tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77089788862163925172024-03-06T04:06:20.340+05:30Culinary KhichdiThoughts, rants and ideas on food-related topicsSwatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-8502829109783069802012-08-20T03:31:00.000+05:302012-08-20T03:31:29.681+05:30Putting the Tea back into Tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Any Indian would tell you how important tea-drinking is in people's daily
routine. Every household has their own recipe. Tea at our home was
always black tea, steeped with water, milk and sugar. A range of spices
were added to it in winter - ginger, cloves, pepper, tulsi - for their
heating properties. Especially when it was made for someone suffering
from a cold, or a fever, the heat from the temperature of the tea would
often be surpassed by the heat from the spices. I remember gasping over
countless cups where the sting and burn of the spices (ginger and
pepper, especially) would last for several minutes afterwards.<br />
Company
tea, or party tea, always had a little more milk and a little more
sugar, and cardamom. All in an attempt to make it 'richer' and more
worthy of being served to guests. Then, of course, there were
alterations specific to certain guests. A particular aunt liked her tea
with very little milk, so when she was visiting, the milk to water ratio
was altered. But try as she might, mom couldn't manage to stop at the
tiny amount of milk my aunt liked, and the result would be tea that
would be unsatisfactory to both of them - too milky for the one and not
enough for the other. The same process was reversed when my mother
visited her. It was possible, of course, to go the tea bag way, or the
tea service way with pots of milk, sugar and brewed tea (or hot water
and tea bags) available for assembly right at the table, but fancy as
that might be, the flavour was never deemed satisfactory enough to be
desired. Everything in the right quantity had to be steeped together for several minutes, till it achieved an
undefinable perfect colour and consistency. I don't think I ever managed
to learn to make tea just the way my mother liked it. I did
accidentally hit upon the 'perfect' cup of tea a few times, but it was pure fluke.<br />
<br />
Recently I've been wondering about all the amazing ways to make tea (Cranberry Iced Tea, or Cucumber Ginger Tea, for example) in which people forget to put one very important ingredient - TEA! I mean, what you cook and the way you cook it is entirely a matter of taste, and I respect everyone's right to cook exactly what they want. But for the sake of clarity, if nothing else, shouldn't tea-less teas be called something other than tea? And yes, I'm equally against seviyan kheer without the seviyan, or sarson ka saag without the sarson. Its like going to a restaurant and saying, "I'd like some onion pakoras, but skip the onions." That's not to say that recipe adaptations are at all problematic, but please acknowledge that its an adaptation. If you were inspired by a recipe for Achari Alu and decided to use cauliflower instead of the potatoes, you're not going to still call it Achari Alu, are you? I'm sure there must be some people out there who will think me an insufferable puritan for this, but I'd like to reclaim the word tea for beverages that actually contain tea! And in case you were beginning to wonder if I'm a racist as well as a puritan, not at all, all colours of tea are equally welcome. Black, Green, White, Yellow and any other shades I don't know about, so long as it be tea. That's all I want. Or is that too much to ask for? <br />
So you don't like tea (or you do like and just need a break or a change, whatever), go ahead and make your novelty concoction.
Let your creativity run wild as you experiment with flavour and colour
and temperature and ingredients and everything else that can be
experimented with. The only think I ask of you is if your Ultimate,
Tongue-Tingling, Glow-in-the-Dark, Raspberry Flavoured, Lemon Coloured, Fizzy Tea doesn't have tea, please call it something else.</div>
Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-18681014989580885922012-04-04T23:13:00.000+05:302012-04-04T23:13:40.687+05:30Midnight Quesadilla, aka The Cheese Factor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tSUQNsrC8IEFxyj6iQDqu9TyUBlnTCjCJW3a_jIrMjkdTZi-UKL3cK0gd7x4ODMYZDiW5SNvSxIvZ8EZsTmADlFe4UoKXDiHMLU9mjDQbL3UXbbvkz3yY5PrYH77GZpM3E9TnGsJIupF/s1600/DSCF1681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love cheese. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In India, of course, cheese generally means processed cheese. Usually Amul, or maybe Brittania. Paneer is also called cottage cheese, but mostly it’s just called paneer. In my childhood, my parents enforced a ration of one 400g tin of Amul cheese per month, and I remember how exciting it was when we bought a new tin, and how disappointing when it got over. Those were the days when you had to use a can opener and work your way around the tin, then use a knife to lift up the cut metal sheet (which would have gotten wedged in the cheese). Usually, and this is where the fun began, some of the cheese would get broken off in the process. Slightly yellow in colour, soft and crumbly, that cheese was one of the best things I’d ever tasted. Some 20 years later, I still cannot resist the sight of a freshly opened pack of Amul cheese, or what I encounter more frequently now – a freshly peeled cheese cube. It is for that reason alone that I prefer cheese cubes rather than bigger packs. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Cheese spread is handy enough, but it doesn’t taste like the real thing. Cheeslings, on the other hand, I can eat by the pack. It was such a great ‘event’ when Mozzarella cheese (pizza cheese) became available in the retail market. It is rather lacking in flavor, I think, but melts easily and gives your homemade pizzas a fresh-from-a-pizzeria look! The best pizza I made used a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, where the texture of one and the flavor of the other made a good balance. I don’t know if parmesan cheese is made in India. For me, it’s one of the items I request my brother to bring from the U.S. If it has to be imported, might as well do the importing yourself!</div><div class="MsoNormal">On a recent trip to a supermarket though, I was thrilled to see several varieties of cheese produced by something called Kodai Dairy. Being handmade cheese, it was quite pricey (still cheaper than the imported varieties available), but seemed to have a decent range - Cheddar cheese, flavoured cheeses (like green chilly), etc. Milky Mist also had a cheddar cheese. Bought to pack to try it out. Another new item available in the cheese section was grated cheese blends from Gowerdhan Dairy (GO Cheese!). Along with Cheddar, they had a Mexican blend, an Italian pasta blend and an Italian pizza one. When I had visited my brother a couple of years ago, he had a pack of Mexican four-cheese blend in his freezer and it seemed like a very useful thing to have on hand. And I had mourned that it wasn’t available in India…</div><div class="MsoNormal">So yeah, I picked up a pack as soon as I saw it yesterday! And then I couldn’t wait to try it out. Ever notice how you get hungry at odd times when you have bought a new snack/ food you want to try? My hunger-moment hit at 11:45 in the night, when I was in bed, about to fall asleep. For a few minutes I debated whether to try to fall asleep anyway or to get up and eat something. The moment I remembered the cheese, though, I HAD to get up! With very few ingredients on hand, and considering the lateness of the hour, I wanted something easy and quick. That’s where the Midnight Quesadilla came in. It is something I concocted in a hungry, sleepy moment!