Auntyji's Khatta Macchi

Hey everyone.. it's time to fish!

Fig. 1. Auntyji's Khatta Macchi

This is from my Mom's recipe collection. Mom got this recipe from their childhood neighbour "Auntyji".

Every neighborhood has a motley assortment of residents. Some befriend us, some are just polite acquaintances, some quarrel with us and some ignore us. Almost every family knows an Auntyji in the 'hood. She's our building friend Chickoo's Mom, or she is Mom's polite companion when together they wait at the bus stop for us kids to return from school. Sometimes she's the neighbor who picks up our milk when we take off for a day and forget to update the doodh-wala.  And sometimes she is the bagal-wali Auntyji with the beautiful rose garden who is always on the look out for notorious gulab-chors (rose-thieves).

Auntyjis enter our lives and leave our lives as they move on with their own. Some leave with Chickoo, the building friend. Some leave with the school bus. Some Aunties leave behind real packets of milk while some leave behind memories of fresh, fragrant roses and ethical conundrums about ownership and longevity versus joy, beauty and spontaneity.

Mom has some marvelous stories to tell about her Auntyji and her family who were friends with Mom's family. Sometimes you get a real lot from family friends. So much that you can pass it on even to the next generation! We may not be neighbors with Auntyji anymore. But Auntyji left with us one very treasured heirloom! Auntyji's Khatta Macchi has been made and relished by my Grandma, my Mom and now me!

On behalf of my Mom and our family, thanks to Auntyji for this recipe and all the memories that came along with it. 

Bhapa Doi and 1st Blog Birthday!

Hey everyone!!

Fig. 1. Bhapa Doi

Reminds me of a poem we learnt as kids..

ABCD-EFG,
come on Leena play with me!
HIJK-L-M-N,
it's Leena's birthday, she is ten!

Well.. today it's my blog's birthday and it is ONE! :D

When I started reading food blogs, I used them primarily for the recipes, and then for the encouraging food clicks. Over time though I started really reading the posts. And I realized that most of the blogs I liked had posts that essentially told simple stories of the daily lives of many many women everywhere. And that is what makes me visit them again and again..

Reading food blogs is like peeking into someone's kitchen window. And the thought that another ordinary person, not some celebrity chef, but someone pretty much like me, is doing pretty much the same things as me gives me an incredible sense of companionship! It also encourages me to think about doing the things they are doing that I am not. And as you all know by now, I am always on the lookout for inspiration. 

Over time I realized that it would be good to record all the food I was making for my own future reference. I was cooking anyway. Might as well take pictures and post my version of the recipe. I find that taking a picture and writing it up serves as a tangible reminder at a later date when I am super-busy, eating only Maggie and have forgotten that I can cook! ;) I cannot argue with a picture of my own fish curry or rasgulla. Well, a year has passed, I am stilling writing, still referring back to old pictures and am encouraged to cook more!

A major reason this blogging continues is readership! People visit this site and visit again. Some stay on and give advice, tips and feedback! Just last week I cooked red chard for the first time.. and I got two more recipe suggestions in reader feedback! Thanks everyone for your companionship! It is greatly valued!

Let me also give a big shout-out to Aparna, whose blog, Apy Cooking, happens to have the same birth date as mine! Happy Blog Birthday, Aparna! :)

On to Bhapa Doi..

Aloo Chard

Heylo everyone!!

Fig. 1. Aloo Chard

I know I have been very remiss.. Haven't been visiting online much, haven't been posting much and quite honestly haven't been cooking very much either. Shame-shame na.. But I'll be good now.. I'll cook and post and blog-hop too! Well, I'll try anyway! :)

Back to the food.. This post is about Red Chard. And notes to myself about using it in future.

When I go grocery shopping, I try to get something I "didn't get last time". That is actually not as easy as it sounds. Especially if I have been slacking off from the blogosphere. I tend to relapse into my old ways of buying the same-same stuff over and over. Spinach, bag of salad, onions, tomatoes, beans, carrots.. Really! And how would anyone be induced to cook with that same-old same-old!!

So every now and then I remind myself to just go with the seasons and cycle through all the fruits and vegetables over the year. But quite honestly I have little idea of what is in season and what isn't.

I try to reason that probably the in-season foods must over-fill the market in season, right? So instead of doing research and homework about it, I just hop over to the grocers and look around to see which vegetable is available in plllennty and pick up some. That way, on an average we end up eating most veggies at one time or another.

