Melange!

Where was I? As if I just woke up from a coma...didnt even realise I havent been here for a while. When I started writing I suddenly realised I needed to read...so plonked myself into the cushy corner in my bedroom that I had created specifically for this reason...and got lost! I completed Chetan Bhagat's '3 Mistakes Of My Life'...now half way into Adiga's 'White Tiger'. Looks like I can do only one thing at a time. Either I read or write. Did you notice something? I have been so very 'I' centric! Lets count - 12 'I's !! At the rate of 1.5 'I's per sentence. Hmm. I need to do something about it...OOPS there I go again! :D

You think reading is easy? Nooo... You have to jump over hurdles of sorts which come in the form of a courier guy, a nosy neighbour, a maid, a husband or a self-invited guest who planned to surprise you in all good earnest!! And then you get this dramatically spasmodic pangs of hunger at all the wrong moments when the author is about to unveil some juicy bit of twists and turns in the story. Mine was almost perpetual to the level that it left me wondering "Am I preggy or something??!!" Reading consumes a lot of energy...wat an enlightenment!! Didnt want to end up nibbling on all those sinful stuff in the refrigerator and evolve into a snoutless swine and further find it difficult to haul myself out of that cushiony haven! :-| To top it Chetan (i meant the author) was tempting me by repeatedly describing in detail about the Gujrati delicacies from Khakras to Kachoris... I succumbed... keep eating and ensure you dont feel the pangs anymore! What better can it get than tossing an interesting salad and stock the larder?!

Yippeee I did it! Minimised the number of 'I's :D

Here goes... Scramble your way to a scrunchy salad... no time to waste!

1 Zucchini
½ Onion (u don’t wanna stink do u? u will be reading not talking…tat makes it worse man!!)
1 Red Carrot (I heard someone referring to it as ‘Delhi Carrot’!! I am sure they saw it there first!)
1 Tomato
1 Capsicum
1 Cucumber
1 Apple (should be crispy and not the soft ones)
1 Pomegranate
4 Green Chillies (remove the seeds or you will have a tough time..er..with a whole lot of things!)
2 tbsp Cornflakes
1 tsp black salt
½ tsp salt or as required
½ tsp pepper crushed
1 sprig mint leaves
1 tbsp chilly vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil

Dice or cube or chop the veggies/ fruit till Apple (nibble sized)
Deseed the pomegranate
Chop the chilies really fine

From black salt to olive oil – blend them in a blender (even a hand held would do)

In a large bowl mix all these together

Finally add the cornflakes so that they remain crispy for a while (anyways bound to be soggy later).

If you need this to last you through some 5 chapters double up the measurements!! Go easy on the dressing though! Hey! Dressing reminds me of something...nah...I shall come with that in my next entry.

Meany Mince

I am very depressed today :( ...dont ask me why. Didnt you notice my punch line - The First Problem of Every Problem is to Exactly Decide Whats The Problem! Hmmm! Thats my problem. I have to get out of this bizzare state of mind before I freak out. Anything coming my way is subject to battery. Clobber, Bulldoze, Pummel, Pound, Thrash, Mince... these are the words ringing out loud in my mind. Now what? What what? Ok. Mince Meat. I will make Mince Meat Biryani! Well Biryani is kind of superlative but in the doldrums that I am in I MEAN TO CALL IT BIRYANI! come what may...

A Straightforward Gory Story... (U/A)

Rice
Thank God I have some 500gms of Basmati Rice left. (Wash and soak for about 1/2 hr)
1 tsp ghee
Dissolve a pinch of saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk and keep aside
1 Onion to be thinly sliced and fried in a little butter till golden
1 tbsp Mint leaves
1 tbsp Rose Water

Meat
I need 500gms of mince meat. Where is it???? Oh! Its beef mince! Whatever.. as long as it is MINCE. Scrub with some lemon juice and salt. Wash until the water runs clear and drain. Try washing with hot water. Helps in removing all that lard.

1 tbsp ghee (Hah! talk of the lard!)

1 inch Ginger crushed (or paste)

4 cloves of Garlic crushed (or paste)

5-6 Green Chillies (use according to weather conditions)

3 Onions to be sliced (or better still mince it)
1 tsp each of Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder, Corriander Powder and Pepper Powder
2 tsp of Garam Masala

4 Tomatoes sliced

Stock
1 tsp ghee
2 inch cinnamon (broken)
4 cloves (crushed)
2 green cardamoms (bruised)
1 tsp fennel/anise seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala powder (inspite of all the above? let it be. gives that Punch!)
1 pinch of Ajinomoto (its ok! nothing will happen! ok..ok..optional)

Use a non-stick kadai. We are desperately trying to reduce usage of fat here. Lets get the stock in place. Add 1tsp ghee. To it add all thats mentioned in "Stock" except garam masala powder. Once all of them splutter garam masala powder. Add enough water required for rice on a 1:1 ratio in which use one portion of full cream milk instead of water (please keep this ready with you or you end up with burnt spices) and bring to boil. Add ajinomoto and salt (as required). Stock is ready. Strain the liquid through a small eyed colander and keep aside.

