Green Cardamom happily growing without a care!

A clump of green cardamom plants I found growing quite unnoticed at the edge of a garden. 

Flat bean flowers - growing wild!

 

 

Flat beans or what we call 'same' in north India. The beans are from Mrs Goel's garden. The plant I found growing wild on a stone wall while walking my puppies. Isn't the flower beautiful? The pink is beautiful, but I like the white more.. :)

Orache - Mountain Spinach

Is this orache? Tangy when eaten raw... Was interesting as stir fry..

Dill - the fresh flavour of the season

 

Dill is a herb best used fresh and luckily this is a great time to find fresh dill in vegetable shops in India. In north India it's called Sowa.  The photographs are of dill plants at my friend Shruti's organic kitchen garden. 

How I like using dill:

1) Chopped and tossed with boiled baby potatoes sauteed in oil and butter 

2) Chopped and tossed with pasta along with some stir-fried red onion and garlic slivers

3) Chopped and tossed with soba noodles along with white sesame seeds and sesame oil

Kachnar ki Kali - Bauhinia Variegata

From Mrs Goel's garden.. Said to be a delicacy.

Cooking method:

1. Boil gently - releases the most beautiful floral scent that completely engulfs the kitchen - not complaining at all :)
2. Stir fry with spices and/or garlic/ginger etc..

I personally could not handle the outcome..

Ocimum Basilicum - A robust (purple) Basil plant just at the entrance of Anokhi, Khan Market, new delhi

How to cook Flat beans - simple recipe

1) Boil the flat beans in adequate amount of water till color changes from bright green to more of an olive tone. Turn off the heat.

2) At this point, you could leave them in the warm water to soften further or strain them depending on how you'd like them to be.

3)Once strained, slightly older beans may need to be string-ed. Younger beans will not be string-y. Remove the ends.

4)Toss with salt and raw mustard oil. Alternately, toss with lime/lemon juice, olive oil, salt/pepper.

Bread using Bajra, Jowar, Ragi, Makka, Barley and Maida (Pearl Millet, Sorghum, Finger Millet, Corn, Barley and Wheat Flour)

Yes, I'm back to my blog (and to trying new things with food) - and it feels good. :))

I had been thinking of experimenting with grains in my baking .. Finally, here it is!

So this is 6 grains.. The barley was a chance find at my local departmental store. I have looked for it earlier but never found it. Barley has many health benefits.

Surprisingly the corn meal did not make the bread brittle or grainy. I guess the wheat flour got worked properly with the kneading and the gluten in it was enough to hold all the disparate flours together..

What you see in the picture was my breakfast this morning. Multi-grain bread and Papaya. I had the bread without cheese or butter. It didn't need anything.

Ask for the recipe if you fancy a try. It was kinda stickier than normal dough, but that's also how I wanted it. I've decided to go wetter with the dough for my breads and work it till the gluten starts to string.

garden dec 18 - a slight diversion from my attempts at kitchen gardening - fav butterfly plant and another fav - don't know name

garden dec 18 - junglee saag that's come up on it's own in an abandoned pot

garden dec 18 - mint, 5 days after planting cuttings in sandy soil

garden dec 18 - coriander in full bloom

garden dec 18 - just planted onions for their seeds

garden dec18 - flowering pea

Potato

2nd dec-
















18th dec-

Garden as on dec 2nd - Pui Saag flowering

It's fruiting in the last pic here ..

Garden as on 2nd dec - Pea coming up

pic by my husband Shankar

Garden as on 2nd dec - Butterfly Pea, Blue Pea Vine, Clitoria ternatea

Garden as on 2nd dec - Coriander beginning to flower

Garden as on 2nd dec - Basil flowering

Chilly Potatoes - Chinese style

I have no idea if such a recipe exists in China, but this recipe was created in an attempt to replicate the local Chinese takeaway's "chilli potatoes".

Potatoe wedges - as many as you want
Diced garlic - quantity as per taste
Julienned Ginger - quantity as per taste
Green chillies split along the length - at least one for every large potatoe
Dark Soya Sauce - to taste
Red chilli flakes - to taste
Pepper powder - to taste
Salt
Cooking oil


1. Heat oil in wok. Add half the garlic and half of the split green chillies. After about 2 seconds, add the potatoe wedges.