A few days ago I got a big bunch of Red Chard. I had never eaten Red Chard before, knowingly that is ;). So I wasn't quite sure what I would make with it. I wasn't even sure it was in-season at all. There was plenty of it. And it looked good and fresh. So I said.. hey-ho, lets go for it! Maybe it is the season for Red Chard!

Turkish Paneer Kababs

Hey everyone.. food-time!!

Here is a party appetizer I made recently, for a Turkish potluck with vegetarian guests! :)

Fig. 1. Turkish Paneer Kababs

The original recipe of my Kababs, Izgara Kofte from Turkish Cuisine, calls for meat. But I went ahead and made it with paneer to make it vegetarian. I served it with Roasted Garlic Hummus and pita. For my future reference, the above Turkish food blog has a great collection of recipes. I have also made Adana Kabab from there with minced chicken and that too turned out great, but I took no pics that time.

Coconut Vanilla Macaroons and food fiction

Hey everyone.. the last of the desserts..

Fig.1. Coconut Vanilla Macaroons

 I spotted these on Champa's blog Versatile Kitchen. The recipe is simple:

Roast 2/3 cup of all purpose flour till it smells sweet. Then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little less than one 14 oz bag of sweetened flaked coconut in it. Mix well. Now mix 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence with a little less than one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk. Add to the dry mix above. Mix by hand. The "little less" is because I did not want them to be too sweet. So use your judgment for sweetness. The "dough" should be thick, moist, sticky and pliable. Now make small flattened balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Use oil on your hands if needed. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 F, till the coconut flakes are lightly toasted. That's all! How quick and simple! And eggless too!!

Now it's time for another silly story. This story sends good wishes to people who have SAD. And it goes to Jaya of Spice and Curry who is hosting the event Chalks and Chopsticks started by Aqua.

Raushni Suryavansham and the terrible Dark

Raushni Suryavansham was the name of our favorite girl.
She was ever bright and sunny, and her life was a whirl.
Up and about, always busy and fulfilled,
Perfect was her life, like Mango Lassi, chilled.

But then one day Raushni, met a terrible Monster!!
Dark-vader was his name, (atleast that's what he announced her).
He said, "Hoo-haa!! I am Dark-vader!! People fear me and run!
Raushni Suryavansham.. my reign has begun!!"

For many days and many nights she was haunted by Dark-vader,
She lost all her joy and josh to the Energy Invader. 
Raushni's sunny soul was gradually exhausted,
And one day, darling Raushni simply couldn't get out of bed.

Then Raushni's Dad had an idea! He got broad-spectrum energy-savers.
Mom made Coconut Vanilla Macaroons - Raushni's favorite flavours!
The roasted flour and toasted coconut had an irresistible aroma
which wafted slowly to Raushni's room and she awoke with a delighted "Oh, Ma!"

It smelt like summer. Was it summer? No.. the Dark Monster was still in sight
hovering around.. between her and her macaroons.. like a terrible terrible Blight!
"Hoo-haa!!" said Dark-vader, "People fear me and run!!
I am terrible! I am mean!! And I fear no one!!"

This monstrous Dark-vader had made her life Helly!
And now, the impetuous blighter was coming between Raushni and her belly!
Raushni WOULDN'T take it any more! She sprang out of bed.
"I'll take you up on your word and RUN!!" and kitchen-wards she sped.

She scooped up a warm macaroon and popped it into her mouth.
Summer and Winter had imploded.. it was like she had flown South!
Dark-vader was close at her heels. But instead of being afraid,
Raushni charged straight at her Bully with a mean Coconut Grenade!

"Hoo-haa!!" she bellowed with fury, "I am Raushni Suryavansham!!
Dark-vader, you better run.. for this is the land of the SUN!!"

Dark-vader had met his match! He grabbed his dark cloak,
heading straight for the nearest rest-room, (terror-struck old bloke.)

Raushni had won back her joy. She would never fear Dark anymore!
Under bright lights, with foodie delights, she danced, "Teri Ore, teri ore!"

Thanks for reading everyone! Best wishes to anyone suffering from mild or severe SAD.

Hello Dolly!

Ok.. I will admit it right away.. I made these because I loved the name.. :D

Fig. 1. Hello Dolly Bars!

Plus they are made of chocolate! And they are supremely quick and easy to make!

