Showing posts with label Main Course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Main Course. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Malai Methi Mushroom



Some days are so blah ....... And today I can't blame it on the weather like I always do. It was a lovely sunny day, the snow has melted into a small puddle, the neighborhood kids were out playing, people were walking their dogs and basking in the sun ..... everything seemed perfect.
Sigh ! It was not the best day for me ..... sleepless nights (thanks to my office fellas'), tangled hair, puffy eyes and chapped lips, I stood like a nerd on my patio with a blank head staring into infinity.
I wanted to break free .... I finally pulled myself and dusted my walking shoes. I felt a gush of cool air in my lungs. The gentle breeze blew my tangled hair and kissed my lips. My skin soaked in the bright sun after a long winter. It was pure bliss. I walked around aimlessly staring at the majestic Rocky Mountains in the horizon. I pondered how amazing God's creation is and how we ignore the beauty of small things in our daily materialistic lives.
I came back home refreshed and soaked myself in a tub of warm water with few orange peels. It was Valentine Day ..... in fact the day was almost over. I decided to make this mushroom curry for my Mr Valentine !! I wore the Red Dress and it was a cozy dinner for two with some mushy moments @ Apt 355.


Preparation Time 30 minutes
Serves 3

Mushroom - 1 pound
Onion - 1/3 cup chopped
Garlic - 1 large clove
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Tomato Puree - 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 6
Honey - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 cups
Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cardamon - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Cumin - 1/3 tsp
Salt per taste
Butter - 1 tsp
Oil for cooking


Method of Preparation

1 Clean Mushrooms, chop and keep aside. Make a fine paste of onion, ginger and garlic without adding much water. Grind cashew and make a paste
2 Heat oil and butter in a kadhai/ wok. When warm add cumin seeds and all the whole garam masala. Add the onion ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Fry till there is no raw smell in the masala and till the masala oozes oil. Now add the tomato puree to it and stir in. You may also use store bought tomato paste. Add the coriander powder and fry for 1 minute.
3 Add the chopped mushrooms to the masala and mix well with the masala. Fry on medium heat till the mushrooms sweat. Add cashew paste, kasuri methi and stir in. Also add honey.
4 Pour milk and let it simmer on medium heat till the gravy reaches a thick consistency. Keep stirring intermittently. Add tomato ketchup.
5 Add garam masala powder and simmer for 2 more minutes before switching off the heat.


Serving Tips
Serve warm with Pulao/ Rice/ Roti etc

Notes
You may also add green peas with the mushroom. Tastes equally great.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Mansha Tarkari aka Mutton Curry


It was a big day at Plot No - 1 Budheswari Colony. Mr Jamai Babu (Son in law) was visiting for the first time after our wedding. Undoubtedly he was the apple of every one's eye. His face dazzled with all the attention he was getting. It was a big fat gathering.
After taking a peek into all the rooms I slipped into one of the quite corners of the house to lie down and rest my tired aching bones. J was surrounded by my Uncles, Aunts and Grandparents. Some visitors from the neighborhood had also barged in to see the new Jamai. Jhumpa, the four year girl from our neighborhood jumped on J's lap without the slightest hesitation and stared at his face as he was doing all the talking. I wondered if J looked like an alien to her.
While I was at solace in my own house J was bombarded with curious questions from everyone. Everybody was eager to know how the Amerikan Jamai was surviving at the far off land.Ironically no body was interested to know what he did for his living in Amerika ..... all they were curious about was food and food alone !
'Do you get fresh fish there ?' was my grandfather's question. 'No only frozen fish', J answered after clearing his choked throat. ' What about our desi vegetables ?' Every question revolved around food. All these just reaffirmed that we Odiyas' live and die for food !! If we know of a big meteorite heading towards earth we will spend all the time cooking and dining !
While the male members of my family kept J entertained, the female members were busy in chopping, grinding and cooking. It was a big deal and there was no stone unturned for this lavish lunch.