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tSUQNsrC8IEFxyj6iQDqu9TyUBlnTCjCJW3a_jIrMjkdTZi-UKL3cK0gd7x4ODMYZDiW5SNvSxIvZ8EZsTmADlFe4UoKXDiHMLU9mjDQbL3UXbbvkz3yY5PrYH77GZpM3E9TnGsJIupF/s1600/DSCF1681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xvgXVWOrn7umAaEzaS7JdT3NoKH5SGV55cV1jO1bTgupwXWGBr3U5MD6R7Ao80Mf2DgkYY9R6Fu8M6AQHCopLMIyA0uLgWYFIFAQQPfsDLGQfhj5LdDWaFHX-RsFqU5YxTaQXZBhQxHT/s1600/DSCF1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xvgXVWOrn7umAaEzaS7JdT3NoKH5SGV55cV1jO1bTgupwXWGBr3U5MD6R7Ao80Mf2DgkYY9R6Fu8M6AQHCopLMIyA0uLgWYFIFAQQPfsDLGQfhj5LdDWaFHX-RsFqU5YxTaQXZBhQxHT/s320/DSCF1678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Midnight Quesadilla</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>Leftover dough to make 1 roti</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>1 egg</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>2 tbsp chopped onion</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>1 tbsp chopped tomato</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>1 clove garlic, chopped</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>1 tsp oil</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>Salt and pepper (I used red chilly powder for colour. And because it was kept closer to the salt!)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">And, of course</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span>1 tbsp grated cheese (I used Mexican cheese blend)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Heat a flat non-stick pan. Add a little oil.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Roll out the roti and cook one side.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Flip over. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Break an egg onto the roti, and spread it with a spoon/fork. Quickly sprinkle the chopped vegetables, salt and pepper, and the cheese. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Fold it in half, but don’t press down. Otherwise all the egg will ooze out. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Let it cook on a low heat till the egg is done. Flip once to make sure both sides cook evenly.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cut into wedges and eat/serve with tomato sauce.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am a little paranoid about eating raw egg, so before I added the cheese, I flipped mine over and cooked the egg directly. Then flipped back, added the cheese, folded, and cooked till crisp. You can even cover the pan with a lid to speed up cooking. Mine was done in about 12 minutes from start to finish.</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is what the inside looked like. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tSUQNsrC8IEFxyj6iQDqu9TyUBlnTCjCJW3a_jIrMjkdTZi-UKL3cK0gd7x4ODMYZDiW5SNvSxIvZ8EZsTmADlFe4UoKXDiHMLU9mjDQbL3UXbbvkz3yY5PrYH77GZpM3E9TnGsJIupF/s1600/DSCF1681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tSUQNsrC8IEFxyj6iQDqu9TyUBlnTCjCJW3a_jIrMjkdTZi-UKL3cK0gd7x4ODMYZDiW5SNvSxIvZ8EZsTmADlFe4UoKXDiHMLU9mjDQbL3UXbbvkz3yY5PrYH77GZpM3E9TnGsJIupF/s320/DSCF1681.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">It was perfect for satisfying midnight cravings, and reinforced my belief that everything tastes better with a little cheese on top!</div></div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-1939168417934871932012-03-17T22:44:00.003+05:302012-03-17T23:13:49.746+05:30Almost-Anniversary Celebration!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I was planning to do a 'one year of NOT blogging' celebratory post, but I'm going to have to settle for an almost... Manu's non-stop pestering to blog, blog, BLOG finally got to me. Every time I cooked anything even slightly out of my normal routine, his first reaction would be, "You should write a blog about this." So yes, I gave in. I rarely remember to photograph my food - usually by the time I finish cooking, its half past the time for eating! But over the almost-one-year, I did plan a few posts and out of them perhaps managed to photograph half. Hopefully, I'll catch up on those! (Although knowing me, that's probably too much to hope for.)<br />
Today being St. Patrick's Day, I too played at being Irish for a day, or rather for a meal. Dinner for two :- Soda Farls, Fried Cabbage, and Irish Chicken. Oh yeah, orange slices for dessert!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPD1kQNrIRonmcgK5NUZKu3_-H6gOtnLGAC_qfJ5jt2XoYX1nok8-bzF3Glb0mZIqjVKGVK5j73wWFLTTIzOK5hHG4TTNlUAxC_4PUpZzxtXbF4P731Z3-5QU7_gENtU1K_0tTrvp9FYr/s1600/DSCF1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPD1kQNrIRonmcgK5NUZKu3_-H6gOtnLGAC_qfJ5jt2XoYX1nok8-bzF3Glb0mZIqjVKGVK5j73wWFLTTIzOK5hHG4TTNlUAxC_4PUpZzxtXbF4P731Z3-5QU7_gENtU1K_0tTrvp9FYr/s320/DSCF1580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The farls I had tried once before, and the cabbage was a very basic recipe with just oil, salt, pepper and parmesan. The show-stopper, at least I hope so, was the chicken. Not too complicated or time consuming, but definitely finger-lickin' good. Inspired by a recipe from the Food Network, here's how I did it...<br />
<br />
300 g chicken (with bone)<br />
2 carrots (sliced)<br />
1 medium potato (cubed)<br />
1/4 cup green peas<br />
1 medium onion (chopped)<br />
2 cloves garlic (minced)<br />
salt, pepper to taste<br />
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves<br />
2 tbsp oil<br />
AND....<br />
1 cup Strong beer (I used Tuborg, simple because that had a smaller bottle available)<br />
<br />
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onion and garlic. Remove from oil and set aside. In the same oil, add the chicken pieces and cook on medium high. Make sure to turn the chicken so that all sides are evenly browned. Once the chicken browns, add the onion and garlic, carrot, potato, salt, pepper, and coriander. Pour the beer over it, bring to a boil.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzn0d-Pp7szNrZbtx89OK9Vbcp-OA302MQJG6T77VrTtErePhWmI86qbfy6yIFh_PKdFFidUahWiUPdzXsgxuJa33tWDGxIu7zQ3TTdX3g1om1b8bH01Vnb_M1x-1AocdSKitT2nP72o3R/s1600/DSCF1564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzn0d-Pp7szNrZbtx89OK9Vbcp-OA302MQJG6T77VrTtErePhWmI86qbfy6yIFh_PKdFFidUahWiUPdzXsgxuJa33tWDGxIu7zQ3TTdX3g1om1b8bH01Vnb_M1x-1AocdSKitT2nP72o3R/s320/DSCF1564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then turn down heat and cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add the green peas, cook for another 10 minutes. By then, the chicken should be done, and only a little bit of sauce left. (If you like more sauce, you can always add more beer... or water).