Sweet Chilly Roast Pork

According to German tradition, partaking in a roast of pork dinner on Christmas Eve will prevent evil and promote prosperity in the New Year. Most food folklore suggests that New Year's celebrations should include pork and sauerkraut to ensure good luck in the coming year.

What better time than now to share this recipe!

It was Debita's son's birthday.Who cared what the 3 year olds were eating or doing or not doing. Four of us adults were devouring (no other word can describe the ardent eating act), sweet chilly pork. Vowed to re-create then and there, with maybe one twist and here goes or rather lo behold!

Use a kilo of pork, a good cut to use would be pork belly without skin with fat, chopped in cubes. Wash and clean well. Marinate with salt to taste and a paste of ginger and garlic. I used about 2 inches ginger and about 15 pods of garlic. Keep this marinated in the fridge for 1 - 2 days. 

On the day of serving, boil in a pressure cooker, allow about two whistles and let the steam blow out on its own. This will enable the meat to be tender. Now in 2 tbsp warm white oil, toss in about 3 finely cut red onions. Stir till the onions take on a transparent pink colour. Next goes in the pork with its marinade. Stir well. Now add about 10 tbsp of chilly jam, in Mumbai I used the Moshe one. Try and check out at Indigo or one of the Food Halls. Toss well. Keep a lid on and continue this for a good ten minutes or so. Sprinkle red chilly flakes. Now throw in two large red peppers cut in cubes. Toss again, allow the liquids to dry up though retain the wetness.This would need another 5 mins.Check for salt. 

Serve hot. Leftover cold is also absolutely delicious. 

Grilled Tilapia

My Bengali fish eating mother would quirk up her nose at the sight of a Tilapia fish. To her it is really a step down from the 'Papda', 'Parshe' and 'Tangra'. All these three are names of classic small whole fish that we make curries out of. Bengali me, with a natural instinct to not agree with Ma, I always loved the flavours of the Tilapia fish cooked normally in a curry. 

Even the poorly regarded Tilapia has such an interesting history. It was one of the three fish caught in the Biblical times from the sea of Galilee. In Egyptian art one finds a Tilapia hieroglyph above the heads of a tomb.

As they say, everyone has a story to tell. So does the Tilapia. I have always seen the black Tilapia. This time I caught (there goes my usual romantic drama again!!!) - I meant spotted and bought pink ones. They were beautiful, smiling, almost tickled pink. So this is what I did to them. You must too. Soon.

Assuming that you have asked the seller to clean it well, wash the whole fish nicely. Now make a couple of slanting gashes on the body on both sides. Marinade for about half an hour with salt, turmeric and chilly powder using measures up to your taste. I used half a tsp of each. Then lightly pan fry in little warm oil on both sides till lightly golden in colour. For this use a non-stick pan please.

Make a paste of 3 onions, 4 pods of garlic and 1 green chilly. In 2 tbsp warm oil, fry the paste in low heat. After 3 mins, add 1 full tsp of coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder, dried curry powder, pepper powder and coconut powder each. I usually keep this powder medley ready in my fridge. For quickness you could instead use ready in a packet East Indian fish masala. Nicely cook the paste for atleast 6 mins or so. Now allow it to cool till it is at room temperature.

With your hand coat the masala onto the fish lovingly with some shoving into the gashes you had earlier created. Do this on both sides. Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves and slit green chillies. 

Grill for 20 mins at 150 degrees. Serve with a dash of lime or allow that to be a choice. 

Mediterranean Vegetable Pie

This is a rather Turkish pie. Did we know that the word 'turquoise' comes from the word 'Turk' meaning Turkish. This is derived from the beautiful jewel-like colour of the Mediterranean sea on the South Turkish coast. I have always found the word 'Mediterranean' hauntingly enigmatic. Its like there is a story in every shore, and honestly so it is. Every city the sea has allowed to park is a beautiful destination. The magic is everlasting.

I am calling this dish a pie though it is not a true-blue one. The base is made with potatoes. So you can change the name if you feel you are cheating.

Like most pies, this too has a base, but the base is made with potatoes. For a serving of around 4, take 3 large potatoes, wash them well and make slices. Brush the slices with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper exactly in that order. Line them up on a baking try and bake for 8 mins. Then set them aside. I did not bother to skin the potatoes. 