I saw them on Delish. This is a blog I found via One Hot Stove and I have been tapping it for my bakes ever since! There are delicious and super-quick recipes tempting me to pig out every time I check out this blog! So it is apt that this post should go to Blog Bites for the Holiday Buffet!

Nankattai

Hey everyone.. Happy December! 'Tis the season to make goodies!

Fig. 1. Nankattai by the window sill

Do you have any favorite holiday goodies you almost always bake around this time of the year? I usually make all sorts of cookies. Nankattai this year is the first in line. I will be baking crinkle cookies and chocolate chip cookies next. I like to put all sorts of stuff in those. Might add some toffee bits this time. Mint chips and raspberry chips also taste terrific with chocolate based cookies. I love baking cookies. Hope to pack a few goodies and mail them off to family and friends. Let's see how much baking I manage.

Nankattai are cookies my Mom used to bake back home. So this is her recipe. There is nothing like the warm and fragrant elaichi with a hint of nutmeg! Start off the morning with Nankattai baking hot in the oven... and you know that the day ahead will be just perfect! You can imagine having these mildly sweet cookies with some yummy adrak-elaichi-wali chai (ginger-cardamom tea).

Some of the above yummy is now officially in the tummy.. some of my cookie giftees will just have to wait for a few more batches! ;) And yes, I took the pan over to the window sill to get some real light in the picture.

Besan ke Laddoo

Hidey ho everyone...

Fig. 1. Besan ke Laddoo

Firstly I must apologize for not visiting my co-bloggers a lot lately. Just busy. Also to my readers, I must apologize for the longish duration I have not posted here. I have been cooking. But my pics aren't coming out too great. I flatly blame the dark evenings and short daylight hours for this!! Finally this pic seems to have turned out ok. So these Besan ke Laddoos are okayed to be posted. :)

This recipe is from Manjula's Kitchen. Actually I am not such a big fan of Besan ke Laddoo. Despite a humongous sweet-tooth, I never seem to have craved for them. I guessed that meant that I was not super-fond of this variety of Laddoos. And yet.. Manjula's Kitchen.. and her videos.. her videos are really are cute. I had to make them after I saw her make these!

I thought, chalo.. post-Halloween Holiday Season is officially here. So I can enjoy the making of the Laddoos, surely someone will enjoy the eating of them!

And I must admit the finished product is just really delicious! Even I have changed my mind. I think it may be because they were super-fresh.. warm and fragrant, right off the pan! Not too greasy, not too sweet... I must admit that it sure does make a difference when you make something at home and hog on it fresh and warm!

Pumpkin Kadamb

Happy Halloween and early Diwali to everyone!

Fig. 1. Pumpkin Kadamb

Pumpkin season and Halloween = Pumpkin recipes! We often get good pumpkins at the market in this period. And usually pumpkin pie is the thing to make. But recently my Mom sent me some "Haldi Paan" (turmeric leaves)!!!! :)

She had got them fresh during Ganesh Chaturthi and it appears to still be available some places. She knew there was no way I could get my hands on the fresh haldi leaves. So she dried them and saved a bunch for me!! And as soon as some of my family came around to visit they brought along this amazing gift of leaves!! Ya-ya-yippee-yippee-ya-ya-yeah!!

Haldi-paan are used to flavour/impart-fragrance to several somewhat super-traditional dishes. So the fragrance of haldi leaves reminds me of Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Satyanarayan poojas and other such religious festivities! Ooh.. I couldn't wait to use them!

I got pumpkin, thinking I would make pie with it. Then I spoke with Mom and she mentioned she adds pumpkin to Kadamb (KuhDumb). And Kadamb also uses haldi paan! I jumped at that! :) Pie will happen next time. Now we make Kadamb!

Parotta Salad

Hey everyone.. a good lunch-box item today!

Fig. 1. Parotta Salad

Every day I pack lunch. And I find myself having to constrain the contents based on various objections. True life examples: "When one bites into a soggy sandwich, tiny pieces of food get stuck in the front teeth. Then that doesn't look good." and "Wraps drip, hands get yucky." "Egg smells." "Food that is too Indian also smells... then people look at me funny." and then there is the questionable "This aloo-palak looks too green-green. I don't want to be called a grass-eater. So let's skip too-green stuff, too brown-stuff.. anything that might elicit comment actually."

