Lydia Zhao gave the authentic chinese taste through her 'Hot Chicken' dish. As per her request, the recipe is added here:
Ingredients:
• 1000 gms small chicken legs
• 3 - 4 slices Ginger
• 5 - 6 red chilly (small)
• 300 ml Suke (Janpanese White Wine)
• 300 ml Suja Souce
• 4 tsp SugerCooking
Instructions:
• Boil the chicken in hot water for at least 5 minutes.
• Take out the water before fry them.
• Heat oil in a pan, put red chilly and ginger and add the chicken.
• Stir-fry chicken together. When they turn golden brown, put Soja Souce,Suke and suger.
• Put on cover of the pan, turn down to small fire, and wait at least 20minutes.
Note: No salt at all please!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Monday, December 3, 2007
Chinese Egg Noddles
Ingredients:
==========
1. 2 packets of noodles (1 packet = 250 gm)
2. 4 eggs
3. Salt
4. Oil
5. 2 packet of Spring Onion (1 packet = 2 spring onions)
6. 250 gm French Beans
7. Water
8. Tomato Sauce
9. Soya Sauce
10. Chilli Sauce (made of green chillies) - This is optional
11. One large non-stick oval shaped pan with wooden ladle
Recipe:
=====
1. Fill the non-stick pan with 3/4 of its size with water and put the noodles from 1 packet. Break the noodles into 2 to make space for all to sink in the water
2. Allow the mixture to boil. Stir occassionally. Boil for say 5 minutes till the noodles are soft
3. Pour cold water in the pan and strain the noodles. Put the noodles in the strainer
4. Beat 2 eggs - 2 for each packet of noodles and add quarter teaspoon of salt and batter the mixture.
5. Wash the pan properly and put oil in it till the base of the pan is covered with oil
6. Heat the pan and allow the heat the oil
7. Add the battered egg to the heated oil and scramble the mixture with the ladle for say 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove the scrambled eggs from the pan to a separate dish and cover it with a lid to keep it warm
9. Wash the pan and put oil in it till the base of the pan is covered with oil
10. Heat the pan and allow the heat the oil
11. Till time the oil is heating, chop the beans and green portion of spring onion to 1 inch size
12. Chop the bulb portion of the spring onion into fine circles
13. Once the oil is heated, put the chopped circles of spring onion till it becomes light brown
14. Add the rest of spring onions and beans to the mixture in the pan and stir occassionally for say 5 minutes.
15. Add the strained noodles to the mixture and stir occassionally till the noodles start sticking to the pan
16. Remove the contents of the pan to a separate dish
17. Serve the noodles with the scrambled eggs and tomato, soya and chilli sauce. Repeat the process for the second packet of the noodles.
==========
1. 2 packets of noodles (1 packet = 250 gm)
2. 4 eggs
3. Salt
4. Oil
5. 2 packet of Spring Onion (1 packet = 2 spring onions)
6. 250 gm French Beans
7. Water
8. Tomato Sauce
9. Soya Sauce
10. Chilli Sauce (made of green chillies) - This is optional
11. One large non-stick oval shaped pan with wooden ladle
Recipe:
=====
1. Fill the non-stick pan with 3/4 of its size with water and put the noodles from 1 packet. Break the noodles into 2 to make space for all to sink in the water
2. Allow the mixture to boil. Stir occassionally. Boil for say 5 minutes till the noodles are soft
3. Pour cold water in the pan and strain the noodles. Put the noodles in the strainer
4. Beat 2 eggs - 2 for each packet of noodles and add quarter teaspoon of salt and batter the mixture.
5. Wash the pan properly and put oil in it till the base of the pan is covered with oil
6. Heat the pan and allow the heat the oil
7. Add the battered egg to the heated oil and scramble the mixture with the ladle for say 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove the scrambled eggs from the pan to a separate dish and cover it with a lid to keep it warm
9. Wash the pan and put oil in it till the base of the pan is covered with oil
10. Heat the pan and allow the heat the oil
11. Till time the oil is heating, chop the beans and green portion of spring onion to 1 inch size
12. Chop the bulb portion of the spring onion into fine circles
13. Once the oil is heated, put the chopped circles of spring onion till it becomes light brown
14. Add the rest of spring onions and beans to the mixture in the pan and stir occassionally for say 5 minutes.
15. Add the strained noodles to the mixture and stir occassionally till the noodles start sticking to the pan
16. Remove the contents of the pan to a separate dish
17. Serve the noodles with the scrambled eggs and tomato, soya and chilli sauce. Repeat the process for the second packet of the noodles.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Yummy Chaat Special
The chaat special was really special in number of ways. First, the food items itself were really splendind in taste; then, the members vealready prepared most of the item at home and brought to the venue. They only gave the demo instead of preparing the whole stuff. The 'special' experimental dish carried out by Pathikrit initaited the proceedings. This dish was a combination of curd and egg.
Swaroop's paneer bread pakora was instant hit with hungry tummys prepared just after Pat's dish. This was followed by Amit's Chicken Lollypop's for non-vegetarian's delight and on ther hand the vegetarians were awe struck by Megha's interesting 'Vegatable Hotdog'. After these two dishes, the food lovers of the club still had the apetite for Ritu's crispy 'Dal Tikki' which were presented exotically along with green coriander chutney.
