Vegetarian Soya Keema Curry

When I saw Nupur's post on Soya Its Not Keema Curry, I knew I wanted to try it out for the sheer beauty of spices and soya chunks meshing together. Worked well for me as I wanted to finish few things from pantry and they were all part of the specified recipe. I made few changes to suit our flavour and taste buds, added lot of Coriander leaves in minced form to add the extra fresh aroma. Worked wonders and we both loved it! Thanks Nupur and Kanchan - both for the original version and adapted version which was so healthy and tasty.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Recipe Source: Adapted from One Hot Stove's - Its not Keema recipe with original recipe from Kanchan's Mom's recipe: courtesy Kitchen Gossip

Ingredients:

Soya Chunks (boiled) - 4 cups

Onions (minced) - 1 and 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves (minced) - 1/2 cup

Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Chilli paste - 1 teaspoon

Tomatoes (minced) - 1 cup

Garam Masala - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Oil/Ghee

Salt

For the spice powder -

Coconut powder (dry) - 3-4 tablespoon

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Dry Coconut powder - 3 tablespoon

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon

Poppy seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Whole Black Peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon

Cardamom pods (optional) - 1

Garnish: Chopped Coriander leaves - few strands

Method:

Wash the Soya chunks in water thoroughly and soak in warm water with 2-3 changes to clean them evenly. Keep aside. Grind all the items in spice powder to a dry powder, hence do not add water.

In a deep thick bottomed pan, heat few teaspoon of oil/ghee, saute Onions and Tomatoes till they are mushy. Once they are cooked, add the spice powder and gently stir for few minutes. Add the ground ginger-garlic paste and minced Coriander leaves as well the chilli paste, add Turmeric powder and Red Chilli powder. Mix to a good consistency and do not lot of water, add water only if you want a semi-liquid consistency. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 5-8 minutes or until completely cooked. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot with bread of choice.

Spinach In Spiced Lentils (Palak Tadka Daal)

Palak Tadka Daal - I relish the taste and sublime combination of any Vegetable with Lentils. I had earlier written about Lauki Daal, one of my desired combination of cooking lentils, mashed with the goodness of Bottle Gourd; also dished out a tangy version of Mango Daal, inspired by a meal partaken at a friends place years ago for a summer lunch.

I made this version of Palak Tadka Daal years ago during my trial-and-error cooking session for a group of friends who wanted to enjoy a home cooked meal. This recipe is a comfort meal for me. I have added a fine twist of Cinnamon-Clove powder to spice up the subtle flavour of Lentil-Palak.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes (including the pressure cook time)

Ingredients:

Toor Daal - 1/2 cup

Spinach (chopped) - 2 cup

For Tadka -

Garlic (minced) - 1-2 Jumbo pods

Onion (minced) - 1/2 cup

Tomatoes (minced) - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Cloves (2) + Cinnamon stick (1" piece) powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli (Byadgi) - 1 (split into two)

Oil/ Ghee

Salt

Water

Method:

Wash the Toor Dal and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Allow to cool and keep aside. In a separate pan, heat few spoons of oil/ghee, add Cumin seeds and Red Chilli. Once they begin to crackle, add onions and tomatoes and saute well. Add the spice powders and mix gently. Add the spinach at this stage and saute till the leaves wilt. Bring the Daal to boil , adjust salt and the consistency with desired amount of water, pour this seasoning on the Daal. Mix well and cover with a lid. Serve hot as a complimentary dish to Rice with a spoon of ghee to open up the aroma.

Kalakand ~ A Milky Delicious Indian Sweet

Kalakand - The sweet, grainy dessert loved by me and my loved ones a lot. For me, this is a sheepish and shy way of satisfying the sweet cravings especially when you do not want to pack the pounds and yet want bites of grainy pistachio laden Kalakand squares.

I came across this recipe by Bong Mom. I tried it and cannot thank her enough. I did not go an ambitious trial route and went frugal with the trial, hence a small batch. I made 9-10 Kalakand squares out of the recipe, they are delightful and all finished clean by two hungry foodies in 2 days.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Recipe Source: Bong Moms Cookbook - Kalakand recipe

Yield: 9-10 Kalakand Bars

Ingredients:

Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese - 14 oz. pack ~ I used 14 oz. out of 15 oz. pack

Condensed Milk (sweetened) - 14 oz. can

Pistachio - 1/4 cup

Almonds (slivered) - 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Method:

Grease a glass pyrex which is microwave safe (8" by 8") with a butter stick. Mix the Condensed milk along with Ricotta Cheese, I used only 14 oz. of Ricotta Cheese. Use a fork if required so that the Cheese blends evenly with the Milk and forms a smooth texture. Mix the Cardamom powder as ensure they blend in evenly.

