chapati) or Dal Rice.

Note:
1. In case you do not want the potatoes, you can use some Besan flour (3-4 tbsp); turmeric powder (½ tsp); red chilli powder (¼ tsp); Peanuts (4-5 tbsp coarsely crushed); a pinch of Sugar; a bit of lemon squeezed or 1 tsp tamarind pulp; salt to taste; Coriander leaves and mix them all to get a nice paste, which can be used as stuffing. 2. While making the potato stuffing, you can exclude the Mustard seeds and directly mix all the other ingredients, and not fry it all. This will reduce the oil intake.

Paneer (cottage cheese) Delight!

2007-05-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

A super fast and great-tasting recipe - it's non-spicy, but not bland. Healthy too! :)

Serves 4.
Ingredients:
200gm Paneer (cottage cheese)
2 large onions
Dry Celery
Dry Basil
Chilli Flakes
Olive oil (1-2tbsp)
Tomato Ketchup
Sweet n sour sauce.
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Take olive oil in pan and heat
2. Put crushed and powdered dry celery, basil and chilli flakes...saute...
3. Add onions, saute till brownish golden
4. Add paneer(cottage cheese), salt , ketchup and sweet n sour sauce and mix well. Saute for a while then keep aside.
5. Take/make pita bread/Indian roti (chappati)... put the hot cooked paneer mixture in it and roll.
6. Served and eaten hot.

Ps: This can be also accompanied with green mint chutney for a dash of flavour.

Sev Curry

2007-04-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is one super-duper dish that is easy as well as fast to make...and is delicious! My mom used to make this most saturday nights... remember to have it when hot!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

* Onions = 2 , cut in thin slices
* Tomatoes = 3, cut in small pieces
* Red Chilli powder = as per taste
* Turmeric powder = 1/3 tsp (basically a little more than a pinch)
* Sarson/ Mori seeds (black mustard)= 1 tsp.
* Jeera (cumin seeds) = 1 tsp
* Salt = as per taste
* Sev = as per taste. (Thin string-like fried snack preparation made out of gram flour. Used in the preparation of "Sev puri" and "Bhel Puri" or can be enjoyed just plain. Nowadays there are many spicy and non-spicy varieties of "sev" available in specialty Indian stores. )
* Coriander leaves = a sprinkling
* Loaf of bread
* Oil = 3-4 tbsp

Method :

* Cut Onions, tomatoes separately and keep aside.
* Heat oil in roundish and slightly deep vessel.
* Add the Jeera (cumin seeds) and Sarson/ Mori seeds (black mustard)- let them crackle.
* Add onions and saute on medium to high flame, till golden brown turning towards a slightly burnt look.
* Then add the tomatoes and saute on low flame.
* Put a lid on the vessel and let the tomatoes cook in their juice for a while, till they become soft and almost a paste. If need be, add very little water, to speeden the cooking process.
* When the tomatoes are done, add the salt, chilli and turmeric powders and mix well.
* Then add water- enough to make a thick gravy. And let cook for a while.
* Once the whole mixture is cooked, add the Sev till the gravy thickens. Shut the gas.
* Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.
* Serve hot with bread.

Baked Salad

2006-12-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

A simple and quite tasty dish... :)

Ingredients:
@ Small potatoes (those baby ones)- boiled and cut in half.
@ Bell Peppers- red and yellow - cut in thin long slices
@ Mushrooms- as per taste- cut fine, again in thin slices.
@ Corn- pre-boiled- about half a cup for taste only.
@ Cheese- grate and keep.

Method:
Heat some olive oil in a pan.
Saute the bell peppers,mushrooms, corn.
Add herbs like thyme,basil,etc (as per taste and need) or one can even add oregano and chilli flakes. Salt for taste.
Keep aside.
In a microwave bowl, add one level of potatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper and a bit of cheese.
Cover this with the next layer of sauteed veggies.
Sprinkle cheese on this layer.
Continue till the top.
Then cover the top layer completely in cheese.
Microwave till cheese melts completely.

Serve hot- with garlic bread.

Kaap.

2006-09-23T02:14:00.000-07:00

Some basic and quick ‘kaaps’ (kind of cutlets). These can be served during tea time or also as a side dish during lunch/dinner. Enjoy! :)

[Note: the following can be made either with Yam or Brinjal, so have given the alternate option.]