Use the same kadai. If you try stunts like they do on TV you end up with a sink-load of vessels. Those who have help at home please go ahead :). Wow! my mood is better already! Ok back to business... Add 1tsp ghee. Fry the rice for about 5 mins or till you see the moisture has disappeared. Now add stock. You may either cook in the kadai till done or a rice cooker or transfer the contents to a pressure cooker and wait for 1 whistle. Switch off. I used the pressure cooker.

Remember same kadai. Add 1tbsp ghee. Now all of them under "Meat" in the order of mention, except meat. Give 1 min each till green chillies. Onions can roast till brown. 1/2 min for the powders. Tomatoes till they blend. Then the meat and salt as required. Stir till meat is cooked but ensure moisture is retained.

Arrange alternate layers of meat and rice in THE kadai. Divide and sprinkle mint leaves, golden fried onions, saffron dissolved in milk and rose water in between the layers and ensure you have some left for the top and final layer of rice. Now heat a heavy bottomed tawa and leave the kadai on top of it tightly sealed. We are not fretting too much as the rice is already fully cooked. Its just a matter of meat making friends with rice. They should be palsy-walsy in about 15 mins ;)

I INSIST THIS IS A BIRYANI!

Pasta By Chance

Being successful in life is all about being at the right place at the right time! Do you agree with me? Thats exactly what happend a couple of days back... my previous recipe Chinese Fare (still stuck with a no name status as no one christened it as anything) was at the right place at the right time and evolved as Pasta By Chance!!!! :D

Lets rewind and play the scene once more...

A surplus of my Chinese Fare is what got me thinking. It was way too less to be consumed on its own as an independent dish and too much to be trashed. Now what? I cant waste food. All those chicken soup emails about wasting food flooded my mind and it started racing... once i tried to catechize my friend to purge him of his fussy food habits... "see how the not so fortunate people are feasting on the food we waste, whereas you dont seem to care a dime" to which he responded "how could you be so heartless? its when you waste food they get to celebrate and you expect me to deprive them of that too?" i called him a nasty pig and left it at that... :)

My Finds...

There was this 200gms of Fusilli in a container safely tucked away in a corner of the kitchen cabinet. Conveniently forgotten as I had gone ahead and purchased more of different hues and sizes! I spurred in to a full fledged treasure hunt. And what did I come up with? Lo and behold! 2-3 inches thick Cheddar Cheese , about a tsp of Italian Seasoning (mix of oregano+basil+parsley+garlic+rosemary+salt) i got it from one of the grocers here, gushing with an overwhelming passion to unleash my culinary skills on italian cuisine! Phew! What do you know? my passions were well preserved in the refrigrator ;), i also spotted a half used bottle of oyster sauce, a wee bit of soy sauce and I stopped right there. I shall no more be a sleuthhound beyond this point.

Brass Tacks...

I boiled the fusilli with a bit of salt till al dente. Drained, washed in cool water and gave them an olive oil massage. They tend to get too pally and stick together ;). Left them to fend for themselves for a while.

Poured around 1 tbsp of olive oil into a skillet (if you feel sinful go for butter instead)

Add 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped into teeny weeny bits and let it brown (this is for garlic lovers hence optional)

The Chinese Fare (CF) follows suit. People here i have to tell you something. It is not necessary that you wait to have some CF to be leftover. You could prepare it fresh too ;)

Here the fusilli goes in. Stir carefully so that you dont break any of it.

This is where the excitement starts and you feel like a child... throw in rest of ingredients with abandon :D (Just remember that the sauces would be a maximum of 1 tbsp each)

Toss, stir, mix... voila!!!

Enjoy :D (at your own risk...kidding..)

Chinese Fare??!!

See, I am generally very busy... either lying down with closed eyes and deeply contemplating (unless a stray snore gives me away) or exchanging ideas with friends (some morons call it gossipping, what do they know)... aww the list is endless... well i am sure many more of you would be leading such hectic and stressful lifestyle! This recipe is dedicated to such unfortunate beings.

Oh! great! this is a recipe. That calls for some cooking. Well... ok..hmm! But dont worry friends this is a quick one... will ensure that our precious routine is not disrupted...

