Palak Chicken Curry

Just got back from work a little while ago. I had a bunch of fresh Spinach that I was wondering how to put to use when Vineet suggested we make Palak Chicken Curry... So while he stepped out to go pick up some chicken from the shopping complex next door, I got the rest of the prep done...and in about 25 minutes, dinner was served! Apologies for the quality of the photograph...but I really was in a hurry to eat ;) !

Ingredients:
450g Boneless chicken
2 medium Onions
2 medium Tomatoes
1 medium bunch Spinach
2 large cloves Garlic
1/2" piece Ginger
1 green Chilli
Whole Spices:
1 Black Cardomom + 3-4 Cloves + 3-4 Black peppercorns + 1/2 Bayleaf + 1/2 tsp Saunf (fennel/ aniseed)
Powdered Spices:
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder + 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder + 1-1/2 tsp Kitchen King Masala + 1/2 Mutton masala or Garam masala, whatever you have at hand.

Method:
1.  Puree the Onions, Ginger and garlic till chunky. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, and sautee the whole spices till fragrant. Add the pureed onion-ginger-garlic mixture. Fry on a medium-high flame till light brown.

2.  Meanwhile, wash the Spinach leaves and put them into a microwave safe bowl with a little water. Cover with a lid and cook for about 2-3 minutes till the leaves are wilted and cooked. Open lid and allow the boiled spinach leaves to cool for a few minutes.

3. Puree tomatoes and add along with the slit green chilli to the browned onions in the cooker. Cook for a few minutes, and add the dry spice powders and cook for another minute. While the tomato puree cooks, puree the boiled spinach leaves till nice and smooth.

4.  Cut the chicken into curry-sized pieces, and add to the onion-tomato gravy. Stir gently, to coat the chicken nicely in the masala. Cook for a couple of minutes till the chicken pieces are formed. Add the pureed spinach leaves along with 1/2 cup of water, and Salt.

5.  Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow pressure to drop. Open cook for a few minutes if you wish to thicken the gravy.

We enjoyed this with fresh warm Rotis and Boondi raita along with some chopped onions spiked with a squirt of lime juice. Yum! :)

Fodni-cha Varan (Tadke waali Daal )

'Dal tadka' is one of the most common preparations in our households. Each family has its own way of making this and its surprising how combining identical ingredients in one's own style can make this humble preparation so unique! This version of Dal-tadka conceived by my grandmother is best had with Dahi-Chawal... Yes, stop cringing... Dal and Dahi may not be a combination you would normally think of, but don't judge before you try it :) And if not, make this along side any regular sabzi and dig in with warm chapatis or steamed rice. Bon appetit!

Ingredients:
1 cup Arhar daal (cooked)
2 tbsp Oil
1-1/2 tsp Rai (Mustard seeds)
2 Garlic cloves (mashed)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Red Chilli powder + a little extra if you like it spicy!
1 cup water
Salt (as per taste)
Coriander leaves, chopped

Method:
1.)  Pressure cook the Daal with water in a 1:2 proportion, so that it is cooked but not runny.
2.)  Heat the oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start sputtering, add the turmeric powder and garlic (mashed using a mortal-pestle).
3.)  Keep a cup full of water ready. Once the garlic begins to turn golden brown, add the Red chilli powder and stir the contents to keep the chilli powder from burning. Immediately add the water to the 'tadka'.
4.)  Bring the water to a simmer. Add the cooked daal and salt and mix well. Add a little more water to adjust the consistency of the Daal to your liking. Garnish with coriander, and Eat!

Once again, I seriously recommend you try it with Dahi-Chawal. If you like it, this will most likely become a favorite on your list of comfort foods... or there's always the Chapati's and Steamed rice :)

Imli-Aloo ki Sabzi

For today's posts, I'm going to skip the usual jibber-jabber and get right to the point :) The list of ingredients is a little exhaustive, but it really is stuff that most Indian kitchens always have in stock!