2. Keep on high heat. Add salt to taste. Spread the wedges out along the sides of the wok. Turn them over after every 10 seconds or so.

3. When the wedges seem half done, add half of the ginger. Keep turning the wedges over...

4. Just before the potatoe is completely done, add the rest of the ginger, green chillies, garlic, chilli flakes, a small dash of pepper and a generous dash of soya sauce. Mix it all up and let the wedges cook till they are done. Fish them out of the oil and onto a tissue lined bowl.

Serve Hot.

Oil-less Banana Cake*

*Made in a brownie tin


2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or atta
6 medium-sized bananas
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Sift the baking powder and flour together. Keep aside.

2. Mash the bananas well. Keep aside.

3. Beat the two eggs lightly. Add the banana and the sugar. Mix well.

4. Add the flour in two or three lots, blending it in well.

5. Grease the brownie tin with vegetable oil. Preheat the oven. Bake at 180 C for about an hour or till baked through (skewer test).

Enjoy!

Good stir fry combinations

bok choy + mushrooms (garlic + pepper)

carrots + onions + celery (pepper)

brocolli + red and yellow bell peppers/capsicum + baby corn (with garlic, pepper, balsmic vinegar)

carrots + onions + celery + cucumber (with ginger, garlic, pepper)

Pork Roast

We've always done our pork roast in a pressure cooker, since that is how our Goan friend Nicole taught us! Yesterday, I decided to actually roast a leg in our oven. The marinade was my own concoction, not a traditional recipe. Oh, and I did the right thing by it to have made a nice and juicy sauce to go with it . Might I add, we had 7 very blissfully satisfied human beings by the end of the experience. :)

p.s. If you're doing this for dinner, it's best to start preparation after lunch.

(serves 6-7)

Prep time:
marination: 3 to 5 hours
baking: 2 hours

We need:

For the Roast
1.5 kg single cut of pork with a generous layer of fat
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
6-7 cloves garlic crushed
1 tablespoon ground pepper/ pepper powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin or zeera powder
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of 1 big lime or 2 small
juice of 1 big kinnow or juicy orange

For the sauce
1/4 cup red wine
juice of half a kinnow
dash of ground pepper
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
salt to taste

Marination:
1. Wash and pat dry the pork. Place in a glass utensil fat side down.
2.Mix the olive oil, chilli powder, cumin powder, ground pepper, lime juice, sugar and crushed garlic in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Rub the marinade into the meat.
4. Leave for the next 2 hours.
5. Squeeze the juice of the kinnow and drizzle it over the meat. Do not rub in. In about another half hour to an hour, it's ready to go into the oven.


Roasting:
1. Preheat the oven - choose a high temperature setting.
2. Place the pork, fat side up on a grill rack. Place the grill rack on a tray that can collect the drippings.
3. Place this arrangement inside the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself.
4. Let it roast till a skewer goes in the central part of the flesh and the juices that ooze out are more or less clear (a little bit of rosiness is not bad - it means it is done medium). The pork should be nicely browned and crispy on the outside.

Sauce:
1. You should have collected about a cup-full of drippings in the oven tray. Add half a cup to a pan and put on heat.
2. Add enough water to the cornflour to make a thin paste and mix well making sure no lumps remain. Slowly add this paste to the drippings while stirring.
3. Add the wine, kinnow juice, ground pepper and sugar. When adding salt, remember that there has to be enough salt in the sauce because there is none in the roast. Reduce while stirring occassionally till it reaches the desired consistency. I avoid making to it too thick.

Note: When you carve the roast, it's best you carve thin slices, with a little bit of both meat and fat on each piece.

That's it.

Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables or a leafy salad. :)

Hiatus

I've written an entry after ages and it feels good. I've not been cooking much since I moved house. Now we live with my in-laws. Apart from the fact that it's great to eat together downstairs with them, my kitchen upstairs has not become fully functional due to several reasons. It will happen soon, though.
Oh and I went on a 5-day detox. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It was a challenge keeping the menu stimulating for myself. But I did it!!! yay!

Vibha Aunty's Mooli Saag Salad

You may hate mooli saag, but you are likely to love this salad. I know I do!

