Saturday 30 May 2015

CHICKEN KASHA






This dry Chicken Curry prepared in a jiffy on a weekday evening is justified. It is time saving made with few basic ingredients. A sudden guest at home, on a weekday can also be treated well with warmth if we have some chicken at home. A simplistic chicken curry, a dal, fritters and a mixed vegetable medley is what we can humbly serve. When we were young, in an average middle class home, guests came without a notice, relationships were informal, warm. The ladies of the house never got scared of it as we do. Our home being nearer to the airport, there was a regular flow of guests. The market being very near to the house, as late as 9 pm our mom used to get chicken from the market and prepare a simple curry with or without potatoes which was heavenly to us. Served warm with rice/roti, along with dal, veggies were really a saviour. A nuclear family would definitely not have four/five extra pieces of fish stored in the pantry, at a time when going to the market everyday and buying fresh was the norm. When I was in the 8th standard we got a refrigerator at home which was used only for making ice. A simple, middle class, two-roomed rented home did accommodate 5-6 guests at a time with warmth. This was the story all around. It is all inside I believe. Life was not mechanical then. Do I want back those days? YES.... I do...

I call it a rustic curry because it is made with few basic ingredients, in a jiffy but with warmth. This chicken kasha meaning dry chicken curry is prepared with very little water and tastes best with chapatis and steamed rice. I believe, in a platter, everything should have an earthy appeal. I very much wanted to serve this in steel utensils but I use them only to offer God, hence they will not be touched with any non vegetarian item. Let us see how we do it.




INGREDIENTS :
Chicken : 1 kg [medium cut]
Onion : 2 [roughly chopped]
Green Chillies : 4 [slitted]
Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 4 tbsp

METHOD :
Wash the chicken and marinate with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt for 1 hour.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions. Fry till golden brown.

Add the ginger n garlic paste. Keep stirring till the raw smell goes.

Add the slitted green chillies, salt, turmeric and stir till the spices separate from the oil.

Add the chicken pieces and fold in well with the spice mix.

Keep stirring at high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Lower the heat to minimum, cover n cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes to avoid burning. 

Open cover and add 1 medium cup of water! Boil cover at low heat till the gravy thickens.

Serve with steamed rice / roti. Some salads will make it complete.








Wednesday 27 May 2015

FROZEN STRAWBERRY YOGURT


This is my first ever attempt to prepare frozen yogurt. I was not really familiar with this dessert back home. After landing here in Singapore, discovered them in the supermarkets. Never did I buy them, instead got home ice-creams. Then what is the inspiration behind preparing them ??.... Well I would say a series of irresistibly attractive desserts posted by my fellow bloggers that are flooding G+ for the past few days. They are definitely a pleasure to watch sitting in a tropical country. I thought let me contribute mine... a simple, humble, easy, cooling dessert which is very easy to prepare.

The desserts posted in G+ are having an amazing cooling effect on me, most of them made with the king of all fruits.... mango. I thought let me think of a fruit, a colourful one which can be used to prepare dessert ideal for summers. I thought of using fresh strawberries. Ever since I came back from Cameron Highlands, I am kind of in love with this redilicious tart fruit. I felt a Strawberry- Yogurt combination should be a healthy way to beat the heat. Hence, I prepared this Frozen Strawberry Yogurt with very little ingredients in a simplest ever way. Lets see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :
Plain Yogurt : 500ml
Strawberry : 300 gm
Condensed Milk : 100ml
Strawberry Essence : 2-3 drops[optional]

METHOD :
Transfer the yogurt in a clean cloth, tie tightly and hang for about 45 minutes.

Wash the strawberries very well. Discard the green portion.

In a blender, put together condensed milk, hung yogurt, 2-3 drops of strawberry essence and the strawberries leaving 2-3of them. Blend throughly for about 3 minutes.

Pour in a container. Chop 2-3 strawberries and mix with the yogurt mix.

Put inside the freezer covered and freeze for 1-2 hours.

Now its ready to serve!!





Monday 25 May 2015

NOTUN ALOOR DOM


This is a winter speciality back home. It is during winter only we used to get small potatoes which is called 'notun aloo', meaning new potato. It is perhaps grown in Nainital; a beautiful, picturesque hill station in the Himachal range. I never could or can equate it's scenic beauty with potato fields. Yet to visit the place, I am sure the inquisitive me will look for potato growing areas and justify the Kolkata vendors  shouting in early December mornings.... 'didi Nainital aloo niye jan'.... At times they would go to the extent of suggesting recipes.... I never  did mind; I could feel the warmth. Missing home is not only about missing family but every little thing taken into account.

So, since childhood Nainital meant both..... a beautiful tourist attraction and the source of small round, new potatoes flooding the Kolkata markets in winter. So far savouring its beauty is concerned, its in our retirement plans to explore the beautiful, incredible homeland, just the two of us. They say, a lifetime is not enough to explore through all the places of our homeland. And, I so crave to visit the nooks and corners of India; a bit differently than I did until now. I wish to explore the local food in each place, if possible the locally grown crops!

Coming to NOTUN ALOO R DUM, here we get the small potatoes throughout the year; I do not have to wait for a particular season to prepare it. At my home; these small potatoes were prepared without onion / garlic. I follow the same recipe. This goes very well with plain chapatis or a vegetarian pulao or just with toasted bread. Come, let us do it.





INGREDIENTS :

Small Potatoes : 300gm
Tomato : 2 medium
Ginger Paste : 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Cumin Seeds : 3 pinches
Bayleaf : 1
Sugar : 1/2 tsp[can be skipped]
Oil : 4 tbsp
Coriander Leaves : 2 sprigs

METHOD :


Wash and boil the potatoes over gas oven till it is 60% done.


Chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves and wash separately.

Once cold, peel the skin of the potatoes with fingers alone.

Rub turmeric and salt keeping it either whole or cutting it half.

Heat oil in the wok. Fry the potatoes in batches till light brown.

Take out draining the oil and keep aside.




Temper the same oil with cumin seeds, bayleaf.

Add the spice paste and fry till the raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till it melts.





Add the potato pieces, fold in well. Stir for 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water and boil for 3 minutes.

Add the sugar [optional] and the chopped coriander leaves. Stir, its done!!



Enjoy with your choice of mains!







Sunday 24 May 2015

MOGLAI POROTA


Are you laughing at the spelling 'MOGLAI POROTA'? This is exactly how it is pronounced everywhere back home. An extremely popular street food, you find this every 200 metres being sold in wheel carts, besides the very old cafes still struggling to survive in strict competition to the boutique restaurants. It is still sold as hot cakes, but the quality has gone down. This is because people prefer to flock the mall hangouts, it is because college goers these days have fatter pockets, they can afford to watch a movie spending 200 bucks following a lunch in a decent restaurant. Back in the 90's, it was college goers like us who really helped these small eateries to survive. In spite of mom packing our lunch boxes, we would manage to save our pocket money and flock into those wheel cart pullers or cafeteria's for a Moglai Porota / Chicken Roll / Fowl Cutlet / Fish Fry. We shared one into two, just as we shared our joys, sorrows, innermost feelings.

My love for Moglai Porota started when I was much younger. The little girl hanged onto  her mom's hands and pestered her to buy it. Mom was not always willing to saying they are unhealthy. The girl who prioritised taste over health, as every other child of her age would, failed to understand her mom. Her anger lingered quite for sometime though mom made them at home which never tasted as good as the stall ones. My brother hated food & eggs in his younger days, in the present day he enjoys a Moglai / Mughlai Porota, actually he loves anything that has meat in it; much like T & our son! 

Mine too I do not claim to be as authentic as the popular eateries never divulge their secret recipes fully. These are stuffed parathas, the filling generally made with cooked spiced up mutton mince / keema, then brushed with beaten eggs, folded in square shapes and fried. It is served with curry based boiled potato and onion rings. We preferred to have it with a serving of salad & sauces for the day!