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx9TCyCaJGOF9PlXGKA_-_EDfuSOdPrjhfac5rXNhbqD0T51RXbvaxmV-_PlHeQgA5O2IV4rbtPNKa34U0N3Rmlj_Da6MYjLYPMqCnBAJXk4ydseRej1hDDXTUI9KdtnwNLo9Da31AGm7/s1600/DSCF1569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx9TCyCaJGOF9PlXGKA_-_EDfuSOdPrjhfac5rXNhbqD0T51RXbvaxmV-_PlHeQgA5O2IV4rbtPNKa34U0N3Rmlj_Da6MYjLYPMqCnBAJXk4ydseRej1hDDXTUI9KdtnwNLo9Da31AGm7/s320/DSCF1569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I was slightly apprehensive about cooking this one since I don't like the taste of beer, but somehow the cooking process took the unpleasantness away, while still leaving a recognisable flavour behind. I've never cooked chicken with vegetables before (except onion and capsicum for tikka), but the carrots and peas added a nice colour to it, I think. My test subject did clean up his plate very very thoroughly, so I'm guessing it was a hit! </div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-75099505143480668822011-04-18T17:13:00.000+05:302011-04-18T17:13:37.642+05:30Crusted Icecream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As promised, here's the recipe for the ice-cream dessert. It was inspired from a recipe from allrecipes.com, which is my recipe mecca!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9NfU-rM8FHoiCms7lc56DlEXukdbJMyewCrZP_9frORIZ9JP-YCE6eh7g6ZapeXn2lQIFEJbQFP-hKLjPuGBIgYmPs_QIDEB0uNixw9yHmmrKcF2MpNr8mMDIYGyNpsjiiLIIwHXHvQ7/s1600/CIMG2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9NfU-rM8FHoiCms7lc56DlEXukdbJMyewCrZP_9frORIZ9JP-YCE6eh7g6ZapeXn2lQIFEJbQFP-hKLjPuGBIgYmPs_QIDEB0uNixw9yHmmrKcF2MpNr8mMDIYGyNpsjiiLIIwHXHvQ7/s320/CIMG2235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Chocolate Cake - 200 g<br />
Butter - 2 tbsp<br />
Chocolate Icecream - 400 ml (family pack)<br />
Vanilla Icecream - 400 ml<br />
<br />
Aluminium Foil<br />
<br />
Crumble the chocolate cake (I used Britannia since I was too lazy to bake one) and mix with cold butter to make a dough. Don't worry if it is not smooth.<br />
Use the aluminium foil to line a square or rectangular box. Make sure there is an overhang of foil on all four sides. Pat the chocolate dough to cover the foil-covered inside of the box. Try to make the thickness as even as possible. Pour in the softened icecream (one flavour). Freeze for an hour, then add the other flavour of icecream.<br />
Free overnight. To serve, invert the box on the serving plate. Gripping the foil overhang to the plate, slowly lift up the box. Peel off the foil and enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKvs7iDY4CbvHgVIEW_MuWrMrrQ4aUwnwvGWDBEGTizQuNCrVyg_1WxZDbWN9QQQ3Ijbqy46n9-1e3EgzE0SRS8JEsI7_dC0bvdjw_ghSy9xtXzaKgUcn2DpVNrLOre4_D_xVrCzJOwHn/s1600/CIMG2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKvs7iDY4CbvHgVIEW_MuWrMrrQ4aUwnwvGWDBEGTizQuNCrVyg_1WxZDbWN9QQQ3Ijbqy46n9-1e3EgzE0SRS8JEsI7_dC0bvdjw_ghSy9xtXzaKgUcn2DpVNrLOre4_D_xVrCzJOwHn/s320/CIMG2237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Instead of making 2 layers of icecream, you can add it in alternating scoops for a different look, or make a ribbon effect with vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce.<br />
I haven't tried it with any other flavour yet, but I'm sure the basic recipe can be changed with different flavours of cake and icecream. Maybe I should try a pineapple/strawberry combo next time?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3_Fr_60F5BaLgyFw7biSdTGH1KGl1_bTqC4-EDQ6FPedrGk8feuZcmrSoxoAW861_6M1ZIeedolq9s5ZfvT4wyHuC_xOjIsfq93aQiYequ0FXM88CpUCUKjTuh_CPv5qw4lY8FrwiV59/s1600/CIMG2238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3_Fr_60F5BaLgyFw7biSdTGH1KGl1_bTqC4-EDQ6FPedrGk8feuZcmrSoxoAW861_6M1ZIeedolq9s5ZfvT4wyHuC_xOjIsfq93aQiYequ0FXM88CpUCUKjTuh_CPv5qw4lY8FrwiV59/s320/CIMG2238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-40184362070172772012011-04-12T22:03:00.000+05:302011-04-12T22:03:44.087+05:30Apologies to all!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm sorry, dear blog, for ignoring you for a month! Cooking virtual food and reading about the foods of foreigners took up so much of my time that real cooking and real writing both took a backseat. Hoping to remedy that now!<br />
<br />
Just to let you know, I hadn't given up on cooking for a month (what an idea!!!), just the blogging of it.<br />
Here's some of what I have been up to in the past month...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKvs7iDY4CbvHgVIEW_MuWrMrrQ4aUwnwvGWDBEGTizQuNCrVyg_1WxZDbWN9QQQ3Ijbqy46n9-1e3EgzE0SRS8JEsI7_dC0bvdjw_ghSy9xtXzaKgUcn2DpVNrLOre4_D_xVrCzJOwHn/s1600/CIMG2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKvs7iDY4CbvHgVIEW_MuWrMrrQ4aUwnwvGWDBEGTizQuNCrVyg_1WxZDbWN9QQQ3Ijbqy46n9-1e3EgzE0SRS8JEsI7_dC0bvdjw_ghSy9xtXzaKgUcn2DpVNrLOre4_D_xVrCzJOwHn/s320/CIMG2237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A vanilla and chocolate layered icecream dessert, with a crumbled chocolate cake crust. Made it for my parents' anniversary since we all love icecream!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWRYKUe-pY7Hu8vwCLAlkx-NKpIAamoWSg-tiL2_1r0EhS57spvTyttZj9adm_EuNBBBncU4E7MaagVtZgrobmKdFjKjo2Ib4pwWKoqrSALFeGJfHArYn6EdjHjFFLvNNWtZRYenXX2FC/s1600/CIMG2240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWRYKUe-pY7Hu8vwCLAlkx-NKpIAamoWSg-tiL2_1r0EhS57spvTyttZj9adm_EuNBBBncU4E7MaagVtZgrobmKdFjKjo2Ib4pwWKoqrSALFeGJfHArYn6EdjHjFFLvNNWtZRYenXX2FC/s320/CIMG2240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk6bTqzmzuVbrAKU-V6zozHKPIjvSFU5dQKSvGQDOVCUcTMktkUP_BKPQgjsXlWtMfcaK8f7EDVlUSef1rYT97FUNv4-i1T9Pq1hF2p5EubMwxgHYBr9LtQ5Wpt3WyJ3gfWoUMRFwWzTd/s1600/CIMG2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk6bTqzmzuVbrAKU-V6zozHKPIjvSFU5dQKSvGQDOVCUcTMktkUP_BKPQgjsXlWtMfcaK8f7EDVlUSef1rYT97FUNv4-i1T9Pq1hF2p5EubMwxgHYBr9LtQ5Wpt3WyJ3gfWoUMRFwWzTd/s320/CIMG2250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXk6bTqzmzuVbrAKU-V6zozHKPIjvSFU5dQKSvGQDOVCUcTMktkUP_BKPQgjsXlWtMfcaK8f7EDVlUSef1rYT97FUNv4-i1T9Pq1hF2p5EubMwxgHYBr9LtQ5Wpt3WyJ3gfWoUMRFwWzTd/s1600/CIMG2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Gujiya and Shakarpare made for Holi... And this is when I got really close to blogging about it, but then realised that every single Indian food blog I could find had a gujiya post for Holi!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8kbnFRY4JJrm2mps8blvJV9jjnQZXMKDZ89ABi1gXix952w28iza8DohVBRuP0t0qR-qQIGlsYrUlrF3Mro8QIATC1-zlJlg0968dq67vtTeEdx4r_XXWyx9aOkRZRzdN4nSDbaSRQZD/s1600/CIMG2255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8kbnFRY4JJrm2mps8blvJV9jjnQZXMKDZ89ABi1gXix952w28iza8DohVBRuP0t0qR-qQIGlsYrUlrF3Mro8QIATC1-zlJlg0968dq67vtTeEdx4r_XXWyx9aOkRZRzdN4nSDbaSRQZD/s320/CIMG2255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pav-bhaji! Yes that is butter on top, and yes, that is the only butter the whole dish had :(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig59guWrOp79qWavAPq_wf6P14vqPvvyzoWz6jmApRRxsXWHTmpnDsTBL6d4ug3RVNKJ2AWUPH0P6EIN182D7Ojh5szFaxIAEI1AJQQ497zcn2xzrXhx2g9JvVFeIdKrSd8PQtVpP15ql3/s1600/CIMG2276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig59guWrOp79qWavAPq_wf6P14vqPvvyzoWz6jmApRRxsXWHTmpnDsTBL6d4ug3RVNKJ2AWUPH0P6EIN182D7Ojh5szFaxIAEI1AJQQ497zcn2xzrXhx2g9JvVFeIdKrSd8PQtVpP15ql3/s320/CIMG2276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then we started running out of spices, so we had to clean and grind some... Red chillies and coriander seeds drying in the sun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmiAdcE0XES4WepSCSwNg9ubJTDsfOxuBvk6AG37x6ewQ_UBT5bZwHosVlx4wGyyYx0_HMbBMb7yrVBaMN20ct-fn5eUxXmzQSilxXDsCR8XmnifGezosVMn_gx-FCwXXivtTKokmHqwI/s1600/CIMG2335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmiAdcE0XES4WepSCSwNg9ubJTDsfOxuBvk6AG37x6ewQ_UBT5bZwHosVlx4wGyyYx0_HMbBMb7yrVBaMN20ct-fn5eUxXmzQSilxXDsCR8XmnifGezosVMn_gx-FCwXXivtTKokmHqwI/s320/CIMG2335.