Spice Is Nice

Indo Chinese Prawns

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:20:00 +0000

It's been eons since I posted a recipe here. A lot of things have changed in the interim. We've moved countries, rather continents ;) and two cities in India since. My family has grown from just the two of us to include a cute little hyper active baby boy, who we have named Calvin; I've moved from being a super busy career woman at IBM, to a home maker, to a work from home mom; my husband has changed jobs; all in all our world has changed drastically. Between the baby and a full time job (who ever said work from home jobs were easy!), I get very little time to experiment in the kitchen. So that's been the reason for my so called disappearance from the blogging scene.But yeah, the underlying passion for cooking has always been there and I'd never want that to go away. When I referred to my blog recently to check the ingredients for Punjabi Chole, nostalgia set in and thought, this was a good time as any to restart the blog; also, now that I'm back to cooking everyday, I'll have enough recipes to post as well.

Being close to the sea (Bay of Bengal), Chennai offers an amazing variety of sea food- fresh and tasty. Prawns in particular are available in abundance and at attractive prices too. I've been making a lot of prawn since we've moved here. I will post recipes for all of them soon, but today I have for you, a quick but very tasty prawn dry recipe. I call it Indo Chinese prawn because this dish is made by marinating the prawns in Indian spices and cooking them in Chinese sauces. The taste is sweet and savory - a perfect combo to have with fried rice/ noodles. This isn't spicy but is flavorful and the addition of veggies adds a nice dimension to this dish. Don't get disheartened with the long list of ingredients; it sure isn't as complicated as it reads. So try out Indo Chinese prawns and let me how the dish turned out.

Ingredients
Prawns: 1 lb
Ginger finely chopped: 1 tsp
Garlic finely chopped: 1 tsp
Green Chillies: 2- slit into half lengthwise
Spring Onions: 2 sprigs
Precooked Vegetables like carrots, brocolli,capsicum, mushroom etc
Oil: 1 tbsp
sugar: 1 tsp
cilantro: for garnishing

For Marination:
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
Red Pepper/Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - 2 tsp
Vinegar: 2 tsp

For the Sauce:
Tomato sauce: 2 tbsp or as required
Soy sauce: 2 tsp or as required
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Green chilli sauce: 1 tsp
Ajinamoto (optional)
salt: to taste

Method:

1)Clean and de-vein the prawns. If the prawns are of a good size, leave the shells on. The shells enhance flavor.
2)Marinate the prawns with ginger garlic paste, and the powders mentioned above, and vinegar. Leave aside for an hour or so in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate the better the flavor.
3)Cut the veggies of your choice into slices (lengthwise would be better) and cook them in salted water for just about a minute or two. They will be stir fried later, so don't overcook them. Drain off the water.
4)Heat oil in a wok and add chopped ginger and garlic. Fry for a few seconds and add green chillies and spring onions. Now add the vegetables from the previous step and give it a good stir on high flame. Mix in the sauces and keep stirring. Add sugar and vinegar. Ajinamoto if used, should be added at this point.I refrain from using ajinamoto, but there's no denying the fact that it enhances the taste and flavor of any Chinese preparation.
5)Now add in the prawns and incorporate them nicely into the veggie/sauce mix. Taste the dish to see if you need any heat/spice/salt and add accordingly. Give the prawns a couple of minutes to cook and once the shells change color, switch off the stove.
6)Garnish with cilantro

Note:
a)Make sure the prawns are not overcooked. If they cook longer than required they turn rubbery and the delicate flavors are lost.
b)This dish is on the sweet/sour side. Not something I'd recommed as a starter with drinks
c)If you want more gravy, after adding the sauces, add water mixed with corn flour ( in the ratio 1 cup of water: 2 tsp of corn flour)

Easy Breezy Crabs (Kurlyo Thel Piyaav)

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:34:00 +0000

Today I have for you an authentic Mangalorean recipe, which even a novice who has no cooking experience can make. In Konkani, we call this style of cooking "Thel Piyaav" (Oil and Onion). Most Mangalorean Catholics cook their veggies in this Thel Piyaav style. There is no grinding, no frying, and no tempering. Just add all the ingredients and place them on the stove, cook and voila your recipe is ready.

I love sea-food and crab is an absolute favorite. I can eat crab in any form ; as a crab cake, stuffed crab , a yummy crab gravy, roasted crab or as spicy crab masala. However, the way I really savor the taste of crab is in Thel Piyaav. But I must warn my readers that Crab Thel Piyaav is an acquired taste. If you only like spicy food, give this a pass. Note down the recipe:

Ingredients
Crabs: 2 cleaned and cut
Green Chillies: 2
Onion: 1 small sliced
Ginger: 2 tsp finely chopped
Garlic: 10 flakes
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
water: as required

Method:

1)In a thick bottomed vessel, mix togther crabs, green chillies, onion, ginger, garlic and oil
2)Now keep the mixture on low flame and let it cook. Keep stirring once in a while and if you need to add a little water, do so sparingly.
3)When the crab meat is cooked, add salt and mix well and switch off the stove.
4)Serve hot.

Read other crab recipes here:

Punjabi Kadhi

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Today I have yet another yogurt based gravy for you. I first ate Punjabi Kadhi at Delhi, when my mom in law made it. Although most North Indian dishes are best eaten with Roti or Naan, there are a few dishes which are eaten exclusively with rice. Rajma Chawal (Kidney beans and rice )is one such combo and the other one is Kadhi Chawal. Kadhi is usually made with sour curds/yogurt. Plain pakoras are fried and added to the yogurt gravy to make a mouth watering Kadhi. Let's look at the ingredients required

Ingredients
For the pakoras
Onions: 2
Coriander seeds: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder: a pinch
Salt: a pinch
Gram Flour/Besan: 1 cup or as required
Water
Oil for deep frying

For the Kadhi and tempering
Gram Flour/Besan: 1 cup
Yogurt: 500 gms
Water: 5 cups
Onion: 1
Ginger: chopped 1.5 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing: 1 pinch
Methi seeds: 1/2 tsp
Red pepper/Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Kasoori Methi: for garnishing
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method

1)In a bowl, mix all the ingredients required to make the pakodas (onion, coriander seeds, chilli powder, salt). Add besan and water to make pakora consistency. Deep fry the pakoras in oil, drain excess oil and keep aside for cooling.
2)In a large vessel, mix the ingredients required for the Kadhi ( Besan, Beaten yogurt, Turmeric powder, Chilli powder and Salt). Now add 5 cups of water to the mixture and keep aside.
3)Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, temper with methi seeds and asafoetida (hing). Now add the onions and ginger to the same oil and stir well for 2 minutes.
4)Add the mixed Kadhi, made in step 2 to the tempered mixture and let it boil.
5)Let the gravy simmer till the quantity of gravy is reduced to 3/4th of the original quantity.
6)Now add the pakodas and let the gravy come to another boil.
7)Garnish with Kasoori Methi and serve hot with white rice and pickle.

Masala Buttermilk

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:42:00 +0000

I know, I know... my blog posts have become as unpredictable as the Indian election results, which almost all exit polls got wrong. Guilty as charged! But the reason is a pleasant one. I've started working full time now, so that leaves me with very little time for blogging, although I have loads of recipes and pictures sitting all ready in my drafts folder.

Mom-in-law has been churning out some lovely delicacies, and I'm not able to blog as fast as she cooks them. I also visited my hometown Mangalore, a fortnight back and got back a bunch of recipes for authentic Mangalorean fish curries and pork. I pestered mummy to make some 5 dishes a day, so I could click pictures for the blog and she, being the nicest mom in the world willingly obliged! Love you mummy :)

So, yeah, slow I might be, but I promise that you will enjoy most of the recipes I put up here, mainly because these are recipes from two people I admire the most, my mother and mother in law, who are amazing cooks.

