dum aloo

I think this is a Mughlai dish. It takes a while as a beginner to finish this dish. Took me about 2 hours with some faulty equipment and impatience.
Equipments needed:
* pressure cooker or something to boil the potatoes
* grinder
Ingredients:
* small potatoes (1/2 kg)
* onion (1 medium) - grated
* ginger and garlic paste (1 tbsp)
* asafoetida (a pinch)
* turmeric powder (1/2 tbsp)
* chilli powder (as required)
* fine yoghurt (1/2 cup)
* milk (2 cups)
* ghee / oil (4 tbsp)
* salt (as required)
* water (as required)
* coriander leaves (for garnishing)
(for special garam masala)
* coriander seeds (1 tbsp)
* cloves (4 - 5)
* cardamom (5 - 6)
* caraway seeds or cumin (1/4 tsp)
* pepper seeds (7 -8)
(other spices such as cinnamon sticks, bay leaves could be added to the garam masala)
Method:
Depending on how good the potatoes get cooked, the boiling has to be done accordingly. Potatoes that I used to have in India were smaller in size and easily boiled within a few minutes. On the hand, here, it takes them a while and they are rebellious.
To soften them before hand, pressure cook the potatoes in water (just enough to cover it) and switch off just before the first whistle from the cooker escapes (it's OK if you missed it). After about 5 minutes (once the pressure seems to be subsided), remove the potatoes from the cooker and drain the water. Careful here, the water is scalding hot! Run the potatoes under cold water and then set aside for a couple minutes and then drain the water. Arrange the potatoes on a flat surface - this helps in cooling them down faster. Peel the skin off the potatoes and prick them all over with a toothpick. Keep aside.
If not boiling potatoes beforehand, then peel the potatoes and prick them all over with the toothprick. Keep aside.
To make the special garam masala, put in all the spices listed under garam masala and make into fine powder. Keep aside.
TIP: Grind the onion, ginger and garlic together since they would be added at the same time.
Heat a pan with the ghee / oil for a minute. Fry the potatoes until they lose their white colour (for unboiled potatoes) or until they seem to be getting a crispy coating (for boiled potatoes). Remove the potatoes from the pan and keep aside.
Keep the heat to medium for the following steps if you are unfamiliar with the culinary surroundings.
Add the onion, ginger, garlic paste to the remaining oil. Add asafoetida. Keep cooking until the mixture turns reddish brown and the grease starts to separate from the paste.
Add the special garam masala and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and cook for about a minute.
Add the milk and yoghurt to the mixture. If the gravy seems too thick, add water.
Finally add the potatoes and then pressure cook it. Switch off just before the first whistle goes off. No harm will befall the taste if the whistle goes off or if it is additionally cooked (the potatoes would seem mashed, but without the cooking, the potatoes would be raw and distasteful - this is out of experience).
After switching off, wait for 5 minutes and then open the cooker. Add garnishing to the dish and serve with rotis, naan, pita or basmati rice.

a strange meal

It was one of those cozy and lazy days when we didn't want to cook anything and yet, didn't want to buy anything from outside and we were ravenously hungry. We just ended up putting random stuff together (isn't exactly healthy) but filled our stomachs just the same..
Sandwich with French fries
It might sound gross but it isn't. These French fries are actually spicy. (The same effect can be achieved by heating frozen fries until they thaw in the microwave. Add powdered black pepper and then heat until they are edibly cooked.)
You need:-
* spicy fries
* cheese slices
* mayonnaise
* bread (white or wholewheat)
* tomato ketchup
Method:-
After preparing the fries, add all fillings between the bread slices and enjoy.
Pita snack
You need:-
* pita - it is a flatbread (like rotis or naan) originating from Middle East, also attributed to Greek origins.
* some type of dip - usually Philadelphia dips are good.
Method:-
Cut pita into small pieces. Use it like chips with the dip.
Once I had the opportunity to try a type of spinach dip - which was absolutely delicious.
You need:-
* spinach - a handful
* ranch - a cup
Method:-
Cut off ends of the spinach, wash and clean (try to remove any thick stalks of the leaves). Chop spinach finely. Put in microwave to heat until it feels soft (not too crispy). Mix this with ranch and serve.
Berry lassi (yoghurt shake)
You need:-
* berries - black, blue, rasp, straw - a handful
* sugar
* plain yoghurt (preferably home made, but store's will do fine) - 3 cups
* water
Method:-
You can add as much berries as you want depending on the level of berry taste you want. A handful of them in 3 cups gives a light pinkish mix colour.
Blend the berries, sugar and yoghurt together. The mixture would be quite thick. Add water to make it diluted and blend again. Can be served immediately or chilled.
For those, who do not like tasting pulp or seeds of the berries, filter before serving. Novel recipes could be made by adding other fruits too like cherries, banana, etc.