Microwave for 5 minutes with occasional peek to check for any mixture spurting around in the microwave area.

Remove and mix well.

Microwave again for 5 minutes. The milk will begin cooking at this stage and the volume will slowly turn into milk solids and a gooey mass. Remove and mix well.

Microwave now with 1 minute breaks. Microwave for 1 minute - Pause - Remove - Mix and place again.

Repeat this for next 5-6 minutes. The milk solids will gradually collect to a collective grainy mass which will slowly take over a light brown hue which is very pale. I took exactly 17 minutes to finish the Kalakand.

Remove from heat, spread well. Sprinkle Pistachio and Almonds. Cut them into pieces with a knife as desired. Leave the little milk babies alone for 3-4 hours. Once done, remove each one by one. Store in an air tight container, consume within 3-4 days.

Suggestion: One could use fresh Paneer (non-fried) instead of Ricotta Cheese; however I have not tried the combination in my kitchen.

Corn Bhel

Bright yellow hued Corn Cobs are in season. We both love this easy evening tea time snack - Corn Bhel. This was the popular to-die-for tea time snack prepared by Mom to feed a mighty gang of all kids, my friends, their friends, friends of friends, occasional visitors et al. Indeed, a kid friendly recipe.

This is a simple recipe with loads of nutrition, high in fibre and with Sev and Coriander leaves, the street food version of Bhel is born.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Sweet Corn (frozen or fresh) - 2 cups

Onions (minced) - 1/2 cup

Tomatoes (minced) - 1/2 cup

Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chillie (minced) - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee/ Oil

Water

For Garnish -

Coriander leaves (minced) - 3-4 strands

Sev

Method:

Thaw the Corn at room temperature and microwave for 2 minutes till the corn kibbles are partially cooked. Heat oil/ghee in a deep dish, heavy bottomed pan. Add Onions, Green chillies and saute well. Add chopped Tomatoes and Ginger-Garlic paste as well. Add the spice powders and adjust salt level. Once the masala is completely cooked, add Corn and mix well. Cook and simmer for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.

Plating: Take a ladle full of this cooked mixture on a plate, garnish with thin Sev and Coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Mom's Vegetable Pulao

Mom's Vegetable Pulao - this is one recipe which I consider precious. Mom made this ever since we were kids and we loved this simple Pulao recipe. Since I am miles away from my dear mother, this is my way of connecting to her actions, thoughts, inspiration, moods and moments. I have been a Mommy's Little Gal all through my life and needless to say she means a lot to me. She was delighted that I rejoiced the flavour of her all-time favorite recipe.

I have tried to balance the ratio of spices so that none overpower each other and yet blend to bring out the uniqueness. I love the light green hue and the beautiful flavour which goes well with any tangy Raita of choice.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Vegetables (chopped into 1/2" chops - Carrots, Beans, Cauliflower florets) - 2 and 1/2 cups

Salt

Oil/Ghee

For Green Masala -

Cloves - 3-4

Cinnamon - 1" inch piece

Whole Black Pepper - 3-5

Cardamom - 2

Green Chillies - 2

Ginger - Garlic (minced) - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

Star Anise - 1

Poppy seeds (Khus-Khus) - 1/2 teaspoon

Onions (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves (minced) - 1/2 cup

Fennel seeds (Saunf) - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

For Seasoning Pulao -

Onions (quartered) - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/3 teaspoon

Cashew Nuts (chopped into bite sized bits) - 1/2 cup

Method:

Wash rice in water multiple times till the water is clear and clean. Soak in water for 1/2 before use. Cook rice separately with 1: 1 and 1/2 proportion and once done, separate grains with a fork on a big tray to cool. Pressure cook vegetables separately with little salt, keep aside.

In a pan, heat few spoons of oil/ghee, lightly saute the Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Pepper, Poppy seeds, Star Anise and Ginger-Garlic-Green Chillies. Take care not to burn the spices else the Pulao gets the burnt aroma which is awful. Once sauted, add chopped Onions and keep aside. On a very low flame, separately saute Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds (their cook point is lower and hence are prone to burning), set aside and allow to cool. Grind both together along with little or no water to a smooth paste, also add Coriander leaves and sauted Onions while grinding. Keep the paste aside.