Cast in order of appearance: (Just follow the steps in toto)
A cutting tray and a sharp knife
1 small cabbage or 1/2 of a big one
250 gms button mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 medium capsicum
4 cloves of garlic (big)
A wok (skillet, frying pan preferably non-stick)
1-2 tbsp of olive oil (i am not insisting on the virginity ;)
1 tbsp of tomato-chilly sauce (i used heinz)
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tsp salt (less/ more)

Lights, Camera n Action... (dont become stiff.. just relax and play your role :D )
Wash clean and slice all the veggies as thin as your hands permit.

The wok goes on to the high flame. This need to be cooked on high flame. Please remember we dont have time to waste on slow cooking ;). First the oil followed by all the severed vegetables go into the wok together. Stir with a ladle or toss like a super-chef.

At this point I knew it was going to take a while for it to cook, so i went ahead to check out whats happening on TV and to the washroom to wash my face. It was so warm in the kitchen you see...

I thankfully remembered and rushed back to the kitchen in about 5-7 minutes and realised the top layer was al dente and the bottom was on the verge of burning. Oops! There my postive attitude came to my rescue ;) - the semi burnt-ness actually enhanced the flavour!! Stir again with ladle nestled in the wok complacently... Whoa! Whoa! I burnt my fingers... Never leave a ladle inside a wok!!!

Now add the rest of the stuff we had already conveniently set on the counter. (We cant take a risk of forgetting them or rushing to the refrigrator while we have the skillet on fire :D ). Both the sauces and salt go in. Stir again. Thats when you get that smell you get in a chinese restaurant... then you know... Hey you are done!

Now you have a job in hand. Name the dish.

Either eat it as it is like a salad or mix it with leftover rice or noodles and call it a Htamin Baung or a Chow Mein or... (just let your creativity take wings...) ;)

Navratna Kichdi [Patented ;)]

This is my first ever blog. I have no clue how it will look like. I could never find time to sit and create one. Most of my friends and family seem to be avid bloggers and no way will I be left behind :D. My maiden attempt is a recipe but God knows what I will come up with next. Dont tell me I didnt warn you.

If anyone can come across anyone lazier than I am, I shall cook for them for an entire lifetime ;). Necessity is the mother of invention - how true! For a couch potato like me, I was forced to connive, concoct and invent! Mind-boggling! Well the story unfurls... I was cornered one day to fix up a quick meal for 4 hungry moguls in my family. I grabbed whatever I could lay my hands on in the refrigrator, counters and cupboards in the kitchen. Stuffed all of them into a cooker and pressure cooked for about 10 minutes... lo and behold!! Lol... now isnt that the easiest thing you could do? Try and let me know. This could be served to anyone of any age (whoever can eat solids).
Moral of the story: I love cooking ;)

WhAt To GrAb?

Mandatory/ Must grabs:

1 large onion

2 medium tomatoes

4 large cloves of garlic

4 green chillies (less or more - depends upon the heat u prefer)

2 sprigs of curry leaves (less/ more)

1 tbsp coconut oil (coconut oil haters please use any other fat)

1 teacupful of rice (any variety)

1 tbsp of tuvar dal (aka toor dal, tuvaram paruppu, split pigeon pea) - i know only this many :(

1 tsp salt (less/ more)

A pressure cooker [ensure the gasket is in place. in your hurry you might forget. i did :) ]

Water - if you have water scarcity in ur area use less others fill the tank... just kidding!

Optional grabs:

1 tbsp moong dal (aka payatham paruppu, pacha payaru, green gram dal)

1 tbsp urad dal (aka uzhunnu paruppu, ulunthu, black gram) did u know this has a name 'vigna mungo' our good old ulunthu...

Lets make life easier for everyone... any other lentil or bean that u would want to add (anything that doesnt need overnight soaking and cooks easily)

1 tsp methi seeds (aka uluva, vendayam, fenugreek seeds)

1 tsp pepper powder

1 pinch asafoetida

1 each of any vegetable or roots that u fancy! Any! (avoid bittergourd if u dont like the bitterness)

Preparation:

Now that was quite a grab. Wash and cut vegetables and whatever needs cutting amidst what you collected in whichever shape and size you prefer (make it bite sized for your convenience - just a suggestion). Dump all of them into the pressure cooker. Now wheres the rice? And lentils and seeds? Ok what all did u pick up? Put all of them together into a strainer. Wash under the tap (if u are using tap water). Goes into the cooker. Now the leaves and powders. Into the cooker...In..In. What else? Salt, Oil - C'mon march into the cooker mates! Go check all around your kitchen, do a head count - everyone inside the cooker? Now pour enough water so that it covers all the ingredients. A little excess will not do any harm. Go on pressure cook till you get a whistle. Continue on a simmer for about 5 minutes. Switch off. Wait till the pressure comes down. You may add a cup of coconut milk to give it a nice creamy taste. Anyways thats optional.

Let me know if I helped you add a feather to your cap or did some damage! Watch out for disclaimers ;)