This meeting had a chinese guest in Lydia who was zapped by the concept of the club and its tasty proceedings thereafter.
Swaroop's paneer bread pakora was instant hit with hungry tummys prepared just after Pat's dish. This was followed by Amit's Chicken Lollypop's for non-vegetarian's delight and on ther hand the vegetarians were awe struck by Megha's interesting 'Vegatable Hotdog'. After these two dishes, the food lovers of the club still had the apetite for Ritu's crispy 'Dal Tikki' which were presented exotically along with green coriander chutney.
This meeting had a chinese guest in Lydia who was zapped by the concept of the club and its tasty proceedings thereafter.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Chicken Lollipop
Ingredients:
==================
16 Chicken wings
1 Cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Corn flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 tbsp White pepper
Oil for deep frying
A pinch of ajino motto (optional)
Cooking Instructions:
======================
Take a bowl and beat egg in it.
Add corn flour, breadcrumbs, ajno motto, white pepper and salt and make a fine batter.
Now mix chicken wings with it.
Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and deep fry chicken wings one at a time until dark brown.
Chicken Lollipop is ready to serve.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Summer Specials: Paratha special, West India Special and East India Special
The summer of 2007 for Food Club distinctively saw three special meets: Paratha Special, West India Special and East India Special. The three were held at Sarang's place, Ritu's place and Pathikrit's place respectively.
'Paratha special' saw parathas coming out of result of both experiments as well as the traditional ones. The experimented ones were the onion paratha, mixed veg paratha while the traditional ones were paneer paratha and poren poulli. Each of the members demonstrated cooking one paratha each while the rest were already prepared.
The next to follow was 'West India Special' where the dishes came out from various parts of West India viz. Rajasthan , Gujarat and Maharashtra. This meeting saw Mr. Sanket Pattekar preparing an exotic maharashtrian non-veg dish known as Chicken Sukha dry. However, the proceeding started with Amit who prepared made to order Bhaigan Bhaaja which was an instaneous hit with empty stomachs. While Ashwini made preparations for ghee soaked marwadi suji ka halwa; Ritu started with preparing Kadi. The thick kadi had pakodis of peas. This was an experiment which paid off in the end. Amit, being Bengali though brought up in Gujarat, prepared his mixed 'Shaak' with Sanket's dish. The members enjoyed the dishes with rice. The last nail was the tasty sooji ka halwa which made us experience the ruchness of Marwad.
The end of summer saw 'East India Special' to compete the success of the previous meet. This meeting had Mr. Swaroop with his wife Sarbani as guest chefs who prepared an out of the world, 'Bengali Mutton Curry'. This spicy dish would definitely give chettinaad chicken run out of its money. Pat, played a real host and prepared the other dishes. Starter was Baigan Pakora, vegetarian was Gobhi and then the sweetish cutish dish 'Doi Mishti'. The main course was eaten with rice and members really had a tummy full day.
'Paratha special' saw parathas coming out of result of both experiments as well as the traditional ones. The experimented ones were the onion paratha, mixed veg paratha while the traditional ones were paneer paratha and poren poulli. Each of the members demonstrated cooking one paratha each while the rest were already prepared.
The next to follow was 'West India Special' where the dishes came out from various parts of West India viz. Rajasthan , Gujarat and Maharashtra. This meeting saw Mr. Sanket Pattekar preparing an exotic maharashtrian non-veg dish known as Chicken Sukha dry. However, the proceeding started with Amit who prepared made to order Bhaigan Bhaaja which was an instaneous hit with empty stomachs. While Ashwini made preparations for ghee soaked marwadi suji ka halwa; Ritu started with preparing Kadi. The thick kadi had pakodis of peas. This was an experiment which paid off in the end. Amit, being Bengali though brought up in Gujarat, prepared his mixed 'Shaak' with Sanket's dish. The members enjoyed the dishes with rice. The last nail was the tasty sooji ka halwa which made us experience the ruchness of Marwad.
The end of summer saw 'East India Special' to compete the success of the previous meet. This meeting had Mr. Swaroop with his wife Sarbani as guest chefs who prepared an out of the world, 'Bengali Mutton Curry'. This spicy dish would definitely give chettinaad chicken run out of its money. Pat, played a real host and prepared the other dishes. Starter was Baigan Pakora, vegetarian was Gobhi and then the sweetish cutish dish 'Doi Mishti'. The main course was eaten with rice and members really had a tummy full day.
Chicken Sookha Dry By Sanket Pattekar
Ingredients:
500gm. Chicken.
1 tsp. chili powder.
1 tsp. garam masala.
1 tsp. dhania powder.
1/2 tsp.jeera powder.
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds.
1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder.
2 pinch of turmeric powder
Pinch of hing.
Salt to taste
5 flakes of garlic.
1/2 inch ginger.
4 green chilies.
Small amt. of coriander.
2 small onions.
1 tomato
1 tbsp. ghee.
3-4 clove
1-2 pieces of cinnamon
2 Black cardamom
Pinch of shahi jeera
1/2 tbsp lemon juice.