I had promised you a few yogurt recipes earlier. One of my readers had emailed me for the recipe for Masala Buttermilk. Since this was a request, I thought I'll address it first. Buttermilk is the liquid that is left over after extracting butter from churning yogurt. It is pretty popular in the South and is usually had as an after lunch drink, to aid digestion. This is the authentic way of making buttermilk. An easier alternative to the above method is to use homemade or store bought curd and dilute it with water. Use a proportion of about 1:5 curd-water ratio or customize it per your taste. You can even buy plain buttermilk from the store to make Masala buttermilk.

The recipe is my variation of it, which imbibes a few ingredients from North Indian cooking, but most others from the South. Try it out

Ingredients
Chilled Buttermilk : 5 cups - Store bought or made in any of the methods described
Ginger: finely chopped, 2 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 3 tsp
Black Salt: 1/2 tsp
Green chillies: chopped, 2-3 depending on preference
Salt: to taste

Optional Step:
Tempering with 1/2 tsp mustard and 4 curry leaves in a little bit of oil

Method

1) Keep all the ingredients required to make the recipe cut and ready
2) In a vessel, take chilled buttermilk and add all the ingredients to it
3)As an optional step, temper with mustard and curry leaves
4)Serve chilled. No need to strain. The actual pleasure is to see all those floating cilantro and curry leaves in the glass and drinking it avoiding the leaves, in a single swig.

Note:
You can make a large batch of this and consume it as a healthy replacement to soft drinks and colas. Is particularly refreshing in the hot summer months.

Potato in Yogurt Sauce (Dahiwaale Aloo)

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Delhi had its hottest day in 50 years a few days ago. The temperature reached a whopping 43.5 degrees (110.3 F), which is very hot, considering it was still April. It's May now and the temperature is only rising. Hoping things will improve and the much awaited rain will bring some relief.

What's the best way to cool it off when the temperature hits the roof? Drinking lots of cold water, eating fruit like watermelon and honeydew, chilling out on ice creams and popsicles, having a cold water bath, and sitting in an air-conditioned room all day are some options. In cooking, summer is generally the season when you go easy on the spices and ghee. Another important ingredient that finds its place in most Indian kitchens during the hot summer months is good old yogurt, also called curd or dahi. Dahi is eaten as-is after a meal, or mixed with sugar to substitute for dessert. Another dessert option is frozen yogurt which comes in plenty of flavors. Buttermilk (the liquid leftover after extracting butter from churned yogurt) is popular in the south of India, as an after meal drink and is said to aid digestion.

Curries made with yogurt sauce also gain popularity in summer. You should not be surprised then, that my next few posts involve yogurt as the main food ingredient. Today I bring you "Dahiwaale Aloo" or Potato stewed in a tangy yogurt sauce. This is my version of the recipe, though there are hundreds of versions out there. Feel free to experiment with the spices. This is a complete vegan recipe (no onions or garlic) and can be made really quickly (15 minutes tops) once you have the boiled potatoes ready. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Potatoes: 4 Medium, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
Yogurt/Dahi: 1 cup
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Ginger Paste: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder/Hing: a pinch
Besan/Gram flour: 3 tsp
Red pepper powder/Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
All spice Powder/Garam Masala/Kitchen King: 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies: 2 finely chopped
Kasoori Methi/Cilantro for garnishing
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method

1)Take yogurt in a bowl and add ginger, green chillies and the spice powders (chilli, turmeric, coriander, garam masala) and mix well.
2)Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the asafoetida powder, cumin seeds and the gram flour. Stir till the gram flour turns golden brown and gives out a good aroma.
3)Now add the yogurt mixture and keep stirring continuously till the mixture starts drying up and oil leaves the sides. Take care to keep stirring to avoid the yogurt from splitting up.
4)Add the potatoes and nicely incorporate them into the mixture.
5)Add about a cup of water and mix well. Let the gravy boil for a few minutes.
6)Garnish with Kasoori Methi or cilantro per preference.
Note:
a)I have used Kasoori Methi for garnishing.
b)By adjusting the amount of water added to the gravy, you could serve it either with roti or rice.
Check out more potato sauce recipes here at Foodista:

Bread Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:40:00 +0000

What can you make with old bread other than throwing it away? How about some bread pudding?
Bread pudding is a popular dessert across the world. It finds mention in American,French, Mexican and Belgian cuisine. There are subtle differences between the recipes, but the main ingredients remain the same; old bread, milk, sugar/syrup and dry fruit.

The recipe I have for you today is again from my mom-in-law. A very straight forward recipe, with very little fuss with a rewarding end product to boot. Do try it out. You will never look at your old bread the same way again.
The pudding is baked exactly in the same fashion as caramel custard in a double boiler or water bath. Get the detailed method here:
If you do not have an oven, simply bake the pudding on the stove top, using two vessels, a larger one with water and the smaller one containing the pudding mix. Steam the pudding for about 30 minutes or till it is completely cooked.

Ingredients:
Bread: 10 slices (we used brown bread, you could use white too)
Milk: 1/2 cup (plus more if required)
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Raisins: 50 gms
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Eggs: 2

Method

1)Shred the bread slices into small pieces, by hand
2)Add milk and sugar to the slices and keep aside for about 10-15 minutes till the bread has soaked up all the milk and the sugar is melted.
3)After 15 minutes, using a spoon to mix the bread, milk, sugar to make a nice paste. Add more milk if required only.
4)Add the rest of the ingredients, viz eggs, raisins and ghee.
5)Caramelize sugar in a thick bottomed vessel and pour the resultant mixture into the baking pan. For more details follow the method here:
6)Add the ready pudding paste into the same pan
7)Bake the pudding either in an oven or on the stove top using a double boiler/water bath.
8)Once cooked, remove from oven/stove and cool.
9)Once cooled, invert the pudding into a serving dish. The caramelized sugar is on top of the pudding. Cut into slices.
10)Refrigerate before serving

Note:
a)This pudding can be also had as breakfast accompaniment, if the sugar quantity is reduced.
b)Use whipped cream or ice cream topping for added flavor.
c) Instead of ghee, you can use butter.
d)The amount of milk determines the consistency of the batter and the final thickness of the pudding. So add more milk if you want a flan like consistency.
e)The color of the pudding changes depending on the bread used. Don't be worried if your pudding looks different from the one in the picture :)

You'll find a few other variations for bread pudding at this link

Bottle Gourd Kofta Curry (Louki)

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:46:00 +0000

The recipe I have for you today is my mom-in-law's recipe. MIL makes yummy pakodi/kofta curries and kadhi chaawal. I've tried making it on my own many times and somehow it never turns out the way her's does.I think the trick is she uses minimum spice powders and avoids garam masala whenever possible. I on the other hand, don't think a curry is complete without the customary sprinkling of garam masala on top.

I'm not a big fan of Louki. Somehow associate Louki as a veggie to be eaten when you have jaundice. But make koftas of Louki this way and you will refuse to believe it is bland in any way.

Ingredients
For the Koftas:
1 small bottle gourd (Louki),grated
Gram Flour/Besan : 3 tbsp
Coriander Seeds: 1 tsp
Pepper Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For the curry:
1 large Onion (finely chopped or ground)
2 Tomatoes: finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cilantro for garnishing

Method

To make the koftas: IN a bowl, mix in all the ingredients for the koftas and make a thick batter. Adjust the amounts of water/besan for the right consistency. Make small balls of the batter and deep fry them in oil to make the Louki koftas. Drain into a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Keep aside.

Now make the curry this way:
1) Fry the onions in hot oil till they turn golden brown
2) Add tomatoes and fry till they change color
3) Add the ginger garlic paste and continue frying.
4) Now add in all the powders(turmeric, chilli, coriander) and continue stirring.
5) Add about 2 cups of water and boil the gravy.
6) Turn off the gas and add the koftas.
7) Sprinkle cilantro for garnishing.

Note:
a) Always add the koftas in the end, after the gravy is ready. Do not boil the curry with the koftas in it, to avoid them from getting too soggy.
b) If you have made more koftas than required, save them in the fridge. They can be used another day.