No, it is not my kids that register the above complaints, bless their little angel-hearts. No, it is not the significant other, bless his tall, dark, handsome, Prince Charming-ness. And no, this is not my dabba-service clients either, bless their well-paying, hard-working souls.

These are all my own objections.. (eyes lower with embracement.. noticing a badly needed pedicure..)

And since it is me-myself that packs lunch, such constraints mean that I eliminate about 90% of the refrigerator.

One-pot dishes are really the most convenient for lunch-boxes. And I do make pulavs and khichdis a lottt. Fortunately the world of food-blogs opens us to many potential dabba candidates. I had seen kothu parotta on several blogs. Cham's version with chalna looks like a good one to try.. somewhat more authentic looking. I will make her version very soon too. So I am noting the link here. I also found a quick and easy version of Kothu Parotta on Show me the Curry, which does not require chalna preparation. So I note that here for quick week-nights.

I will post the real Kothu Parotta sometime in future when I actually manage to make it like the recipe says. I started out thinking that I would make Kothu Parotta. But by the time I got to the refrigerator I found myself wondering if there isn't a cold version of this dish I could concoct? A Parotta Salad? I suddenly remembered a whole bunch of salads I had seen at Soma's ecurry!

So I decided that Parotta Salad it would be! I started out with the basic idea of Kothu Parotta from what I have gleaned from these blogs - mixing cut roti/paratha pieces for carbs, a source of protein (like egg or chicken), mixed vegetables and a curry or sauce to bring them all together. I just adapted the ingredients to make it a cold salad.

The technology of cooking

Ok, an interesting TED talk for when you have time.. about cooking as a technology! This gentleman brings up some interesting ideas. He projects that cooking is a technology that was invented to make the energy conversion (by our body) more efficient. Talks about how cooking influenced the evolution of our body, brain and gut.

Ref: http://www.ted.com/talks/heribert_watzke_the_brain_in_your_gut.html

Yes, cooking is a technology older than most "technology" commonly brought to mind. And it has helped us consume many foods that earlier were probably either hard to eat, like certain raw vegetables or seeds, or even completely inedible like raw meats. Since we are the only species that cook food before eating, Mr. W calls us "coctivores" rather than omnivores. :)

Ok, summary over.

This talk made me realize that we, cook-ers, perhaps rarely think this way about our own cooking.. as a technology! But indeed (if we now think about it) that is exactly how cooking works. People learn to cook. Are taught or develop certain techniques. Then we try newer things. Mix and match and generate newer recipes. And this has been on-going for many many years!

First there are cars, then come faster cars, safer cars, more fancy cars. And then there is the abrupt and prolific jump to airplanes. What are the jumps or prolific advances in cooking that you really appreciate?

Techniques like grilling, frying, baking.. baking cakes versus cookies, making kulfi versus ice-cream versus gelato and now frozen yogurt (mostly heat-cold applications) are a big benefit to us.

Also techniques of handling certain foods, for instance, how to cook colocassia leaves and rhubarb, handling the oxalate crystals, how to make pickles, preserves, jams, how to ferment batter, idli-dosa-dhokla.. dried goods like papad, wadis, etc.. fried goods.. making cheese, paneer, even simple yogurt..

There are also certain combinations in meals which probably allowed us to eat certain foods - for instance a lot of traditional Indian Thalis combine cool drinks like lassi, matthaa, buttermilk, solkadi or yogurt raithas and kadhis with our hot and spicy curries. And there are of course umpteen spices that probably work in certain combinations for good digestive health - ginger, heeng, cumin and whatnot. One often finds them in dals and other foods that are high in protein and harder to digest.

And then there are some seemingly mundane things that I, personally, think are cool inventions (nothing to do with evolution.. but oh well..) like tortilla and lettuce wraps - getting rid of the bread, granola bars - compact-ification of breakfast, cutlets or burgers - a method to combine any food into a convenient portion, all the egg-substitutes are cool discoveries, all the chaats we love are inventions of ingredient-combination, oh there are scores of such discoveries and inventions.. :)

Can you tell me about any other common cooking inventions/techniques that strike you as cool and handy?

I think even just adding pakoda to kadhi is a big deal! ;)

Three cheers for cook-ers everywhere! :)
 

Tandoori Fish

Tandoori anything is always a big treat! And at the end of a busy day there is nothing like this fish!

Fig. 1. Tandoori Fish

Sometimes I feel like all of the day is spent battling with paperwork. Fill this form, organize this that and something else, check on payments, make copies for your record, copies for someone else's record... Uff! Lately at least a lot of things can be done online. But even the online paperwork is not all that simple.