1 tsp. butter
Coriander for garnishing
Preparation:
Cut chicken into small, even pieces and put it in a bowl. Add chili powder, garam masala, dhania powder, .jeera powder, poppy seeds, nutmeg powder, turmeric powder,salt and hing and mix well.
Mix garlic, ginger, chilies and coriander to a fine paste, and add this to chicken. Keep this chicken marinated for at least 2 hours.
Take a heavy bottom pan, add ghee, clove, cinnamon, cardamom and allow it to sputter. To this add shahi jeera and onions, and sauté the same till onion become golden brown. To this add tomatoes, and sauté for 5 mins.
Add the marinated chicken and sauté it on high flame. Reduce the flame ad keep mixing till the chicken is dry.
Add some water and allow the chicken to cook. After the chicken is cooked sauté on high flame, till the chicken is completely dry.
Garnish this with lemon, butter and coriander
Tips:
Poppy seeds, Nutmeg powder, and Ghee are must for this recipe
This recipe is slightly spicy. Reduce the quantity of Garam masala, to ½ tsp, if desired
This recipe is very dry. If you want to have gravy, increase the onions to 3 in number and tomatoes to 2
This recipe can be had as starter or with roti.
500gm. Chicken.
1 tsp. chili powder.
1 tsp. garam masala.
1 tsp. dhania powder.
1/2 tsp.jeera powder.
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds.
1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder.
2 pinch of turmeric powder
Pinch of hing.
Salt to taste
5 flakes of garlic.
1/2 inch ginger.
4 green chilies.
Small amt. of coriander.
2 small onions.
1 tomato
1 tbsp. ghee.
3-4 clove
1-2 pieces of cinnamon
2 Black cardamom
Pinch of shahi jeera
1/2 tbsp lemon juice.
1 tsp. butter
Coriander for garnishing
Preparation:
Cut chicken into small, even pieces and put it in a bowl. Add chili powder, garam masala, dhania powder, .jeera powder, poppy seeds, nutmeg powder, turmeric powder,salt and hing and mix well.
Mix garlic, ginger, chilies and coriander to a fine paste, and add this to chicken. Keep this chicken marinated for at least 2 hours.
Take a heavy bottom pan, add ghee, clove, cinnamon, cardamom and allow it to sputter. To this add shahi jeera and onions, and sauté the same till onion become golden brown. To this add tomatoes, and sauté for 5 mins.
Add the marinated chicken and sauté it on high flame. Reduce the flame ad keep mixing till the chicken is dry.
Add some water and allow the chicken to cook. After the chicken is cooked sauté on high flame, till the chicken is completely dry.
Garnish this with lemon, butter and coriander
Tips:
Poppy seeds, Nutmeg powder, and Ghee are must for this recipe
This recipe is slightly spicy. Reduce the quantity of Garam masala, to ½ tsp, if desired
This recipe is very dry. If you want to have gravy, increase the onions to 3 in number and tomatoes to 2
This recipe can be had as starter or with roti.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Shaak-Bhaaji Mixed
Ingredients:
3-4 small Carrots
100 gms of Green Beans
2-3 medium sized Potatoes
1 medium sized Tomatoes
1 medium sized Cauliflower
Oil
Salt to taste
1 spoon of Garam Masala (containing Cumin, Coriander, Red chilli)
1 spoon Turmeric powder (heaped)
1.5 medium sized sliced Onions
Medium sized Kadhai with cover
Wooden ladle
water
How to make Shaak-Bhaji Mixed:
1. Wash all the vegetables
2. Chop the carrots into small circular pieces after peeling off the outer skin
3. Chop the beans into an inch sized pieces
4. Chop the cauliflower into medium size pieces after removing the hard pieces from the bottom
5. Chop the tomatoes into circular pieces and remove the seeds from inside
6. Peel the skin of the potatoes and then make 4 slizes of each
7. Slice and dice the onions into very small pieces
8. Put the kadhai on medium heat and pour oil upto quarter of the kadhai's height
9. Fry the potatoes first till golden brown
10. Put the onions and fry till brown
11. Put all the vegetables and stir fry
12. Along with the vegetables, add the garam masala, turmeric powder and salt to taste and keep on stirring for 5 minutes
13. Add water such that all the vegetable pieces are soaked more than 50% in water
14. Put the cover on the kadhai and allow the contents to cook for about 15-20 minutes till all the water is absorbed
15. Between 5 min interval, open the cover and check if the vegetable pieces are boiled or if the salt is per taste. Add more sal, turmeric and garam masala if needed
16. After cooking, remove the kadhai from burner and allow the mixture to cool. Do not serve right after removing from burner
3-4 small Carrots
100 gms of Green Beans
2-3 medium sized Potatoes
1 medium sized Tomatoes
1 medium sized Cauliflower
Oil
Salt to taste
1 spoon of Garam Masala (containing Cumin, Coriander, Red chilli)
1 spoon Turmeric powder (heaped)
1.5 medium sized sliced Onions
Medium sized Kadhai with cover
Wooden ladle
water
How to make Shaak-Bhaji Mixed:
1. Wash all the vegetables
2. Chop the carrots into small circular pieces after peeling off the outer skin
3. Chop the beans into an inch sized pieces
4. Chop the cauliflower into medium size pieces after removing the hard pieces from the bottom
5. Chop the tomatoes into circular pieces and remove the seeds from inside
6. Peel the skin of the potatoes and then make 4 slizes of each
7. Slice and dice the onions into very small pieces
8. Put the kadhai on medium heat and pour oil upto quarter of the kadhai's height
9. Fry the potatoes first till golden brown
10. Put the onions and fry till brown
11. Put all the vegetables and stir fry
12. Along with the vegetables, add the garam masala, turmeric powder and salt to taste and keep on stirring for 5 minutes
13. Add water such that all the vegetable pieces are soaked more than 50% in water
14. Put the cover on the kadhai and allow the contents to cook for about 15-20 minutes till all the water is absorbed
15. Between 5 min interval, open the cover and check if the vegetable pieces are boiled or if the salt is per taste. Add more sal, turmeric and garam masala if needed
16. After cooking, remove the kadhai from burner and allow the mixture to cool. Do not serve right after removing from burner
BEGUN BHAJA RECIPE
Ingredients:
oil to fry
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 big size brinjals
How to make begun bhaja :
Wash and cut the brinjals into half inch round slices.