Ingredients:
12-15 baby potatoes(steamed & peeled & halved)
3 tbsp Oil
1 pinch Asafoetida (Heeng)
2 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
1/4 tsp Methi Seeds (Fenugreek)
3/4 tsp Saunf (Fennel Seeds)
4-5 Dry Red Chillies
1-1/2 tbsp Imli paste (Tamarind) dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1-1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 to 3 tsp Garam Masala
3/4 tsp Chaat Masala
1/2 tsp Mint powder/ fresh mint leaves
4 tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped)
Salt - as per taste

Method:
1.) Heat the oil in a thick bottomed kadhai. When hot, add the Hing, Jeera & Methi seeds. When the jeera & methi seeds start sputtering, add the Saunf & Dry red chillies. Fry for a few seconds and add the Tamarind water to the spices. Allow the tamarind water to simmer for just about a minute.
2.)  Add the steamed(cooked) , peeled and halved baby potatoes and stir gently to avoid mashing.
3.) Add the Red chilli powder, Garam masala, Chaat masala & Mint powder. Add the salt and mix gently to ensure that all the spices are mixed well and coat all the potatoes nicely.
4.) Add the chopped green coriander and serve with warm fresh Chapatis!

Dates wrapped in Bacon

I like Dates. I like Bacon. I like Pistachios. And, I LOVE Feta cheese.
But I had never imagined all of these coming together to create a burst of sweet-salty-nutty-bacony magic!
I first sampled these gorgeous little parcels at a Thanksgiving dinner that a friend from work hosted in November, and I knew I HAD to try these myself! So since Vanessa (god bless her for introducing me to these!) was away vacationing, I googled the recipe, and found it on Martha Stewarts website. My soul was now at peace!
Sigh! Just typing up this recipe is making me want these NOW!

Ingredients:
15-20 Seedless Dates (soft)
1 packet Bacon
2-3 tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
15-20 shelled Pistachios

Method:
1.  Preheat the Oven to 200 deg. C.

2.  Stuff each Date with a single Pistachio and some crumbled feta cheese.

3. Cut a slice of Bacon into half. Lay the date on top of the bacon, and gently roll into a little parcel, as shown in the picture on the right.

4. Line a baking sheet with Aluminum foil, and arrange the bacon wrapped dates, as shown in the picture on the left.





5.  Bake in the pre-heated oven @ 200 deg C for 10-12 minutes, or till bacon begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, turn the parcels around to cook the underside. Stick the baking tray back into the oven, and bake till the bacon is browned and crispy, and sizzling!

6. Wait for these to cool slightly before you pounce on them, or you will wind up with a scalded tongue (from the trapped heat inside!) and wont be able to enjoy the rest of your meal :) Serve these with toothpicks, and Eat Up!!

Lamb cutlets with Olives, Chillies and Garlic

Hmmm... January 1, 2011... The most FAQ being, "So,How did you guys celebrate New year's eve?", and I sense an almost disappointed reaction when I reply saying, 'We stayed home and cooked!". I for one, have never been the kind of person to be hyper-excited about New year's eve parties... OK, may be I was for a few years in my teens, but even then it wasn't as much about 'new year's' as it was, about it being once chance when there was an extended deadline and hanging out with friends...
So we figured, that we'd prefer to relax at home... whip up a feast, and bring the new year in with the best company we know in Singapore, each other :)

I have been proud to acknowledge that I am an absolute fan of Nigella Lawson... I love the way she feels about food. She (like so many of us) is an untrained cook, and I find it so easy to relate to her greedy, and non-chalant ways of getting fab things onto a plate!

So we rang in the new year with her Lamb cutlets with olives, garlic and chillies. To go I made a simple salad with no specific name, and made these mind-blowing (yes I'm tooting my own horn!) Dates-wrapped Bacon....

So here goes the 1st post of the year!! Happy New year everyone!!!

