Mexican Quinoa Salad

In the last decade the magic called the secret of the universe became popular. The secret, a hugely published one, and thank God for that, said that if you wish for something earnestly and expressed it to the universe, then the players and the powers of the universe will make it happen for you. We saw this in motivation power point slides. We read it as Rhonda Byrne wrote it. We heard Sharukh Khan say it in cinema. Melodramatically presenting, this came true for me too. I was keen on joining a Book Club and a little ardent-to-learn-cooking client's mom just by chance invited me to one. It has been a pleasure ever since.

I met this talented, artistic and sophisticated painter in the club. The first attribute which attracted me was they she hardly ever wore make-up. Do not get me wrong. I love lipsticks and coloured eye pencils. But I dig faces which can leave home glowing with no brush or puff or stick that has touched them. Hey Universe, hope you are listening... Mansi Gupta spoke about her penchant for painting, jewelry designing and writing poetry on the first day we met. No, we were not digressing from our scheduled discussion. We were yet to pick a book that day. She also said that she was learning finance for non finance to be able to work in her family business. Bam! Another reason to get impressed. Passionate towards all that is artistic and yet jumped in to hold realistic reigns.

All of the above. And a lunch invitation to the serene Juhu home where her unique understanding of Shiva and Shakti hung on the walls. Dressed in ivory sans make-up, needless to add, adjusting to all our time schedules, she served us a beautifully hand crafted meal, presented as deliciously as it was cooked. The Mexican quinoa salad stole hearts. Lucky for us, she has permitted to share the recipe which she has learnt from somewhere and improvised on a bit.

Take two cups of quinoa and boil it. This will serve a large group of about ten. Boil with four cups of water like you would boil rice. Drain out the water and leave it till it becomes a bit springy. Chop into smallish bits one red and one yellow bell pepper. Do the same to one large red onion. Boil a cup of corn and finely chop a fist bundle of coriander leaves. Wash well six odd stalks of spring onion and chop like you do for Chinese food using the green and the white of them. Also chop 2 medium sized tomatoes. Finally take a tin of black beans, I like to use the brand 'Epicure', strain well. Now mix it all together. Add salt, lemon juice and finely chopped green chillies to season.

I recommend that you make it maybe 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with roughly crushed roasted soya chips.

It is nourishing. It is colourful. It is warm and fuzzy. Of course, it is delicious!

Thanks Mansi. Thanks Nishka.

Indian Chicken Roast

Are you hosting anytime soon? Guest profile; good friends who are food lovers? Chicken is their meat or even not? Sharing a restaurant quality chicken leg recipe. I called it "An Indian Chicken Roast". Ranadive aunty taught me this one. Like all her recipes, this one is a star too! My artsy musician nephew was visiting Mumbai while he was playing for the Bombay Orchestra and I pan roasted this chicken leg for him. He really loved it. Atleast so he said.

Here is the recipe. take about 4 chicken legs. Wash well. marinate with 4 tbsp thick curd, 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to season, 2 tsp 'kasoori methi', 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp 'garam masala' powder. Use heap spoons for all of the above as a measure. Keep marinated for atleast 4 hours or so.

In a bowl soak 50 gms cashew nuts for about 30 mins.

In a pan take 10 gms butter and 3 tbsp oil. Warm. Now fry the leg pieces on both sides till they char. I have provided a picture above to depict this step.

Blanch 2 whole large tomatoes, cool. Grind the soaked cashew and blanched tomatoes together and make a paste.

Now in another pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Warm and add 1 tsp full ginger-garlic paste. Fry till it starts to change its colour. Immediately pour in the tomato cashew paste and fry at medium heat for 3 mins. Next add 2 tbsp full 'khoya', you can procure it from an Indian sweet shop. Fry until the oil separates. In will go in 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp 'garam masala' powder and 1 tbsp 'kasoori methi'. Use level tsp as a measure for this step. Also add salt to taste. Mix well and stir for 2 mins. Beat gently 2 tbsp cream on the side and pour it in. Next add about 6 tbsp hot water. When gravy is simmering slowly slide in the charred browned leg pieces. Cover with a lid and let it simmer. Check for a needle to pierce the meat. In about 4/5 mins the dish is ready. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Pumpkin Cranberry Pistachio Salad

I quite enjoy having pumpkin.  My BFF absolutely detests it. Nothing in life is a given.  Pumpkins are good for freckles.  Pumpkins are 90% water retained and barely calorific. Like the Irish rotund pumpkins can be carved to make will-o’-the wisps or  jack-o'- lanterns. Pumpkins are also gluten free. Now you tell me, why can everybody just not like pumpkins? C’mon, they even come in handy during snake bites….