In a big thick bottomed pan, saute the onions which are quartered with little oil/ghee, once transparent and pinkish in hue add the ground Green Masala. Add the cooked vegetables at this stage. Let the consistency be a collective mass. Add the cooked rice at this stage. Mix gently and take care not to break the rice. Pour few spoons of ghee finally on top and cook on low-to-medium flame with a covered lid for 5-8 minutes. Serve hot with Raita of choice.

Bitter Gourd Melon Dry Side Dish (Kaarathe Kismuri)

Bitter Gourd Melon is a vegetable loved by some and disliked by some. In Konkani culinary, Kismuri is a recipe where in the vegetable or an item is mixed along with grated coconut, spices to create a dry version of side dish which goes well with rice. 'Kaarate' implies Bitter Gourd in Konkani language. My Ammamma (konkani for grandmother) tells me that in olden days when people did not have plenty of supplies dishes like Kismuri were the order of the day. The best part about the recipe is that it does not require any long tedious preparation. This dish took me less than 30 minutes and is very nutritious owing to Bitter Melon properties.

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd Melon or Kaarate (finely chopped) - 2 and 1/2 cups

Grated coconut - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Onions (chopped) - 3/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Ghee/Oil

Salt

Water

Method:

Wash Bitter Gourd thoroughly and chop into tiny fine pieces. Apply salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the juice and saute the tiny bits in few spoons of oil. Saute till they lose water content and are lightly brown. Keep aside.

Grind Red Chillies, Tamarind, Coriander seeds and grated coconut to a coarse powder preferably without water. Adjust salt as well. Mix this coarse powder with Onions which are finely chopped and the pre-fried Bitter Gourd pieces. Serve as a side dish with Rice and Curry of choice.

Chinese Potato Dry Side Dish (Kukka Sukke/ Kooka Sukke/ Koorka Sukke)

Chinese Potato or Kooka is a seasonal variety of vegetable abundantly used in southern regions of India. I had earlier posted about this in context of Kooka Upkari here. This variety of Potato is very tasty and used for many a Konkani dishes like Kooka Upkari, Kooka Sukke and Kooka Humman (with Cashew). Some address Chinese Potato as Kukka, Kooka or Koorka.

A typical 'Sukke' is a dry version of one kind of Konkani side dish, with grated coconut, red chillies and tamarind serving as the base. Sukke version of side dish can be made with many different vegetables like - Horse gram, Chinese Potato, Onion-Potato, Raw Green Jackfruit etc. The Vegetable is peeled by rubbing the black skin against jute gunny bag and peeling off the skin part by part. Peeling of the skin is a tedious process and demands lot of patience. Once peeled, you can soak them in fresh water for few minutes and wash multiple times till they are clean and ready to use. If using frozen variety of Kooka, then thaw and wash them before use.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

Chinese Potato or Kooka (boiled and diced - fresh or frozen) - 2 cups

Salt

Water

For the masala -

Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety preferred) - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1/2 teaspoon

Urad Dal - 1 tablespoon

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon

For the seasoning:

Curry leaves - 4-5

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil/Ghee

Method:

Wash and peel the skin off the vegetable. Wash and boil them in pressure cooker with little salt for 2 whistles. Allow to cool and keep aside. If using frozen vegetables, thaw at room temperature and wash them thoroughly. Boil till they are soft in salt water and keep aside.

In a separate pan, heat few spoons of oil and saute red chillies, coconut along with Urad Dal and Coriander seeds. Allow to cool. Grind this along with grated coconut to a dry coarse paste. Add less or no water. Add salt as well.

Cook the cooked Chinese Potato pieces along with the ground masala for 5-10 minutes with little water, simmer on low flame for cooking. Turn off flame once done. Heat oil in a separate pan, add mustard seeds and upon popping, add curry leaves. Turn off flame and pour this seasoning on the cooked Chinese potato and masala mix, cover with a lid. Mix well while serving, serve hot with Daali Thoi.