Apply salt and turmeric powder.
Heat up the oil in a pot to smoking point.
Take off heat, cool slightly and then reheat.
Fry the brinjal pieces till crunchy and brown.
Serve hot.
oil to fry
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 big size brinjals
How to make begun bhaja :
Wash and cut the brinjals into half inch round slices.
Apply salt and turmeric powder.
Heat up the oil in a pot to smoking point.
Take off heat, cool slightly and then reheat.
Fry the brinjal pieces till crunchy and brown.
Serve hot.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Going West (of Amsterdam)
The meeting at Roja's place on 6th May,2007 seemed to get a slow start but then it picked up with lot of things being prepared and discussed. As per the plan, we had following recipes:
Kotmir wadi by Ashwini
Poha by Prakash
Vegetarian Korma by guest chef - Achut Shanbagh
Toran (mallu dish) by Roja
and dessert 'Sondesh'( of two types) by Pathikrit
Ashwini initiated the proceedings with explainations about Kotmir wadi along with its ingredients. Pat, in the mean time, started preparing for Sondesh(es) as well. He gave a tasty surpise when he said that he's going to prepare infact two type of Sondesh: a normal one and a chocolate one. Prakash had to wait for his Poha while Kothimbir wadis were getting fried. Hungry people had their mouth ful with delicious Kothimbir wadis along with 'mrchi ka achar'. Poha, a popular dish from UP and MP, was followed by the main course.
The main course had 'Vegetarion Kurma' by our guest chef Achut which had all the flavours of Konkan. Next was Roja's tasty Toran, a popular Kerala dish.
Hence, Pat's Sondesh were all ready to be eaten and they were yummy. According to Pat, two is very less number of types as compared with the total types available for Sondesh. Interesting, isn't it?
Kotmir wadi by Ashwini
Poha by Prakash
Vegetarian Korma by guest chef - Achut Shanbagh
Toran (mallu dish) by Roja
and dessert 'Sondesh'( of two types) by Pathikrit
Ashwini initiated the proceedings with explainations about Kotmir wadi along with its ingredients. Pat, in the mean time, started preparing for Sondesh(es) as well. He gave a tasty surpise when he said that he's going to prepare infact two type of Sondesh: a normal one and a chocolate one. Prakash had to wait for his Poha while Kothimbir wadis were getting fried. Hungry people had their mouth ful with delicious Kothimbir wadis along with 'mrchi ka achar'. Poha, a popular dish from UP and MP, was followed by the main course.
The main course had 'Vegetarion Kurma' by our guest chef Achut which had all the flavours of Konkan. Next was Roja's tasty Toran, a popular Kerala dish.
Hence, Pat's Sondesh were all ready to be eaten and they were yummy. According to Pat, two is very less number of types as compared with the total types available for Sondesh. Interesting, isn't it?
Monday, April 16, 2007
April Fool meet
Well we met for cooking on April 1 as well. Coincidentally April 1 was a sunday exactly 2 weeks from our previous March 18 meet. This meet was special because it was the very first time we invited a guest chef. Pathikrit was the guest who now is a club member himself. Pat liked the idea of learning and cooking togther and hence opted to be a member himself.
This meet also saw a new member join the club - Roja. Also we met Fakhruddin's family, including his daughter Sara, this day.
Menu for this meet was:
Around 12 people were supposed to reach Ashwini's place. Pat being the guest chef and a quality person was the first to reach and had already started preparation like defrosting the chingri and cooking white rice.
Vandana had already prepared the soyabean kebabs from home as was very time consuming to demonstrate the same there. However some raw kebab mix was brought for demonstrating how the kebabs are made. All enjoyed the kebabs with mint chutney.
Once most of us were in, Pat started demonstrating the process of grinding the posto and breaking the phool gobi. The ingredients were discussed, salt check-check & dal tenderness was checked. The chingri posto was cooked in the microwave with minor research on Ashwini's microwave part of the process.