I don't know if it's a traditional Maharashtrian treatment (Vibha Aunty is from Maharashtra) or if it's the sheer genius of Aunty's culinary skills. Recreated in our household by my father-in-law, who's a wonderful cook!

We need:
Fresh Mooli Saag
Ginger
Lime
Green Chillies
Salt

Procedure:

1. Wash and chop the mooli saag into 1/2 cm strips. Bits of mooli tops are welcome.

2. Grate the ginger, chop the chillies and squeeze the lime to make the dressing. Add salt as per taste. The proportion of ginger, chillies and lime is up to your taste sensibilities.

3. Add dressing to chopped saag minutes before serving. The saag should remain crunchy and should not be allowed to stand in the dressing before being served. Once on the table, it gets polished off before you know it!!!



Raphanus sativus longipinnatus:
That's the scientific name of mooli!!! It's originally from Japan, it seems, and is part of the radish (Raphanus sativus) family. In Japanese, it's called Daikon (literally meaning long root). It's used in China, Thailand, Vietnam and other south-east Asian countries. Oh, and it's called moo in Korea. Thought that was kinda cute.

Garlic

Crushed with the flat of your knife, not chopped. I even prefer the peel - jacket-cooking seems to enhance the flavour of garlic to make it more creamy. Put in hot oil, added to bakes. And of course, definitely not out of bottle - always fresh. :)

Aromatherapy

There are few things cooking for which I dont switch on the kitchen exhaust - like bacon. There is no way I am going to waste even a single molecule of that yumminess when I can have it floating about in my house.... yummmmmmm.

Interesting Article

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/dining/index.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1190301982-subph0loA2UsCOwtiMKQMg

Trotter Soup

Serves 2

We need:
1 mutton trotter broken up in three places
3 medium sized onions
Ginger
10 cloves garlic
1 Bunch Coriander preferably with root
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 table spoons Soya Sauce

Procedure:

1. Clean trotter and boil in 2 cups water for about 45 mins in pressure cooker on low flame.

2. Let the cooker cool till it opens on it's own. Add water to the stock in case it has reduced to make it about 3 cups of stock. At this point, you may remove the gelatenous bits off of the bone and discard the bone if you wish. I just let it be in there and discard only dangerous shards. the rest of the bone can yield marrow.

3. Smash about 5 cloves of garlic and add to the stock. But the stock back on the burner and start it again.

4. Peel and slice the onions. Smash the rest of the garlic. In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the chooped onion and garlic. Fry while stirring occasionally till the onion begins to brown. Add this to the stock.

5. Add soya sauce, pepper and salt to the bubbling stock. Clean the coriander with the roots and chop finely including the stalk. Add to the soup. Add about 2 tablespoons of grated or ground ginger.

6. Boil till the onion goes completely mushy and the soup starts to look thicker. The soup is ready.

Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne can be made with beef or as in this recipe, mutton (lamb, goat). Basically red meat. This recipe tries to include the goodness of pork in essence by using smoked bacon to impart an interesting dimension to the aroma. (The link is interesting.)

Serves 2-4 (depending on how greedy people get)

We need:
2 fistfuls dry kidney beans (soak them at least 7 hours)
250 gms mutton mince
2 strips smoked bacon (with fat)
5 medium sized onions
3 medium sized tomatoes
7-8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (if using flakes, use 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
tabasco to taste
salt to taste
cooking medium - 3 table spoons vegetable oil

Procedure:
1. Dice onions. Smash the garlic leaving the skin on - big pieces can be cut up roughly after smashing. Cut bacon into small bits about inch long.

2. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pressure cooker (the beans cook faster in a pressure cooker). Add bacon. Let the fat start melting and the meat go slightly red (this is when it startes smelling divine). Add the onions and garlic. Keep stirring till the onion starts to go slightly golden.

3. Add the mince. Mix well. Add the spices and herbs and a dash or more (according to your taste) of tabasco. Fry while stirring regulary to make sure the meat does not stick to the pan.

4. Cut the tomatoes is rough segments and add to the mince once the oil has separated from it. Add salt to taste. Fry till the tomatoes get soft.

5. The mince should be a nice brown by now. At this point, add about 2 and 1/2 cups water cover and leave on high heat till first whistle. Cook for another 45 mins and then leave the cooker to cool.

Serve with brown bread or brown/white rice.