Masala Puri

Masala Puri ~ the simple tea time snack and a chaat loved by millions. The very thought of Masala Puri takes me back to the Indian market scene where you will find arrays of street food carts, wafting with sweet, spicy aromas. You will also spot some vendors peacefully mashing up the peas to make them more tasty and thereby get the perfect Ragda. Ask for one plate, the skilled Chaatwaala will wriggle his hands through zillion of ingredients and present you with a plate pleasing to the eye and the palate. Don't waste a moment here, just spoon in and chomp away! All of this for a tiny sum of Rs. 7/- certainly makes me want more of the warmest, tastiest lip-smacking delicious street food.

I had my eye on Krishnaveni's Ruchi Ruchi Adige recipe from a long time. The recipe looked very tempting and reminded me of Bangalore chaat thelas lining up various nooks and corners. I omitted some thickening ingredients, added some spices to elevate the aroma. Thanks Krishnaveni for taking me down the memory lane. I was happy I could recreate the same flavours and aromas in my cosy little kitchen. I specially loved the addition of Bay leaves and spices which offer a unique aroma. We loved this version of Masala Puri. It is easy to make, with simple and easily accessible ingredients from your pantry.

Since this recipe is wiping off considerable amount of my pantry items, off they go for Nupur's BB4 event.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Ruchi Ruchi Adige

Cooking time: 30 minutes (includes pressure cooking time)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

For the soupy curry -

Whole Yellow Peas - 1 cup

Toor Dal (boiled and mashed) - 3 tablespoon

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Cloves - 2-3

Cinnamon (Flat Indian variety) - 1" stick

Whole Black Pepper corns - 3-5

Bay lead (small sized) - 2

Mace (Javithri) - 1 teaspoon

Onions (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon

Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Water

For Garnish -

Sweet Chutney - 10 Dates + Jaggery (1/2 tbl spoon) + Cumin powder

+ red chilli powder + salt

Onions (minced) - 1/2 cup

Tomatoes (minced) - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Chaat Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Sev (Nylon or thin variety)

Poori (Store bought - I used Garvi Gujarat multipurpose Poori's)

Method:

1. Wash and soak the whole peas for 3-4 hours in warm water. Pressure cook the peas for 2-3 whistles. Don't overcook as they should have the bite sized flavour. Keep aside 1 and 1/2 cup of boiled peas and separate the 1/2 cup and keep aside.

2. In a pan, saute the whole spices and dry roast for 2 minutes. Allow to cool and keep aside. In the same pan, add few spoons of ghee/ oil and saute chopped onions, ginger and garlic. Allow to cool.

3. In a blender, blend the following ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cup of whole yellow peas, coriander leaves, bay leaf (1), spices which are dry roasted: cloves, cinnamon, mace, black pepper corns. Also add cooked Toor Dal, Turmeric powder, Red Chilli powder, salt and water as desired. Blend to a thick paste.

4. Transfer this paste to a deep dish pan and bring to boil, make it brothy - not too thick nor too thin. Add the other single bay leaf. Adjust water, salt and spice levels. Turn off flame and keep aside.

5. Plating - Crush few Poori's on the plate, add the boiled Peas, pour the curry. Sprinkle Chaat Masala powder & Red chilli powder, add sweet chutney, garnish with onions and tomatoes which are minced. Sprinkle lime juice, top up with some Sev; crush a poori and sprinkle over chaat and finally sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Raw Green Jackfruit Side Dish (Kadgi Chakko)

With the ongoing Jackfruit season, I cannot help but lament and sigh at the sight and smell of sweet smelling Jackfruits. The easiest route to satiate flavours would be to gobble the kernels from the canned ones we get here in US. I enjoy most of the summer fruits and vegetables we get in India and feel its a sheer treat for the palate as well as the soul to eat all the seasonal goodies nature bestows us with.


I love Kadgi Chakko, a popular Konkani side dish made with boiled and mashed Raw Green Jackfruit (Tarnee Kadgi in Konkani) along with the usual suspects of Red Chillies, Coconut and Tamarind and few extra ingredients thrown in. The Chakko tastes best with tender meat of Raw Jackfruit, the tender the meat the better the taste.

