Bilahi Tenga Jhol

Bilahi Tenga Jhol

Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped             300 gms

Prawns, shelled and cleaned                    200 gms

Mustard seeds                                           ½ tsp

Onion seeds                                               ¼ tsp or less

Onion, sliced                                              1 medium

Green chillies, slit                                      2

Mint leaves                                                4-5

Fresh Coriander, chopped                        2 tbsp

Coriander powder                                     1 tsp

Turmeric powder                                      ¼ tsp + ¼ tsp for prawn marinade

Water                                                         200 ml

Salt to taste

Mustard oil

Water                                               

Method:

Sprinkle some salt and turmeric onto the prawns and leave it to marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a non stick pan and lightly sauté the prawns (1 minute on each side) on high heat. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary

In the same pan, heat 2 tsp of mustard oil to smoking point. Reduce heat to medium and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to splutter before adding the onion seeds (kalonji) and the onion slices. Sauté for 1 minute and add the tomatoes. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes or until tomatoes go mushy.

Now add the turmeric and coriander powder. Stir and add the water (preferably hot). Bring to a rolling boil and then reduce heat again.

Last up: tear the mint leaves and add it in followed by half the coriander leaves. Tip in the prawns and simmer for 2 more minutes. Take it off the heat. Add the lemon juice and sprinkle the remaining fresh coriander. 

Serve best with steamed rice.

............................. Maverick Cook :)

Grilled drumsticks with mint & yoghurt marinade

Grilled drumsticks with mint & yoghurt marinade
(Serves 2)

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks                4

Yoghurt                                  125 gms

Fresh mint leaves                   a good handful

Garlic, minced                        1 tsp

Garam masala                        ½ tsp

Chilli flakes                             ¼ tsp (optional)

Lemon juice                            1 tbsp

Oil                                           1 tbsp

Indian Rock salt                     ¼ tsp (or season as you like)

Method

Wash and pat dry chicken drumsticks. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal slits (ever so lightly so as to just scrape through the flesh) on the denser parts of the drumsticks.

Mince the mint leaves together with the garlic; to this add the chilli flakes, rock salt (powdered), garam masala and lemon juice. Mix the ingredients well and rub it into the meat. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

The second marinade will be the yoghurt. Slightly whisk and add to the drumsticks. Mix well and leave to marinate (I usually do it over night); if you are really short of time; leave it for at least ½ hour. Again just like in the first marinade, concentrate on coating the marinade into the chicken especially the slits.

Heat a grilled pan on high for about 3 minutes. Brush some oil into it and pour the remaining oil into the chicken marinade. Mix well again and lay them onto the pan, allowing space between the drumsticks. Lower the flame to medium. Let the meat sear for around 7 minutes and then turn. You will have to repeat this process until the chicken is done. To check insert a skewer; the meat should ooze clear juices; then you know drumsticks are made. It took me around 25 minutes to get my meat well done and with the grilled effect. 

..............................Maverick Cook :)

Grilled asparagus and parma ham salad

Perfect before a barbeque, this delectable warm salad is a filler in itself. Served with a robust dressing of honey-mustard-balsamic; the asparagus & Parma ham brings in a crunch. Together with the other ingredients it’s a beautiful medley of colours and taste.

Grilled asparagus and Parma ham salad

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

Asparagus                               1 bunch, trimmed

Parma ham                              4 slices

Potatoes                                   around 6 quarters (from 3 small potatoes)

Eggs                                        3

Cress                                        ½ bunch

Spring Onion                           ½ bunch

Honey                                      2 tsp (Runny honey)

Balsamic vinegar                     1 tbsp

Whole grain mustard paste   ½ tsp

Olive oil                                   2 tbsp

Method:

Set the potato quarters to boil until done. Drain and keep warm.

Boil the eggs for about 7 minutes. De-shell and keep warm.

While things are on the boil- do up the salad dressing. In to a mixing bowl, tip in the balsamic vinegar, honey and whole grain mustard paste. Give it a nice mix until all ingredients are amalgamated into one. Last, pour in the oil and whisk again. Keep aside for latter use.

Drizzle a few drops oil on to the asparagus and line them in a griddle. Set on high heat cook until cooked to your liking.