Anyway pumpkins aside, yesterday I had friends over. These are the types who have absolute clarity on their gastronomical pangs. They know the calling of their palate two days beforehand and I was given a wished menu. So, I grilled some chicken on the bone with a Peri Peri rub, ‘on the bone’ being another operative twice repeated instruction here There was salad and a French onion soup in the plan. I added some roasted and her-bed jacket potatoes and fresh fruit with cream cheese custard with crumble to the lunch carte. They brought the soup along with them; with Emmental melting on a multi grain toast it was as classical and as delicious as it could be.

I set about to make the salad - a pumpkin-cranberry-pistachio one. I took about 200 g pumpkin for the four of us. Skinned the fruit and then cut it into cubes sized like those in a rubix. Mildly salted it. In a bowl I folded in together 11/2 tsp maple syrup, 3/4 tsp paprika powder, 3 pods of finely chopped garlic and 11/2 tsp water. Gently seasoned the pumpkin with ¾ of the dressing and baked for 30 minutes at 150 degrees C. I took the tray out of the oven, sprinkled cranberries and pistachios and baked again for 5 more minutes.

Before serving, I washed some lettuce. You can opt for any baby salad leaves. I popped in the pumpkin-cranberry-pistachio roast. A sprinkle of lemon juice and the remaining ¼ of the dressing. A last dash of some finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. We were good to gorge.

BFF, please rustle this one and just quietly have it and do not forget to love it too! And you should have thought once before acquiring a Bengali BFF. We impose.

Chicken Kurma With Melon & Sesame Seeds

I had read this somewhere long back. A line that stayed in my mind. 

The little seed knew that for it to grow it had to be dropped in dirt and covered in darkness and struggle to reach the light.

Seeds of ideas. Seeds of thoughts. Seeds of actions. Seeds of work. The little beginnings that those things are. Seeds. I love this recipe. It uses two kinds of seeds. Musk melon seeds and sesame seeds. And cashews. So I bring to you my nutty seedy gravy of a little bird!

Chicken Kurma, An inspired variation. 

At first take a kilo of chicken on the bone, wash well and marinate with 2 tbp ginger garlic paste, juice of 1 lime, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp red chilli powder. Marination time ought to be about 4 hours. 

When you get to the cook, in a blender jar take 4 tbsp yogurt, 2 heap tsp sesame seeds, 2 heap tsp magaz or musk melon seeds and 1 heap tbsp cashew nuts blitz to a smooth paste. 

Step next is that you chop 2 large onions and warm 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add the onions till they turn pink and then add 1 chopped succulent tomato. Stir well for 2 min and pour in the yogurt paste. Keep your flame at medium heat and keep stirring. You will see the oil separating. At this step you add in the chicken with all its marinade and fold everything in gently and smoothly. In about 3 minutes, add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, salt to season and 1 tsp red chilli powder. Stir well and lid the wok for a good 6 mins. In the 7th min please check if the chicken has cooked through. Keep the lid on if the chicken is not perfectly cooked.

Chop fresh mint leaves and coriander leaves and set aside. In a skillet pour in 1 tbsp ghee. When warm spoon in 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp shahjeera. When both sputter glide into the main wok adding the fresh leaves. Stir well.

Enjoy with parathas. It is pure perfection. Yes, you are welcome.  

Mixed Daal

Sharing a mixed daal recipe. But before I do, one cute trivia I wish to share is that split pulses or daal/dal gets its name from the Sanskrit word "Dhal" which means "split". Though in India and Pakistan we do eat un-hulled pulses as in the ones with the skins intact, hulling I think adds to the digestive ease of pulses though the skins do have high dietary nutrients. 

I am going totally Indian for this recipe. Using Indian names for the pulse varieties. This quantity serves about 6 to 8.

So you will need 1/2 cup Toor or Arhar daal, 1/2 cup yellow Moong daal, 1/4 cup Chana daal, 1/4 cup Urad daal and 1/4th cup Masoor daal. 

For this, chop 2 mid sized onions and 4 pods garlic. Wash the pulses well and mix with the chopped onion and garlic. Add water in your andaaz or say about 2 glasses and pressure cook till one whistle goes off. Reduce the heat and keep in the lowest flame heat for 20 minutes. 