Cleaning the Kadgi is quite a daunting task in itself. One needs to oil the hands and the chopping knife, peel off the thick poky bumpy bark, chop off the central stem. The Jackfruit has a sticky liquid oozing out (called as Deeku in Konkani). The oil smeared on hands prevents the sticky gum from clinging to hands. The meat which is soft and tender can be cut into desirable sizes and shapes based on one's preference. For Chakko, the top portion of the Jackfruit pieces (as shown in the picture) needs to be chopped off and discarded and only the bottom portion of the kernel which is soft and meaty ought to be retained. You could use the top pieces for any other curry of choice. Since I did not want to waste food, I added both the portions. Mom frequently makes this dish because its loved by all at home. If you are using canned variety, salt is pre-added, so use your discretion. The masala is similar to 'Sukke', a version of dry side dish made with coconut and the popular trio's of Konkani cooking. The dish is incomplete without a liberal garnish of pure coconut oil. The garnish completes, soothes and enhances the flavours of all spices, vegetables and condiments. :)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Raw Green Jackfruit (boiled and chopped) - 2 1/2 cups ~ Use fresh or canned variety of 10 oz.

Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 5-7

Urad Dal - 1 tablespoon

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds or Methi - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Ghee/ Oil

Salt

Water

For seasoning:

Curry leaves - 4-5

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/ Oil

For Garnish:

Fresh and pure Coconut Oil - a teaspoon per serving suggested

Method:

If using canned Jackfruit, clean and wash the chopped pieces with water, pat dry and boil in water with little salt and Turmeric powder, till its completely cooked and soft. Drain off water, chop them into 1/2 " pieces and keep aside.

In a separate vesssel, heat few teaspoons of ghee/oil, saute red chillies, coriander seeds, methi seeds and urad dal for couple of minutes. Do this with care and a watchful eye as spices could easily burn and the smoky flavour spoils the dish. Turn off flame once done and allow to cool.

Grind to a coarse paste with grated coconut and the sauted ingredients of red chillies, coconut and coriander seeds. Add required quantity of salt and turmeric powder as desired. In a deep dish pan, add the chopped jackfruit and ground coconut paste and cook of low-to-medium flame. Add little water if desired. This dish is of dry nature with no water. Once completely cooked, turn off the flame. In another pan, heat few teaspoons of ghee/oil, add mustard seeds and once they begin to pop add curry leaves. Pour this seasoning on the just cooked Jackfruit and Coconut mixture. Mix well to spread the seasoning evenly. Serve hot with Daali Thoi and Rice.

Green Beans and Potato Vegetable (Beans Batatey Upkari/ Batata Beans chi Bhaaji)

Upkari's are as easy as a breeze culinary preparation in Konkani custom. I love this recipe for the simple reason that the dish is easy to make and I have to spend less time in kitchen. I made Beans-Potato Upkari recently. The good thing is Potato goes well with any vegetable. Mom's old wise wisdom saves me most of the times when I am lost for recipes and quick dishes.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Potato (boiled and chopped into tiny squares) - 2 cups

Green Beans (chopped finely) - 1 cup

Salt

Ghee/Oil

Water

For seasoning:

Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/Oil

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 2

For Garnish:

Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/3 cup

Method:

Boil Potatoes in pressure cooker and chop them into tiny squares and keep them aside. In deep pan, heat few spoons of ghee/ oil. Once the oil is heated up, add the mustard seeds, red chillies spilt into two and curry leaves. Once the popping of mustard seeds stop, add the chopped Potatoes and Beans and give a gentle stir. Add enough water just to soak 1/2 the vegetable quantity. Adjust salt as per taste. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Once the vegetables are completely cooked and water is evaporated, turn off the flame and garnish with grated coconut. Serve warm with Rice and curry of choice.

Fish Cutlet

Recently, I bought Tilapia Fish Fillet and stumbled upon this wonderful recipe provided by My Dhaba - Chef VK Narayanan. The recipe is certainly a keeper. I made Fish Cutlet along with few extra ingredients put together, elevated the spice portions to make the meat tasty, made few changes to the binding agents to hold the Cutlet.

I wanted to try a different approach in terms of cooking the fish. Chef VKN's recipe approaches the recipe with flaky cooked fish which was a wonderful discovery for me. Thanks Chef VK Narayanan! It was truly a pleasure eating bites of the Fish Cutlet. The flavour was restaurant style and I loved the specific details cited and narrated in the recipe.

An ode to a recipe which I adore + some pantry cleanup calls for my entry to Nupur's BB4 Edition.

Recipe Source: Adapted from My Dhaba - Chef VK Narayanan

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Yield: 9-12 Cutlets

Ingredients:

Fish fillet - 3 ~ 3 cups of poached fillet: I used Tilapia skinless, boneless fillet.