I was very excited to find that some forms I needed to fill could be filled online. I went, yay!! And then realized, never rejoice too soon. The one form was broken up into a series of 15 webpages! And you had to go fill-nextpage, fill-nextpage, through all 15. And then there was no option to save in the middle! What's more, by the curse of some crazy Rishi, the site would time-out in 15 minutes regardless of whether you are actively online filling the form or idling away from the screen with some chai-pani!!

When I was only on page 5.. the site starts giving me a warning.. "Your session will expire in 5 minutes." And I go Holy Rangoli!! 5 minutes for the remaining 10 pages!! I had no chance.. I totally couldn't make it. The session expired around page 8. And I had to start all over again!! Boy, was I mad!!

And when I am mad, I get even!! I had to do it again! And the second time around, I was prepared! If they were gonna play this new kind of speed game, I would play it too.. but Indiana Jones ishtyle! I got up, and found myself a hat, rubbed my trusty typing-finger on the collar.. (don't laugh.. I'm sure some of you out there type with only one finger too!) I set my stopwatch to buzz every 60 seconds, and.. GO!

This time I zippetty-zipped through the form and hit submit with perfect timing... and also saved my hat from being left behind! Haa! Speed demon!!

Needless to say, I soon heard back from the form-people. My submission was "invalid" it seems. They claim I have submitted the incorrect form!

Jealous.. that's what I think they are!

After all that excitement who wouldn't be rrravenous for dinner? Fortunately the fish was already marinated. All I had to do was bake! Such is the beauty of the refrigerator.. Anybody up for a refrigerator story? Maybe next time.. ;)

Doi Fulkopi - Cauliflower Curry

Hey everyone.. I had been eying this curry for a while. Why did it take me so long to get down to it..?

Fig. 1 Doi Fulkopi - Cauliflower Curry

I love Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew and all those mystery novels. When I am really irritated and in a bad mood.. a juicy Agatha Christie is all I need! Tell an Agatha Christie fan that there was no murder! Tell a Nancy Drew fan that there is no secret behind the staircase.

But mundane real life mysteries are not about murder and vanishing staircases. They are more commonly about things like... Why did Suhasini not pick up my phone? Who does she think she is? Conversely who is it that picks up my Wall Street Journal? A big one.. where is our checked bag? And somewhat intriguingly.. why is my toothbrush still wet in the morning?

One mystery was in my kitchen...

I had seen this recipe at Bong Mom's Cook Book many many months ago and yet it took me this long to finally make it! Lahsuni Aloo Gobi is the only other dish I make with cauliflower as the main ingredient (will post in future). And it's not as if I have made that very much either. So.. the big mystery is..

Where is the cauliflower in my house going?

It is never entering the house! Mystery solved.

And the wet toothbrush?

.. aah.. that is because I am staying up too late and getting up too early!! :D Ain't gettin' time to dry.

Godhuma Dosa

Hey everyone.. no soaking, no grinding, no fermenting,absolutely no prep what-so-ever for this dosa!

  

 Figs. 1, 2, and 3: Godhuma Dosa in various poses.

I found this on Indira's old blog Mahanandi. It is also available other places as Wheat Dosa or Godhumai Dosa.

Method: Mix wheat flour (chapati aata) + water in about 1:2 or 1:3 proportion. Add salt to taste. You really shouldn't stick to these proportions for water though. Because I ended up messing around with the batter consistency till I achieved the correct texture in my dosa. The batter should be really thin. When you pour it on the frying pan, the paper-thin dosa should immediately form this mesh-like pattern. (You don't have to spread it, pouring should be enough.) If the batter is too thick it will not form this mesh. I have put up three pictures so that you can see the mesh. Try one or two dosas.. at most your third one will definitely be right!

One cup wheat makes about 5-6 really thin dosas. And Indira instructs to not leave the batter sitting for too long, becomes a gooey mess apparently. Noted! :)

Cheers and happy cooking everyone!

Chocolate Banana Bread and Banana Bites

Hey everyone... a double recipe today! Chocolate Banana Bread and Banana Bites.