In the same pan, place the ham slices and cook both sides until brown and crispy. Slightly crumble before serving

To assemble the salad: take 2 boiled eggs and cut them into quarters. With the remaining egg: coarsely mash. On to your salad bowl: dish in the boiled potatoes, asparagus, mashed egg. Sprinkle some spring onion. Give it a nice mix. Top it up with the egg quarters and the broken bits of crisp ham. Bring on the salad dressing and give it a nice whisk… drizzle liberally over the salad. Serve warm.

.............. Maverick Cook :)

Blooming choco-orange brownies & clutter rants :)

Chocolate-Orange Brownies

Indulging in a bit of chocolate and some refreshing oranges this weekend… baked a simple yet ‘fulfilling’ choco-orange brownie sheet.

The brownie recipe per say, was less though of… Allow me to put it this way: come Saturday and ‘K’ is on a tidying up rampage. That’s my husband- a cleanliness stick on. Not that I don’t appreciate his help in keeping this place as it seems… uncluttered and cosy; he likes his living space neat and tidy. I on the other hand; enjoy clutter (read organised clutter). In the past years though, ‘uncluttered yet cosy’ as an oxymoron is the other side of life and a part of my living space… and somehow, when I no longer have to rummage the house for the nail cutter; I realise the values of living with a man (uncluttered) with a panache for keeping things where they belong (the odd band aid strips from the kitchen drawer to its rightful medicine cabinet). Yet, not all of that is me is lost in translation. Within the structured life of this apartment are exclusive spaces, all mine (clutters) and ‘K’ is barred from these spots J (For instance my work desk; book racks and a few more).

Speaking of the Saturday cleaning spree… I pooled in too; not with pure intention of cleaning up the fridge (he would have done that as well) but as an impromptu raid (Like: let’s see what’s left in there).

9 oranges, 2 large bars of dark chocolate… forever there was a bottle of vanilla extract; besides host of edible bits and pieces (things I constantly wrap up for latter use).

Don’t let ‘K’ know there is chocolate in the fridge… if he were to have his ways; he’d have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner… Uncluttered and with sweet tooth J

This day, he eyes the chocolate bars and tells me ‘I recon that’s a part of my reward (read: I am tidying up and I deserve some of that)’ …

…just a second latter; he looked at (the mess) around the laptop (books, highlighters, camera, batteries, books, papers, envelopes… name it and it’s likely I might just have it there. Two and a half meter of my world…)

 Sensing what was to come next I sent him a ‘look’ feeler (read: very effective girlie tool; literally involves: throwing up my hands in the air and freezing while the look says it all: What? Please can you not go there… that clutter is work?)

Cue successful… ‘K’ backs out. My space survives :)

On the other hand: the fridge raid over: I decided upon doing up some brownies. A few quick flicks of pages latter I am decided: its going be Jamie Oliver’s ‘Blooming Brilliant Brownies’ minus the dry fruits!

The recipe’s right there in his website (if you like) and I can’t stop saying how good this recipe is (with or without the cherries and chopped nuts).

This is what I did … see for yourself if it works out :) 

100 gms               Coco powder

100 gms               Plain flour

1                           Orange, zest and juice

200 gms               Unsalted butter (at room temperature)

200 gms               Dark chocolate, broken into bits

250 gms                Caster sugar

4                           Eggs

Serve with crème fraîche

Method:

Line a 25 cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

First up: Shift the flour, coco powder and baking powder (superstitious I am not yet, I always shift thrice; be it brownies or cakes (not for bread though). That’s to let in air into the dry mix). Into the same mixing bowl, tip in the sugar and amalgamate using a fork.

In a pan of simmering water, lower a heat proof bowl with the chocolate bits and butter (The trick is to take the pot off the hob once the water’s boiling. Chocolate is best melted like this as this ingredient doesn’t taste nice if you use high heat. Besides, it will loose its silky shimmer with harsh heat. The steam from the pan should do enough to melt the chocolate and the butter.)

Now, comes the mixing bit. Tip in the flour-coco mix; to that add the chocolate butter mix-using a wooden spoon mix well.

Beat the eggs separately and fold it in to the other mix. Amalgamate well. Last up: add the orange zest and the juice. Fold again until you have a silky consistency. (To avoid the mix from splitting-add the juice a little at a time while constantly folding).

Pour the brownie mix into the baking tin and to settle everything: place the tin in the fridge for at least 10 minutes. This gives a much denser texture and a brilliant crust.

In the meantime …. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C (or 160 degree C for fan oven).

Now, bake for around 25 minutes. Check if the brownie’s done by inserting a skewer in the centre. If it comes out clean: we are done! And yes, as it is with this recipe: we have a nice crust and gooey inside.