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Back to cooking and this time is was brinjal stuffed with pickle masala in gravy. Inspired by a dish I had at Khan Sahib, GVK One. If you haven't been there yet, I suggest you change that as soon as possible. Awesome ambiance and delicious delicious food! And great service too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFtaksGzyFS9ngW4zwT0bVeXbmwzH_DKqS0hjvJoA-4gWFb4Eryvgj3oWsheQtRf8YbwfWYLEkH-USxMlirpWqbj87F7ayaZKKWsM2dmYDbzoZ-Xu-e0sg9QdA3tJLO20IhesIxqTJABX/s1600/CIMG2272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFtaksGzyFS9ngW4zwT0bVeXbmwzH_DKqS0hjvJoA-4gWFb4Eryvgj3oWsheQtRf8YbwfWYLEkH-USxMlirpWqbj87F7ayaZKKWsM2dmYDbzoZ-Xu-e0sg9QdA3tJLO20IhesIxqTJABX/s320/CIMG2272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kharbuja seeds being dried in preparation for peeling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even before mango-season starts, comes the season of kharbuja or musk-melon. Mango lovers would likely kill me for this, but I prefer a good musk melon over mango! And the best part? You can eat the seeds too! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And there was the lasgana that I made (my first attempt!) that looked and smelled so good that we had finished almost all of it before I remembered that I should have taken pictures. Will definitely be making it again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The rising heat has brought with it the rising demand for ice-cream. And this was the perfect time to bring out the peppermint extract that I brought from the US nearly an year ago and had been hoarding ever since! Out came the extract, and the chocolate chips, also from the US trip (Hi, My name is Swati and I am a hoarder) and, combined with some local maal, resulted in the dessert-heaven sitting in my freezer right now - Mint Chocolate Chip Icecream! To anyone who does not worship Mint Chocolate-Chip, I say - no, that won't be polite here. Oh well, insert worst curses you know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next on my to-cook list are a few recipes from my fellow-bloggers that set my mouth-watering...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/04/mango-pannacotta.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+priyaeasyntastyrecipes+%28Priya%27s+Easy+N+Tasty+Recipes%29">Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes: Mango Pannacotta</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://theyogivegetarian.blogspot.com/2011/04/mothers-day-pancakes-eggless.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheYogiVegetarian+%28The+Yogi+Vegetarian%29">The Yogi Vegetarian: Mothers' Day Pancakes- eggless</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2011/04/easy-lemon-lime-pudding-pie.html">The Chubby Vegetarian - Easy Lemon-Lime Pudding Pie</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://priyasnowserving.blogspot.com/2011/04/mampazaham-morekozhambu-ripe-mango.html">Now Serving - Mango Kadhi</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks everyone for reading my update! Hope to be more regular in posting now... :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-91643815052859473352011-03-08T01:26:00.001+05:302011-03-08T01:48:06.080+05:30Muffinz!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yes, so I was supposed to post photos of the muffins yesterday. Well at least I'm getting to it today. Except the "today" has already turned to tomorrow, and the yesterday should have been the day before! Maybe that is why you are not supposed to be up late at night - so as to not get confused about dates and relative time references!<br />
Anyway, now that there are just two muffins them left, I figured I better get to writing this post. So here are my little beauties... yes they were little, more like "mini-muffins" in a lovely daisy shape (Thank you Walmart!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj_QUWFAzJBAKU6Z5a3dwpWFitkwpiD1UVfgaqzqHp4Kspx0oB4b5YGoVf80K-QG_WSiDNrq0hQeJP2zgLe2PcYzYrZiNRdN25KTMAyn1XZ7-C5nXRfyHl6XylwEFW_11Bc5avKdFRKeg/s1600/CIMG2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj_QUWFAzJBAKU6Z5a3dwpWFitkwpiD1UVfgaqzqHp4Kspx0oB4b5YGoVf80K-QG_WSiDNrq0hQeJP2zgLe2PcYzYrZiNRdN25KTMAyn1XZ7-C5nXRfyHl6XylwEFW_11Bc5avKdFRKeg/s320/CIMG2225.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I only made twelve coz thats how many my pan will fit at a time. And since this was my VERY FIRST BATCH OF MUFFINS, I tried out three variants - almond, chocolate chip and tutti-fruity. Unexpectedly, while all of them tasted good, the tutti-fruity turned out to be the best, though its usually not a favourite of mine. <br />
Here's a close-up shot of an almond one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovcOBEyaEQdKtaozea6hx9yAbOSg_gk9-9lH9WNkeHrmTrECj6fexkohWP7wOW4SXnhq-iznABhiRuGlmD6K093eiq8ceWEf1hAc3mZ_OdXe6uWM89UGVIM9DdTGit20Aa5tcPdGIDYOZ/s1600/CIMG2232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovcOBEyaEQdKtaozea6hx9yAbOSg_gk9-9lH9WNkeHrmTrECj6fexkohWP7wOW4SXnhq-iznABhiRuGlmD6K093eiq8ceWEf1hAc3mZ_OdXe6uWM89UGVIM9DdTGit20Aa5tcPdGIDYOZ/s320/CIMG2232.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Next stop: Banana Oat Muffins!</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-75126420974224160222011-03-06T01:03:00.000+05:302011-03-06T01:03:22.338+05:30Hot n Sweet Tofu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLugV62D5nXlp1bmUUFhXXDaYXmpcLi7TLVxIUl-y5Y8N1CcezpCjQ6F_azC1Q2VB6bxrMz2bRysyvqdKW1OxosMfpOHN_mJwVzK8RV8TYdCKYObdvCkzKsVJ2wJcD8tliPf1qgXimwR_/s1600/CIMG2223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLugV62D5nXlp1bmUUFhXXDaYXmpcLi7TLVxIUl-y5Y8N1CcezpCjQ6F_azC1Q2VB6bxrMz2bRysyvqdKW1OxosMfpOHN_mJwVzK8RV8TYdCKYObdvCkzKsVJ2wJcD8tliPf1qgXimwR_/s320/CIMG2223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Julia's spirit finally kicked in a day late, inspiring me to concoct this sweet and spicy tofu and babycorn curry. Of course, this is definitely not French, but it is from a modern day Americanized adaptation of a traditionally non-American dish, so I think its close enough. Confession time: My only inspiration was mom complaining about the pack of tofu I'd bought a month ago and frozen... Under threat of it being thrown into the garbage, what choice did I have? Raiding the fridge threw up some babycorn also, so in it went!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmrGoO8jnSYzCb2vaA6xd2YvkS6cp37sm8WQ8xzYJXlZ5HwMuLtguSyPe5xUOhCo5KgLEdxwyeNQFKt_-kgRGj3T1EOigrCsOrV-i0q1oY_gfztdeovENP26_8mOH3mYwj9YuBwfz2jgc/s1600/CIMG2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmrGoO8jnSYzCb2vaA6xd2YvkS6cp37sm8WQ8xzYJXlZ5HwMuLtguSyPe5xUOhCo5KgLEdxwyeNQFKt_-kgRGj3T1EOigrCsOrV-i0q1oY_gfztdeovENP26_8mOH3mYwj9YuBwfz2jgc/s320/CIMG2221.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I started by sauteing the tofu, sliced babycorn, and onions in oil (separately). Put aside. Then I added a bit of fresh oil into the pan along with minced ginger and garlic slices. When cooked, I added soy sauce and a spoon of sugar. Let it cook without stirring till the sugar was partly caramelised, after which I added vinegar, sliced red chilles and water. Added all the veggies and cooked on low till the tofu absorbed the liquid. At that point I realised that I'd need more curry in order to eat it with rice, so I added more water and a bit of cornflour to thicken it. Adjusted the salt, turned off the gas and finally added some chopped garlic greens (fresh from my own garden, thank you very much!) for a bit of colour and its was done. It tasted really good. Next time I'm planning to make iit with chicken!<br />