Bailey's Irish Cream Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:27:00 +0000

There is this nice place in Dunwoody Atlanta called Cafe Intermezzo, which has been our regular hangout for after dinner coffee. This is where I first tasted coffee with Bailey's Irish cream and loved it. Today I tried a home version of this which came out pretty good.
This could be another way of having bailey's irish cream, particularly on those cold balmy nights .. hmmm...blisss...

Ingredients
Water
Coffee powder
Sugar
Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur

Method

1)Make black coffee : Boil water. Add coffee powder. Add very little sugar. You can avoid sugar completely if you please, since the bailey's irish cream is sweet in itself.
2)Pour the steaming hot coffee into cups. Now add the liqueur to the coffee. (I used an approximate coffee-liqueur ratio of 5:1. You can adjust according to your preference.
That's it.. A nice warm coffee liqueur is ready. Best served as an after party drink when everyone has finished dinner and are ready to wind off.

You can also add a topping of whipped cream if you like.

Ginger Mint Heaven - Cocktail

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:27:00 +0000

I've been thinking of having a beverage/cocktail section as part of my blog and this is the first post in that category.
The credit for this particular beverage should go to Sean. This was one of the concoctions he came out with during our farewell party last weekend, and was a huge hit with the ladies.
If you are a fan of ginger ale, like I am, I can assure you that, you will love this. It's a change from the normal margaritas and mojitos and can be churned out in a jiffy.
Here's what you will need

Ingredients:
Vodka: 1 cup (reduce or increase depending on your personal tolerance levels )
Ginger:crushed: a small piece
Mint leaves powder: 1/2 tsp
Juice of 1 lime
Ice: 4 cups
Salt: 1 tsp

Kitchen Items Required:
A blender
Measuring cups

Method
1)Add ice into a blender and crush it.
2)Add in all the other ingredients mentioned above and blend it well using the mixer.
Taste to see if anything is required and adjust accordingly.
3)Pour into frosted glasses after straining.
4)Garnish with mint leaves
We did not have mint leaves, so we used cilantro for the decoration

Note: I think a non-alcoholic version of this would be to mix in sprite instead of the vodka and increase the amount of ginger and salt. I haven't tried this version, so if any of you do, please let me know how that turned out.

Egg Masala

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Egg Masala is a very simple recipe to make. This is my "I don't feel like cooking, so what can I make quickly?" recipe. I use a small food processor to chop the onions and also use canned diced tomatoes, so it hardly takes me 15 minutes to make egg masala.
It is onions and tomatoes that mainly constitute the flavor in the recipe. The quantity of onions and tomatoes is the same. Ideally cut the onions into long slices to make an egg masala which looks as good as it tastes. In my recipe, I have used red color, just to brighten up things a bit, but you can completely avoid using color. Color does nothing for the flavor. Without further ado, here's what you will need

Ingredients
Eggs: 4 boiled, slit lengthwise
Onions: 1 cup, thinly sliced
Tomato: 1 cup, finely chopped or diced
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Red Pepper/Chilli Powder: 1.5 tsp
Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves: 5 leaves
Oil: as required
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar

Kitchen Items Required
Vessel to cook and a flat spatula

Method

1)Boil eggs, remove the shells, make slits on them (vertical)
2)In the vessel, add oil and when hot, add the curry leaves and then the onion
3)Fry onions till they just start browning. Add tomatoes.
4)Keep cooking the tomatoes, till they break down and form a nice gravy.
5)Add the ginger garlic paste and all the powders and mix well till the oil starts leaving the sides.
5)Add salt and sugar. Add more spice as needed.
6)Now add the eggs. Be careful when stirring the gravy, since the eggs can break easily. Garish with cilantro.
7)Serve with Roti or Rice.

To checkout more egg recipes, please follow this link to Foodista

Paneer Butter Masala

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:13:00 +0000

It's been a hectic few weeks and I've not been able to update the blog as often as I would have liked to. No worries though, I have multiple posts for you today.

I am also happy to share with you that my blog has been selected by blogville as an editor's choice blog. Apparently only 1% of the blogs on their site get this recognition, so I'm quite pleased :)

Today I bring to you a simple Paneer dish, which can be made pretty quickly, with very little fuss. I call it my version of paneer butter masala, but this one is made with less butter than the original recipe usually demands.

Ingredients
Paneer/Cottage Cheese : 1/2 lb or 250 gms
Onion: 1 small finely chopped
Tomato: 2 large
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds: 1 tsp
Onion seeds/ Kalaonji: 1 tsp (optional)
Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsp
Cream: 1 cup
Butter: 1/4 cube or arnd 1 tbsp
Oil as required
Chilli Powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Butter Chicken/Paneer Butter Masala powder (optional) : 2 tsp
Garam Masala : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder (only use if not using butter chicken powder): 1.5 tsp
Cinnamon/cloves powder (only use if not using butter masala powder): 1/2 tsp
Red color (optional)
Kasoori Methi, Cilantro for garnishing

Kitchen Items Required
Thick bottomed pan to cook and a wooden spoon

Method

1)Melt butter in the pan and add oil and when hot, temper the cumin, fennel and onion seeds. Add onion and fry till it changes color. Add in the ginger garlic paste.
2)Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes completely break up and form a nice puree.
Note: Use nice red juicy tomatoes for this recipe. Else use canned diced tomatoes like I did.
3)Now add all the powders (chilli, turmeric, butter masala (or coriander/ cloves, cinnamon)) and mix well. Add water as required. Add salt. Check for spice and acidity and adjust accordingly.
4)Add cream and keep stirring till it completely blends into the gravy.
5)Slowly add the paneer ( cut into bite sized cubes)pieces and toss delicately so they don't break up.
Note: Paneer cubes can also be fried to avoid them from crumbling. I did not fry them in this recipe.
If you are frying the paneer, just after frying it, dip it in a cup of hot boiling water. This way the paneer will remain soft, despite frying.
6)Garnish with Kasoori Methi and cilantro
Note: I used a store bought chicken butter masala powder which gave the dish a red color. If you want the red color and do not have the butter masala powder, add a little bit of red color to a tsp of milk and add it into the gravy just after adding all the masalas.

Pepper Prawns (Shrimp) Kerala Style

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Black Pepper is a spice known for its medicinal properties, apart from its uses in food as a cooking spice. I remember my mom giving us "Miryacho Kasaay", a spicy concoction made of pepper, onions and milk, whenever we developed a cold. This tiny seed has the spice potential of an atom bomb and was used as currency in ancient times (aptly referred to as Black Gold).Click here to read more about this interesting spice and its nutritional benefits.
Pepper adds a different bite to the food when compared to chilli spice. I love food made of pepper,be it pepper chicken, pepper fish or veggies (particularly like gerkins (tendli) made in a pepper sauce). The recipe I have for you today has a Kerala influence to it and was first made by a friend who hails from there. Use coconut oil to get the authentic flavor and aroma but you can always use any other oil as a substitute

Ingredients
Large Prawns: 1 lb
Onions: 2 Large, thinly sliced
Pepper: 2 tbsp
Garlic: 4 cloves finely chopped
Ginger: 1 inch piece julienned
Green chillies: 2
Curry Leaves: 12-15 leaves
Turmeric Powder: 1.5 tsp
Red Pepper/ Chilli Powder: 2 tsp
Coconut Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Cilantro for garnishing

Kitchen Items Required
A wide mouthed vessel or pan to cook and a spatula
A bowl for marination

Method

1)Clean and de-vein the prawns. I prefer retaining the shells, but you can remove the shells as well, if you so desire.
2)In a bowl, mix all the powders (pepper, chilli and turmeric) and also some salt and marinate the prawns in the powder mixture. Don't add water. The salt will be able to pull out enough water from the prawns for the marinade. Marinate the prawns for around 2 hours.
3)To a wide bottomed pan, add coconut oil. Add the onions and fry till they become soft.
4)Add the curry leaves, ginger juliennes, garlic and green chillies and continue stirring well till the onion is thoroughly cooked and just starts changing color to golden brown.
5)Now add the prawns with the marinade and cook on high heat for about a minute or two. Add additional spices as required.
6)Add a little bit of vinegar/lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
7)Can be served as a side dish; is also an excellent accompaniment with drinks.
Note:
a)Like fish, prawns cook very fast. If they overcook, they turn hard and rubbery and are not tasty to eat. So make sure you cook them just enough till they start curling up and the shells change color.
b)Don't get scared seeing the quantity of spices. This dish has a lot of onion whose sweetness, absorbs the hotness of the pepper. However if you are reducing the number of onions, reduce the quantity of spice too.