Cheers to Jamie Oliver but then we did tweak the recipe a bit and with equally brilliant results.

P.S.: Fridge raids are good. Makes me feel good about being ‘less wasteful’ .Over and above all ‘K’ and me are wasted over the brownies J

.....Maverick cook

Maggie cook-off: Mussoorie reminiscents

Mussoorie musings: Maggie 

Ingredients

Maggie    1 pack

A decent helping of leftover chicken (optional)

Vegetables of your choice (I am using Mangetout, scallions)

Minced garlic  1 clove

Pepper      a pinch (or to your taste)

Chopped fresh coriander   1 tsp

Grated cheese   1 Tbsp

Lemom juice 1 tsp

Tip in the vegetables into a pot. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt and set it off to boil for 2 minutes. Add the noodles and stir. Two minutes cooking is all it takes. Take it off the heat. Sprinkle the greens (from the scallions); tip in the grated cheese and pepper. Add a splash of lemon juice and viola... you have it! Slurp the noodles in its soup :)

Bhuna lamb & some food rants :)

Lamb Bhuna

Essentially of the Hyderabadi or Awadhi cooking traditions; Bhuna Gosht literally means braised meat combined with dry roasted spices (sometimes combined with yogurt) and cooked in its own juices and therefore, the richness and the depth of colour and flavours.

Normally, I would use mutton (on the bones); however, I have (yet once again) done with what I have. I have also tweaked on the spices keeping the flavours mild and clean. Lamb unlike mutton cooks faster; thereby letting the spices retain its more of their wonderful flavours then in a mutton dish, where (because of a longer cooking time) the meat more or less absorbs most of flavours from the spices used. To expedite the cooking process while using mutton, traditionally, a raw papaya paste is used for marinating the meat. It’s a natural meat tenderiser and also adds to the sauce base.

Now, without much ado; let’s crack with the ingredients:

Serves 3

Lamb chops                  6 (on the bone)

Oil                                  1 tsp for braising the meat + 1 tbsp for cooking

Onion                            150 grams, minced

Ginger paste                  1 tsp

Garlic paste                   1 tsp

Garlic, finely chopped  1 tsp

Tomatoes, medium      3 (blanched, skinned, deseeded, minced)

Yoghurt                         5 Tbsp (preferably sour)

Mint                              3 leaves

Fresh Coriander            2 tbsp

Salt                                for seasoning

Turmeric powder         ¼ tsp

Whole spices:

Green Cardamom         2

Cloves                           4

Cinnamon                     2 inch stick

Whole cumin seeds      1 tbsp

Whole coriander  seeds ½ tbsp

Fennel seeds                 1 tsp (optional)

Ajwain seeds                ¼ tsp (optional)

Red chilli flakes             ½ tsp (adjust to taste)

Nutmeg                         ¼ tsp

Whole black pepper     5

Method:

Wash and pat dry the lamb chops. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder and massage in well. Keep aside.

In the mean time, dry roast the whole spices. Set a flat pan/skillet on medium heat. Add all the dry spices except the chilli flakes. Keep sautéing until flavours emerge. Make sure the spices do not burn. Keeping the heat low, sauté until the spices are crisp enough to be grinded. Take it off the heat. Add the chilli flakes, mix and let the spices cool. (Traditionally, whole red chillies are used. They are roasted together with the spices). Dry grind them (I am using a mortar & pestle… love spices when they are coarse… could never reach the same consistency in a spice grinder). Once ground, I add a tablespoon of water. The reason I do this is because I don’t want the powder to hit a hot pan instantly when added. We have already dry roasted them; we don’t want any burnt hint. This process when well done; will lend bagful of flavours…mainly an amazing smoky hint and a deeper brown tinge to the dish.

Add a tsp of oil in a wok or open mouthed pan on high heat. Braise the lamb chops (do not overcrowd; do in batches if required) 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer into a dish and keep warm.

In the same pan; add the remaining oil and tip in the minced onion. Let them brown. Keep the onions moving in the pan for an even golden brown colour

Next up, bring in the tomatoes. Give it a nice mix again and cook until oil separates. (I've blanched my tomatoes, de-skinned and de-seeded before mincing them. I mash few bits here and there to get a sauce like consistency. This process is not necessary; however, I do this to get a deeper colour)

Add the minced garlic and the ginger-galic paste. Give it a quick mix and then add in the ground spices. Lower the heat at this point and continue mixing all the ingredients for a couple of more minutes. 