<br />
P.S. Made muffins today for the first time ever... Photos tomorrow!</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-11256742908267097932011-03-03T19:47:00.002+05:302011-03-03T19:50:08.267+05:30Julie&Julia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">When I started this blog, one of my friends suggested I watch the movie <i>Julie&Julia</i>, a movie based on the book by Julie Powell which explores the intersection of her (Julie's) life with that of the sensational Julia Child. The starting point of the story is Julie's decision to start a blog about her attempt to cook every recipe in Child's cookbook within one year. As a movie that focuses on two of my passion - writing and cooking - how could it fail to interest me? While I didn't see any connection with my blogging or culinary aspirations, Child's name was familiar enough, and the story intriguing enough, for me to try to get a the movie almost immediately, an easy endeavour. But days passed and the movie got pushed to the bottom of the pile. Until tonight.<br />
Watching the movie, the most recurring thought in my mind was "How did the two of them manage to find such amazing husbands, and where do I find myself one of those?" While certain scenes explicitly make us realize just how understanding Eric is of Julie's moods, self-absorption, etc, my admiration for Paul is much greater. <br />
Husband-hunting aside, this is supposed to be a food blog and to the topic of food I shall return. It is of course impossible to escape visuals of food and the process of cooking while watching this film. Now usually when I read something about food, I get inspired to invade the kitchen and DO something. Except today, when I felt nothing of the sort. Maybe its the fact that it is 2 AM, but I admit I am disappointed. And a little worried.<br />
I absolutely loved how food, and more than that cooking, have been given such a central role in the movie. Cooking is educational, creative as well as therapeutic, it is an expression of love as well as an assertion of self. It is an investment, an act of faith and hope.<br />
I liked the movie, but I do have a problem with the concept of invoking Julia by cooking from Julia's recipes. <br />
When Julie cooks the Beef Bourgignion,she claims it is Julia's Beef Bourgignion, when in fact it can be nothing other than JULIE'S Beef Bourgignion. How can one cook make another cook's dish? How can a cook fail to invest of oneself in whatever he/she is cooking? I don't believe it is ever possible to perfectly replicate another's recipe. Even something as simple as tea will vary according to the person who makes it.</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-57227871099229052912011-02-24T01:15:00.000+05:302011-02-24T01:15:21.441+05:30Toastizza!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Point to you if you understood that this is Pizza Corner-inspired. After all they are the ones who have Conizza, Sandwizza etc etc. I was there yesterday for dessert (not pizza!), well technically the dessert was from Cream and Fudge Factory, but we were sitting in Pizza Corner to eat it. AND my birthday lunch yesterday featured Pizza, AND I just had more pizza for dinner today, so obviously I have pizza on my mind. I don't think Pizzas can run, so I'd have to say that I have pizzas are rolling through my mind. What all of this pizza-festival resulted in is my idea for a new dish that I'd like to call Toastizza.<br />
I love pizza (especially homemade), but warming up the oven seems like too much work sometimes. So if you could just pop the pizza in the toaster? It would be cooked in a snap. So here's my recipe for Toastizza. (Note: This will only work on a 4-slice Toaster)<br />
<br />
1 six-inch pizza base<br />
2 tbsp pizza sauce (do not sub with tomato sauce, please!)<br />
1/2 cup sliced vegetables (onions, capsicum, corn, mushrooms. You could also go fancy and do olives and jalapenos)<br />
2 tbsp milk<br />
2 tbsp grated Amul cheese<br />
1 tbsp grated Parmesan (if you have this one, I am extremely jealous!)<br />
1 tsp butter<br />
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, coriander, etc)<br />
<br />
Melt butter, saute the vegetables till they are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Add milk, cheese and seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes or till cheese melts and lightly coats the vegetables.(Sauce should not be runny)<br />
Toast the pizza base in the Toaster. Quickly spread the pizza sauce and top with the vegetable mixture. Eat!<br />
Pizza in 15 minutes, faster than delivery! <br />
<br />
Author's Note: I have not tried this one yet, so If you could please try it and let me know how it turns out? ;-)</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-39626808077413331772011-02-19T19:23:00.000+05:302011-02-19T19:23:35.717+05:30Prepping for my Birthday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">After much deliberation, I have finally decided what to do for my birthday. Now anyone who knows me, will understand that when I say I have finally decided, how many hours I must have spent pondering over this, how many options, ideas, decisions and pseudo-decisions (which were actually sad little dreams just pretending) I must have trampled my way through to get here. But yes, I have now decided.<br />
The first thing I have decided is that this year I like the colour red and its various shades, inlcuding pink. So everyone coming to my party must wear red/pink. You can wear other colours also of course, but your outfit must have a substantial/ very noticeable touch of red.<br />
The second thing is that I want to have a pizza party! (Thank you <a href="http://endlesseats.blogspot.com/2011/01/homemade-mini-pizzas-family-tradition.html">Endless Eats</a> for the idea!) Its a make-your-own-pizza event, so we can all have exactly the kind of pizza we want. I will provide the pizza base, tomato sauce and cheese, and some of the toppings I like - paneer, capsicum, onion, tomato, sweet corn, sweet red capsicum, sun dried tomato. <br />
Condiments - pepper, paprika, coriander, green chilli, oregano, basil, garlic salt, and olive oil.<br />
If there is something else you'd like me to include, let me know in the comments and I'll see if I can find it! <br />
So that's it folks. 22nd February, 11 AM, my place. Bring your crazy pizza ideas and your appetite! (And my present, of course. Hint, hint...) And don't forget to wear red, and RSVP in the comments so I'll know how many people to prepare for!</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-47800706817015725572011-02-15T22:13:00.000+05:302011-02-15T22:13:59.802+05:30An Ode to Kanji<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yellow....<br />
Turmeric pickling in the sun<br />
Glowing with secret warmth.<br />
<br />
Brown...<br />
Hand-pounded mustard<br />
Burning fire in my throat.<br />
<br />
Red...<br />
Little tiny flecks of chilli<br />
Dangerous heat of passion.<br />
<br />
Floating in your cage of glass<br />
Reflecting the dimming sun <br />
Watched by eager eyes awaiting the turn of shade that is your zenith,<br />
And my goal.<br />
<br />
Bitter, sharp, pungent<br />
Lovechild born of stolen sunny moments in winter.<br />
Kanji of a dozen tiny suns<br />