Next grind the following spices in a small grinder to make a powder. And once again keep the powder aside.

1 tsp dry ginger, 5 peppercorns, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of mace, seeds of 1 large cardamom, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 3/4 tsp coriander powder and salt to taste. 

In a warm wok with 4 tbsp of warm olive oil,  toss in 2 small chopped onions, 4 chopped pods of garlic and 1/2 inch of chopped ginger. Cook till light golden brown. Now add 3 cups of chopped carrot, peppers, beans and cauliflower. Allow the vegetable to become soft and cooked but keep the crunchiness. Now add the spice powder mix. A romantic fragrance will waft through your kitchen. Enjoy. In about 4 mins, add 1/2 a cup of white wine and a handful of good quality raisins. You can use prunes instead. Now add a bunch of chopped washed spinach and cook for 4 mins. Lastly throw in a handful of chopped walnuts. Taste for salt. Remove from heat. 

This is your filling. Layer your base dish with the grilled potatoes. Next fill up with the vegetable filler.  

By now your oven should be pre-heated. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 mins. Serve hot after sprinkling some pomegranate.

Enjoy this aromatic brilliance!

A Baby Corn Carrot Water Chestnut Zucchini Curry

I do not consider myself to be a very innovative cook. I am a recipe follower. Conditioned to be obedient more often than not I follow the instructions to the last word. On a rare occasion, I do come up with an idea which so far has been pleasurably edible if I may a bit immodestly declare. Also, often I find entertaining 19 ardent non vegetarian guests and 1 strictly vegetarian guest. I am sure many are empathizing with me as they peruse this post. On one such evening I came up with this recipe. It is a miracle but the carnivores also really enjoyed this broth. 

So, you take a packet of baby corn, wash well and cut into one inch slants. Par boil and set aside. Do exactly the same to to two small hopefully red but orange will also do carrots. Next cut the zucchini like you do the others but please do not boil it. Peel the water chestnut and just halve them.

I use about 2 large onions paste and about half an inch of ginger paste and one large chopped tomato. In a warm wok, add about 2 tbsp oil and add the onion ginger paste when the oil is warm. After stirring gently for 3 mins in not very high heat, add 1 tbsp full coriander powder, 1/2 tsp chilly powder and salt to taste. Next add in the tomatoes and mix well. Cook till the paste is cooked and there is no raw smell. Add the baby corn, water chest nuts and the carrots. Mix again and cover the wok with a lid and reduce the heat control to the lowest. After about 5-6 mins, open the lid and add the zucchini. Stir well. Cover again for another 3 mins. Now pour in about 200 ml of coconut milk, blend everything well with a spatula and allow the broth to simmer for 4 more mins. It is time to add about a cup full of warm water. Check the salt, let the gravy simmer. For a quick punch add a dash of tomato ketch up and you are done. 

Enjoy with steamed rice or steamed noodles or rice noodles. The taste is slightly oriental, kind of Burmese. The beauty is that you can serve with either oriental or South Indian cuisine and of course it sparkles in a fusion menu. 

Beetroot Yogurt With Parsley

Anecdote

Manita is an international word mainly Spanish or Turkish, kind of meaning a beautiful woman. Our Manita is a 'Desi' Nepali now almost Marwari full of life and action and true to its meaning. There is no dull moment around her.You are either dancing (she grooves gorgeously with raunchy Hindi numbers) or singing (some are trying to as they are not given the mike thanks to her over zealous other guests) or eating (especially her delicious desserts) or planning what to wear (her MIL designed Indian wardrobe has been raided by yours truly often) or or or............But you are definitely not just sitting around. Friends of friends, Ady and Manita have often opened up their abode to us and I must say each and every time it has been amidst peals of laughter and pools of alchohol (Ady, are you reading this?)....

At one such karaoke night, Manita made this lovely Beetroot yogurt which I re-created for Shalina's 40th and it was equally appreciated.