Lightly beat the yoghurt and tip it in, giving everything a nice mix. Keep sautéing. In a few minutes, the oil will separate from this spicy mix and you know that it’s time for the meat to come in. 

Place the meat in the wok. Keeping the flame to a low medium; gently amalgamate the ingredients ensuring the meat is well coated with the spice. Season with salt. Mix around for a couple of minutes and cover. Cook until done. Do not add water; if at all its getting all dry, use a teaspoon of yoghurt. 

The end product should be soft and succulent meat just about coated with the spice mix. Garnish with fresh mint and coriander.

I am serving mine with steamed mangetout and rice. 

 Hope you like this one… and many thanks for all your comments and emails. I love reading and replying all the nice things you folks write aboutJ. And yes, Niel, the pictures are all mine… I am glad you find the food tempting. That’s the thing about food: I am not saying you have to go all gaga about the presentation; but then one does eat with his/her eyes first! But I must add I have a thing against pretentious plate do up’s. I’ll tell you what happened recently… you know this whole thing about food looking ultra chick (well, rustic is also chic these days) & brilliant; how far do you go? (I’ll give you a hint of what I mean: mango flowers as a prop on my plate in one of London’s posh Indian restaurants… For what? Why put it there, when you can’t eat it! ‘K’ says it’s for the aesthetic quotient. That’s right; I understand: but why not something edible or functional... pea shoots would have done the job! […. I mean food rants could have gone on that evening but then the gorgeous dessert arrived])… Just for records: I don’t Photoshop my pictures…. I do adjust lightings (when shooting in poor conditions) and I do add hues and saturations. That’s about it. The food looks like it really looks. Plus, I have got a decent camera now (point & shoot bridge camera. Always looks at the food the way I do J.

The known; the unknown & the doors :)

[...there are things known and things unknown.

In between there are doors...] Jim Morrison 

The whole of last week, I spent contemplating this week…

The list has been all drawn up: Things to do, recipes to try out, friends to meet up with, topping up my pantry, bills etc. Neat, meticulous and almost fool proof! My old leather planner (some 12 years old) survives, despite overuse. Almost second skin. And yes, my custom (self) designed planner sheet has this little blank section for all the un-planned pop up. It’s a habit, and a rigorous one at that: planning for the routine, the expected as well as the unexpected.  

Monday spent (nothing substantial); and then comes Tuesday. Sitting with a mug of coffee… I run through a mind-map of things that needs doing ahead into the day.

Filter coffee; that’s what I was sipping at (something potentially stimulating). Just a thought: What if I just basked away this week pretending I don’t have plans. The prospects were tempting. Today seems just too real for me to carry out yesterday’s plans. That decisive instance, I was 99% sorted: I was going to do nothing today; except what I felt like doing … no plans! Almost, by instinct, I reached out for my black leathery companion (my planner). STOP. That’s it, I though… ‘was I reaching to plan how I was going to un-plan my week?’ Obsessive, compulsive habits die hard.

At that instance ‘K’ emerged into the kitchen… all set to leave for work. ‘I need a break’, I announced.

‘On a Tuesday?’ he winked. But then, perhaps he realised: my mind was made up on this one. I needed a break on a Tuesday. Why not?

‘You called people at work?’ he quipped.

Huh, I’d never think about it. Taking leave from work (I have turned a Robot; the way I visualised my ‘break’ was: job-can’t bunk; but rest of the plans I could). It’s next to natural that human beings wake up to report to classes, lectures, appointments and work. It dawned upon me at that time that, indeed, I should call up my workplace and tell them that I was taking an ‘unplanned’ leave. (Can’t remember the last time I took one).

‘Will not feign illness’, I said to K. Picking up the phone, I had no idea how I was going to explain this Tuesday madness. But then, J’s voice on the other end is like a soothing balm (be it a Monday, Friday or a Tuesday)… Thinking about the little conversation we had and it’s outcome, I I did well. I said nothing, I shouldn’t be saying. This short leave (from my routine life) was indeed as I put it to ‘J’: urgent personal affair that needed my immediate attention.

………………………

Thursday 8^th March:

…. The black leather beast recons… and it wins J

Looking back at the past two days- I did what I wanted to do. Just hung out there… a little bit of reading, some nice walks along the Down’s, watched a couple of dvd’s and yes, ‘K’ did a dinner for me last night. Tuna Spaghetti, it was. Slurped it!