Soft sponge exploding love in my mouth.</div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-61731386370837107562011-01-13T00:48:00.000+05:302011-01-13T00:48:20.663+05:30Chef Skinny Bitch?<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While trawling through my new favourite (for the moment) website looking for ebooks that might at a stretch be used to pad my research proposal, I came upon this extremely err... interesting book title - </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;">Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know what the recipes in it are like, but that title is certainly a mouthful! The book description was kinda scary though... Sure I'm more than a little grumpy when I wake up, but I usually stop bitching long before breakfast. If anyone does read this one, let me know....</span></span></span><br />
Skinny Bitches Can Bake Their Cake - And Eat it Too!<br />
Quit your bitching--they've heard you already! You read Skinny Bitch and it totally rocked your world. Now you want to know, "What can I cook that's good for me, but doesn't taste like crap?" Well, lucky for you, the Bitches are on the case. Self-proclaimed pigs, Rory and Kim understand all too well: Life without lasagna isn't a life worth living; chocolate cake is vital to our survival; and no one can live without mac `n cheese--no one. So can you keep to your SB standards and eat like a whale? Shit yeah, bitches. To prove it, Rory and Kim came up with some kick-ass recipes for every craving there is:<br />
-Bitchin' Breakfasts <br />
-PMS (Pissy Mood Snacks) <br />
-Sassy Soups and Stews <br />
-Grown-up Appetizers <br />
-Comfort Cookin' <br />
-Hearty Ass Sandwiches <br />
-Happy Endings (Desserts)<br />
And a ton more! They are all so good (and easy to make) you're gonna freak out. Seriously. What are you waiting for? Get your skinny ass in the kitchen!<br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happier and less bitchy topic. Made my own chocolate muesli today. It was supposed to be chocolate chip actually, but my sauce was too hot and melted all my chips. Still tastes great though.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was followed by chocolate bonbons. They were just screaming for some rum mixed in them, but sadly, with the parentals here that wasn' possible. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then I finished my day with a Vanilla Sponge Cake. Discovered that the kitchen scale was broken as I was measuring out the ingredients, so I'm afraid the proportions are something of an experiment. (Sorry birthday boy!) Anyway, that reminded me of my Home Science Class back in school. There was this really long, really boring class on all the different ways you can mess up your cake. Extremely motivating. (Scared one of my friends off baking for 7 years, after which she finally worked up the courage to bake a cake for her son's 1st birthday) Too much heat, too little heat, too much sugar, too much baking powder, too thick, too runny, too deep a cake pan, too low a rack in the oven.... It went on and on and on. For 2 hours. And she never did teach us how to bake a cake, which she was supposed to be doing.</span></span></span>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-25248313655477096262010-12-23T01:49:00.000+05:302010-12-23T01:49:16.360+05:30Hope? aka The Wedding ReviewShould I be professional and dissect the wedding food? Or should I be emotional and put behind me a not-so-great experience? A bit of both I think. The wedding was ok, the wedding food not so much. There was a lack of both variety and innovation, and the unexpected star of the wedding dinner (in my mouth's opinions) was the humble 'chila' - a thin pancake of ground dals stuffed with vegetables and served with chutney. Disappointed as I am with the Agra experience, I cannot help but expect better from my upcoming Baroda trip. While Mom is excited about going back home, I am excited about writing NET. No seriously, I am. Whats not to love about the day-long marathon that ranges from the insane to the impossible? The race that we continue to run twice a year, every year, knowing that we can't win? It's a dream come true, of course.<br />
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To counterbalance my joy over the exam, however, there is the drag known as Gujarati food which I will be subjected to in some degree. Why would anyone want to eat spongy dhokla or crisp jalebis? Or hot spicy cheesy dabelis and vada pavs? Why, indeed.<br />
Sarcasm apart, one complaint I do have with Gujarati food is about the dhokla. First of all, what I'm used to called dhokla, the savoury yellow steamed cakes, are called khaman there. The harder dryer version is simply called that, but the softer, juicier and sweeter version is called nylon khaman or simply nylon. There is the white dhokla which is actually called dhokla, made out of rice flour. Sorry Gujjus, that tastes like a poor cousin of the idli to me, and I know which one I prefer. Oh and then there is sev khamani which is made by grinding/ crushing cooked khaman and mixing it with some combination of sugar, coriander leaves, mince garlic, pomegranate, green chilli, etc. Thats the khamani, and then you top with a lot of fine sev to make sev khamani!<br />
I've already made my list of the things I want to eat when I'm in Baroda. At the top is Dabeli, coz its just not available in Hyderabad and its one of the very very few things that mom can't cook well. The key to a good Dabeli, IMO, is a very garlicky green chutney. Take a ladi pav (the kind used for pav bhaji), slit it from one side so that you can open it up. Apply the "very garlicky green chutney" on both sides. Stuff in a mixture of boiled mashed potatoes, masala peanuts, pomegranate. Top with grated cheese. Close the pav. Cook on a tawa with a little oil. Make sure that it does not get crisp. If its crisp, you might as well just throw it away. Serve with super-sweet tamarind and date chutney.<br />
The second item is Bombay Sandwich. in Baroda? yes. There is a small lane off the main commercial area of Baroda which has a lot of carts selling these sandwich monsters. Three slices of bread (BIG ones), butter and green chutney spread, stuffing of thick slices of Onion, Cucumber, Boiled Potato, Tomato and Beetroot. All topped with generous dollops of tomato sauce, grated cheese and chaat masala. I don't know if this sandwich is actually available in Bombay (or Mumbai, as we must call it for fear of the SS), but I worship the one in Baroda. Served with extremely unhealthy but delicious potato wafers. <br />
Then comes Nylon and Sev Khamani. Unfortunately, the Sev Khamani in Baroda doesn't taste as good as the one in Ankleshwar, and its not as widely available either. :-(<br />
Pani puri... not because its not available in Hyderabad, but because its so darn cheap there. Just the puris are available for as low as Rs. 12 for a pack of 50. Compared to Rs. 30 here. Plus there is a vendor called Delhi Chaat there which has really good chaat. Especially the matar ki chaat, or chaat made of dried yellow peas, which also happens to be impossible to find in Hyderabad. Unfortunately, I don't know how its made. I just know what to do with a plate of the finished product. Ask for more chutney and try to wait long enough to not burn your tongue.<br />