We finished off dinner with some store cake. Strange but sweet dinner.

capsicum yum yum

I got this recipe from a friend. Seemed easy enough to do it. Except for the long list of ingredients..
You need:-
* 5 to 6 large bell peppers (in thin lengthwise cuts) - all colours make the dish pretty
* 2 big onions (in think lengthwise cuts0
* 1 big tomato (chopped finely in small cuts)
* 4 to 5 tbsp olive oil
* 2 to 3 tbsp vegetable oil
* 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
* 1/2 tbsp split white lentils (urad dal)
* 1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
* 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
* 1 tbsp of garam masala (a blend of indian spices available at any Indian grocery)
* pinch of turmeric powder
* pinch of asafoetida
* 1 tbsp sugar
* 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
* salt (to taste)
* coriander leaves (chopped)
Method:-
Heat olive oil. Cover the bell peppers in low heat. To prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, intermittently stir them. Continue this for about 10 minutes until they are well cooked. The good thing about bell peppers is that they can be eaten crunchily too (unless you hate its taste). Once the peppers are cooked, keep it aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in another pan. Put the mustard seeds and once it crackles, add the cumin seeds, white lentils and onion. When the onion turns light brown, add sugar, salt, tomato ketchup, tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and asafoetida. Add some of the chopped coriander. Cook this for a while in low heat, until the tomatoes seem half cooked. Add the peppers and mix it well on low heat. To preserve the shape of the soft peppers, you can use 2 spoons to mix. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or rotis after it is mixed well.

(plain or vegetable) upma

Upma is a South Indian tiffin - type of quick meal. It is of pudding or custard consistency - usually made of semolina. But you make it of other types of grainy flours too. A quick meal for sudden visitors.
You need:-
* 1 cup of semolina flour
* 2 cups of water (proportion is 1:2 => semolina : water)
* salt (as required)
* 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
* 1/4 tsp fenugreek
* 1/2 tbsp bengal gram
* oil (as required)
* a tsp of lemon juice
(for vegetable upma, you also need)
* 1 medium onion - chopped
* 2 chillies (green is healthier) - chopped
* carrots, corn, beans.. choices are endless
Method:-
Put the semolina in a dry pan and dry roast it. It usually changes colour slightly to off white and you should even see some brown grains. For the first time, keep the flame between low and medium to watch the level of cooking. After it is roasted, keep it aside.
Pour some oil in an empty pan. Add mustard, Bengal gram and fenugreek and wait until mustard crackles. If making the plain version, remove this mixture, keep it aside and follow instructions in the next paragraph. For the vegetable version, start with onion and roast until it becomes translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook. Once all the vegetables are cooked, keep them aside.
Pour water in an empty pan. Add salt and heat to boil. Once water starts boiling, add the roasted semolina while stirring the mixture. Semolina has a tendency to clump in water and heat, so to prevent bland clots of semolina in the meal, keep stirring continuously until all is added. Semolina cooks relatively quickly. Once all the water in the pan has disappeared, the semolina is cooked. Add the (plain or vegetable) mixture from before. Once it is well mixed, switch off the flame and add some lemon juice for a tangy taste.
Serve with sugar as side.

warm corn

This is a quick snack and simple one to fix in a few minutes depending on how hot you like the snack.
You need:-
* corn (canned or frozen)
* margarine (salted or unsalted)
* salt (if required)
Method:-
If you have frozen corn, then (microwave) heat the corn until it reaches room temperature.
Put 3/4 of a tablespoon of margarine for every 1/2 cup of corn. It need not be exact - you add in the amount of you like.
Add a pinch of salt, if you are using unsalted margarine.
Heat in microwave for about 1 minute. Check if the taste and heat is satisfactory. If you feel more salt is needed, feel free to add.

bread thair vada

I got this recipe a long time ago in some magazine that I used to read as a child. It was my first try at the culinary art.
You need:-
* a cup of milk
* a cup of yoghurt
* 4 white bread slices
* red chilli powder (as needed)
* salt (as needed)
* coriander leaves (for garnish)
Method:-
Mix the milk and yoghurt until smooth. Add chilli powder and salt and mix well. Cut the bread slices to the desired shaped and arrange a single layer on a plate. Pour the mixture over the bread. Chop coriander finely and sprinkle on top for garnish. Ready to serve.

quick bread pizza

You need:
* slices of wholemeal or white bread
* mayonnaise
* sliced cheese
* black olives (canned and sliced)
* pineapple (canned and sliced)
* tomato ketchup
Toast the bread. Spread required amount of tomato ketchup on the slices. Arrange olives and pineapple on the bread slices. Put strips of cheese randomly on the toppings. Put in microwave for 30 seconds on high. Serve with mayonnaise.

sandwiches

To begin with the easiest recipe - sandwiches...
Almost anything can be put between the baked slices and savoured. Some that I have tried are as follows:
* black olives (canned, sliced), pineapple (canned, cut) and mayonnaise in white bread. You might want to try wholemeal with these if you like the slight salty taste that wholemeal bread gives.
* carrots and cheese. I think any sliced cheese would go well. However, the ones that I tried were mozarella and cheddar. Wholemeal bread goes well with this one. To add some spice, you could add pepper on the cheese and keep in the microwave (on high) for about 20 seconds (to warm the cheese), before adding the carrots. (If you microwave the carrots, it bleeds water making the bread soggy).
For a crisper alternative for both of the sandwiches above, try toasting them.

tasty treats

Recently, I have gained some insight in the culinary arena. In a bid to share my findings and treats with the readers, this blog initiated. Although it would not be updated as frequently as my other blog, I will try my best to post the 'savouriest' recipes.
The title of the blog is a quote - "life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving," by Rosalind Russell.
Bon appetite...