And when I say lavish I mean lavish !! The variety of food could easily outnumber the dishes of an restaurant. I could smell an amalgamation of macha besara, chicken curry, mutton jhola , ghanta tarkari, saga badi bhaja , pulao, kheeri, rasgulla and what not.
It was impossible for me to stick to ettiquetes ..... I marched straight into the kitchen, picked up my steel tray ..... mine because it was gifted to me on my naming ceremony and hence belonged to me. Nothing attracted me more than the Mansha Jhola with potatoes dunked in the gravy (Mutton Curry). I took a big serving of the mansha jhola with some pulao and went to the courtyard. I saw J being escorted to the dining area by my grandmother. Mom laid some shiny new steel plates and bowls. J was literally pampered to the extent of spoon feeding. I am sure my kith and kin were sympathizing with the lad for having married me - for cooking was never my cup of tea those days. There were too many people around the table and everyone trying to say something to him. They fed him till he chocked. Perhaps they thought of feeding him so much that it would last till his next visit. And that hopefully we won't complain about my miserable cooking ...... But I quite enjoyed the scene of the 'Jamai Bhojan' sitting under the guava tree in our courtyard under the warm winter Sun, smacking the bowl of mutton curry clean and throwing the bones at my pet cat 'Sundari'.

Preparation Time 45 minutes
Serves - 4

Ingredients
Mutton/ Lamb - 2 pounds
Potato - 1 big diced
2 Medium size Onions finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 1 small
Curd - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp (per taste)
Turmeric Powder - 1.5 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Mutton Curry Powder - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cardamon - 2
Cloves - 5
Whole Black Pepper - 8
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Salt per taste
Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Oil for Cooking (You may use any oil alternatively)



Method of Preparation

1 Wash the mutton and remove moisture from it. Add 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, curd, salt and marinate. Keep aside for 20-30 minutes.
2 Heat mustard oil in a pan. When hot fry the diced potato till golden brown on all sides. Keep aside.
3 In a pressure cooker add some mustard oil. When warm add all the whole garam masala/ spices including cumin seeds. Add the finely sliced onions to it and saute till the onions are golden brown. You may add a little salt to the onions to cook it faster. Add ginger garlic paste and mix in with the onions. Also add tomatoes, 1 tsp red chili powder and tomatoes. Mix well and cook till the masala is cooked. Add cumin powder and Mutton curry masala and stir in.
4 Add the diced potatoes and marinated mutton pieces to the masala. Fry them mixing well for 10 minutes. Make sure you stir them continuously else the masala will stick to the bottom.
5 Add enough water to cover the mutton and potatoes. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
6 Remove from heat and let it cool. Open the cooker and add 1/2 tsp of ghee and mix well.

Serving Tips
Serve warm with plain basmati rice/ pulao or any Indian flat bread.

Monday, January 31, 2011

A Bitter Monday ..... Stuffed Karela


So it was Monday morning. The blaring alarm went on until I slipped out of my warm cozy bed to stop it. Blaring because it was no Cuckoo clock but an old mechanical table clock. And believe me the fancy alarms won't work for me .... there are plenty available in the market these days. Bhajans, Instrumentals, and Bollywood filmi song alarm clocks. Yes I can afford one of those. And truly this bulky table clock looks nothing close to being attractive.
My grandmother had given me this 'Khandani' table clock on the day I left to hostel. And I am carrying it wherever I go. Call me an emotional fool if you like so ..... but that is the truth. My weekdays start with the alarm. And somehow I have a strong bonding with the clock.

This was no special Monday ..... I woke up trying to reach out the alarm clock. Baiji (My Cook)had arrived. Baiji was in her mid forties. She would be there dot on time every morning. Her starched cotton saree would be neatly wrapped with the pleats perfectly in place, her coconut oil smeared hair combed with a Malli Phula Gajra (Jasmine flower garland). She would smell like Lux soap. It was monday morning for her too and she was as usual grumbling at me for not stocking up the fridge with vegetables even after a weekend. I heard her chop the vegetables, her glass bangles made a nice jingle ..... she was cooking at an electrifying speed. Breakfast and Lunch had to be done in an hours time. The only reason I engaged her inspite of she trying to boss me and her frequent grumbling sessions was her food. Baiji was an amazing cook ..... unlike others she would cook with love. Everyday she would walk me up to the bus stop before going to the other houses.
As she handed me a neatly packed lunch box ..... 'Karela' she said with an evil smile. She knew my dislike for that vegetable. And it was sweet revenge for her for not stocking up the vegetables or getting the much needed grocery on time.
I was getting late for the bus and it was just not the time to worry about Karela or anything. All I was focused on was hopping on the bus and take a nap before reaching office.

Like always I saw many confused and sleepy faces in the bus and at office too. Half the day passed away talking about weekend. It was time for lunch ..... I opened my lunch box with with no enthusiasm at all .... and there was no one to blame. The stuffed karela's stared at me .... I preferred to exchange my lunch box with Saloni. Her mom had packed some amazing alu parathas. And she snatched mine .... yaaa she loved Karelas. She ate the first one and insisted on me trying one. The bitter truth was I loved it too. It was love at first bite !
So it was Monday again but the alarm didn't go off. I made these cute stuffed karelas remembering Baiji and thanking her for making my bitter monday a sweet one.