Fish Curry using Coconut Milk - No grinding

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:21:00 +0000

This post has been long due. Today we had a fish meal at home and I was finally able to take some pictures of the fish curry I made. My ancestors in Mangalore might be rolling in their graves if they heard that the masala for the fish was not ground. A typical Mangalorean fish recipe entails finely grinding whole spices - long and short chillies, whole piece of turmeric, tamarind, coriander, mustard and cumin seeds. All these spices and freshly grated coconut are ground either on a stone or in a worst case scenario a mixie. Using powders thus is totally out of question.
I obviously do not have a grinding stone here in Atlanta, but I normally use a mixie and grind whole spices for the masala. So when a good friend asked for a recipe without grinding, I was wondering how it would turn out. I'm glad to say that the gravy got rave reviews from my husband who is a very tough critic.

Ingredients
2 Pomfrets: gutted,cleaned and cut width wise into pieces
Onion: 1 Small, thinly sliced
Tomato: 1
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tsp
Chilli Powder (I use the extra hot variety) : 4 tsp
Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/4 tsp
Tamarind Paste: 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Cilantro: for garnishing (optional)
Coconut Milk: 1 Can
oil: 2 tsp

Kitchen Item Required
A broad thick bottomed vessel to cook the fish in
A bowl to mix all the powders in

Method

1)In a bowl, mix in all the powders (chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin) and the tamarind water. Add hot water to the tamarind paste to get tamarind water. The resulting mix should not be too watery. Just make a thick paste and keep aside
2)Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel and when hot add onions. Fry onions till they turn golden brown.
3)Add ginger garlic paste and stir for 10-15 seconds.
4)Now add the paste from step 1 and fry the masala on medium high heat for about a minute till the spices are nicely roasted but not burnt. Add tomato and stir.
5)Now add the coconut milk into the mixture and bring to boil. Keep stirring the milk so it does not curdle up.
6)Add water if required only and bring the gravy to boil.Add salt. Taste the gravy to see if anything is required. If you need more sourness, you can add a little bit of vinegar.
7)Now add the cleaned fish and bring to another boil. Switch off the stove.
Fish cooks very fast. It will split up into pieces if you stir it or cook it too long. So handle it delicately.
8)Serve hot with rice.

Garam Garam Pakoras (Onion, Cabbage, Bread, Potato, Spinach)

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:52:00 +0000

Pakoras or Pakodas are a easy to make yet amazingly delicious fried snack, savored with a hot and tangy sauce, usually accompanied by a cup of hot tea.. Eating hot pakoras watching the pitter patter of the rain outside is a childhood memory for many of us.
Pakoras are a great party snack because they can be made quickly if you have all the ingredients readily available at home. The only time consuming thing is the actual process of frying them. They don't really taste that great eaten cold, so you will have to make them just before you are ready to serve them, for maximum enjoyment.
There is a huge assortment of pakoras made in Indian homes, starting from the onion pakora to the paneer, from bread pakora to palak. In Mangalore, we used to enjoy pakoras made of this plant called "taikulo" which used to grow wild every rainy season. I have wonderful memories of climbing up our neighboring hill to pick up "taikulo". Mummy used to thoroughly clean it before it was cut into small bits to make pakoras :)
There are minor differences in the way the batter is made for the different type of pakoras, although the base ingredients are pretty much the same. In this recipe I describe to you the method of preparing onion, cabbage, palak, potato and bread pakoras. All the others can be made pretty much in a similar fashion. I list the ingredients just once, while I change the method slightly. Leave me a comment if you have trouble understanding the recipe.

Ingredients
Onion/Palak/Bread squares: 1 cup
Gram Flour/Besan : 1 cup or less
Rice Flour : 2 tbsp (optional but suggested, see notes below)
Cumin Seeds/Ajwain : 1 tsp
Red Pepper/Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Baking powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)
Finely chopped ginger: a little
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil for deep frying

Kitchen Items Required
Bowl to mix the batter
Fryer/ Pan for deep frying with a slotted spatula

Method for Onion Pakoras

1)Cut the onions into thin long strips, sprinkle a lil bit of salt and keep aside
2)In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together ( besan, rice flour, salt, baking powder, ajwain or jeera, chilli powder, turmeric powder and ginger)
3)Now add in the onions to the mixture and nicely mix them with the besan batter. Add just enough water to be able to make a nice ball of the onion besan mix.
Note:
a)Take care to see that you do not add too much water while making the batter. Onion and cabbage pakoras are made with relatively drier batter when compared to the other pakoras. Adding the salt to the onions brings out their natural juices thus reducing the amount of water to be added to the batter.
b)The rule of the thumb while making Onion pakoras is that the amount of besan should not exceed the amount of onions. For eg: if you use 1 cup of onions, you should use a maximum of 1 cup of besan. This way the pakoras become crispy with the distinct flavor of onions and do not get soggy.
4)Heat oil in a pan/fryer. When it is hot, drop in small quantities of the batter by hand into the hot oil
5)Fry the pakoras till they turn into a deep golden color.
6)Remove and strain into a kitchen towel
7)Serve hot with spicy sauce and masala chai :)

Cabbage pakoras are made in a similar fashion. Replace 1 cup of onions with 3/4 cup of finely chopped cabbage and 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions. You can also add in 1 finely chopped green chilli for the additional zing.

Method for bread pakoras

1) The ingredients for the batter remain the same.The difference is in the consistency of the batter. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Now add water to make a batter consistent to a thick dosa batter.
2)Cut the sides (crusts) off the bread. Make 4 squares of one slice of bread.
3)Heat oil and dip the bread pieces one by one into the batter before adding them to the oil. Remove from oil when the pakoras turn golden.
Note: Do not add ginger while making bread pakoras.

Aloo (Potato)Pakoras are made in a similar fashion. Cut the potatoes into thin round slices and sprinkle a bit of salt. Now dip them into the batter and deep fry them as in the case of bread pakodas. Remove when crisp. Unlike bread pakodas you can dip all the potato slices into the batter at one time and then fry them. You can increase the amount of spice for the aloo pakoras by adding a little more chilli powder.

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Pakoras are also made in the same way. However once the paneer is cut into chunky cubes, just sprinkle a little chilli powder and amchur (mango) powder on it and let it rest a while and then dip these cubes into the batter and deep fry for a tasty pakora.

Method for Palak Pakoras

1)Mix all the dry ingredients.
2)Do not add cumin/ajwain to the mixture
3) Finely chop some palak (spinach). You can optionally mix baby dill leaves as well for a very nice flavor. Add 2 finely chopped green chillies, ginger and a little cilantro (coriander leaves) as well.
4)Now add in the chopped greens into the dry mixture and add enough water to make a thick batter easy to handle. Again the amt of the greenies should be more than the amount of besan in this case.
5)Now make bite sized balls and fry.
Note: Could be a delicious way of making your kids eat their greens :)

Some Tips:
a)Keep trying on getting the consistency right. Start with very little water and then add more if required. Do not add too much water and then you might need to add more besan to adjust the consistency and then add more of the veggies to balance. Avoid that.
b)When making the batter, particularly for the bread, aloo and paneer pakodas, ensure you mix the batter well so it has no lumps in it.
c)Salt is one of the most important ingredients in pakoras which can make or mar their final flavor. Try to taste the batter before dipping the veggies so the salt is adequate. For onion pakodas, since onions are initially salted, be careful while adding the salt to the mixture. Also, after the first round of pakodas are made, taste them to see if any spice is missing. If more salt is needed, add it then. If more spice is needed add some red chilli powder.
d)You can add either Jeera or Ajwain to the batter. Avoid using both since they have a strong distinct flavor and using both might be too overpowering.
e)I highly recommend adding the rice flour because it adds crispiness to the pakoras. However be sure not to overheat the oil, since rice flour tends to brown faster than the besan.
e)The sky is the limit when it comes to the assortment of veggies/greens that can be used to make pakoras. You could make long chilli and capsicum pakoras or jack fruit(raw) or diviso guzo (My mangy friends will know what I'm talking abt) or brinjal or even mixed veggie pakoras. Experiment and come out with your own pakora variations.