Finally we had the urad dal, veg and non-veg postos & white steamed rice to eb enjoyed. At this moment Pat gave us a pleasant surprise with his self made chilly pickle. It was exceptional. I even took some of it home which Pat gave reluctantly ;)
While the urad dal was getting ready, preparation for sheer khurma was started. The nuts were cut, milk boiled and sivaiyan mixed along with. The prcoess was demonstrated well. We then had the meal round 1 and round 2. Round 2 was only attempted by the non veg folks. As it is said, it needs to be had hot or else it is not the same, so we all enjoyed a bowl of hot & delicious sheer khurma.
Following the meal discussion happened on some more food. Specially the drink mastani from Pune that I jsut need to try whenever I am there.
This meet also saw a new member join the club - Roja. Also we met Fakhruddin's family, including his daughter Sara, this day.
Menu for this meet was:
- Soyabean kebabs with Mint Chutney
- Biulir Daal
- Posto Chingri Bhape
- Phulkopir Posto
- Sheer Khurma
Around 12 people were supposed to reach Ashwini's place. Pat being the guest chef and a quality person was the first to reach and had already started preparation like defrosting the chingri and cooking white rice.
Vandana had already prepared the soyabean kebabs from home as was very time consuming to demonstrate the same there. However some raw kebab mix was brought for demonstrating how the kebabs are made. All enjoyed the kebabs with mint chutney.
Once most of us were in, Pat started demonstrating the process of grinding the posto and breaking the phool gobi. The ingredients were discussed, salt check-check & dal tenderness was checked. The chingri posto was cooked in the microwave with minor research on Ashwini's microwave part of the process.
Finally we had the urad dal, veg and non-veg postos & white steamed rice to eb enjoyed. At this moment Pat gave us a pleasant surprise with his self made chilly pickle. It was exceptional. I even took some of it home which Pat gave reluctantly ;)
While the urad dal was getting ready, preparation for sheer khurma was started. The nuts were cut, milk boiled and sivaiyan mixed along with. The prcoess was demonstrated well. We then had the meal round 1 and round 2. Round 2 was only attempted by the non veg folks. As it is said, it needs to be had hot or else it is not the same, so we all enjoyed a bowl of hot & delicious sheer khurma.
Following the meal discussion happened on some more food. Specially the drink mastani from Pune that I jsut need to try whenever I am there.
Breakfast special
Feb 4 2007, we all met earlier than the regular time 12:00 noon. This time it was a breakfast meet where I and Vandana taught the group our acquired breakfast specialities. The dishes cooked for this meet were:
The day started with the eggs waiting to be cooked. Then it was time for the onions to be diced. Vandana started by demonstrating the Onion-cheese toast as well as the baguette with spice butter, both of which were baked to a certain degree. All members were also introduced to 2 new drinks: Mango Dream from CoolBest and Super Pineapple from Fernandes. Both these drinks can be purchased from any superstore in Holland.
The wait of the eggs was finally over when I cracked the first one open. Mushroom omelette is a treat for mushroom lovers. After the initial demo almost everbody tried their hands making one. Most of us liked it. While making the omelette, I also demonstrated the sunny side up egg. The trick to make has been described along with the recipe. Only the demo version was made as not many were willing to eat it ( Not every body likes the runny yolk).
We finished our breakfast meet well into lunch time with the dessert being gulab jamun. I narrated my experience on how much time and money I wasted on trying to make them. They were still not perfect after 3 different attempts. I think I need to make friends with a Halwai.
So ... a meet with a twist came to and end with the remaining raw items distributed for members to try it themselves at their homes.
- Onion-Cheese toast
- Baguette with spice butter
- Mushroom Egg Omelette (Also cooked Sunny side-up fried egg)
- Zarda (replaced by Gulab Jamun)
The day started with the eggs waiting to be cooked. Then it was time for the onions to be diced. Vandana started by demonstrating the Onion-cheese toast as well as the baguette with spice butter, both of which were baked to a certain degree. All members were also introduced to 2 new drinks: Mango Dream from CoolBest and Super Pineapple from Fernandes. Both these drinks can be purchased from any superstore in Holland.
The wait of the eggs was finally over when I cracked the first one open. Mushroom omelette is a treat for mushroom lovers. After the initial demo almost everbody tried their hands making one. Most of us liked it. While making the omelette, I also demonstrated the sunny side up egg. The trick to make has been described along with the recipe. Only the demo version was made as not many were willing to eat it ( Not every body likes the runny yolk).
We finished our breakfast meet well into lunch time with the dessert being gulab jamun. I narrated my experience on how much time and money I wasted on trying to make them. They were still not perfect after 3 different attempts. I think I need to make friends with a Halwai.
So ... a meet with a twist came to and end with the remaining raw items distributed for members to try it themselves at their homes.