Ingredients

Small Karelas/ Bitter Gourd - 8 nos
Mashed Potato - 1/2 cup
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchur Powder/ Dry mango powder - 1 big pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying


Method of Preparation

1 Scrape the Karelas/ bitter gourd lightly. Make a slit. Take water in a microwavable bowl. Add some salt to it. Dip the karelas/bitter gourd and microwave it for 3-4 minutes till they are soft. You may also boil it if you do not have a microwave. Remove from water andsqueeze it dry. Remove the seeds.
2 To the mashed potato add the dry masala and mix well. Add salt per taste.
3 Now stuff the masala into the karelas/bitter gourd.
4 Add some oil on a tawa/pan. When hot fry the karela/ bitter gourd. Fry on all sides till cooked. You may also opt to shallow fry it. But I prefer the tawa version as it is less oily.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with Rice

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Dahi Chicken or Doi Murgh



We are in the last week of January ..... Yeaah everyone knows that. But do you know that I have been able to keep my resolutions. So for all those pessimists who thought that resolutions are made to be broken or that they walk out of the door the very next day, it is indeed BAD NEWS !
Of course I am out of bed by 8am ..... I swear. Weekends are the only exceptions and that's allowed. I breathe my lungs out and get all the oxygen around me .... that is what Pranayama teaches right ? I even tried opening my windows early morning in the middle of the worst winter .... that was the stupidest thing to do.
I have emptied a pack of cereals in two weeks which means that I have not skipped Breakfast. And and I have not shopped anything other than groceries ( that's so not me) ..... Frankly I myself also find it difficult to accept.
And by now you must know my creative side.
Let me stop bragging before one of you asks me to ....
But there is one thing where I fumbled ...... Blogging and visiting all your blogs. Ahhh Obsession. But you like that right ..... me reading your blogs :D So that's one thing that I decided to compromise just for the sake of my blog friends.
But are you really happy for me ? Come one tell the truth .... at least once. No, it won't hurt me.
Any hooo let me come to the recipe and cut my crap before you decide to navigate away from this page.
This is my mother's recipe ...... so if you like it let me know. If you don't blame it on her.

Preparation Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 pound (with or without bones)
Curd - 1/3 cup
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp (per taste)
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Chicken Curry Masala - 2 tsp
Onion - 2 big finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch minced
Garlic - 5 cloves minced
Whole Black Pepper - 10
Bay Leaf - 1
Whole Cinnamon - 2 inches
Cardamom - 2
Salt per taste
Oil for cooking


Method of Preparation

1 Clean the chicken, remove skin and keep aside. I made this with boneless meat but it tastes even better with bones.
2 Add curd, red chili powder, turmeric Powder, salt and all the whole garam masala/ spices to the chicken. Marinate and keep aside in fridge for at least an hour.
3 Heat oil in a kadhai. When hot add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the chopped onions to it and saute till they are brown.
4 Add the marinated chicken to the masala and mix well. Add the cumin, coriander and chicken masala. Mix in all the ingredients. Add more salt to adjust the taste if required.
5 Cover and cook. Make sure to stir intermittently else the masala would stick to the bottom of the kadhai.
Add a little water if required. Cook till the chicken is tender. Garnish with a little chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with Naan or Roti

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Kankada Tarkari .... Crab Curry Odiya Style



What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear 'San Francisco' ? If your instant answer is the Golden Gate Bridge, please congratulate yourself. You belong to the category of normal or sane people walking on the surface of this blue planet. Why ? The Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge of the world ? Oh sure you knew ....
Or did somebody whisper 'Crabs at Fisherman's Wraf' ? Welcome aboard. I don't want to be the only insane, crazy Crustacean eater. The Golden Gate and other things are secondary !
The first time I was at Fisherman's Wraf I just went crazy at the very sight of these one pound ones. They were huge as compared to their cousins residing in the Bay of Bengal. All I needed was salt, pepper, lime juice and a little space in those tight shops selling sea food. Forgetting all codes of conduct I started with my hands ... I didn't require any of those sophisticated tools for cracking the claws. J stared at me startled ...... "Crabby Girl" was his clear expression. I ignored all that and the crowd around me and continued cracking my crab trying to reach the sweet meat in every corner and then smacking it clean.
When I turned around to ask the shop guy for another one ...... the self looked empty. This Chinese guy selling crabs signaled that the crabs are gone. The only thing I understood from his broken english was that I needed to wait for two more hours if I wished for another one. The next trailer with this priced Pacific catch would arrive at 9.30 pm he said.
Was the wait worth, especially in the month of December when the chilled Pacific wind freezes you. Yes without a doubt !
The crabby affair continues till date. I go nuts at the very sight of these . Ask me if I am willing to take a six hours flight from New York to San Francisco ...... The answer is 'Yes' (Courtesy if it is a Business Trip).
For the time being I have to satisfy myself with the ones available in the neighborhood sea food stores. The guy selling those tells me that these crabs travel all the way from the Pacific coast to make it to my kitchen. I have no option but to believe him for the love of these beautiful creations of God !!