I've tried to squeeze in as many varieties of pakoras in this post. It's not as complicated as it looks :) If there is any confusion , do leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be able to help you.

For more pakora recipes, please look at the foodista link below:

Coconut Barfi with Condensed Milk

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:10:00 +0000

By now you should know that I'm all for quick cooking. Every once in a while I do enjoy toiling over my food, but most other times I look for quick ways to make the same items without compromising on the flavor and the aroma.
I generally make coconut barfi in a traditional way, first making the sugar syrup and then adding in the coconut and cardamom and ghee. This time I tried using condensed milk to make barfi and believe me when I say, I will not be making barfis in the traditional way for a long long time. It took half the time and effort to make the condensed milk version and the taste was great too.

Ingredients
Coconut Powder/Grated Coconut: 2 cups
Condensed Milk: 1 can (8 oz)
Cardamom Powder: 1 tsp
Ghee/Clarified Butter: 1 tbsp
Almonds for decoration
Extra Sugar (if required only)

Kitchen Items Required
Thick bottomed vessel to make the barfi and a wooden spatula
A greased dish or plate to spread the barfi on
Knife to cut the ready barfi

Method

1)Dry roast the coconut for just a minute or two on very low flame till it gives out a good aroma. Do not brown or fry it
2)Now add in the condensed milk (I use the Carnation sweetened condensed milk)and mix it nicely into the coconut mixture. You can increase the heat a bit. Keep stirring till the condensed milk has nicely incorporated with the coconut. Taste and check for sweetness. Add in more sugar if you want it sweeter.
3)When the mixture becomes relatively dry, add in the ghee into the mixture and stir well. Add in the cardamom powder and mix
4)Grease the plate/dish with a little ghee and pour the barfi mixture.
5)Using a spoon flatten out the barfi and nicely pack it closely and let it cool
6)Once cool, cut into desired shapes, decorate with almonds and store in a cool place.

Vegetable Puffs

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:43:00 +0000

I am always on a lookout for recipes that are easy to make. When I was having a party at home, I was looking for finger food and quick to make snacks and asked my good friend Pooja for some ideas. She suggested veg puffs. I made them and they were a big hit. I've made these puffs often since. The egg and chicken version of these puffs also turn out very well.

I wouldn't dream of making these puffs in India simply because of the unavailability of the ready made puff pastry sheets there. However, why would you want to make these in India, when any reputed bakery will serve hot, melt in the mouth puffs. I particularly remember the yummy veggie puffs from Iyengar's bakery in Bangalore. They used to be my weekend breakfast or tea snack.

For those really patient souls among you, who would want to make the puff pastries from scratch, here is a very good video and recipe from one of my favorite food chefs, Sanjay Thumma

I however, would like to stick to my reliable pepperridge farm puff pastry sheets to make these.This is my recipe for the Puff Stuffing

Ingredients
•Boiled Potato – 1 Large
•Boiled Mixed Vegetables - 1/2 cup
•Onion : 1 small finely chopped
•Ginger-Garlic paste -1/2 tsp
•Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
•Red Pepper/ Chilly powder - 1 tsp.
•Garam Masala -1 tsp
•Cilantro /Coriander leaves finally chopped
•Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp
•White Vinegar/ Lime juice
•Salt as per taste
•Oil a little
•Water: to close the pastries.

Kitchen Items Required
•Vessel to make the stuffing with a spatula
•Microwave safe vessel to boil the veggies and potato
•Cookie Sheet/ Alluminium Foil to make the puffs

Method

1)Remove the required number of puff pastry sheets from the packet and leave them out for defrosting. I make 9 puffs from one sheet.
2)Add oil to the hot pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Now add in the onions and fry till golden brown.
3)Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, and the rest of the spices ( turmeric, chilli and garam masala) and stir
4)Toss in the boiled potatoes (coarsely mashed) and the mixed vegetables into the masala and mix it well. Add salt.
5)Add in the cilantro and lime juice/vinegar and stir.
6)Remove from heat and keep aside for cooling
7)Cut each of the puff pastry sheets into 9 individual rectangles
8)Using a spoon, scoop in enough filling in each of the rectangles and fold. Use water to close the ends and you can use a fork to give it a nice edged shape
9)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When hot, place the filled in puffs in the top rack for baking. Bake for 10-15 mins. Remove when puffs have turned into a lovely golden color.
Note:
a) You can fold the puffs into any of the desired shapes. While squares and triangles are the popular ones, some people even roll the pastry sheet into rounds and make a half moon shaped pastry. I don’t roll the sheet. I like to use it as is for maximum puffing up of the pastry.
b) You can even brush on some egg wash on the pastries before baking them. This will give them a nice glazed look and color.
c) You can use any stuffing of your choice to make these pastries. Samosa stuffing or vada paav stuffing can also be used instead of the stuffing mentioned above.
d) Make egg or chicken puffs in a similar fashion using boiled eggs ( ½ an egg per puff) or ground chicken. Experiment and make your own signature puff pastry. Good Luck :)

Quick Veggie Pasta with an Indian twist

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Hubby has just left for Europe on a business trip and it's really boring to cook when he's not around. As I mention in my welcome note, the very reason I took to cooking is because of his encouragement and the excitement and appreciation he shows to all my culinary experimentations, however weird the results turn out to be. To my credit, or should I say, good luck, I've served him more good food than bad :)

When I'm not in the mood to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I revert to my trusted pasta dish. The recipe that I have is obviously drawn from the Italian Pasta, but has an Indian twist to it. I prefer using cilantro to parsley and I also add a little Chilli paste to spice it up a bit. I use very little cheese as well.

I generally have a few packets of pasta lying around at any time in my pantry. Our personal favorite is penne, but in this recipe I use a mix of penne and tri color Rotini, just to add a bit of color. You may use any pasta you like with this. Just follow the instructions on the box for cooking the pasta.

This is a super easy recipe, made with store bought marinara sauce (You could use any of the brands; all of them are pretty good).

Ingredients
•Penne Pasta and Rotini : 1/2 box, around 150 gms
•Scallions: about 1/2 cup, finally chopped
•Garlic: 3 cloves, peeled and chopped
•Chilli Paste: 2 tsp
•Marinara Sauce: 2 cups
•Mixed Vegetables: 3/4 cup (I use the packaged frozen mixed veggies. If you are using fresh veggies, you can add in cubed carrots, beans, and peas)
•Red and Yellow Bell Peppers: ¼ cup
•Parsley or Cilantro Leaves chopped
•Parmesan Cheese shredded to top the pasta before serving
•Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO): 2 tsp
•Butter : 2 tsp
•Water to boil the pasta
•Salt : 1 tbsp

Kitchen Items Required
•Thick Bottomed Vessel to cook the pasta
•A colander to drain the pasta
•A pan to prepare the sauce
•Microwave safe bowl to cook the vegetables
•A serving plate with a pasta spoon

Method

1)Heat around 10 cups of water in a thick bottomed vessel and bring to a boil. Add 2 tbsp of salt and 2 tsp of butter. When the water is hot and boiling, add in the pasta. Cook Al dente (not undercooked, but not too soft). It should take about 10-15 mins. Remove from heat, drain the pasta into a colander, close with an aluminium foil to keep hot and keep aside.
2)In a microwave safe bowl, cook the veggies in a little bit of water, on high for 2 minutes. Remove and drain the water.
3)Keep pan on flame and add EVOO. Stir in the scallions and the garlic. Add the veggies, and the bell peppers, cilantro/parsley and stir.
4)Add chilli paste and the marinara sauce. Add salt. Keep stirring till the sauce becomes hot. Remove from heat.
5)Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Pour in the sauce on top and mix in using a pasta spoon.
6)Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top before serving.

