Red Chillies Mutton

Ever thought of upgrading the Vitamin A in your body with chillies? Chillies are spicy, kicky, sharp, unnerving, amazing, not so amazing, interesting, red, uplifting, nerve-racking and yes nutritious. They help as migraine relievers. They help in digestion. They act as antioxidants. They reduce blood sugar levels. They improve heart health.

Chillies are also entertaining. Their mere presence takes a dish to another level of deliciousness. Ever wondered why SRK and spouse have called their company, "Red Chillies Entertainment'? 

Another thing which is entertaining is our friends, Madhulina's and Sumantra's home and their parties. A teetotaler Sumantra always magically fills up every glass in the room. And Madhulina keeps coming back with plates full of gorgeous and eclectic food. Every single time it is time beautifully spent.  ( PS - English is indeed strange. The word teetotaler is with a tee and not a tea...? Actually, abstinence from alchohol has nothing to do fondness with the beverage)

This 10th, we celebrate 'Kaali Puja" at their home and I sampled this mutton there. It just blew me away. M generously typed out the recipe the next morning and the following weekend I re-created the mutton and might I say with absolute lack of modesty that I also blew my guests away. So here you are. 

For a kilo of mutton with bones, you will need a kilo of onion. Chop the onions roughly. make about 2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste. Next take about 12-14 dry red chillies, chop 6 in 3 parts with a pair of scissors and keep the rest whole. 

In a pressure cooker, warm about 2/3 tbsp oil or ghee or half and half of both. Add 5 pods of split green cardamoms, 6 cloves and about an inch bruised stick of cinnamon. Once they sputter a bit, add the paste and toss for a min. Time for the chillies, one toss and add half the chopped onions. Please do not stir this or anything any further. Next goes in the fresh mutton and post that the balance onions. Lid the cooker and allow 2 whistles to blow in your kitchen. Switch the flame off.

Once the cooker is released on its own of its vapour, take off the lid. switch the flame back on. Add salt to taste. Now in medium heat keep on reducing the liquid which has got created in generous volume till now. Toss once in a while. The mutton will start to get tender. Once the gravy is thick and more like coating the mutton, I added a tsp of freshly ground pepper but this step is optional as the original recipe did not include this step. 

Enjoy with 'parathas' or flat bread. Thanks M.

Cauliflower Broccoli Bake

Yes, it is number 100. It has taken me longer than planned to reach this milestone. But I have found a reasonable excuse for this delay. That there is a time for everything, and things happen when they are supposed to. Please let's not call this procrastination but call it perfect timing. 

Simple is beautiful. This recipe stands for that. No toiling time required at all. 

I took about half a cauliflower and a medium sized broccoli. Snipped to have florets with a bit of stem. Washed well. Steamed for 5 mins in medium heat in salt water. Drained the water out. 

An hour before, you need to take a 400 gm tub of yogurt and hang it in a muslin cloth. Back to the present. Now with a fork gently soften the yogurt. Mix 3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese, 2 tsp chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 garlic salt (use normal salt if you don't have garlic salt) into the yogurt. Now gently mix the florets in this sauce. Sprinkle some more grated cheddar cheese and parsley and bake till golden. I kept it at 150 degrees for 20 min. But it depends upon your oven. 

Dig in and prove Mark Twain wrong. Didn't he say, "Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education'?

Stuffed Squid Pan Roast

The word squid is a dialectical variant of the word 'squirt'. Now isn't  that interesting because the squid like the octopus releases ink. Squid ink is used to create some absolutely delicious pasta and risotto dishes. So the concept of squirt and ink kind of makes compatible sense, right? 

I personally enjoy squid more than prawn. I met Annu the other day and she said she eats squid but does not enjoy prawns. Well, greedy me eats both. But I would pay a quid for a squid more willingly. I have been introduced to squid only as an adult. The only risk is poses is that it can become quickly rubbery if one bit over-cooked. It is really always a close shave for me and that is a make or break for the dish. 

Tulip once cooked this stuffed squid roast for us. It has been some years since then. I have been wanting to make it but somehow just never got around to doing so. Maybe I was apprehensive that like all things Tulip does, I would only be able to perform at a sub level than her. Like her name, T as I often call her is synonymous to pretty perfection.

Courage I have gathered. Stuffed squid roast I have made. And outstanding it has turned out. Now I am craving to share how.