Potatoes (boiled and mashed) - 3 cups

White chunks of White Bread - 1/2 cup

Onions (minced) - 1/2 cup

Ginger paste - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Green Chillies (chpped) - 3

Garam Masala powder - 2 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Black Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/ Oil - 2 tablespoon

Bread Crumb powder - 5-8 tablespoon

Milk - 2-3 tablespoon

Eggs - 2

Salt

Water

For Garnish:

Lemon Wedges

Sliced Onions

Method:

Boil Potatoes, mash and keep aside. Thaw the Fish fillet pieces at room temperature, wash thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Poach the fish pieces with little water, salt, ginger and turmeric powder, water should be just good enough to soak the fillets. The fillet will slowly turn flaky and begin to separate. Mash gently with a wooden spatula to separate the fillet pieces. Once the fillet turns completely flaky, turn off the flame and allow to cool. Drain out water and keep the fillet aside.

Mix the mashed Potatoes and all the spice powders. Add the poached fillet pieces. Mix well, add 1 tablespoon of melted ghee, add white bread chunks, adjust salt as per taste and keep aside. In a separate pan, lightly fry onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Once the onions wilt and herbs are lightly sauted turn off the flame. Add the potato-fish mix and give a gentle stir. Make palm sized oval individual portions, dip them in a mixture of egg-pepper powder and salt (all whisked together), roll them in bread crumbs. Double dip if you wish a thicker coating on the cutlet.

Pan roast them on a heated pan with oil/ghee slathered on the sides. Fish cooks very fast so keep a watchful eye and take care to fry them on low-to-medium flame.

Garnish with lime wedges and onion slices. Serve hot with ketchup or Mint Chutney. Drizzle some lime juice, chomp away some onions and take bites of this Cutlet.

Mushroom Tikka

Mushroom Tikka ~ a very simple, forgiving and easy recipe which demands only few hours of your precious time in the kitchen. I love Tikka version of any vegetable or meat, for the simple reason that its easy to put all the ingredients together, allow to sit in the marinade and then dry roast them in the oven or plonk them all on Tava and pan-fry.

A dictionary definition of the term Tikka implies:

"Meat treated with marinade of Tikka Masala and threaded on skewers, further on dry roasted in clay oven."

My version of this recipe is very easy and simple. Meat, vegetable of choice carefully threaded on wooden skewers (dunked in water for 1/2 hour before being used in oven to prevent the skewers from catching fire). Do not want to use skewers, then still there is an option; all you have to do is line your baking tray with parchment or wax paper, spread the chunks of meat/ vegetables, bake or just pan-fry as per choice.

Preparation time: 4-6 hours (includes the sitting time for the meat/ vegetables)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

White Button Mushrooms - 8-12 heads

Yoghurt - 2 tablespoon

Garam Masala powder - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

BBQ Tikka Masala - 1/2 teaspoon ~ I used Shan BBQ Tikka Masala

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee/Oil

For Garnish:

Lime juice - as per taste

Coriander leaves - 3-4 strands

Method:

Wash the mushroom heads and remove the stem by 1/4 inch, clean them well and set aside. The intention here is to clip off the stem to comfortably allow the mushroom heads to sit in the tray while grilling. Mix in all the ingredients (except ghee) along with mushroom heads. Cover with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours (minimum time being 1 hour).

Before cooking them, thaw the heads in marinade for 1/2 at room temperature. Pan-fry with ghee slathered on sides till the Tikka's are completely cooked and done. Garnish with lime juice and coriander leaves bits sprinkled on top. Poke in a toothpick while serving for ease of handling.

Note - My version is spicy, tone down few notches of spice if you desire less spicy Tikka's.

Kulfi ~ An Indian Summer Dessert

Kulfi or Qulfi~ the classic Indian Ice-cream and most sought after "Ice-cream on a stick" by every person who loves to lick, slurp and indulge in some creamy bites. The origin of Kulfi goes to Persian and Middle Eastern lineage. The real Kulfi is made without any eggs, artificial sweeteners and processed ingredients. Real milk, best if you can get fresh one from the Doodhwaala or the local dairy; if using cooked milk, be prepared to stir with patience for hours together, just good enough to get the condensed milk flavour. Allow to cool and bring to room temperature. Treat the gooey, creamy mass with powdered Cardamom, throw in some Saffron strands and pack them in good old Aluminium moulds. Poke in a stick each. Allow to freeze. Enjoy your creamy indulgence! I think this is the way Kulfi was done in the olden days. More so, may be my own interpretation of what would have been the good old creamy home version of Kulfi.