Kachcha Chicken Biryani meet
Yesterday was the biryani and kulfi day that we had all been waiting for. The complete menu for this meet was:
We began the meal with some snacks and rose kulfi, which every body enjoyed. Ritu made the chhole chat. It was a bit delayed because the imli chutney took a while. Specially me was dying of hunger and had already cleaned the crisps Fakhruddin had offered in sympathy ;)
The chat was delicious with its tangy and spicy taste. It left us all looking forward to the main meal (in a positive sense). Biryani preparation had started quite some time back with Fakhruddin and Yakuta explaining the process. Because of the big vessel as well as the large quantity in which it was being prepared, there was an issue with the amount of water that had to go in the biryani. It turned out that the rice could not absord all the water that was added and so the biryani had to be topped off in the oven.
Although not the best texture, the taste was authentic and delicious. Fakhruddin has promised (or did he?) to work on the texture.
In Sarang's abscence we had to replace his recipe with another vegetarian one. Fortunately Sarang had hinted that he may not be able to make it so I was ready with an alternative. Mustard Onion Fried rice was demonstrated instead. This is a very quick and easy rice and turned out as I had expected.
We then enjoyed the fried rice and the kachcha biryani. Yesterday was unusually warm and to close the lunch, there was shahi badam kulfi which provided some rahat from the heat.
Before you guys speculate, the kachcha in the biryani is the chicken as it starts its journey. Did not get it? I'll explain as explained by Fakhruddin. Most biryanis (including the one we had in the very first home food club meeting) have the chicken and rice cooked separately and then they are layered and finally cooked under dum. Yesterday's biryani had rice and raw (kachcha) chicken mixed and cooked togther. Hence the name kachcha biryani.
End of another meet with new things to eat and learn. With yesterday's meet I earn for myself the honorary title (self claimed) of the kulfi wala.
- Chhole Chat
- Kachcha Chicken Biryani
- Bharleli Vagni (Replaced by Mustard Onion fried rice)
- Kulfi (Rose & Badam)
We began the meal with some snacks and rose kulfi, which every body enjoyed. Ritu made the chhole chat. It was a bit delayed because the imli chutney took a while. Specially me was dying of hunger and had already cleaned the crisps Fakhruddin had offered in sympathy ;)
The chat was delicious with its tangy and spicy taste. It left us all looking forward to the main meal (in a positive sense). Biryani preparation had started quite some time back with Fakhruddin and Yakuta explaining the process. Because of the big vessel as well as the large quantity in which it was being prepared, there was an issue with the amount of water that had to go in the biryani. It turned out that the rice could not absord all the water that was added and so the biryani had to be topped off in the oven.
Although not the best texture, the taste was authentic and delicious. Fakhruddin has promised (or did he?) to work on the texture.
In Sarang's abscence we had to replace his recipe with another vegetarian one. Fortunately Sarang had hinted that he may not be able to make it so I was ready with an alternative. Mustard Onion Fried rice was demonstrated instead. This is a very quick and easy rice and turned out as I had expected.
We then enjoyed the fried rice and the kachcha biryani. Yesterday was unusually warm and to close the lunch, there was shahi badam kulfi which provided some rahat from the heat.
Before you guys speculate, the kachcha in the biryani is the chicken as it starts its journey. Did not get it? I'll explain as explained by Fakhruddin. Most biryanis (including the one we had in the very first home food club meeting) have the chicken and rice cooked separately and then they are layered and finally cooked under dum. Yesterday's biryani had rice and raw (kachcha) chicken mixed and cooked togther. Hence the name kachcha biryani.
End of another meet with new things to eat and learn. With yesterday's meet I earn for myself the honorary title (self claimed) of the kulfi wala.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Rose Kulfi
The original Kulfi recipe can be found here. This recipe is similar however with a different flavoring. Please do read the original recipe before trying this out.
Ingredients
1 litre evaporated milk (full cream)
500ml cream (30gm fat/100ml variety or equivalent)
75 gms sugar
200 gms Gulkand
75 ml gulab jal (rose water)
20 gm (2 tsp) corn flour
pinch of red food color
Method
[1] Follow same procedure as the original kulfi recipe.
[2] Instead of Badam, add gulkand.
[3] Instead of elaichi, add rose water
[4] Mix in the red food color so that the mixture takes on a very light pink color
[5] Rose Kulfi is ready. Garnish with rose petals before serving.
Ingredients
1 litre evaporated milk (full cream)
500ml cream (30gm fat/100ml variety or equivalent)
75 gms sugar
200 gms Gulkand
75 ml gulab jal (rose water)
20 gm (2 tsp) corn flour
pinch of red food color
Method
[1] Follow same procedure as the original kulfi recipe.
[2] Instead of Badam, add gulkand.
[3] Instead of elaichi, add rose water
[4] Mix in the red food color so that the mixture takes on a very light pink color
[5] Rose Kulfi is ready. Garnish with rose petals before serving.
Shahi Badam Kulfi
Kulfi, the Indian ice-cream, is loved by all. Expats vouch for its taste and dismiss the whipped vanilla ice creams in its favor. Although Kulfi can be purchased like regular ice cream outside India, its not very hard to make it yourself. The one demonstrated here is extremely simple and turns out to be better than ones locally available in Indian restaurants. Give this a try.