Amul Icecream. Yes I know its available in Hyderabad, but somehow it doesn't taste the same here. And the Amul parlour is a bit far away from home, so we end up getting Kwality Walls. Which is little low on the cream factor. There are 3 main brands of icecream available in Gujarat - Amul, Vadilal and Havmor. Vadilal used to be this dry, too-buttery, too much essence kind of icecream, but in the last few years, it has really reinvented itself. New fancy flavours, improved versions of the classics, and way more creaminess. If you're beginning to think that I'm obsessed with creaminess, then you are absolutely right. Whats icecream without the cream? Plain old ice! Anyway, these 3 brands are pretty level on my personal rating chart, but I do favour certain flavours from each of those. Ferrero Rocher Icecream, anyone? Or the delightful Kesar Krackle, which is a saffron flavoured icecream with crushed bits of til chikki.<br />
Ooooh, thats made me hungry now.<br />
Quick winding up. I'm leaving for Baroda tomorrow, will be back on 28th. And then it'll be time to bake a belated Christmas cake! The fruits are all soaking in a rum/whisky/orange juice combo, and should be at their plumpiest by the time I return. And now I'm REALLY hungry. Cake hungry.Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-57221266103409567822010-12-07T23:42:00.000+05:302010-12-07T23:42:46.868+05:30The Wedding PreviewSo I'm off to attend my cousin's wedding on 10th. He will be the first of my cousins to be sacrificed at the mandap, and the poor guy is actually happy about it. Its an unmissable event and I'm really looking forward to it. The singing and dancing and music and the pretty clothes. Meeting a lot of people I've never met before, and might never meet again. Meeting a lot of people who I've met before but don't remember at all. Meeting some people who I've met, remember, and know that I will meet again. And the very few people who I know and like and want to meet. Anyway, there's the shaadi and the baraat and the sangeet and other ceremonies that I don't know about, and then there's the FOOD.<br />
So why does food get block letters when nothing else did? Its not just because this is a food blog and I'm obviously a little biased towards the topic (although I admit that is part of the reason), its also because the wedding is in Agra. Having lived my whole life away from my "native state" of Uttar Pradesh, I'm definitely not in a position to get homesick about it. But I do miss the food. More than any particular dish that I crave, its the undefinable something that permeates the food there. That flavour, that whateveritis, is part of what defines 'home' for me. And so even though I've never lived in Agra, going there is still going home for me. The particular blend of spices, the specifics of the cutting and the cooking of vegetables (and of course the selection of vegetables), the bursting kachoris and the hot badam milk... <br />
If I were to ask someone what Agra is famous for, you can guess what answer I'm going to get. Yes, the Taj Mahal is its biggest attraction, but there are two others that are pretty famous. There's the Agra Petha, and the Agra Dalmoth. If you're familiar with Haldiram's, you might have across their Agra Taj Dalmoth. Its a mixture of fine sev, fried dal, melon seeds and cashews. Tasty and addictive. As far as memory serves, it is pretty close to the original Agra Dalmoth, albeit with a little extra richness. The Petha, though, has somehow managed to escape national spread. Sure there is petha in other places, but the Agra petha - yellow juicy syrupy melting deliciousness that it is - is a class apart. <br />
In the hierarchy of sweets (I hope you knew there was a hierarchy?), the petha is pretty low down. The particular variant that I'm talking about, called the Angoori Petha, is a little higher than its poor cousin, but not by much. Considering how delicious it is (and that is not just a personal bias... it is a much loved dessert), the only reason I can think of for this is the cost of its ingredients. Petha, unlike dry fruit barfis or ladoos or milk-based sweets, is pretty inexpensive. And maybe that is why it has been relegated to the lower rung of the ladder. There's a pretty disturbing suggestion of a possible obsession with appearances here. Have we been taken in so completely that our own taste buds are dictated to by others?<br />
I'd love to know what you think about the sweets' hierarchy and the reason for it. Is a laddoo higher than a burfi or vice versa? And where does halwa figure in this? And the chena-base sweets? And why? why? why?Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-2201940371125267902010-12-03T22:16:00.000+05:302010-12-03T22:16:38.778+05:30Choices, choices everywhereSo the rolls were a success, although once again dad decided to pass on them and stick to curry and paratha. He didn't get the point of putting the curry inside the paratha, when it could be had in the normal way. Tastes the same whether its in or out. Mom did try pretty hard to explain the difference, but without success. But that got me thinking, Is there really any difference? We (Mom and I) changed the presentation of the same two dishes and felt happy that we were eating something different, something that was not "boring subzi paratha", as mom said. Yes, it tasted good but wouldn't it have tasted as good even if eaten in the boring old style?<br />
In my parents' childhood, every meal every day followed a fixed pattern. Lunch was always dal (generally tur/arhar/pigeon peas or whatever you call it), roti and dry aloo sabzi. Variations would only add rice or another sabzi. Sometimes there would be chutney or papad or salad. And that was that. Dinner would be lauki (bottle gourd) curry (because my great grandfather was under doctor's orders to eat that everyday), paratha, curd and aloo curry made either with tomatoes or with curd. Too much aloo, I know, but at that time no one was really worried about diabetes or counting calories. Special foods like chole bature, puri, paneer, etc were also made at home, but on special ocassions. And the preparation of these dishes would be all that was required to make an ocassion fancy.<br />
Now? I can't eat the same dal two days in a week. I have to have paneer at least once a week. Aloo isn't cooked twice everyday, its more like twice in a week now. Pakoras or samosas are no longer just teatime snacks, we make a dinner of them. Burgers, pizzas and noodles are cooked as often as puri and stuffed parathas - which is to say, very frequently. And that is only the food that has replaced the standard dal-roti-subzi combo of homecooked staples. A completely new dimension of eating out has emerged and has added so many new dishes to what I now consider standard fare... naan, kebabs, manchurian (!!!), biryani etc. And you know what? Despite all the variety that is now available to me, all the options I have when it comes to cooking and/or eating, I'm bored with my food choices half the time. <br />
Not only is the variety not exciting anymore, sometimes it doesn't even reach the acceptable mark. The problem of what to eat has suddenly taken gigantic proportions. I find myself bewildered, confused, and even desperate, every time I have to decide what I want to eat. Forget having to choose between rice and roti (which wasn't all that long ago, even I remember those golden days of simplicty) today I have a greater number of options in just the <i>kind </i>of food I want. And of course there is the question of <i>where</i>. I'm not very good at math, but even I know enough to be able to tell you that there are near-endless combinations possible. Should I have pizza from domino's or biryani from dhaawat or make myself a sandwich at home or a soup or maggi noodles or sambhar and rice from curry point or parathas from home or fried rice from campus or fruit or idly from vindu's or chaat or kachoris or make pulao or egg curry or stuffed paratha or go to hot rottis for a thali or mcdonald's for burgers or cook paneer tikka or pasta or maggi oh no I already rejected that or have chinese at wonton or popcorn or bhel or coffee or... or... or... ............................................<br />