When you buy the squid, request the fish monger to take out the insides from the white opaque drum shaped body. You must take both the torso and the tentacles back to you kitchen. Now wash well. 

Firstly, marinate the body with salt and turmeric and set aside for 2 hours or so.

Next, chop all the tentacles finely. Similarly chop onions. The original recipe did not require this, but I also finely chopped a few pods of garlic and grated a bit of ginger. In warm oil, allow the onions to caramelise and then add the ginger and garlic. In about 2 min you need to add Rechaeido masala. You can use a store bought one or beg your Goan friends to give you some. Toss the onion, ginger and garlic well and add the chopped tentacles. Season with salt. Ensure the Rechaeido masala is not pre-salted. Cook for 4-5 mins in medium flame. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool. 

Now stuff the squid body with the above thick puree/paste you have made. The squid will look like an oblong drum. Seal the top opening with a toothpick. Now in a warm pan, add a bit of chilly oil. Place the squid gently and pan roast on all sides for a min each. That is it. You have created magic. Enjoy and plan to make it soon again!

Tilapia Gravy With Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes and Indian cooking- not terribly compatible, not yet though not that it has never been seen. Neha from The Traveling Spoon recently spoke of an Indian 'dal' (lentil curry) that she had enjoyed hugely which was flavoured with cherry tomatoes. Intrigued and provoked, I have been dwelling on the thought ever since. While reading up I found that cherry tomatoes are an admix of wild-currant tomatoes and domesticated garden tomatoes. Though we have seen yellow ones, green ones, red ones, round ones, oblong ones, we, well atleast I, have never seen black ones. Yes, they do exist too. 

I had some Tilapia in the freezer. I have heard that some speak poorly of the Tilapia, but I am a fan of its soft flesh. Tilapia fish normally swim in lakes and ponds, even in brackish water. Not really a fighter in the sea, our Tilapia, maybe because it is so sweet. Ha!

Well, so here is the recipe for a quick to cook and delicious to eat Tilapia gravy with cherry tomatoes. I hope you have some Goan fish masala in your larder...

Wash and clean the fish well and cut them into half. Next marinate with salt, turmeric, chilly powder and gently coat all over. Set aside for an hour. Then in mild warm oil in a pan, lightly fry on both sides. 

For 4 pieces of fish, now 8, you will need 3 onions. Make a coarse paste. In warm oil lightly caramelise the onion paste. In 2/3 minutes, add 2 tbsp of Goan fish masala and cook in low heat. Sprinkle a bit of water to prevent from burning and keep stirring. Add salt to taste. Now add about a glass and a half of hot water and allow the gravy to come to a bubble. As soon as you see the simmer add a handful of cherry tomatoes and immediately add the fish pieces. You will see a lovely red golden gravy with some gorgeous reds bobbing all over. If you enjoy a bit of spice you can pop in a couple of shining green whole green chillies. In about 3 -4 minutes, ladle out fish with gravy and tomatoes onto brown rice and dig in!

Peanut Orange Zest Cookies

I have a friend who does not travel too much. Ask her about any city, any river, any monument or any hole-in-the-wall historical restaurant unique to a place and she knows most things about it. She has taught me that you can travel with your knowledge. Read Read Read. That is what she does. She reads the newspaper once a week, but wait, not the Sunday Times, but the entire week's newspapers. Because she reads with interest she retains everything.  And similarly she almost never cooks. But you ask her about Caesar salad canapes or 'Patrani machchi' or 'Khao Suey' or Alaskan pudding and she knows how to make it, or what are the key ingredients or who created the dish or who made it popular. Knowledge is power. I have seen this power. As my father's friend once said aeons ago, in this beautiful woman's eyes.

Sarbani loves my work. She admires my doings. She listens to my plans. And she collects recipe books for me. One such book came from her recent trip to Singapore. A book of interesting cookies. One recipe was this peanut orange zested cookies. Please do try baking them. They have a twist which raises an eyebrow and brings an instant  zesty smile. 

You will need; 

120 g butter

150 g brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

150 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Grated zest of 1 orange, I used one and a half

40 g whole unsalted peanuts

100 g chopped unsalted peanuts

80 g oats

Now to the baking stage;

Pre heat oven. Line baking tray.

Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl together till creamy. 

Stir in the beaten egg.

Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon , nutmeg and orange zest together. Next add to butter mix. Blend.

Stir in whole peanuts , half cup of chopped peanuts and oats. Mix.