Preparation time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 litre evaporated milk (full cream)
500ml cream (30gm fat/100ml variety or equivalent)
175 gms sugar
100 gms badam
Seeds of 30 medium green cardamom pods
20 gm (2 tsp) corn flour
Preparation
Soak the badam in water for 2 hrs and then dry grind (coarse) them as shown below:
Method
[1] Take a thick bottom pan and put the evaporated milk (This milk is the regular milk which has been reduced to half) and the cream.
[2] Keep boiling on slow flame stirring most of the time till the milk-cream mixture is reduced to 4/5th. This should take between 30-40 minutes.
[3] Add the ground badam to the milk.
[4] Add all the sugar (Recommended that you adjust the sugar quantity as per your liking)
[5] Add the crushed elaichi seeds. (The image below is of seeds that need to be crushed)
[6] Now keep boiling for around 15 minutes
[7] Mix the corn flour in minimum water and add it to the milk. This would thicken the mixture.
[8] Boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from flame
[9] Once cooled, transfer to disposable cups as shown below. Fill the cups to 1/3rd capacity
[10] Freeze for atleast 8 hrs.
Serving
30 minutes before serving, remove the Kulfi from the freezer and keep it in the fridge. This makes the Kulfi a bit soft. To remove the Kulfi , immerse the cup into a bowl containing warm water. This will loosen the Kulfi. Invert it on a plate and give it a light tap. Garnish with more badam.
Variations
Kulfi can be made in similar fashion with the following Indian flavors:
Gotchas
The below are very important:
Preparation time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 litre evaporated milk (full cream)
500ml cream (30gm fat/100ml variety or equivalent)
175 gms sugar
100 gms badam
Seeds of 30 medium green cardamom pods
20 gm (2 tsp) corn flour
Preparation
Soak the badam in water for 2 hrs and then dry grind (coarse) them as shown below:
Method
[1] Take a thick bottom pan and put the evaporated milk (This milk is the regular milk which has been reduced to half) and the cream.
[2] Keep boiling on slow flame stirring most of the time till the milk-cream mixture is reduced to 4/5th. This should take between 30-40 minutes.
[3] Add the ground badam to the milk.
[4] Add all the sugar (Recommended that you adjust the sugar quantity as per your liking)
[5] Add the crushed elaichi seeds. (The image below is of seeds that need to be crushed)
[6] Now keep boiling for around 15 minutes
[7] Mix the corn flour in minimum water and add it to the milk. This would thicken the mixture.
[8] Boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from flame
[9] Once cooled, transfer to disposable cups as shown below. Fill the cups to 1/3rd capacity
[10] Freeze for atleast 8 hrs.
Serving
30 minutes before serving, remove the Kulfi from the freezer and keep it in the fridge. This makes the Kulfi a bit soft. To remove the Kulfi , immerse the cup into a bowl containing warm water. This will loosen the Kulfi. Invert it on a plate and give it a light tap. Garnish with more badam.
Variations
Kulfi can be made in similar fashion with the following Indian flavors:
- Rose
- Kesar
- Kewda
- Pista
Gotchas
The below are very important:
- Only thick bottomed or heavy guage vessels should be used for making Kulfi
- All prepartion on low flame only to avoid burning of milk
- Keep stirring most of the time
Friday, April 13, 2007
Biulir Daal (Urad Daal)
It is a favourite daal (Lentil) of Bengal, specially during the hot summer times. This daal is eaten generally with a dish made with poppy seed (see Phulkopir Posto), or with simple home fried potatoes (Alu Bhaja).
Ingredients
Urad Daal
Boil the daal until it reaches a softness so that you can press it with your fingers and smash it. While boiling skim off the white crud that gathers on top of the daal also start with double enough water so that you have about two digits of water above the daal surface. At the end you do not want too much water or too dry a daal so if you feel add some water midway.
Ginger
Either grate or crush the ginger in a mixer
Hing
Mix the hing powder with little warm water
Cooking
Ingredients
- Biuli (Urad) Daal ½ KG
- Ginger 5 cm
- Hing (Asafoetida) 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Oil
- Whole green chillies 3 - 5
Urad Daal
Boil the daal until it reaches a softness so that you can press it with your fingers and smash it. While boiling skim off the white crud that gathers on top of the daal also start with double enough water so that you have about two digits of water above the daal surface. At the end you do not want too much water or too dry a daal so if you feel add some water midway.
Ginger
Either grate or crush the ginger in a mixer
Hing
Mix the hing powder with little warm water
Cooking
- Heat oil
- Pour the hing in oil
- Pour the ginger paste in
- Stir for few minutes (make sure it does not burn, but you get the sweet ginger smell)
- Pour in the boiled daal
- Add the whole green chillies
- Add salt
- Stir and boil for another five minutes
Posto Chingri Bhape (Steamed Prawns with Poppy Seeds)
Posto - Poppy seed (khas khas) and Prawns are two great favourites of West Bengal. A combination of the two is just heavenly for people of West Bengal (and also for some from the East). For this you do not have to have the big prawns, medium sized ones will do just fine, even the small ones are not too bad.
Prawns
Cooking
Mix all the ingredients with the prawns. Put the green chillies in to the mixture, if you like it hot break them.