Note:
a)You don’t fry the veggies when making pasta. They should be soft and cooked, not over fried.
b)I mostly make the non veg version of this pasta using the same recipe. The difference is to add finely chopped chicken and reduce the amount of vegetables. However first fry the chicken in olive oil so it cooks well and then add the other ingredients as directed above.
c)If you want to stick to the authentic Italian version of the pasta, eliminate the chilli paste, add some basil leaves as well while frying the garlic

Chocolate Mousse

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 07:40:00 +0000

Well, who needs an introduction to Chocolate Mousse? If I ever come face to face with the culinary genius who made this (sometime in the afterlife), I will surely give him/her a curtsy bow, fit for royalty. Mousse is said to have originated in France, but quickly gained popularity in the Americas and the rest of Europe because of its irresistible taste and soft texture. Mousse in French means foam and as its name suggests this decadent dessert is made by foaming (whipping) eggs, heavy cream and of course chocolate.

Hubby and I still have a laugh when we remember the incident of a server, who could not pronounce the word mousse correctly. In Manipal, there was a cafe called Cosmo, which served yummy Mousse. We went there often to enjoy it, but even more to hear the server there call it Mouse-a :)

Now for the recipe:

Ingredients
•Bittersweet Chocolate/ Dark Chocolate: 100 grams
•Unsalted butter : 1 tbsp
•Heavy Whipping Cream: 1 cup
•Sugar: 2.5 tbsp or as per taste
•3 egg whites
•3 egg yolks

For Decorating
Optional: Whipped Cream and Chocolate Shavings

Kitchen Items Required
•Bowls: To whisk the egg whites, melt chocolate, for yolks
•A mixing bowl to combine everything together
•Pan ( for water bath )to melt chocolate
•A whisk/ hand mixer /electric mixer
•Spoons
•Serving bowls: 4

Method

1)Using a mixer or a whisk, whip the cream well till it forms soft peaks. Refrigerate it.
2)Place water in a pan and let it become warm. Now place a bowl in it and add in the chocolate chunks and butter. Melt the chocolate and butter by stirring vigorously till the mixture is smooth. Do not overheat the mixture. It needs to be just warm, not too hot. Once molten, allow to cool slightly.
3)Add the yolks to the chocolate butter mixture. Make sure the temperature is cool enough so the yolks don’t cook in the chocolate. If the chocolate is hot, wait till it cools down to add the yolks.
4)In a separate container, whisk the egg whites mixture till it starts thickening. Slowly add in the sugar and continue whipping till soft peaks form.
5)Carefully follow this step: To the chocolate butter yolk mixture, add the egg white mixture. Slowly fold it in, do not stir vigorously to avoid the mixture from diluting, losing the mousse consistency. Now add in the cold whipped cream you prepared in step 1, spoon by spoon, gently folding it in. Do not and I repeat, do not, be in a hurry.
6)You can then spoon the ready mousse into serving cups. I was able to make 4 full cups using the above measurements. Refrigerate for 8 hours to completely set.
7)As an optional step, before serving , you can add in some whipped cream and chocolate shavings as decoration.
Note:
a)The two most important aspects of this recipe are 1) the temperature of the chocolate before the yolks are added in
2) the way the different mixtures are slowly folded together. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to delicately fold in the whipped cream, so it does not lose its volume. If you fail this step, you might as well be eating chocolate milk shake instead of chocolate mousse the next day
b) Raw eggs are used in the recipe. If you have concerns about this, you could use pasteurized eggs which are readily available in any American supermarket. I am not sure if these are available in India. I think they should be.
c) If you are planning this dessert for a party, it should be made a day in advance, so it can nicely set in time for the party. This is a make ahead dessert. Do not make this if you want an instant dessert.
d)This is a fantastic dessert to make for your valentine. And in this case, don't forget to add in a liquor( Kahlua would be amazing) for that additional zing. You may also use a nice heart shaped serving bowl for additional effect :)

First Day of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Let me state upfront that this post has nothing to do with food.

I just wanted to share with you the pictures of a beautiful tree that has bloomed in front of our house. A pesky beetle had somehow made it inside the house and I was trying to drive it away thus opening the balcony door. I know! It took a beetle to get me to the balcony, because although it's officially spring (Yesterday (3/20) was the first day of spring for 2009), it's still cold and I don't venture out on the balcony or for that matter, out of the house, except while going to the gym.

So I was pleasantly surprised , when I got on the balcony to see this beautiful tree standing there with lovely white flowers. Just 15 days earlier, the tree was completely barren and to see such a transformation was a pleasure indeed. Although I've never given the tree a second glance till date, today I feel proud like a mother would feel when her child achieves something gr8 :) I feel a sense of belonging, a sense of ownership...

I couldn't wait for hubby to get home to show him our tree (I told you... a sense of ownership :) ) He said it was a cherry blossom tree and since I haven't seen one before, I have to agree. I even pestered him to click pictures from all angles, so I could save them for posterity. So here I share them with you and you'll know I'm not exaggerating when I say I have the most beautiful tree in Atlanta :)

While the first picture, gives the view of the tree from our balcony, the others were clicked from outside the house. The building you see is where we live, on the 2nd floor. You can click on the individual pictures to see the high res images.

Bhindi Masala

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 06:18:00 +0000

I’ve been chastised by a few friends that I don’t have many veggie recipes on this blog :) So I’m making an earnest effort to include as many vegetarian recipes as I can, although that means my poor hubby will have to make do with veg food for sometime. But then again, he shouldn’t be complaining. It’s Lent anyway.

The truth is that we are both staunch non vegetarians, if there is a category like that. We like our meats and fish and will be perfectly happy even if a single greenie does not make it to our plates. We sure would be a bad example for healthy eating!! Most of the veg food I make is more of a compliment to the main meat/fish dish or a breakfast item - a Dal with a fry fish and rice, or a Sambhar with dosas, or a simple salad to go with a meat roast.

Today was a different story though. I consciously wanted to cook a vegetable dish, looked in the fridge, found some okras (bhindi) that I had picked up 2 days earlier and decided on bhindi masala. Bhindi is one of the few vegetables that I like to eat, with cabbage and cauliflower close behind. Hubby likes beans and hates cabbage. So the only form in which we eat cabbage is in pakodas…Oh that story is for another day.

Coming back to bhindi masala, it’s a yummy dish, and can be cooked quite fast as well, particularly if you have already cut bhindi.

Ingredients
•Bhindi/Okra/Ladies Finger : 1 Lb
•Onion: 1 chopped fine
•Tomatoes : 2 finely chopped
•Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tsp
•Green chillies: 2
•Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
•Curry Powder/Kitchen King: 1 tbsp
•Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
•Red Pepper Powder/Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
•Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
•Hing/ Asafoetida powder: a pinch
•Oil: 1 tbsp
•Oil: for shallow frying
•Cilantro/Coriander Leaves, chopped

Kitchen Items Required
•Pan for shallow frying bhindi and a perforated spoon
•Vessel for cooking and a wooden spatula

Method

1)Wash, cut and pat dry the bhindi using a paper towel.
2)Shallow fry them in oil till they are soft and almost cooked. Remove from pan and keep aside on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Note: Fried bhindi are less likely to turn out sticky. The frying process should take around 5 minutes.
3)Place cooking vessel on stove and add oil. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4)Add the hing powder and then the onions and fry till onions change color and turn light brown.
5)Add in the ginger garlic paste and green chillies slit lengthwise and stir well.
6)Add all the spices (turmeric, cumin, curry, chilli) and mix well ensuring the spices don’t burn. Now add finely chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook till the tomatoes get soft and oil starts leaving the sides.
7)Add the bhindi into the vessel and slowly fold it into the masala. Cook for a couple of minutes or till the bhindi is well mixed in and totally cooked. Garnish with cilantro
8)Serve hot with chapatti/ roti
Trivia: We ate bhindi masala with corn tortillas. Weird I know! But we quite enjoyed them that way :)

Mangalore Buns

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:06:00 +0000

I've been getting many requests to post the recipe for Mangalore buns after I put up a picture of these beautiful babies on Orkut.
When I first made Mangalore buns,it was out of pure nostalgia. I was missing home and wanted to make something to remind me of home. It helped that I had some bananas which were over-ripe and they were perfect for making these buns.
Contrary to the name, these are made more like Pooris, with maida and banana. However, unlike crispy Pooris, these buns are spongy and sweet and go very well with evening tea.