Take tsp size portion in hand and shape into round balls. Place balls on baking try. Sprinkle with remaining chopped peanuts. 

Bake for 15 mind or so until golden. Cool on a wire rack. 

Crunch time folks!

Fish Baked In Coriander Sauce

The star of this dish is coriander leaves. The fish is a base element. The fish is like a supporting actor without whom the film would have no story. Before I share this recipe I must disclose the name of its creator. 

Oh I must also share an interesting trivia that I chanced upon. While coriander is used in almost all cuisines, it was also a part of ancient Egyptian cuisine as about half a litre of coriander mericarps was discovered next to Tutankhamen's tomb.....

If you are looking for quick cooking with the dishes being eclectic that use contrasting yet complimenting ingredients and whips out gorgeous platters boasting of balance of flavours and bursting with simplicity you need to call up Riyana's mother, Ishani Dutt Sarkar. I have a fairly opinionated child. He has a view. He has a point too. All of thirteen he has deep set memories already which he refers to to tackle matters and discussions. Ishani's little gospels of lifestyle from the age of less than one seem to have had an everlasting impression. Ishani said this and Ishani did not this say keeps popping up in our family conversations.

This beautiful young woman who revels in being much younger than me, a scorpion all the way, a perfect wife creates everlasting impressions. So does her food. This one will blow you away. For two reasons - easy to cook and interestingly sweet and spicy to the palette. 

The method of making is that you take de-boned fish as in beckty or rawas chunks and wash well. Next marinate with salt and lime and set aside for about half an hour atleast. Next blend a large bunch of coriander leaves with partial stalks along with green chillies. Now in an open pan mix the coriander paste, coconut milk, salt and sugar and allow it to simmer for attleast 5 minutes. Taste to ensure that the coriander does not still taste like a raw chutney would. The taste should be like a rich sweet-spicy-unusual sauce by now. 

In a baking dish place the fish chunks. Pour the sauce all over generously. Bake for 20 minutes in low heat, 100-150 degrees does it. Enjoy with any staple or even with just a fresh salad. It is yummilicous!

Italian Chicken Schnitzels

Since the days of world history books in grades 4 to 10, every year, in some chapter or the other, Hitler and Mussolini went hand in hand in the way they doled out many atrocities humanity. The ordeal of learning the dates, the happenings and the outcomes of failed treaties ended I thought in 1985 when I did my Grade 10 boards. It was painful and annoying to read and learn the doings of two megalomaniac men. But yes, bygones are bygones. Historically and for my academic journey. Or so I thought. But no, the blessed chapters are back, they are again creeping back into life every year...now waiting for 2017 when the kid finishes his grade10.....

Till then here is a German-Italian recipe, but this one captures the simplicity and natural beauty of both nations. Every Italian chef talks about a 'nonna' they love and admire and just the other day my traveler friend told me about the affection and beauty she experienced in a B&B run by a middle aged lady in Black Forest. These beautiful emotions are captured rather elegantly in my recipe of Italian Chicken Schnitzels. The Germans made popular the schnitzel post the 2nd world war. They usually use pork meat and serve it with a potato mash or fries. However the world has adopted schnitzel in their cuisine. Hungary, Iran, Israel, Japan,Portugal, Korea, Mexico are some nations who have included the schnitzel in their food repertoire. Italy too. Hence this recipe, the German schnitzel with an Italian twist.

Take boneless chicken breast pieces. Wash well. Put them inside a zip lock bag. Now pound them with a tenderiser. Next use a roller and roll on the meat pieces. The chicken will become about half an inch thick and flat. 

For the marination process, in a small bowl, take balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, crushed pepper, lime juice and crushed or grated garlic. Mix well. Now coat the chicken nicely with this sauce mix on both sides. Keep in the refrigerator for a day. 

It is time to prepare your crumbs mix. At first take a handful of fresh oregano, wash and chop finely. Next grate some Parmesan cheese. If you can, use Panko crumbs. If you cannot source the crumbs, then use the regular store bought ones or homemade ones. Mix the crumbs with oregano, cheese and garlic salt to taste. This flavoring adds a very interesting Italian flavour to the schnitzel as does the marinade you have used above. 

Beat eggs, add a spoon of milk. Coat the marinated chicken with the egg wash and then the crumbs. Make the crumbing neat keeping a rustic look intact. Once done, store in the refrigerator for an hour before deep frying. The colour will be golden and inviting.

Serve with a salsa verde or a relish or some fresh salad.