LAMB CUTLETS WITH OLIVES, GARLIC & CHILLIES 
(Serves 02 Greedy people)

Ingredients: 

600 g Rack of lamb 

10-15 Black Olives ( preferably 'kalamata' olives)

1 long Red Chilli - chopped very finely

2 tbsp Garlic - finely chopped

6 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil

2 tbsp Dried Oregano leaves

1 tbsp Dried Red chilli flakes

Salt (as per taste)

Method: 

1. Carve the rack of lamb (ribs) as shown in the picture below.  (Do not stress if you can't find rack of lamb. I'm saying this as I know it might be difficult/expensive to buy in India. So feel free to use a boneless shoulder/ leg. Ask the butcher to slice the piece for you into 1/2" think slices - these will be easy and quick to cook, and also look better on a plate than chunks!)

 2.  In a bowl lay the out the lamb pieces and drizzle about 3-4 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and coat the meat nicely using your fingers. 

3.  Next, add in the chopped (de-seeded) Red chilli, chopped garlic and chopped up black olives (use some of the brine from the olive jar as well for added flavour!). Add the Oregano leaves, dried chilli flakes. Coat the lamb nicely in all the ingredients using your hands, and cover and leave it to marinate for atleast 20 mins.

4. Once marinated, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Shake off the marinade stuck to the the lamb pieces and pan fry the meat in the hot oil till its browned and tender. Retain the marinade in the bowl - this will become the 'dressing'.

5.  Pour the left-over juices from the pan onto the meat and serve the lamb cutlets, garnished with the remaining marinade (garlic,olives,chillies,oregano etc). Eat up! 

We enjoyed this with some Salad... You could use the receipe for the 'Chef's Salad' from the Salad's section of this blog. I especially LOVE this recipe, as it is excessively simple to put together, yet looks delightfully elaborate, and fit for celebration! :)

 

Matar Nimona - Food for the 'Benarasi' Soul

Sunday mornings are usually when I go stock up on Veggies and other groceries for the upcoming week. This past Sunday, I decided to sleep in, and therefore ended up skipping my weekly ritual , and I knew I'd have to invent meals from what I already had around the house, till I squeezed in a quick shopping trip in the middle of the week.
My husband is a big fan of a very simple Green-peas based preparation, called "Nimona", so when I realized that we were out of veggies on Wednesday, I pulled out the frozen peas stashed in the freezer (although this gravy tastes a 100 times better with fresh green peas!) and dinner was ready in exactly - 10 minutes!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups Green peas (frozen, fresh are even better!)
1 medium Potato (peeled & cubed)
1 large Tomato (cut into big cubes)
1 or 2 Green chillies (depending on how much spice you like)
2 cloves Garlic- peeled
2 tbsp Oil
2 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1-1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt (as per taste)


Method:
1.)  In a mixer, roughly puree half the amount of Green peas, Tomato, Garlic & Green chillies till chunky.
2.)  Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Sautee the Cumin seeds till fragrant. Add the turmeric powder and sautee the potato cubes till they are golden brown and slightly soft - not cooked through.
3.)  Add the Peas-tomato pureed mix and stir and open cook for a minute or so. Add the remaining green peas (non-pureed ones) and the Garam masala.
4.)  Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for upto 2 whistles (max!). Switch off heat.


Enjoy this Matar-nimona with Steamed rice. Sliced raw onions (with a pinch of salt and a squirt of lime juice) are an excellent accompaniment. This no-frills-no-fuss meal, is perfect for a weeknight, when your back home, don't feel like struggling with dinner (yes, it happens to the best of us!) but don't feel like eating out either. Everyone wins! :) Happy eating!

Layered Chocolate Mousse Birthday Cake!

Birthday's are "just another day" for Vineet. One day you are 'young and dynamic' and the next you're 'older and wiser'.I'm on the other hand, the kind of person who is willing to celebrate pretty much anything, so my dear husbands 30th was'nt exactly something that I was going let slip by without as much as a cake! So this one is dedicated to Vineet and all of our friends, who have turned or are soon turning 'older and (hopefully) wiser' this year! :D Happy birthday!