Fig. 1 Chocolate Banana Bread

Fig. 2. Banana Bites

I love eating lots of bananas. Bananas contain potassium. When I started running, my legs would be sore all the time. At some point I decided to look up what I could do to reduce the soreness. A little reading showed me that potassium intake is good to keep soreness at bay. And eating bananas is a good way to get potassium in my daily diet (I don't particularly fancy eating potatoes every day). So a banana a day keeps my soreness away! 

But my banana consumption, weather conditions and grocery frequency are three data points that do not always lie on one line. I hear people freeze bananas or keep them in the refrigerator. Please let me know if you do that and it works ok for you to make something later. 

Anyway.. as is obvious.. almost every alternate weekend, sometimes even on week days, I am left with 1 or 2 bananas that are threatening to self-destruct. And even if desserts are not the best way to get one's potassium, they are a good way to not-waste over-ripe bananas.

Chicken cutlets

Hey everyone.. Chicken cutlets today.. Why is this post labeled - fitness? Because runners like motivation, even if it is motivation to cook.

Fig.1. Chicken Cutlets

Do you sometimes lose the motivation to do some particular thing?

I have gone through this before.. in different areas at different times. Loss of motivation to work.. to run.. to cook.. to clean.. basically anything that requires effort could be a target here. Usually I can figure out exactly what is the reason.

But that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel like doing it right now! And most reasons simply cannot be fixed.

Usually, however, there is no option in these things. You have to work. You have to cook. You have to run. You have to do whatever it is that is the task at hand. And do it well too! But sometimes.. it is possible to just push it to later..

"Later" is Lady Slackalot's favorite word! It really is a polite way of saying "No." ;) If I avoid cooking long enough, we will have to get take-out. :D And yes.. sometimes it's ok. But if I actually have the time and energy, and still avoid it.. avoid it too many times, then it's time for the cheer-leader to come out and motivate! We are our own cheer-leaders. And if we have to do something, we really might as well enjoy doing it!

How do you motivate yourself?

What do I do when I don't feel like working? I go and sit amongst a lot of people who are busy at work! Like a public library. I try to hang out with people who like their work. People who are successful at their work. I try to mix it up a little, try something new in the task. I create deadlines for myself. And worst comes to worst, if I find I do not meet my own deadlines, I make them public! I tell my family and friends and sometimes announce it on the blog too.. that I will do so-and-so thing.. run or walk so many miles this month.. etc.

I do this for work, for running, for cooking, chores, errands,.. a lottttt of things! And usually it works. (Again, there is not much option. Something better work!)

Last few days I found myself not cooking. :( I did the usual. I spoke with my friends and family swapping recipes and dinner ideas. I browsed and read through your blogs (hanging out with people who enjoy the task and are successful at it!) Told myself that I will make so-and-so dish on Sunday.. (setting deadlines). Finally I told my Mom that I have not been cooking!! (Making things public, and how!) That combined with Bong Mom making chicken meatballs (new for me) finally worked!!

I went and got ground chicken (fresh ingredients, the ultimate deadline) and made chicken cutlets!!!!!!!! Yay!! Not only that, I also took pictures! Waah-waah, shabbash beti!! :D

And to seal the deal, (further making things public)... mujhey mere blog ki kasam, I will post at least 3 more food recipes this month. Total public commitment! Ab bachkey kahan jayegi! We meet Lady Slackalot head-on and tell her to get out!

Continuing the drama just a little longer.. (where else but on my blog will we find so much detailed procedure for how to deal with "getting-bored"-ness..)

My thanks to all you bloggers and blogger friends! Reading your blogs is far more fun than cooking or writing my own! But it sure helps me do both! :) Also thanks to my readers.. It's hard for me to believe how many of you read my posts.. even the fitness ones!! Just seeing you check in and find my lonely turtle sitting there with stale old rasgullas gave me a good kick in my... Well, thanks you all! I will do my best! 

Rasgulla fiction

Hey everyone.. Another food fiction today. This story was written for the event "Of Chalks and Chopsticks" started by Aqua, hosted by Jaya, the Desi Soccer Mom this month.

 

I have made Rasgullas before and posted the recipe in the past. So am referring to my earlier post for the recipe. When I made Rasgullas the first time, we were about 7 people and only 15 Rasgullas. 2 gullas per head were just not enough! These are so light and fluffy, one could easily wolf down quite a few at a time. And that memory is what generated the little piece of fiction that follows. 

The story of Vividh-bhaarthy Paarthasaarthy..

