Khandvi Salad

Often we have Indian food on a menu and we are racking our brains for an accompanying salad. Cucumber-tomato-onion-coriander leaves finely chopped or "cuchumbur" seems to be the only option. Then it seems so hackneyed. Yet so refreshing, so classic. But then there is something a bit daily about it. Recently, Sharoon messaged that she had been served an interesting salad at a party and very generously she shared the recipe.

Sharoon enjoys the whole idea called 'food'. A full time corporate careerist and mom, she still finds the time to hunt for recipes, attend cooking classes, plan a cook-along on her trips, visit produce markets, write food books, and of course cook up dishes. I often get a food query, a clarification question from her. And I also often get valuable ideas and suggestions. There are people who live to eat and those who eat to live. Sharoon is clearly a live to eat person. Cheers to that!

Cheers to this recipe too! I served this at a recent home party. Everybody loved it. So, I am sharing a recipe which served 20 odd people. Please adjust proportions when you try to make it.

I took 3 large carrots. Peeled and washed them. Next you have to grate the carrot. Also, wash a medium sized green cabbage and grate it. Then clean a bundle of coriander leaves and chop finely. De-seed 2 green chillies and chop finely. Take 2 limes and juice them. You will also need half a cup of salted peanuts, each peanut needs to be halved longitudinally.

In a warm walk, pour in 11/2 tsp oil. In a minute add a tsp black mustard seeds and about 15 curry leaves. To this add 1 tsp salt and the peanuts. In another minute toss in the vegetables. Stir fry. Add the chillies and the coriander leaves. Toss and stir. Time for lime juice. Mix.

Take about 2 packets of Khandvi and cut them in thin slices. Add to the salad. the Khandvi usually has some seasoning on its body, please use them too. Taste for salt and tang check.

Serve warm or cold. Both taste as good. 

Chilli Prawn Oil

Bengalis are less divided by caste or economic standing than they are by being 'Bangaal' or 'Ghoti'. There is no SOBO vs Suberb or NCR vs New Delhi positioning in people's minds in Kolkata. But there is this refugee from East Bengal even if the family has crossed borders before 1947 versus the homegrown gentry from West Bengal classification which creeps into every introduction. The two aquatic stalwarts which gained brand position to keep the war flag furling are 'Hilsa fish' alias 'Ilish maach' and 'Tiger prawns' alias 'Chingri maach'. 'Bangaals' eat 'Ilish'; 'Ghotis' patronise 'Chingri'. Because the banter in the 20th century is innocuous and because the Bengali person always overeats, everyone eats everything equally delightedly namely 'Ilish', 'Chingri', 'Paapda', 'Rui', 'Bhetki' and more.....

'Ilish" is a seasonal fish. The first recipe which is tried out with the first coveted catch or buy of the year is 'Ilish-er Tel' which is like a flavoured chilli oil. This is mixed with a small portion of rice and this constitutes the first few mouthfuls of the 'Ilish' celebration for the year.

My mother refused to be defeated by seasonality. Why should she have 'maacher-tel' only and only when river Padma bestowes her blessings on us. She concocted a 'Chingri-er tel' coined for your convenience as 'Chilli prawn oil.'

This is what you do. Marinate about a kg of Tiger prawns with its head intact with salt, 11/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Keep it like this for atleast an hour and a half.

You will need about 6 odd fresh green chillies. Wash and slit them vertically through the centre. In about 4 to 5 tbsp mustard oil once warmed throw in the green chillies. Because they have been slit, they will not sputter and throw up sharp hot seeds. Keep the heat low. In a minute add 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 2 tsp red chilli powder. Within a minute pop in all the prawns and fry in medium heat on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes each. Keep a lid on while you do this. If you feel the oil has got used up, warm another tbsp of hot mustard oil and pour it in. In another minute you are ready. Taste for salt. Mix with white rice and have gold red rice with crunchy spicy prawn.

Ma cooks really well, she makes many prawn variations. But this one has completely won my husband's heart. And his stomach. Now even he who barely cooks has learnt to make this.

One last anecdote. My mom is a 'Bangaal' and my husband is a 'Ghoti'. I told you, the love of fish brings the two close. Not a Bengali for nothing. 

Chemeen Ularthiyathu

I can view stretch marks on my thighs….

Huh! What?

This came into my whatsapp inbox the other day. The lanky bordering on thin fifteen year old boy sent it to me just before his ICSE Biology paper.  From his room to mine.  Like that Beatles song, with love from me to you.