So get your hands dirty and enjoy !!

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Ingredients
Crabs Cleaned Cooked and de shelled - 2
Potato - 1 medium
Chopped Onion - 1 medium
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic Cloves - 2 big
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1tsp
Dry Red Chilies - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 big pinch
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp (per taste)
Bay Leaf - 1
Salt per taste
Mustard Oil for cooking ( You can also use Canola/Vegetable Oil)


Method of Preparation

1. Cut potatoes into wedges. For the masala make a smooth paste of onion, ginger and garlic Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies and cinnamon in a blender.
2. Heat Mustard Oil in a kadhai and fry the potato wedges on both sides till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
3 Reduce the heat and add the bay leaf. Add the masala, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Fry till the masala is cooked and there is no raw smell.
4 Add water to make a gravy of diluted consistency. Add the Potato wedges and crabs. Simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala powder and cook for one more minute.

Serving Tips
Serve warm with plain rice.

Oops ...... Sorry I forgot about the normal people who are not crabby and who would visit SFO for reasons more than crabs .... Here is the list of things you can do when in this beautiful city .... But my last word - Do check out the Pacific Crabs ;-)
1 Golden Gate Bridge
2 China Town
3 Alcatraz
4 Embarcadero
5 Pier 39
6 Fisherman's Wraf
7 The Exploratorium
8 Cable Cars
9 Coit Tower



Thursday, December 9, 2010

Potala Tarkari (Parwal Curry) Another way .......



If you want fresh Potala/ Parwal in this part of the world ..... you must be dreaming ! And if you badly want it then there is a word for it 'Compromise'. Sure you can find them in the frozen vegetable section of most Indian Grocery Stores. But I am little against that word 'Compromise' although it is a part of our everyday life. I still try to minimize it when it comes to cooking and pleasing my palette. Like they say 'Every thing comes for a price', the price of owning these fresh ones was 4.99 $ a pound. From the moment I picked those parwals I started weaving dreams of a special dinner ...... the attraction 'Potala Rasa'. What's so special about it ...... well you got to check that here.
But I was in two minds about it ..... Why ? Coz that recipe was already sitting on my blog and this vegetable was a rare sight. It's rare to spot fresh ones even in the Indian Grocery stores. So do you have this question for me "Do you cook to blog or Blog to Cook " .... Well Both !!
So my quest for a special Parwal Recipe began on Google and ended with my maternal Aunt. This was her tried and tested recipe so I was in no two minds about it. Although it needed a little bit of convincing for J who badly wanted Potala Rasa. The end result was great if you can buy my words.
It came out better than what I had expected and J was licking his fingers.

Preparation Time 30 minutes
Serves 3

Ingredients
Potala/Parwal - 10 nos (medium size)
Thin chopped Onion - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 2 inches
Green Cardamom - 2
Black Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 3
Salt per taste
Oil for cooking



Method of Preparation

1 Wash Potala/Parwal and pat dry. Scrape the outer skin lightly. Slit in between.
2 Add some oil to a Kadhai. When hot fry the Potala/ Parwal by adding a little turmeric and salt to it. Cover and fry to cook faster. When Potala/Parwal gets 2/3 cooked remove from heat and keep aside.
3 Drizzle little more oil in the Kadhai. When warm add all the whole garam masala and bay leaf.
4 Add the chopped onions to it. Add salt per taste and a pinch of turmeric. Fry till the onions no more have raw smell and are soft. Add the cumin powder now.
5 Add milk to the onions, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Now add the fried parwal to it. Cover and cook till the gravy is of medium consistency. ( Milk reduces to 1/2 it's volume).
6 Sprinkle garam masala in the end.

Serving Tips
Serve warm with any Indian flat bread.