 So, since the mousse needs a little time to cool down and set before it can be assembled onto the cake, I recommend you begin with that. I started with the cake and ended up wasting a lot of time waiting for the moussed to cool!

PART 01/03 - THE MOUSSE !

Ingredients for the Chocolate Mousse:

1 cup Heavy Cream 

175 g Bittersweet chocolate (chopped - I used bittersweet chocolate chips)

1/4 cup Sugar

3 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder (sifted)

4 tbsp Unsalted butter (at room temperature)

4 large Egg whites

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/4 tsp Salt

Method:

1.  Pour cream into a large saucepan and set over a medium flame. Add the Cocoa powder and stir, and bring the cream to a full boil. 

2. Remove the pan from heat and immediately add the chocolate chips and butter. Whisk with a fork until melted and smooth. Add the Vanilla extract and salt. 

3. One by one separate the egg whites into a clean and dry (preferably glass) bowl. Whip the egg separated egg whites using a hand held electric beater till they're fluffy yet stiff. Once the egg whites are stiff and form soft peaks, scoop them into the cooling chocolate mixture, little by little and gently fold in using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. 

*Avoid over mixing as this will 'deflate' the egg whites, and can mess up the texture and lightness of the mousse.*
If you've never beaten egg whites before, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVcNDhwwFB8

 

4. Set the pan over a bowl of iced water. Alternatively, allow it to cool to room temperature naturally. Pour into a glass/Steel bowl and chill in the refrigerator till it sets.

While the mousse cools, get on with the cake!

PART 02/03 - THE CAKE!

DRY Ingredients for Cake:  

1-1/2 cups Cake flour (maida)

1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder 

1 cup Sugar

2 tsp Baking powder 

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

WET Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup Water 

1/4 cup Vegetable oil 

1 large egg 

2 tsp Vanilla extract

Method:

1a.  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

1b.  Lightly grease a 9" x 2" cake tin with a little butter/ oil and dust it with a little maida. Set aside without touching the dusted surface.

2.  Sift together all the dry ingredients (except sugar) in a large mixing bowl. Then add the sugar and whisk until blended.

3. In a glass bowl mix together the Wet ingredients using a fork.

4.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently beat until the dry mix is moistened. Do not overbeat - or the cake will bulge in centre like a 'dome'.

5.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 mins or till a knife comes out clean. (My oven took about 42 mins).

6. Once done baking, allow the cake to cool slightly (about 20-25 mins). Loosen the sides with a knife and turn it out onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely.

PART 03/03 - ASSEMBLING THE CAKE !

 1.  Once the cake has completely cooled, slice the cake in half horizontally. To ensure that you cut across in neatly and not unevenly, line the edge of the cake with toothpicks, or mark 'dots' using a fork for a line of reference. 

2. Once you have the cake in 2 flat-ish halves, Line your serving plate on the edges with some paper napkins and lay the 1 half of the cake on top.

3.  Bring out the chilled mousse and slather it onto one half. Place the 2nd half on top and apply a very slight pressure with your fingers. The mousse will squish out from the middle. (If you're a pig like me, you will scoop it up with one finger and lick it up.... Don't worry, no one will judge you for being greedy :D)

3.  Use a rubber spatula or a flattish wooden spoon and smear the rest of the mousse over the assembled cake. Allow it to set and chill in the fridge till its time to dig in!

Decorating the cake:

Yes, I love my husband, and would go to the end of the world for him, but at 4 pm on a Saturday afternoon, I just got uncharacteristically lethargic... So I took the easy way out and topped the cake with some fresh berries and really, it dint need anything else!

Since this cake is really moist and soft, it might not be a good idea to stick birthday candles into it , since the mousse will begin to melt with the heat... And anyway, as we get older, there end up being more candles than cake... now WHO needs THAT! :)