Do something! A diktat? Or a plea garbed as an instruction? Or an exasperated statement which actually was meant to be, I can view stretch marks on my thighs like you can……Possibly!

Ever since we are eating quinoa, grills, smoothies interspersed with crisps and an occasional chocolate. Occasional has had a change of definition from once in a while to everyday.  The mother of course does not work for Frito Lay. Nor for Lindt for that matter, So she cannot be allowed any lee ways. No short routes for us. Health is the new flavor of delish in the kitchen. Thus happened Naachni Dosas or millet crepes with a St. Thomas Christian Prawn dish called ‘Chemeen Ularthiyathu’.

The millet dosa batter came in a packet.  I am bothering only with recipe of the fresh sauted prawn masala. Works?

Prep work would be to soak 5 dried Kokum fruits in a cup of warm water at least an hour before you begin to cook.

For a kilo of Prawns, cleaned, tailed and beheaded, take about fifteen to twenty curry leaves, two large red onions and a tsp of mustard seeds. I prefer the black ones for this recipe. Slice the onions. In a warm wok, pour in about one and a half tsp oil and allow it to warm. Spoon in the mustard seeds and when they start crackling add the onions and the curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn brownish pink. Set this aside.

We Bengalis fry all our fish. Most of them for sure. So I lightly coated the prawns with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and sauted the prawns for a couple of minutes. If they released a little water I allowed them to be sunk in that water. Down in Kerala they would leave the prawns untarnished.

In a thick bottom deep dish I ladled in the prawn with its water and the Kokum with its water. Now finely chop an inch of ginger and four pods of garlic and add both to the deep dish. Slit four green chillies, cut half a coconut in half inch long and one forth inch thick pieces and take a cup of hot water. All of this goes into the deep dish. Season with a tsp of chilli powder, half a tsp of turmeric powder and salt to season. Mix well and set the dish on heat. Cook until most of the water evaporates and the prawns get cooked till tender, Add the onion mustard curry leaf seasoning to this and toss well for two more minutes.

Remove from fire. Serve hot. As I said millet dosas make a perfect partner.

  

Mango Chilli Fish

This morning Jeet was informing us about the leadership session talks that he enjoyed last evening at a media event. Daniel Pink, Gary Kristen, Prahlad Kakkad....discussions, anecdotes, cook-alongs were the topics in the flow of the conversation. It somehow meandered to a debate on overcoming fears, the why and how of it. Of course, first came the what. Snakes, heights, insects, staying home alone in the night seem to be the family favourites. Aayush argued with me that we must confront the fear, challenge it and get over with it. I was being stubborn, said things like my fears are my right....I know I was quite misplaced. But I ain't confronting anything. Anyway, this was our break-talk today. 

So the word fear stayed. The theme of the thoughts also lightened, thank heavens(!) and I remembered another fear that I was grappling with. Apologies that I am trivialising the word, but this one is the fear that I will feel to call Debita one more time for this golden recipe of mango chilli fish. Next time, read as 11th time, I will not be given the recipe over the phone and hence I better record it for my sake. And for everybody's sake. Summer is almost here and it brings with it green-yellow-golden mangoes. I did spot a cart today. 

So, the recipe. Only because I am afraid of Debs rolling her eyes. and also because it is fabulous. 

Take about 10 fish fillets almost an inch and a half thick cut in rectangles. I recommend you use Beckty or Snapper. Wash well and marinate with salt, pepper and lime juice. Set aside for atleast an hour. 

Scoop the sweet and tangy flesh out of 2 large mangoes and blitz it. Make a regular tamarind chutney with salt, sugar, red dry chillies and cumin powder. You can make it and use for your "chaats". For this recipe you will need very little. 

Chop 1 large red onion finely. Also chop 11/2 inches of ginger into really thin slits. 

Back to the fish, beat an egg in a bowl and take some dry corn flour on the side. Warm a non stick wok, pour a tbsp oil. Egg wash each fillet, pat on corn flour on both sides and fry to a light crisp state. The fillets will acquire a sheen and a shine. Place them on a flat dish which has a slight edge.

Next in warm sesame oil, use 1 tbsp, lightly fry the onion until pink and add the mango pulp. In the next and a half minute add the ginger. Once it simmers gently pour in 2 tsp of the tamarind chutney. Season with salt and spice with red chilli flakes. Keep the sauce handy. 

Just about 10 minutes before serving warm the two separately and pour the sauce on the fish. Let it sit and soak for 10 to 12 minutes and serve. 

Everybody will want to lick their fingers. I kid you not.

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.