Ingredients
•Maida/All purpose flour: 2 cups
•Overripe Bananas :2 mashed well
•Yogurt/curd diluted : 1/4 cup
•Sugar : 3 tbsp
•Salt: a pinch
•Dry active Yeast: 2 tsp or Baking Soda: less than 1/4 tsp
•Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
•Oil: for deep frying
•Warm Water: as required

Kitchen Items Required
•A big flat vessel or bowl to mix and knead the dough
•Poori Rolling slab and a rolling pin
•Pan to fry the buns
•A slotted or perforated spoon to remove the buns

Method

1) Soak the yeast in a small cup of warm water with a little sugar added and keep aside for half an hour.
Note: Ignore this step if using baking soda
2) Mix up all the dry ingredients ( maida, salt, sugar, cumin seeds) in a flat vessel
Note: Baking soda is also to be added at this step, if you are not using yeast
3) Now add the mashed bananas and yogurt and mix well.
Add in the yeast and water and continue kneading the dough till it reaches a soft, spongy poori dough consistency. You may need to add more water or more maida, to get to the right consistency.
4)After kneading well, apply a little bit of oil (to avoid drying out) to the dough and let it sit for about 3 hours, allowing the yeast/soda to work.
If you don't want to wait long, you could use quick rising yeast. However you need to allow the dough to breathe at least for half an hour in this case.
5)Heat oil in a fryer/ pan.
6)Make small golf ball sized rolls from the dough and roll them into pooris.
7)Fry the buns in hot oil. The buns should puff up nicely. Turn them around and fry on the other side till the buns turn golden brown.
8)Once cooked, remove from oil and drain excess oil using a perforated spoon.
9)Serve nice and hot with tea, as an evening snack.
Note:
a)It is a good idea to roll one poori at a time and fry it, instead of rolling the whole batch at once.
b)You can reduce the quantity of sugar to suit your taste. If you are using less sugar, these buns can also be served with chutney.

Chole Masala

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:41:00 +0000

One thing my hubby and I have not been able to compromise on is our personal preference when it comes to Roti and Rice. He is a Roti eater, while I am a total rice fan. I somehow have never developed the taste for Rotis and Parathas, even though I can cook them. But one dish that can make this diehard rice fan grab for those rotis, is Chole Masala.

The best combination however, to have Chole would be with pooris. Fry some hot pooris and serve them with the spicy tangy chole to take your guests to food heaven.

Chole Masala is like comfort food . It could well be my signature dish. I’ve made it so many times at home, but have never got bored cooking it and hubby dear of eating it.

So here is the recipe for my version of the Chole Masala:

Ingredients
•Kabuli Chana/ Chole/ Chickpeas: around 2 cups, soaked in water for about 8 hours
•Large Onions: 2 ground in a food processor
•Fresh Tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped: 3 large
•Teabags: 1-2
•Ginger Garlic paste: 1.5 tsp
•Green Chillies: 2
•Chana Masala powder: 1 tbsp
•Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
•Red Pepper Powder/ Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
•Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp
•Tamarind paste/Vinegar to taste
•Anardhana powdered: 1 tsp (optional)
•Cumin seeds: for seasoning, around ½ tsp
•Bay Leaves: 2
•Oil/Ghee: 2 tbsp
•Salt to taste
•A little sugar
•Chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

Garnish
•Finely sliced Onion rings
•Lemon slices
•Green Chillies

Kitchen Items Required
•Pressure Cooker to cook the Chole in
•A thick bottomed vessel, preferably nonstick to fry the masalas
•A wooden spatula and a ladle

Method

1) Soak the Chole overnight or for around 8 hours. Cook them in a pressure cooker with enough water, salt and with two teabags -added to enhance their color. Once well cooked, keep aside and discard the teabags.
2) Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the bay leaves, and the onion paste. Add salt. Fry till the onions lose all their moisture and turn brown. It might take a while but this step is very important.
Note: Salt helps remove the moisture from onions quickly. Just a pinch of it should be enough.
3) Now add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, anardhana, turmeric and chilli powders and mix well. Add in the fresh tomato puree and keep stirring till the mixture loses most of its moisture content and oil starts leaving the sides. Add Chana Masala powder to the mixture (you could use any of the good brands available at your local Indian store). Add in the garam masala, a pinch of sugar and vinegar as well.
4) Reduce the heat but keep stirring the mixture till it becomes one nice lump. However, take care not to burn the masala in the process.
Note:
It is a good idea to make this masala in larger batches and freeze it, so you don’t have to go through all the trouble, the next time around.
5) Now add in the chole with the water in which it was cooked to the mixture. Using a wooden spoon, crush a few chole to make them into a paste to thicken the gravy. Stir well and check for salt, acid and spice. If more spice is required, add more Chana Masala powder. Add water as required.
6) Garnish with cilantro and serve
7) Chole Masala is normally served with onion rings and lemon wedges as accompaniment. Garnish with one or two green chillies as well.
Note:
a) The two most important ingredients in this version of the Chole Masala are the onions and the tomatoes. The key to making a good Chole Masala is to fry the onions and tomatoes to remove all the moisture thus converting the masala into one good malleable mass.
b) Many a times, we end up soaking too much Chole because we are not really sure what the right quantity is.
A good rule of the thumb to follow when deciding how much chole (or any lentil) is to be cooked is to go by the ratio : 1 fist per person. So if you are cooking for 10 people, soak 10 fists of Chole. Hope this helps :)

Simple Mutton Curry

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Last week while I was at the Farmer's market, I picked up some mutton. I have found it difficult to get the right mutton here in the US. Although it's easy to find complicated cuts like lamb shanks, mutton chops, ground lamb, rib chops or even lamb rib crown roast chops, it is difficult to find plain old mutton to make either a stew or mutton curry. I have found it a few times in Publix, but for the most part I rely on Pakistani mutton shops that sell Halal meat or the Mexican Farmer's market.
Ok, now after all my ranting about the inability to find the right meat cuts, let me get down to the topic at hand; the recipe for mutton curry.
I wanted to make a simple yet flavorful mutton dish today, without having to roast and grind too many masalas or babysit the meat as it took its own sweet time cooking. So this recipe calls for the simplest ingredients, which I hope are available in every Indian kitchen and is made using a pressure cooker.

Ingredients
•Mutton: 2 lbs, around a kilo
•Onions, chopped: 2 large
•Oil: 1 tbsp
•Ghee: 1 tbsp
•Bay leaves: 2
•Green cardamoms: 4
•Black cardamom: 1
•Cinnamon: 1.5 inch piece
•Cloves: 3
•Black peppercorns: 4
•Ginger Garlic paste: 2 tbsp
•Red Pepper/Chilli powder: 2 tbsp
•Turmeric powder: 1/2 tbsp
•Garam Masala/All spice powder: 1 tsp
•Yogurt/Curd: 3/4 cup
•Water: 2 cups
•Wheat flour/ Maida: for thickening (optional)
•Salt to taste

Kitchen Items Required
•A pressure cooker
•A clean colander to strain the meat
•Wooden Spatula

Method

1)Clean, wash and cut mutton into 1/2 inch pieces.
2)Place the pressure cooker on heat, add oil and ghee. Add chopped onions and fry till they become translucent. Now add the whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves and pepper corns) and continue frying till the onions get golden brown.
3)Add in the ginger garlic paste and masalas (chilli, turmeric, all spice powders) and mix well till oil starts leaving the sides.
4)Drain the water in the mutton through a colander and add it to the cooking mixture. Keep mixing till the meat is well infused with the masala. Continue cooking for about 5 mins.
5) Add yogurt, mix it well and add about 2 cups of water into the mixture
6) Pressure cook the meat for about 15 -20 mins, or till it is done.
7) Open the lid and check for the consistency of gravy. Add salt to taste.
If you want a thicker gravy,just mix in a tbsp of wheat flour or maida in a cup of water and add it to the gravy. This is an optional step. Keep stirring till the gravy thickens.
8) Serve hot with Indian bread or Rice.