I think I'm not hungry anymore. I'll just stay home and read a book and go to sleep.<br />
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Anyway, I'd promised y'all the recipe for the Kathi Roll (even though after all that deconstruction of fancy food I'm not sure even I want to eat it again), so here goes.<br />
Paneer - 200 gms<br />
Onions (sliced) -2 medium<br />
Tomatoes (chopped) - 2<br />
Capsicum (sliced) - 1 <br />
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp<br />
Oil - 2 tsp<br />
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp <br />
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp<br />
Garam Masala Powder (preferably Rajwadi) - 1 tsp<br />
Salt and Red Chilli Powder to taste<br />
Rumali Rotis from Siddique's (or somewhere else if you are not in Hyderabad) <br />
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Heat oil in a non-stick pan (if you are not using nonstick, up the amount of oil to 2 tbsp.) Add onions and saute till translucent. Add turmeric, chopped tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and 1/ cup water, cook for another two minutes. By now the tomatoes should have cooked and become a little sauce-y. Oh yeah, now is a good time to add the ketchup and the red chilli powder. Hold on to the garam masala a little longer though. First add the paneer, capsicum and another 1/2 cup water. Mix, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. When the capsicum is no longer bright green and is a boring dirty green, its done. Now add the garam masala, check and adjust seasoning and your stuffing is ready.<br />
Of course, if you're someone like my mother, it can't be ready till you put a large handful of chopped coriander leaves into it. So do that, and then its ready. Voila! Roll up in a rumali roti and enjoy.Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-58692266412296229362010-12-01T19:56:00.000+05:302010-12-01T19:56:15.058+05:30Kathi Roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGjTXqYlZoEmLk3bdMwSZXZjqVBkR9I4nSCT_R3qjNodDEnaOCpNslZTl5jaXjbhIXIPssnxbMH-5UvIOKDV1wWLoPVZAxjPsmO2QbqK70pX9KBMHg3wtP9OInnqvPD_4qqlt-GlBqiMm/s1600/CIMG1652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGjTXqYlZoEmLk3bdMwSZXZjqVBkR9I4nSCT_R3qjNodDEnaOCpNslZTl5jaXjbhIXIPssnxbMH-5UvIOKDV1wWLoPVZAxjPsmO2QbqK70pX9KBMHg3wtP9OInnqvPD_4qqlt-GlBqiMm/s320/CIMG1652.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Going to have Paneer Kathi Roll for dinner, and this is the stuffing we made for it. Will share the recipe if its good!</span> </div>Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7708978886216392517.post-12307468982451575032010-11-30T18:39:00.001+05:302010-11-30T22:08:51.394+05:30Laying out the Ingredients...Although I can't point to the exact moment of truth, I can tell you that its been about ten years since I realized that I'm a foodie. The girth of my body will easily assure you of the fact that I love to eat... but I also love to cook, plan menus, experiment with different ingredients and flavour blends and cooking methods. A steamed samosa seems like the most natural thing in the world to me, as does a cardamom coffee, although both would make purists of Indian cuisine march on me with flaming torches. Samosas are strictly fried food and cardamom is for tea, not coffee.<br />
Mom's been a great support, always willing to try out whatever crazy new idea happens to be floating around my head at the moment. Dad, unfortunately, has been remarkably less eager to jump on. It takes a couple of rounds of testing (by my mother and me) before a dish can be labeled Dad-proof, and even then he might or might not try it.<br />
Anyway, I guess it all started with my reading habit and my ignorance of those wonderful things called novels. Comics, which we generally bought, wouldn't provide an hour's worth of reading, and the monthly Reader's Digest only lasted half a day. And that's when I discovered grocery labels - those bunches of facts and figures printed on cartons, cans and packets? I loved them. I read them, analysed them, compared them. And the best part? There was always a steady supply of reading material! From there I graduated to cookbooks, and finally to food websites and blogs.<br />
And the day has come, as one should have known would come, when I am starting my own food blog - Culinary Khichdi. For those unfamiliar with the name Khichdi, let me elaborate. Khichdi is cooked across a large part of India, but the ingredients, cooking time, and even the meal at which it is eaten differ. What remains common is the sense of a mingling of different things which wouldn't normally be cooked together. The term Khichdi has come to symbolise that - a mishmash of a whole range of things.<br />
I grew up eating 3 kinds of Khichdi. The most common one was mung dal and rice cooked together till slightly overdone, and then tempered with ginger, green chillies, cumin and asafoetida in oil. It was fascinating how the runny mix that came out of Mom's pressure cooker would solidify within minutes. Eaten with lemon pickle, roasted papad and buttermilk, it was the cure for all sorts of stomach ailments. The second one (my all-time favourite) was urad dal and rice, with the same tempering. However, this one had to be cooked till just done - just like basmati rice, all the grains should remain separate. It was only much later that I found out that this khichdi was typically cooked during the mourning period following the death of a family member... Thankfully it was too late for me to associate this lovely dish with sadness and death. The last one was Sabudana or Sago Khichdi. Sago, bits of fried potatoes and peanuts, with a tempering of curry leaves and mustard, it was one of the few foods that could be eaten on most fast days. <br />
When I left the nest, symbolically speaking, however, I found out about other kinds of khichdi through conversations with friends and meals eaten at other places. I learnt about the true meal-in-one khichdi - with dal, rice and vegetables all mixed in. Another version had a 2:1 rice to dal ratio (unlike the 1:1 I was used to) and had to be eaten with a side dish of sour dal or kadhi. Khichdi made with whole mung dal, which gave a nice green colour to the whole thing and made it healthier. Even though I maintain a preference for the khichdis mom cooked, I liked all the others too. But of course, there had to be an exception, right?<br />
Living in the university hostel while doing MA, one morning on going to the mess for breakfast, I was presented with what looked like overcooked yellow rice and coconut chutney. Enquiry revealed that it was supposed to be khichdi. No vegetables, barely any dal, and the teeniest bit of ginger to give it some flavour... Four years in the hostel and I still haven't managed to develop a taste for it. But it has enabled me to formulate a new rule to live by - When life hands you tasteless khichdi.... go out for breakfast!Swatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13455551617965490066noreply@blogger.com3