Breakfast - Apple with ham and cheese

Loved this. Try it. :)

Core and cut apple into segments, preferably with the skin on. Tear ham into bits and drape over each segment. Top with chunks of your favourite cheese.


Yummmm-o !!!

Quick-fix chicken and vegetable meal - Part 2

Tinda Fry - serves 2-3
Cooking time: 10 mins

Tinda is a hugely misunderstood and much maligned vegetable. If you know how to treat it right, tinda can actually belong on your plate. :)

a) Don't chop tinda into tiny bits. With chunkier pieces, the insides stay soft and the tough skin gets cooked well.

b) Tinda tastes best as a fry, rather than curry. It's safer to make a fry, at any rate.

c) Don't kill the natural taste of tinda with too much masala.

d) Don't overcook tinda - it tastes like shit. Keep it slightly crunchy.


We need:

3 tindas
1 big tomato or 2 small ones
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
Pepper
Salt
Cooking medium - vegetable oil

Procedure:

1. Chop tinda into segments.

2. Heat oil in wok till almost smoking. (The trick to know when the oil is hot enough for this is to see how the oil starts thinning out - if you spread it out on the pan/wok, it will move back in veins. ) Add tinda and the garlic. Stir. Keep the heat up.

3. After about a min, add salt. Fry on high for another 2 mins. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into big segments.

4. Add tomatoes, pepper. Stir and keep the heat up for another 2 mins. Lower the heat and cover with a lid.

5. After about 4-5 mins, check to see if you can cut through the tinda. There will be a little bit of resistance and that is what makes it nice a crunchy. Turn it off and serve with the chicken (see the post below).

Quick-fix chicken and vegetable meal - part 1

I always want a vegetable side dish with my meat or poultry, served pre-plated. So I've learnt to multi-task in order to finish cooking both things about the same time so that they're both hot and edible.

This is the result of a lazy evening when the chicken took its own time to thaw and then it was time for "UglyBetty". So I cooked this during the breaks. (Used two breaks - one for prep and the other for setting them on the stove). This post is the chicken and the next one is the vegetable.


Chicken cooked in a Sandwich Spread - serves 3
Cooking + prep time: 35 mins

You Need:

300-500gm chicken
3-4 tomatoes
4 tablespoons Chilli Garlic Spread* (I used the one that 'Fun Foods' brings out- was lying in my fridge)
Cooking medium - vegetable oil
Salt to taste


Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken in the chilli garlic paste for 10 mins.

2. Meanwhile chop the tomatoes as roughly or finely as you wish (makes no difference).

3. Heat the oil in pan till smoking. Add the chicken carefully - please don't get splattered.

4. Keep on high heat for 5 mins to brown. Turn the chcken pieces over.

5. Add salt, add the chopped tomatoes and cover with a lid.

6. Check after 5-6 mins. If the chicken's not getting burnt, it's doing fine. There should be a thick-ish gravy forming by now. Add a half a cup of water if you want a slight bit of gravy. Cover and cook for another 10-15 mins or until its done to your liking.


*It's a great thing to keep in stock. Yummy on cream crackers, cheese, bread. And now with chicken. :) Also, it's available at most grocery stores.

Mango Sangria, Apple Sangria

I had a blast making Sangria this weekend with the help of some wonderful friends! (Do follow the link here, it's really interesting. And the one at the end of the write-up.)

Well, these quantities are to make a batch using one bottle of red wine. Makes about 5 glasses.

(The picture's obviously downloaded.)

We need:

1 Bottle red wine (any) (preferably chilled, since this is a summer drink)
1 to one and half cups 7 Up or Sprite
5-7 medium sized limes
6-7 tablespoons sugar
1 fruit: mango/apple

MAKING IT:

1. In a large-ish pot, squeeze the juice of the limes. Make sure you seive the pips.

2. Peel and dice the fruit. Add to the lime.

3. Add the sprite/7 Up and the wine. Add the sugar and stir till it dissolves. Refrigerate for about 10-15 mins (at least; it's best left alone for an hour or so) for the drink to chill and for the fruit flavours to blend with the wine etc. (Actually, the fruits taste much nicer too.)

4. Serve in glasses with thinly sliced lime and ice.

Why you should not order sangria in Spain

Ridged (Loofah) Gourd Stir Fry

This is a yummy Cantonese recipe.