Note:
a)Needless to say, this recipe can easily be cooked even without a pressure cooker. The cooking time will increase. Keep the lid tightly closed when cooking the meat.
b)Another variation of this dish is to replace yogurt by finely diced tomatoes. Only, add the tomatoes after the meat is cooked, instead of cooking them earlier. The biggest difference here would be in the color of the dish. The taste is not affected much, since we replace one acid for another.
c)If the curd you have is very sour, reduce the quantity. You can always add a little vinegar in the end if the dish requires more acid.

Mangalorean Fish Fry

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:29:00 +0000

I hail from Mangalore and like most Mangaloreans, I’m a huge fan of fish and sea food. I get this fondness for fish from my dad who can’t enjoy a meal that has no fish in it. We had fish everyday, sometimes even two different kinds of fish meals for lunch and dinner. So I was royally pampered and it was only when I left home, first for studies, then for work, that I realized how much I missed fish.
Since I grew up eating fish, I also grew up cutting and cleaning fish. I used to help my mom and learnt all the necessary tricks from her. So the task of catching a crab by its claws and tearing open its shell to clean it or removing off the never ending scales in fish like sardines is not daunting to me.
When we were initially married, my husband was not very fond of fish. But now he loves fish as much as I do, if not more. I consider this one of my biggest achievements- turning him into a fish lover :) One of his favorite fish dishes is the Fish Fry Mangalorean style and this is the recipe I've talked about today. This version uses red masala. In a subsequent issue, I’ll blog the green masala version as well, which is equally yummy.
Although I’ve discussed the recipe for Pomfret fry here, the same procedure and ingredients can be used for all other fish like Mackerels, Sardines, King Fish, Lady Fish, Silver fish, Tilapia etc. So here goes:

Ingredients
•2 medium to large sized pomfrets, cleaned thoroughly
•Red Pepper powder / Chilli Powder: 3-4 tbsp
•Garam Masala Powder/Bafat Powder: 1 tsp
•Ginger Garlic Paste: 1.5 tsp
•Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
•Vinegar/ Tamarind water: enough to mix the masala to the required consistency
•Salt: to taste, the masala should be a little on the salty side, so the flavors get into the fish well
•Oil: for frying,

Kitchen Items Required
•Tawa for frying the fish and a flat spoon to turn the fish so it cooks well on both sides
•A plate/ bowl to marinate the fish in

Method

1) Thoroughly clean the pomfrets under running tap water for 1-2 mins. Cleaning involves removing the fins, gills , scales and tail and also removing off the internal organs of the fish. I take about 3 mins to meticulously clean one fish.
2) Using a sharp knife make around 3-4 horizontal slits along the body of the fish on each side.
3) Apply a little bit of salt to the fish and keep aside.
4) Now mix all the ingredients required for the masala, except for the vinegar/tamarind water. Once the rest of the ingredients are well integrated, add just enough vinegar/tamarind water to get the right consistency. The masala should not be too thin or too thick. It should be just right that it sticks nicely to the fish, without dripping off.
5) Once the right consistency is achieved, nicely coat the fish with the masala paying special attention to the slits. Apply enough masala inside the fish too.
6) Marinate the fish in the masala for a minimum of half an hour. The longer the marination, the deeper the masala penetrates thus enhancing the flavor.
I sometimes marinate the fish overnight in the refrigerator and fry it the next day. If you are planning to marinate for more than an hour, keep the fish for marination in the fridge, since fish has a short shelf life outside the fridge.
7) Heat the tawa on medium high flame. Add about 3 tsps of oil to the hot tawa. Slowly slide in the well marinated pomfret coated with masala onto the tawa. You can close the tawa with a lid, to avoid spluttering of the oil. Once the fish is cooked on one side, slowly turn the side, avoiding splitting up the fish. You may add a little more oil at this stage, only if required. Once the fish has cooked on both sides, remove from tawa and leave for draining on a kitchen towel. Sprinkle lime juice on the ready to eat fish and serve hot with rice and a nice gravy.
8)Repeat step 7 for the 2nd fish.
Note:
a) I generally clean the tawa between frying, to avoid the pieces of burnt masala from frying the first fish sticking to the second fish. Ensure the tawa is sufficiently hot before adding the second fish
b) A variation to this recipe is to dip the fish in Rava/Semolina, before frying it on the Tawa. This recipe is called Fish Rava Masala Fry. This works very well for fish like Pomfrets and Mackerels. This version is particularly good for people who have less spice tolerance.

Update: I fried king fish (Surmai/Isvon) today and included a picture of that as well

Caramel Custard aka Caramel Flan

noreply@blogger.com (The Inscrutable Indian) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 05:40:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite desserts. Any Mexican restaurant will have this delicate and delicious dessert item on its menu. It is very fascinating how the basic ingredients available in any pantry, viz, milk, eggs and sugar can amalgamate to form this lovely sweet delicacy.
Although vanilla custard is the most popular of the lot and my favorite, chocolate lovers will enjoy the chocolate variation while coffee lovers will relish the mocha variation. Here is the recipe for vanilla caramel custard. Try it out and let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients
•Evaporated Milk: 2 cups
•Whole Milk : 1 cup
•Sugar: 1 cup
•Sugar for caramelization: ½ cup
•Eggs: 4
•Vanilla Essence: 1.5 teaspoons

Kitchen Items Required
•A baking dish to bake the custard
•An oven safe dish to prepare the water bath
•A thick bottomed skillet to caramelize sugar and a wooden spatula
•Serving dish

Method

Making Caramelized sugar:
Heat ½ cup of sugar in a thick bottomed skillet. Add just around 2-4 drops of water. Keep stirring the sugar syrup using a wooden spatula till it changes to a deep golden brown color. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into the dish in which you will be baking the custard. Spread the caramel evenly around the bottom of the dish and also a little on the sides.

Making the custard:
1) Mix eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk the mixture. Ensure that you don’t beat it too much, since that could create air bubbles, which spoil the texture of the flan
2) Add the evaporated milk, whole milk and the vanilla essence into this mixture and continue whisking it lightly.
3) Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish which already has the layer of caramelized sugar.
Note:
a) If you do not have evaporated milk, substitute with the same quantity of whole milk. But in this case, it is recommended that you heat the milk before adding it to the egg and sugar mixture.
b) If you are calorie conscious, you could substitute whole milk for either 2% milk or skimmed milk.
To know the differences between whole milk, 2% milk and skimmed milk you could follow this link:
c) If you are diabetic, sugar in this recipe could be substituted for Splenda or any similar sweetener.

Baking the custard:
The custard is baked in a conventional oven on a water bath because of its delicate texture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the custard dish in an oven safe pan of hot water. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until knife inserted into the centre of the custard comes clean.
The custard will continue baking once it is removed from the oven . To avoid this, remove the dish from oven and immediately place it in a pan of ice cold water and let it sit there till it has completely cooled down.Once cool, refrigerate till it is ready to serve.

Just before serving , run a sharp edged knife around the edges of the dish and invert the custard into the serving dish.

If you want to use this recipe, but do not have an oven at home, you could also make the custard in a pressure cooker. I found this link on youtube, where the famous chef Sanjeev Kapoor demonstrates how to make caramel custard in a cooker. Sadly, the audio quality of the clip is extremely poor. But you can get a good idea of the preparation method from seeing the video.
Watch it here: