Sunday Night Dinner - Lal Maas

I have been somewhat underweather for the past few days and had to be subjected to a bout of antibiotics. So, today for dinner, I wanted something fiery, spicy and meaty. Normally I would just get a portion of burra kebabs from Kwalitys, but as my doctor has banned me from eating outside, decided to cook mutton at home. I also wanted a recipe in which I would not need to marinate mutton, because invariably, I make mistakes and lose patience midway.

After pouring through the collection of cookbooks that had been gathering dust, I located a recipe for lal maas (literally red meat) in Curry. The recipe did not call for complicated ingredients and I had everything I needed. The recipe itself is simple and involves first soaking the dry red chillies, then frying the garlic and onion until golden brown alongwith cloves, green and black cardamoms and bayleaves. Then adding the mutton and frying for 2-3 minutes, adding the soaked red chillies, cooking some more, then adding a yogurt and spice mixture (coriander powder, roasted cumin, red chillies powder - I used Kashmiri, salt) and cooking until the water dries up. I then detracted from the recipe and plonked it all into a pressure cooker, added stock, checked the seasoning and then pressure cooked until 6 whistles because I like my mutton dropping off the bone in curries. After the pressure had gone down, I added some chopped coriander. The original recipe called for a tadka of ghee, cloves and some more dry red chillies, but I thought it was aromatic enough and I didnt want it to be swimming in fat.

Ate it with hot phulkas (chappatis). I was very satisfied with this recipe and plan to incorporate it in my favourites. Mostly because it is easy to cook and I am very lazy, the flavouring is wonderful and it comes out looking very very inviting.

Smoothies For Dummies

1. Forget to eat fruits for breakfast - All 4 kinds. You may not be able to make out thanks to my stellar photography, but you have watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and pomegranate here.
2. Worry that you will get scurvy, malaria, cancer, gall bladder stones, acne everything because you havent eaten 4-5 helpings of fruit.
3. Whip out the immersion blender.
4. Smoothie time!
5. Take 2 views of your glass, just because lack of content makes one post inanities on one's blog.

Milk

I watched SATC2 on a flight and the copious Bailey's I was swigging made the movie watchable. The one thing that stuck with me was the Indian valet putting cinnamon in the milk he was heating for Samantha. I thought that was a weird combination, because Milk in my mind went with cardamom (elaichi) and I didnt like it. I do love cinnamon in my baked goods though, so I thought I'd try that out. Its simple. Just crush up a stick of cinnamon and plonk it in the milk you're heating. Strain and drink. I loved it. Its the perfect spice for milk. Absolutely perfect. Its like drinking cake batter. A lot of you may go "ewwww..", but I'm the licking the batter kind of baker. So, if you like cinnamon and you like milk, try it. May be old hat to a lot of you, but to me this is a novelty.

What's Been Baking?

I have been fascinated by baking but have been really scared. I got myself a basic Oven - an OTG, because I feel grilling and baking is far more healthier than dunking in gravies and curries. Since then, I have sorta lost my fear of baking and have been experimenting.

So, what have I baked so far?

Muffins, Sponge cake, Pistachio Cake, Scones, Coffee Mocha Cake and Pecan Squares. Some of my experiments are successfully, and some aren't, mostly when I tweak a recipe because I doubt the measures. I really need to be more trusting.

And, now some pictorial evidence...

Pecan Squares Pistachio Cake

Coffee Mocha Cake

Muffins
Muffins

The most successful of my experiments have been the muffins and the Pistachio cake. I have tweaked the Pistachio cake recipe and am posting it here. As long as you stick to the measurements it is a foolproof one. The cake is dense, but has the loveliest nuttiest crumb. I really cant get enough of it.

PISTACHIO CAKE
Ingredients
· 3/4 cup shelled pistachios
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 cup whole milk
· 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
· 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
· 1 cup sugar
· 3 large eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 170° C. Butter a cake pan. Most recipes ask for flouring the cake pan etc., but I find that just greasing cake tins works better for me. If you wish, you may flour it.
Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground (be careful not to grind into a paste). Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt and mix well. I normally whisk it very very lightly for 2-3 minutes. Combine milk and vanilla.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add pistachio flour and milk in batches, and mix until just combined.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick comes out clean. It normally takes me 25-20 minutes. Cool and cut into squares and serve warm or later.

I got this recipe from epicurious and have tweaked it. I reduced the amount of baking powder to half because my cakes would rise too much and get too crusty and crack. I have also reduced the amount of cardamom to half of what was mentioned in the recipe, because this way the delicate of the pistachios really comes through.

Anyway, enjoy!

In Memory Of Meals Gone By

And what a meal it was!

Muffin Is Not Cake

Whenever I return from the US, the only thing I miss are the muffins and the bagels and the..., well, lets not get into that, but a good muffin is not easily available in Calcutta. By a good muffin I mean a muffin and not a cupcake, which passes off as muffin at most establishments. The places that do good muffins seem to use too much butter. I want my muffin to be cinnamony, have a crumb and be a little dense but not too much and give an indication of what went into it. So, desperate in need of a good muffin, I decided to bake them on my own.
I checked my recipe books, scoured on the Internet and ahem, chose the easiest one. It is as easy as making a pack of ramen. Seriously.
I tweaked the recipe I found a little to get me the exact muffin taste I wanted. Here is the recipe, just in case...
Ingredients
1 cup Quaker Oats (the 3 min cooking ones)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (I added 2 tsps more to the 1/4 cup)
1 heaped tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1 egg
1/4 cup oil (I used saffola - did fine)

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C. Grease muffin tins. Mix the oats and milk and let it soak for 15 mins. Best the egg and oil. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the raisins and nuts to ensure they are homogenized. After the egg and oil have combined, add the oats-milk mixture and mix well. Add the flour-sugar-baking powder-cinnamon mixture bit by bit and keep mixing to ensure no lumps are formed. Add the raisins and almonds (I plan to add cranberries and walnuts next time) and mix well. Pour into the muffin tins/ cups uotil the surface. This is important or you wont get a muffin shape. Bake at 180 deg C for 20-25 minutes until done. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is done.
Once out just knock out of tin and stuff in your face, like I did. I blame it to the smell. OH the smell of baking wafting is enough to make your brain say "muffin! muffin! muffin!"

A close up. This looked much better than the pic.
This is after knocking it out of the cup. Shape held well even after cooling. So, Yay!

Just look at that crumb! Seeing the success of my first baking experiment, I will be baking A LOT now.

Tandoori Chicken - Dinner Tonight

One of my culinary ambitions is to be able to make a good Tandoori Chicken at home. Why? I spent few years in Delhi and grew to love the rustic simplicity of TC. Sure, decent TC is available everywhere, but cooking and eating at home, ensures I actually know what went into my food.
So, I am on a perfecting TC mission. Yesterday, I marinated a whole skinned chicken with ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, chilli powder, salt, a wee bit of rock salt, some garam masala and some lime juice. I'm not happy with the marinade. Somethings missing, I think I need to up the yoghurt and use fresh ginger-garlic. Well, I marinated the chicken overnight and then put it in the griller at 190 deg C for about 1 hour and turned it around 3 times. It was cooked perfectly. The right amount of char and soft and very well-cooked inside. So, I got the timing correct atleast.
This is the best picture - somewhat obscene looking Tandoori Chicken!

Dining

The suit was pinstriped. Ferragamo it was rumored. The dinner was a carnivore's delight. The conversation was a battle of egos, and after a while the name dropping got intense and fierce. They said Per Se, he said Lugers. And then they knew, they would be incompatible.

Put On Your Makeup Me Beauties

For I can't wait to eat you all up!

So Women + Wine = Fallen Woman?

Prior Art: They say that if you aren't sure of something, you should keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool rather than open it and confirm the sorry fact. Anyhow. Being inclined towards the good things in life, including Le food and Le drink, I am inclined to socializing based on my likes, so that even if I secretly don't like the people I meet, I at least am sticking to the pleasure principle by enjoying my food and drink.
Background: My work involves occasionally imbibing huge quantities of alcohol and still having a clear head and no, I don't work for UB. College prepared me well for this aspect of my job and I confidently can state that I can out drink a normal man (I do know of some Goliaths and this david, cannot slay them, but the average man who likes his drink, I can out drink). I hate people making drinking or any pleasure of life an ego thing, since I feel it takes away the initial pleasure. After 3 bottles, the wine one drinks, could be plonk and one would still feel it was a Mouton de Rothschild, still if so inclined, I can be competitive.
At work, I really work, but outside work, I am a secret party animal. However, you could never make this out if you saw me at work.
Description: Calcutta, cracks me up. I joined a sorta secret sisoty of people who get together to enjoy food and drink. When I do things, I do them very literally. I wouldnt have joined if there was any other ulterior motive, such as social climbing - something I hate from the bottom of my heart. Apparently, the objective of this sisoty has not been taken as literally as I did, by everyone in it. I met someone I had been sorta communicating professionally and I got talking and then this guy asked me if I was the self same ogress plumpernickel and I said yes and he appeared gobsmacked. According to him, my erstwhile reputation as a non-smoking, non-drinking pavitra bhartiya nari (FAIL!) was now in tatters, since I apparently enjoyed sura and sur and therefore was now typecast as a fallen women. Oh Calcutta! Indeed!

Chicken Dumpling Soup

I love dumplings and have discovered they are fairly easy to make. Very easy in fact, if you have been cooking and know your way around a kitchen. This chicken dumpling soup is hearty and very satisfying AND easy to make. I normally make a big batch of dumplings enough for 3-4 dinners. These keep well in fridge for about a week. Sorry about the quality of pics. I cook at night ALWAYS and mostly am too tired to plan my pics. So, the pics here are meant to give one a general idea. Anyway, this is the recipe.
Ingredients
For the dumplings - Ground chicken 500 gms, celery 2 stalks chopped fine (optional - I love chicken and celery, so I use it), coriander about 2 tablespoonfuls chopped v fine, 2 green chillies chopped fine, 2 spring onions chopped v fine, 1 red onion chopped very fine, ginger minced - about 1 heaped teaspoon, salt to taste, fresh ground pepper, 2 eggs, corn flour
For the soup - basic chicken stock - about 1.5 litres/ 2 litres
Method
Combine the dumpling ingredients and add enough cornflour to make a mixture that looks like this.
Heat the stock to a boil, then turn DOWN the heat and drop tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the boiling stock GENTLY. I used my hands because thats how I cook. Keep adjusting the heat and when the dumplings rise to the surface, they are done. This takes about 5-15 minutes depending on the size of your dumplings.

Drain and take out the dumplings and keep making batches until your batter is finished. The dumpling look like this.

Since, I am greedy, I ate some just like that. But, if you have more self control, wait until all dumplings are done, then turn up heat of the stock until it boild furiously, tilt all the dumplings gently into it, let them bubble away merrily for 2-3 minutes and then ladle out and eat.

The above picture does not do justice to the wonder of this soup, but it is restorative and very tasty.

Afternoons and Coffeespoons

Afternoons encourage the exchange of confidences. Based on wholly true incidents - WHEN ONE JUST DOES NOT WANT TO BUMP INTO AN EX-BOYFRIEND:
1. On meeting your daughter's in-laws at her wedding, your longtime ago ex from school turns out to be your son-in-law's piano teacher. You think, "God! WTF did I see in this loser?"
2. You wait for an hour at the gynaecologist, only to come face to face with an ex, who grins and says, "So, are we ready to be examined yet?"
3. At an interview you are taking, for personal assistants.
4. While watching the latest action flick, the idiots sitting in the front row keep necking. Lights go on and it is an ex with some 16 year old.
Just for the record, none of the above happened to me.

Sugar Baby

If I had to eat just one kind of thing again and again and again, I would eat dimsum. Cheating, yeah, but yeah, dimsum.
So, in memory of dimsums that I dont remember where I ate...
The condiments...

Mushroom and chicken - Too, too good.

Prawn hargaos. Not bad, not bad at all.

This was actually the dessert, a sago and mango dessert. Words cannot describe the wonderfulness.

Shiumai.
There is something to be said in that I tried to remember where I ate this meal but I still remember the flavors - Singapore? San Francisco? Seattle? Was it last year? Was it this year? What is wrong with me? Why cant I remember this? I think it was either San Francisco or Seattle. Still that dessert - Wow!

The Snapper Saga

Last Sunday I came across white snapper and red snapper that looked really fresh at Spencer's fish shop, so I got both and also mackerel. Now, I am surprised. The white snapper, red snapper and the mackerel are way cheaper than Beckty, Hilsa and even rui! So, I am on a mackerel and snapper binge fest!

So, today was a Red Snapper dinner. This recipe has been pieced from Kylie Kwong's show, Ken Hom's recipes and also flavors from Vietnam and Thailand. This one is deep fried Red Snapper with a tangy chilly tamarind sauce. This is so simple and took me about 30 mins to prep and cook. The sauce was tamarind water, lime juice, sugar, garlic macerated, chillies chopped finely, shallots minced, coriander, mint leaves (that for some reason arent visible in the photo) and fish sauce. The fish was dusted with salt, pepper and flour and deep fried just like Kylie Kwong's technique and it was absolutely smashing! The fish was deep fried first and the sauce just poured over it. This was so good, it should be made illegal. I kid you not.

Red Snapper deep fried with tamarind chilly garlic sauce.

On Sunday, for dinner, I decided to bake the White Snapper. I wanted a clean, plain mouthfeel, so decided to keep the fish free from spices. I rubbed the snapper with olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper, threw some garlic flakes over it and plonked it in the oven at about 190deg C for about 20-25 minutes. This was perfection. The fish was cooked perfectly. The freshness of the fish was not drowned by any spice or flavouring and each bite was moist, flaky and tasty.

Baked White Snapper

My Vada-Pav Eating Expedition

I'm not really into street food. I am however, into Anthony Bourdain. And if Anthony can eat Vada-pav once and dig it, should I not atleast have one Vada-pav experience? So, desperate measures were in order. In desperate times, one turns to moms. Non? So, I rang up mata and explained the dire necessity of eating Vada-pav. I needed to visit Mumbai and partake of Vada-pav or else life was not worth living.

Well, in summary, Veni, Vidi, Veci......

Mata and Mr. Mata dutifully surveyed all the Vadewale in their area and came up with Shreedutt on the Panvel-Pune Highway. This was a sight to watch. No sooner were the vadas out of the kadhai, they landed right in the plates of people who just could not seem to get enough. We also had misal, saboodaana khichdi and kokum sherbet, but thats for another post. The vade were good.
A week after that, I went to Pune to my visit my parents and I related our Vada-pav expedition and my parents told me of Joshi Vadewaale, apparently the best Vadewale of Pune, who according to them must be closed due to Swine flu, because EVERY FUCKING thing in Pune was closed. However, in the spirit of things and to further our Vada-pav research, my father went on an exploratory mission and located 2 vadewaale in Baner (where they stay) - Rohit Vadewaale and one another who's name, sadly I have forgotten now. Anyhow, Vade were obtained "purely for research" - 4 each - Daddy dearest being a scientist always does VERY precise things, and consumed "purely for research"! The things we do for science!

The Other One

Rohit Vadewale

Hmmmmmm..... The truth was that we couldnt decide which were better. According to me, potatoes - good, deep fried in batter - good, soft pav - good, deep fried chillies - good, garlic chutney - good. All together - Good.

However, the Shreedutt vade had an edge because they were piping hot, the garlic chutney had an interesting edge. However, the pav was not so great.

The End!

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FOLLOW MY RECIPE, WHY ASK ME?

Mister! Do you have any answers? NOW?
Parboiling veggies does not make them crunchy and the difference between crunchy and crispy is GOD the OIL. I hate it when people don't follow my instructions and in my kitchen I and ONLY I will cook. I hate it when people dont hold a knife as it should be held, fold the kitchen towel crookedly and I will stab anyone with a cleaver who leaves the lable on the countertop.

Things I Want Before I Die

This post's title's byline should read - I Don't Know Why I Am Posting This.

I love to shop, yet I didn't shop for anything other than tylenol in NY because I didn't have the time! I already have a things to do before I die list (Out of which I have completed one more thing, so its down to 31! Baby steps people! Baby steps!). So I'm posting a "Things I want before I die" list. Also, I will sell-out for atleast 5 of these things, but I'm not telling which. Actually, considering that no one seems to read this blog anymore, I keep asking myself, what is the huge secret, still...

1. Fine china tableware (a full service dinner set and a tea set with a teapot and the works) - wedgwood or royal doulton. Beautiful table ware makes me go eeeee....
2. A huge kitchen and when I say huge, I mean HUGE - 1000 sq ft Huge - all my ex-apartments and my very own current darling apartment have tiny kitchens where I can barely store my stuff or move around (however, I have pulled off a 4 course, cooked from scratch - I didn't mill the flour or anything, but I don't use any mixes ever - dinner and lunches for over 8 people, so I know if one really wants to cook, one can) and in my dream house I want a HUGE kitchen and a HUGE pantry.
3. A black and a neutral trench coat that I can wear all my life and that make me look slim.
4. A vineyard and an orchard where I want to grow figs, loqats and peaches.
5. A picasso, a chagall, a subodh gupta, a raza, a warhol, a britto, a hussain and a kingshuk sarkar.
6. A voter's identity card.
7. My grandmother's (either - both were very spirited, independent and strong-willed) or father's determination and resolve.
8. My mother's recipes for making gujiyas and mathris - she grudgingly gave them to me, but I know she's left out something because mine just don't taste the same, when I asked her, she said - the ingredients are not the same quality!
9. A Bergama and a Milas carpet each - oh the beauty!
10. Lots and lots of shoes - only italian please, I tried out a million manolos and choos but I know I can't walk in them, on the other hand my coccinelle shoes are darlings. I spent 6.5 hours in them on my feet about 10 days back - 2.5 inch heels - and neither did my feet swell, nor did I get any corns, I was just tired and if thats not a good shoe, I don't know what is.

These are things I really, really want. I don't think I can afford any of the above right now, but planning now sure seems a good idea.

Lethal Bomb In Refridgerator

I made a lethal chilli sauce with chillies, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. Processed it until smooth and have been eating smidgens of it with EVERYTHING - Pizza, sandwiches, Hot fluffy chapattis, salads, cucumber and carrot sticks, popcorn (I know it sounds weird, but mmmm... to me atleast), plain steamed rice, boiled potatoes, noodles, dal, steamed broccoli, lettuce....

It sits innocently in my fridge, but a tiny drop is enough to make your ears tingle and your eyes water endlessly and the smell is so garlicky-vinegary-enticing.

AND it works better than coffee to keep me awake.

Reasons Why I Love My Job - The Omnivore's 100

I read this on cooksister, and I knew I just HAD to do this. Some guy (sorry, I have not been blogging regularly) has made a list that every omnivore should eat. I love lists and I love to eat. The bold items on the list are what I have eaten (burp!) and the struck out one's are the things I will never try. So --- here's what I have eaten...
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi - Eat practically every week (heh)
15. Hot dog from a street cart - Noo York, Noo York
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - My uncle's wine from roses and plums
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras - I don't care what the food police says, FG is ambrosia
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - My 2nd fav food after FG
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas - YUM! YUM! Tong's Garden - Life would be so incomplete without you
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi - every week (Yay India)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - Does doing the two separately count? IMHO, yes....
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - every week (Yay India)
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - I'm convinced this is another fake indian curry like chicken tikka masala
44. Goat’s milk - at my grandparents and something I'm not doing again
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - Thank you job!
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - Thank you job!
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Thank you job!
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst - One of the best things (foodwise) about TJermany
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini - Thank you job!
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini - Thank you job!
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare - I was v surprised at liking this, eating cute things is normally where I draw the line
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
100. Snake


79 out of 100. Not bad. Though nothing will make me eat brains and roadkill is not really my style.

Checkpoint Chamia - Because Why Should Cocktails Not Have Indian Names?

Last Summer, I was in Berlin. This summer too I will be in Berlin, for a week, working my ass off. I took a picture that I liked a lot. I described it to V.

In summers, I need lime, lemons and lemony drinks. I want all my drinks to have a twist of lime, if possible. Also, I made up a new cocktail and I wanted a new name. According to V, why should Cocktails not have Indian Names? Indeed, why not? V named this one and the name kind of grew on me.

Checkpoint Chamia

Sprite
Absolut Citron
Limoncello
Lime or lemon juice
Ice

Mix and match to the strength you want. Me, I like mine with LOTS of limoncello and lime juice...