Vividh-bhaarthy Paarthasaarthy came from a long line of musically inclined Paarthasaarthies. Vividh-bhaarthy's family was filled with singers and musicians. Her twin-brother was a child-prodigy, the first haarmoniumist to play at the super-bowl opening ceremony!

Vividh-bhaarthy, however, was the odd one out. She had no musical talent, nothing to boast about. All her life, she had tried and she had tried-er.. but the gift of music was just not inside her.

Finally Vividh-bhaarthy had had enough, she said, "Bas kya!" and set out to the mountains to do ghor tapasya (penance). After many days and many nights of Viv standing on one foot, a Rishi (sage) appeared before her (clean-shaven, kind-of-cute.)

Chana Pulav

Hey everybody.. this is chana-pulao from the house of Indosungod!

  Fig. 1. Chana Pulav

There was this big potluck I had to go to.. yes, Nupur's potluck at One Hot Stove. Couldn't possibly miss it now, could I? And I'd had my eye on this pulav for a while now. So this was the perfect opportunity to make it!

One of the very first few times I officially cooked on my own was actually for a potluck! :) It was a potluck at a friend's friend's friend's place! I was staying with some friends. So when they were invited, so was I! Now, how could I show up empty-handed? So what if I had no kitchen of my own! I got some chicken and one large onion and made ginger chicken with some leftover takeout-soy-sauce packets in my friend's kitchen. :)

Potlucks are a lot of fun. Diwali potluck, Christmas potluck, Happy-Budday potluck, Sunday potluck, No-reason potluck, there is always scope for a potluck. We have a potluck... we call 4 friends. They end up calling 2-3 friends of their own just cos they were planning to meet them anyway. It's a potluck. If you bring food, then you are totally invited! :) Keep it casual, keep it easy, play a game or two, put on some Incredibles to occupy the kids..

If I host, then I have to play it slightly safe. Something like this chana pulav, a dal, one vegetarian side-dish and raita is what I make. That covers all my basic food groups (just in case all the guests end up bringing only soda or only desserts.. No, sugar is not a food group.) ;) And yes, I never make dessert for potlucks that I host. I keep some icecream or a can of gulab jamuns as backup. Almost always altleast one of the guests brings a dessert. ;)

Now, on to Indo's chana pulav.. I modified her recipe to use a can of chick-peas, a microwave and some minor-shortcuts.

Jeera (Cumin) Powder

Hey everyone.. a simple basic spice powder.

Fig.1. Jeera (Cumin) Powder

Just spread out some jeera (cumin) seeds on a flat plate. Heat in the microwave for a few minutes, stopping, re-spreading and mixing the jeera every now and again. In 5 minutes or less, your jeera will become very fragrant. Let it cool down. Then grind it to powder in your favorite mixer/grinder. Store in an airtight jar.

This can be done for any of your generic spice powders, ex: coriander (dhania) powder, etc etc.

If you think this is easy.. you are right. It is easy. :)

But is it too easy to be put on the blog? Doesn't matter.. I put just about anything on my blog! Pip-pip-cheerio! :)

Update: I just realized that there is an on-going event which is perfect for this kind of a post about basic kitchen skills! So this post goes to the Back to Basics event started by Jaya and hosted by Aqua this month. While we are on basics, check out last month's round-up.

Fried Fish

Hey everyone.. very simple and basic fried fish today..

Fig.1 Fried Fish

A really quick and easy dish that never fails to turn an otherwise simple meal into something quite special.

If I find good, fresh looking fish, I often end up buying it regardless of what my cooking-time-crunch situation is. Because the following marinade hardly takes 7 minutes: Wash the fish, poke slits in it and chop into somewhat medium sized pieces. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, amti powder or any garam masala. Mix well so that fish is well coated in the spices. Let the fish marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Then next morning, portion it into small batches and freeze them in a ziplock bag.

When it is time for dinner on one of your more frenzied days, make something super-fast, say, just dal-rice or re-heated leftovers. And defrost one batch of marinated fish. Roll each slice of fish in some semolina (rava), and shallow fry on a pan with a tiny bit of oil. The side of fried fish is guaranteed to be the highlight of your otherwise ordinary quick-fix dinner. If you are even more crunched for time, this fried fish also goes really well like a "fish patty" inside an ordinary sandwich with green chutney and tomatoes or leafy greens.

Update: Being my favorite way of eating fish, this post goes to Aparna's event "My Favorite Recipe!"

Have a good week, everyone!