Ingredients:
* Suran (Yam) / Brinjal (long) – ½ kg
* Rice flour / Jowari (sorghum) flour – 1 cup
* Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
* Chilli powder- 1tsp
* Hing (Asafoetida)- a pinch or lesser
* Salt to taste
* Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:
* Clean the outer rind of the Suran. (For brinjals, wash well).
* Cut in small thin pieces- square for Suran/round for Brinjal.
* Soak for half hour in a mixture of tamarind (cinch) water and salt. (This ensures that the suran loses its roughness and does not irritate the throat. Ditto for the brinjal.) * see recipe below.
* Take the rice flour and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and a little salt. Mix well into a dry powder.
* Heat oil in a pan.
*Remove the soaked veg pieces (suran/brinjal), and put on the flour mixture. Turn the pieces to ensure that the flour has stuck on both sides.
* Shallow fry the pieces and serve.

These snacks taste better when hot and good when cold too.

**********************************************************************

Tamarind water recipe:

The tamarind water is used in recipes where one does not put the tamarind directly.

Ingredients
*4-5 strips of tamarind deseeded.

* 1 cup water
Method
* Warm water and soak tamarind in it for 1 hour.
* Mash well with hand. Strain out juice.

Makes: 1 cup

Shelf life: few hours (refrigerated- 2 days)

Egg Curry

2006-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

One of my faves- made extremely well by mom! I think it's a great start for the blog. :)

Ingredients:
* Eggs= 4-6 (do not boil)

* Dry Coconut (copra)= 1/2 grated.
* Onions (large)= 2-3 - cut in thin slices
* Garlic= 7-8 + 1-2 crushed
* Dhania (Coriander/Cilantro) leaves= a handful
* Green Chillis= 1-2
* Ginger= 1-2 inches
* Tomato = 1
* Oil- 1 tbsp
* Salt as needed

* Sarson/ Mori seeds (black mustard)= 1 tsp.
* Hing (asafoetida) = a pinch.
* Turmeric= 1tsp
* Red Chilli powder= 1tsp
* Dhania (coriander) powder= 1tsp

For 'garam (hot) masala' :
* Whole Dhania (Coriander) seeds= 2 tbsp
* Jeera (cumin seeds) = 1/2 tbsp
* Kali Mirch (Black Peppercorn) = 5-6
* Dalchini (Cinnamon)= 1 stick
* Elaichi (Cardamom)= 2-3
* Lavang (Clove) = 4-5
* Dry Red Chillis = 1-2
(Roast the above 'garam masala' and keep aside.)

Method:
* Heat oil in pan. Add1-2 garlic and stir till golden.
* To this, add onions and fry till transparent.
* Add grated coconut and fry(medium gas) till red brown.
* Remove from gas and put in mixer-grinder.
* To the above, add the 'garam masala' mixture, coriander leaves,green chillis, garlic (4-5), ginger and grind to a good paste. Add the tomato^^ and grind again till a fine thick paste is obtained.

( ^^note: If you want the paste to stay for more days and used again later, keep aside the needed quantity for this curry and add tomato to this. The remainder can be frozen/refridgerated and kept for 3-4 days)

* Now put oil in a cooking vessel and heat.
* Add the crushed garlic pieces, stirfry till golden.
* Add sarson seeds and a little bit of hing.
* Take the ground paste and add 2-3 tbsp of it. Close the lid of the vessel and let simmer for 2 mins or so.
* To the above, add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and dhania powder. Mix well.
* Add water (1-2 cups) as much as you need depending on how thick a gravy you desire.
* Let cook for 2mins.

* Break raw eggs directly into this gravy. Do not overlap the eggs- let them fall in different portions of the vessel to ensure that each egg gets immersed into the curry.
* Cook on low flame and after 5mins Stir slowly around eggs so that the bottom does not get burnt. Cook for 3-4 mins more or till eggs are done.

* Serve hot with rotis/bread/steamed rice.

(ps: The same recipe can be used as gravy for marinated chicken or paste for vegetables/pulses)

Ah! The smell of food...

2006-09-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

What I love most about food is the right smell...

smell of freshness, of being well-cooked, of having the right amount of salt and so on...

I identify places in Mumbai (as I grew up there)by the smells they emanate...For example,passing by Muhammad Ali Road and over the JJ Flyover always, to me, has smelt of kebabs during ID...

Similarly, Dadar, apart from smelling of flowers has always had a particular 'masala' and 'spices' smell...also of Batata Vadas...

Bandra Linking Road has this wonderful smell of fish being fried at a stall...something that has become a landmark to me...

How about sharing your 'smells' and memories of them?
Cheers!

Eat up!

2006-09-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Once a foodie, always a foodie!

I speak for myself here. I relish good food- please note,the emphasis on 'good'. And have managed creating my own bag of goodies in terms of recipes and more...ones that I intend putting up here.

Enjoy and bon appetit! :)