The Kulfi creamy candy reminds me of summer nights where the sweltering heat used to take you on completely; after dinner all the young kids gathered near the doorstep patiently waiting for the Kulfiwaala who came on his rickety cart, each stick costed around 3 Rs/- and were picked from a huge earthen pot perched on a rickety red cart covered with a colorful red cloth. Mostly kids were the prime customers of our locality Kulfiwaala. Sad, but I have never come across a similar tasting Kulfi ever again. :(

Coming back, I took an easier route and mixed Whole milk with Condensed milk can, threw in the extra essentials. Since I did not have moulds, I poured in the mixture in a large Correl bowl and allowed to freeze for long hours. Cut them in slices while serving. If you are using the traditional mould, then hold the mould under running water which is little warm, the Kulfi will pop out within minutes. The Kulfi I made was creamy with a nutty garnish to finish; a perfect end to a long summer weekend.

Preparation time: 6-8 hours (includes freezing time)
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 3 cups
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 Can
Sugar (optional) - as per taste
Saffron strands - just a few
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

For Garnish -
Slivered Almonds - 2-3 tablespoon
Pistachios (chopped) - 2-3 tablespoon

Method:
In a deep pot, heat whole milk and condensed milk together on a low-to-medium flame. Stir gently and keep stirring. Take care not to allow the milk solids to burn and stick to the bottom of the vessel. Much better if you can use a non-stick ware for this purpose. Let the quantity reduce to the half of its original one. Keep stirring and include the scraps which stick on the sides. Add sugar if required and adjust the taste. Since I used sweetened Condensed milk, I was frugal with sugar. The aroma once done would be a milky one. Mix in the Cardamom powder at this stage. The thickened consistency would be very thick, smooth and not a runny one. Turn off the flame and allow to cool.

Transfer to individual moulds or a large non-reactive glass bowl. Garnish with Pistachios (chopped), Saffron strands which are lightly crushed in a teaspoon of milk and Slivered Almonds. Cover with a cling wrap and deep freeze for 6-8 hours. Cool the moulds in warm water and transfer to serving plate. Serve with a wooden stick poked in each of the Kulfi. If not, simply slice off a single helping and serve chilled.

Drumstick In Spicy Coconut Paste ~ Goan style (Shengya cho Ros)

Drumstick Ros or Shengya cho Ros is a Goan style dish. I got this recipe from one of my dear friend from Goa. Later, I tried experimenting this recipe with different vegetables each time and the result was pleasing. If you ask me the taste is a cross between Marathi style Amti and Konkani style Ghashi (konkani style masolu based curry). If the flavour appeals you, you could experiment the same gravy with different vegetables - Drumstick, Radish, Potato, etc. The gravy is simple and the most common one, however owing to vegetables cooked in gravy, the outcome is flavourful and tasty. This is a frequently made curry at my home and we all love the flavour with different vegetables soaked in this gravy.

As my friend mentions -

"The Ros version of curry is a coconut based one with seasoning of curry leaves and mustard. One can be liberal with the choice of vegetables and experiment with vegetables such as Radish, Drumstick, Potato. This is a preferred way of cooking a side dish especially during summer time for lunch menus in my home.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Drumstick - 10-15 pieces

Coconut grated (fresh) - 3/4 cup

Red Chillies - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Water

For seasoning -

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 4-5

Oil/ Ghee

Method:

Clean, wash and remove one layer of Drumstick skin. Pressure cook the sticks to 3-4 whistles. In a separate pan, heat oil and saute the Red chillies and Coriander seeds. Turn off flame and allow to cool. Grind along with grated coconut, turmeric powder and salt. Add this paste to the cooked Drumstick and bring to boil. Simmer on low flame, adjust salt and water, once completely cooked turn off the flame. In a frying pan, heat oil/ghee, add mustard seeds once they begin popping, and add curry leaves towards the end. Pour this seasoning on the curry and cover with a lid. Mix while serving along with warm rice along with a teaspoon of ghee dunked on top.

Tip: This gravy goes well with different vegetables - substitute the vegetables of choice as per taste and preference. Use fresh Drumstick as much as possible; I tried one version with frozen and the taste was not that great. Fresh ones available at ethnic grocery stores are very apt for this recipe.