  



INGREDIENTS : [for the filling]

Minced Mutton : 250-300 gm
Chopped Onion : 3 tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli : 3
Chopped Coriander : 2 tbsp
Minced Garlic : 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Biryani Masala : 2 tbsp
Cumin Seed : 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp
Bread Crumb : 3-4 tbsp
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1 tsp [optional]
Oil : 2 tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the dough]

All Purpose Flour : 2 coffee mug
Salt : As required
Oil : 2 tbsp
Water : As Required [warm water preferably]

INGREDIENTS : [for the finished product]

The Cooked Filling
The Refined Flour Dough
Eggs : 3- 4 beaten
Oil : 100-150 ml or enough to deep fry


METHOD :

Let us prepare the dough first. Take the flour in a bowl. Add 2tbsp oil and 2 pinches of salt and rub well for 1 minute.

Prepare a smooth dough adding water little by little. Cover the dough for 1/2 an hour with a wet cloth. I just use a plate!



Let us prepare the filling now. Wash the minced mutton thoroughly. Marinate with enough salt & wash thoroughly after about two hours! This helps get rid of the raw meat smell! Again marinate with a little of salt & turmeric! Keep aside for some 2 hours!

Chop, mince & wash the spices required!

Heat the oil in a wok & temper with the cumin seeds. Add the minced garlic. As it releases aroma, add the chopped onion & green chillies and fry for a minute at low heat!.

Add the minced mutton, stir and cover, set the heat at minimal.








Open cover after some 25-30 minutes & add the powdered spices, mix well & cover again! Cook at minimal heat for some 12 to 15 minutes, open cover, increase the heat & stir fry to dry the remaining release water!

Add the bread crumbs & fold in well! Add the sugar if using, adjust the salt if required, fold in well! Add the chopped coriander! Stir & mix, take down on a plate!





Now remove the cover from the dough, knead for a minute & make balls from it! Roll out round shaped  parathas. At this point I fail to roll them paper thin as in the shops! The reason why I cannot make rumble roti!

Place 2-3 tbsp of filling on it and brush with generous amount of beaten egg. Fold in from all sides. It will take the shape of a square! Just lightly roll, I fear breakage!

Heat enough oil in a wok. Deep fry each at a time, flipping over after 1 side is done.









We are to serve & have them immediately, else they get soggy!








Thursday 21 May 2015

AMRITSARI MACCHI


Every year in the peak summer season, a kind of apathy towards curries grips in. It is nothing permanent, just that the mind and body craves for coolers. I feel I can survive on watermelons throughout the summer season. While thinking and doing so, I start missing a humble piece of fish after 2-3 days. Remembering olden days, when Kolkata had frequent load shedding with the summer heat on, we barely had the urge to eat anything. Mom used to feed us yogurt lassi with lemon juice, lots of watermelons. When it came to rice, it was either yellow chick pea dal / pigeon pea prepared with raw mango or red lentil with onions, lemon juice squeezed in, crispy potato fries , a veggie n fried fish. In the months of April and May, only sour curries made with tamarind / raw mango were welcome in our family. Those humble dishes served hot tasted heavenly. Our mothers did not have a microwave then, yet they made it sure we eat fresh and hot. In our home, summer or winter, food was always served hot.

At home it was always a typical Bengali food fair. This AMRITSARI MACCHI is what I  learnt much later as I love exploring through various cuisines in the restaurants or elsewhere. Yesterday evening I had to cook, I had some fish fillets, the son and his father are not fond of runny curries, I do not like spending full evening in the kitchen, it is too hot.... Considering all the factors, I found this recipe of fish to be easy, quick, if we can be considerate with the marination time.





INGREDIENTS :

Any firm white fish : 6-7 medium sized pieces
Bengal Gram Flour : 4-5 tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Carom Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Lemon Juice: 1/2 small tea cup
Oil : 4tbsp

METHOD:

Wash the fish pieces thoroughly. Marinate with salt and lemon juice. Keep aside for 2 hours.



Prepare a batter with the gram flour, carom seeds, salt and all the powdered masalas adding water as required.



Discard the extra water from the fish pieces and marinate them in the batter for about 1 hour.


Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the fish pieces in batches.


Put them on tissue papers to soak the excess oil.

Usually these are served as an appetiser, I served them as main course along with turmeric rice and salad.