Stuff that you must have

3 large beetroots
400 grams yogurt, I use the store bought packs of any brand
4 sprigs of parsley
2 tsp dry oregano
Salt to taste

What to do

At first skin the beetroot and then chop them into 1 by 1 inch cubes. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt and oregano till you hear 4 whistles. This means the the beetroot needs to be boiled but it should still have its crunch. Allow the cubes to cool and come to room temperature. Here I must add that you can serve the beetroot warm water as a warm drink to yourself since you the one toiling as it is packed with nutrients.

Beat yogurt with a gentle whisker. Finely chop parsley and add to the creamy yogurt.  Now add the beetroot cubes such that they dunk well into the yogurt. The creamy yogurt will turn into a luscious pinkish purple colour. Refrigerate. 

The beauty of this side dish is that it can be served as a 'Raita' with Indian food, or a side with Mediterranean food or a salad with Turkish or Moroccan food. This universal aspect and of course the delicious cool flavours is what attracted me the most to request Manita for the recipe. 

How to serve

Just pour in a bowl matching your cuisine and serve.

Trivia

Beetroot cultivated originally by the Greeks and the Romans come in three colours. The red ones we eat, the white ones are grown to procure beetroot sugar and the yellow ones are fed to livestock.  

Eggless Vinegar Dense Chocolate Cake

Not a regular at TV football, the FIFA world cup does garner excitable energy to generally cheer for the losing team, especially for the 2014th year one, to stay true to The Indian Spirit of being the underdog fan. Must confess here that the Bengali influences were also rather heavy leaving no choice but going for the blue and the white!

Friends, Shalina and Rajesh organised a potluck with a fun mix of buddies and I decided to rustle up a couple of cakes. Crazy night ahead, so why not the crazy cake?

The crazy cake became rather popular during depression since the recipe did not need the usage of eggs. Basically, simply take 3 cups of white flour, 2  cups (1 and 3/4th will also be great) of white sugar powdered in your blender or of course castor sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 cup cocoa. Now sift this all together. Once done, make 3 wells in the mix. In one well, pour in 3/4 cup vegetable oil and in the 2nd well pour 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar. Finally into the 3rd well pour in 2 tsp vanilla extract. Now add 2 cups of cold water and mix well with a cake spatula. 

Pour into a prepared cake tin, use a large tin, 9 by 13 inch is a good size. bake at 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C for about 30 mins or till the cake needle comes out clean. 

Enjoy once cooled. Frosting with your favourite frosting will make it yummy too. The feel of the cake on your palette is moist and rich. It is rather lovely I must add. 

Pho In A Chicken Broth

Vietnamese food so well enjoyed by the French is considered to be the healthiest cuisine in the world. It is known for its balance of five elements. Most Vietnamese food conform to the perfect composition which adheres to the principle of the yin and yang.
Try the Pho, it is wholesome, healthy and happy, happiness enhanced by its communal nature. Families in Vietnam are known to eat together with the only non communal bowl being the small to medium sized bowl with rice or noodles in it. Children are known to serve themselves after the elders have done so. 

The list of ingredients would be one large onion, a 2 inch piece of ginger, a 3 inch stick of cinnamon, one start anise, two cloves, a tsp coriander seeds, 4 cups unsalted chicken stock, two tsp soy sauce and four carrots. Also you will need a bunch of flat rice noodles as shown in the image. For toppings, some mushroom(button ones can do), boiled chicken and posy of pak choy. Finally for the garnish, some scallions, coriander leaves, one Thai chilly, two wedges of lime, a few leaves of Thai basil and Hoisin sauce.

For the broth char-grill in an open flame the onion and the peeled ginger root, this step will take five minutes. Next in a dry heated wok,  dry roast the dry spices. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil and allow it to simmer for 30 mins. Simultaneously boil water and plunge the noodles in the hot water with the heat switched off. When the noodles is soft and chewy drain it out.

Back to the simmering broth, chop the mushroom, pak choy and boiled chicken in semi chunky pieces and add. Simmer for further five mins.

To serve, take a soup bowl or a large deep bowl, at first spoon in the noodles. Pour in the broth along with the toppings so that the noodles get well drowned. As garnish, sprinkle in the finely chopped scallions, thinly slit Thai chillies, chopped coriander leaves, chopped Thai basil, Hoisin sauce and a squeeze some lime.

Run for your chopsticks!