For the tadka, heat 2 - 3 tbsp oil in a wok. Add 1 heap tsp Hing. Immediately pop in 12 curry leaves and 3 whole green chillies. Stir. Add 1 large chopped onion and 1 large chopped tomato. Stir again and then add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 11/2 tsp coriander powder and salt to taste. Stir well for 3 minutes at medium heat. Now add the boiled daal and about 1 large cup of hot water. Bring to a simmer.

Time to spike the yellow bubbling gravy with a tsp of garam masala powder, a squeeze of lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves. In a pan warm a tsp ghee and fry half a chopped onion till pink and garnish the daal with this. 

That is it. Please make it. Everyone will savour it. 

No Fuss Chicken

I bring to you a keeper recipe. 

My ex-neighbour aunt messaged me this one recently and this could be one of the simplest non fussed and non prepped chicken preparations I know which turns out piquant, delicious and quirky. Great to eat with breads like pararthas or paos. Of course, please use wheat paos or if I may suggest methi parathas. 

Sharing the recipe for a kilo of chicken. Marinate the chicken on the bone after washing well with a whole lime juice and salt to taste. Marinate for 5 to 6 hours. 

In a warm wok add 2 tbsp ghee. Fragrant 2 tsp Hing or asafoetida in the ghee will add to the kitchen aromas. Now add a tsp cuimin seeds and when they sputter add 3 whole green chillies. Stir and add 3 cups of gently beaten curd stirring constantly. Next add 2 tsp freshly ground pepper and 2 tsp coriander powder. In a minute after stirring at low to medium heat add the chicken. Gently stir all over and cover the wok with a lid.Every 3/4 minutes toss till the chicken is cooked through. 

Take a generous bunch of mint leaves, wash well and add to the chicken. You can now increase the heat and generally stir well. 

Simple, well seasoned and appetising chicken on your table!

Stuffed Spiny Gourd or Stuffed Kakrol

For some strange pompous reason I assumed Momordica dioica is Bengali. Kakrol is what we call it in upstate West Bengal and I kind of thought no other community even knows of this bristly balsam pear commonly called spiny gourd. Well, please do not take offence as honestly it is not really a luscious piece of lamb or a white juicy piece of fish that we are talking about. The hero here is an oblong prickly slightly mildly bitter Asian vegetable. No great flavour lender to a curry but with the traditional scoop out & scoop in recipe I am about to share, it is, my friends a delightfully traditional and classy little piece of cookery art.

Wash the gourd well and cut them by half through the centre longitudinally. Then with a spoon scoop out the fleshy seedy centre till the vegetable looks like an open boat. Next in salty water parboil it for about 5 minutes or so. Set aside on a tissue and allow it to lose any water droplets. 

In a small blender jar, make a mustard paste with black mustard seeds, a green chilly, a dash of salt and a tad bit of water. For 4 gourds, take 2 tbsp mustard seeds. Next take half a dry coconut and make a white wet paste again in a blender. Also chop one large red onion finely. 

In a warm iron wok, take one and a half tbsp mustard oil and allow it to warm. Gently slide in the onions and cook till pink and transparent. Time to add the mustard paste, salt to season, a dash of chilli powder and turmeric and cook it all for 2 to 3 minutes. Next add the coconut paste and stir well and in another 2 minutes add the scooped out flesh of the gourd. Cook everything well, stirring all the time for about 4-5 minutes in medium to low flame. Taste the filling. It should be sharp and delicious. 

Now spoon in this filling when at room temperature into the depth of the open boats of the spiny gourd and fill them right upto the brims or the edges. 

In a bowl, take 4 tbsp gramflour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp nigella seeds, salt and chilli powder to season. Spoon everything around well and make a thick paste adding water. Remember the paste needs to be of a 'pakora' consistency. 

In an open deep pan, warm any white oil. Now dunk the filled boats into your gramflour paste and fry like a 'pakora'. The whole half gourd should be coated with the gramflour paste. Fry till golden on all sides. While frying keep the pan covered for a bit as the skin cooks a little more at then step. 

Enjoy hot with plain white rice. Just squash the 'pakora' and the mustard coconut filling will ooze out and merge with the rice with the crisp skin adding to the palate senses. It is a village imagery I am creating for you which I assure you will make you feel loved, warm and fuzzy. 

Enjoy the way I like my kakrols!