Serves 2

WE NEED:
5 cloves Garlic - chopped/crushed
3 medium-sized ridged gourds
Cooking medium - vegetable oil
Salt
Fish Sauce (totally optional)



PROCEDURE:

1. Clean and scrape the grouds - I prefer not to use a peeler. Scrapping along the length of the vegetable with a knife gets the tough bits out (the rigdes) while leaving a little bit of the softer green skin which is yummy and which helps keep the vegetable juicy.

2. Cut into inch long fingers - cut along the length into quarters and then into inch long pieces.

3. Heat oil in wok or frying pan till it just about begins to smoke. Add garlic. Add the gourd after 2-3 seconds. Keep the heat high, but keep tossing or stirring to avoid burning for the next 7-8 seconds.

4. Add salt and toss - remember that gourd reduces a bit, so go easy. Leave it on high heat for another 4 seconds without stirring or tossing for a little bit of browing. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat a little.

5. Take off the lid - you should see the groud beginning to go soft around the edges - it's done. remember that gourd continues to cook even after you take it off the heat. So it's a good idea to turn it off now. If you want gooey-er, be my guest, leave it on longer. :)

6. OPTIONAL: Dash of fish sauce 3-4 seconds before you take it off the heat.


SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like to serve it with chilli beef or pork. The gourd serves as a bed to top the chilli beef over.

Herb Chicken

Serves 2

Time: 35 mins including prep

We need:

6 medium-sized pieces chicken
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
3-5 cloves garlic
1 medium tomato
Cooking medium - vegetable oil/olive oil/butter
Salt to taste

SUMMARY:
1. Marinate chicken with herbs for 10 mins.
2. Heat oil in pan and add chicken. Cook on high heat for 3-5 mins.
3. Add smashed garlic, splash with water and cover. Lower the heat.
4. Let it cook for 4-5 mins. Turn the chicken over - it should be nicely done on one side by now. Add diced tomato, salt to taste. Cover and let it cook for another 4-5 mins or till the chicken's done.
5. Remove from pan and serve with stir fried vegetables, on a bed of brown rice.


DETAILED PROCEDURE:

1. Marinade chicken with the herbs and pepper for 10 mins.

2. Heat oil in pan till it begins to smoke. Using hands (if brave) or tongs, place chicken in pan.

3. Let it cook on high heat for abt 3-5 mins. This will sear the side that's down and lock the flavours. If the flame is too high and you can sense that the herbs or the chicken is getting burnt, then you can turn down the heat a bit.

4. Smash the cloves of garlic (I dont peel them) and add to the chicken, making sure they are in the oil. (By now the chicken would have given out its fat content too). Cover the pan immediately to keep the goodness of garlic from escaping. Splash about half a fistful of water (2 tablespoons) into the pan and cover immediately. This will keep the steam inside and help in the cooking process. Lower the heat. Let it cook for another 4-5 mins.

5. While you let the chicken cook for another 4-5 mins, dice the tomato into smallish cubes. Take the lid off the pan and try turning over the chicken. It should more or less not be stuck to the pan, and turn over quite easily. The chicken should be fairly browned (done) on this side. Add the tomato and salt. You can leave some of the tomato on the chicken and let some of it land in the oil. Put the lid back on and leave for another 5 mins or till a fork goes in cleanly or the meat leaves the bone (in case you are not using boneless chicken).

6. Remove from heat and serve with stir fried or steamed vegetables, on a bed of brown rice.


Keeping it Juicy:

*Keeping the chicken covered when it's cooking on low heat locks the moisture in the chicken to keep it juicy.

*A splash of water keeps the chicken from drying/burning and covering the lid immediately helps to keep the steam in the pan, helping the chicken to cook faster.

*Adding salt toward the end rather than in the beginning also helps to keep the chicken juicy. When you add chicken at the start, it makes the chicken release its juices, making it stringy and dry. When you add salt toward the end, the chicken has already seared on one side and cooked on the other side, thus locking in all the juices. So when you add the salt, the chicken CAN'T release the good stuff. :)

Please try this recipe and tell me how it went and how it tasted. I promise to put up pics soon.

NEXT: An unsual stir fry. :)