There are various ways of cooking it
Traditional
Put the mixture in a metal container that can be closed properly and has a flat top. In a big vessel pour some water. Place the container with the mixture in the water. Let the water boil. Put something heavy (another pot with water will do) on top of the container so that it does not bounce around.
If you do not have a flat top container with lid then cover it nicely with aluminium foil. and put a plate that is little bigger on top and put something heavy on top.
Please make sure that water does not enter the container.
Ready in 45-50 minutes
Conventional Oven
Put the mixture in a oven safe container. cover in aluminium foil. Put in a preheated oven at 180 - 190 °C for 30 minutes.
Microwave Oven
Put the mixture in a microwave safe container cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at high for 20 minutes or at medium for 30-35 minutes.
Cooking time may vary. if the prawns are red and soft you are done.
Variations
The same dish is made with Rohu (Bengali Rui) and Hilsa (Bengali Ilish). The one with Hilsa is also a top favourite especially among the people from East Bengal (now Bangladesh).
However, for Hilsa the poppy seed is totally replaced by mustard seeds. Also some people do not use the coconut
Ingredients
- Prawns ½ kg
- Poppy seeds ~200 - 400 gms
- Mustard seeds 30 - 50 gms
- Grated coconut ½ cup
- Mustered Oil 3 - 6 tablespoon (You may substitute mustard oil with any other vegetable oil but it will not be the same thing)
- Green chillies 3 - 5
- Salt to taste
Prawns
Clean the prawns. Clean the back. Leave the tail on if you like. This is generally not cooked with the head but if like keep them on. Wash them and let the excess water go away.
Poppy seeds
We need to make a paste of poppy seeds. This can be done various ways.
1. Old fashioned stone grinder
Soak the poppy seeds in water and then grind the standard way
2. Use the small container of a regular mixer
Fill the container as per specification, add some water and then use the high setting
3. Use a coffee grinder
Put dry seeds in the grinder then grind until the paste feels oily, then put the ground seeds in a bowl and mix water to make a paste
The paste should not be "too" smooth; when you squeeze it you should feel some seeds at your finger tips. Also make sure it is not very watery.
Remember to mix the mustard seeds with the last batch of the poppy seeds.Cooking
Mix all the ingredients with the prawns. Put the green chillies in to the mixture, if you like it hot break them.
There are various ways of cooking it
Traditional
Put the mixture in a metal container that can be closed properly and has a flat top. In a big vessel pour some water. Place the container with the mixture in the water. Let the water boil. Put something heavy (another pot with water will do) on top of the container so that it does not bounce around.
If you do not have a flat top container with lid then cover it nicely with aluminium foil. and put a plate that is little bigger on top and put something heavy on top.
Please make sure that water does not enter the container.
Ready in 45-50 minutes
Conventional Oven
Put the mixture in a oven safe container. cover in aluminium foil. Put in a preheated oven at 180 - 190 °C for 30 minutes.
Microwave Oven
Put the mixture in a microwave safe container cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at high for 20 minutes or at medium for 30-35 minutes.
Cooking time may vary. if the prawns are red and soft you are done.
Variations
The same dish is made with Rohu (Bengali Rui) and Hilsa (Bengali Ilish). The one with Hilsa is also a top favourite especially among the people from East Bengal (now Bangladesh).
However, for Hilsa the poppy seed is totally replaced by mustard seeds. Also some people do not use the coconut
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Phulkopir Posto (Cauliflower with Poppy Seeds)
Posto - Poppy seed (khas khas) is not just used as a spice but is also used in considerable amount to create main dishes in Bengal. It is particularly popular in the districts of Burdwan, Bankura, and Birbhum. The most common preparation is with potato (Alu Posto). It is generally accompanied with Biuli or Kalai (both are Bengali names for Urad daal) daal. It is traditionally eaten with rice.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower (~ 1 kg)
- Poppy seeds (~200 - 400 gms)
- Onion seed/Black cumin (Kalonji, kala jira) 1/2 - 1 tablespoon
- Oil 3 - 6 tablespoon (To be hundred percent Bengali we need mustard oil. However, any other oil will do except may be ground nut oil)
- Salt to taste
Preparation
Cauliflower
Cut the cauliflower in small pieces (about 1 - 1.5 inches; it is best if you break the stem in order to keep the flower part intact instead of cutting through them and creating flat edges)
Poppy seeds
We need to make a paste of poppy seeds. This can be done various ways.
1. Old fashioned stone grinder
Soak the poppy seeds in water and then grind the standard way
2. Use the small container of a regular mixer
Fill the container as per specification, add some water and then use the high setting
3. Use a coffee grinder
Put dry seeds in the grinder then grind until the paste feels oily, then put the ground seeds in a bowl and mix water to make a paste
The paste should not be "too" smooth; when you squeeze it you should feel some seeds at your finger tips. Also make sure it is not very watery.
Cooking
- Pour the oil in the cooking pot.
- Heat the oil (if it is mustard oil then you have to heat it until the foamy bubbles go away
- Put the Kalonji in (you may want to cover at this point as the kalonji tends to jump around)
- Once the kalonji is fried put the cauliflowers in
- Sprinkle salt on the cauliflower
- Saute the cauliflowers until they are half cooked
- Pour in the poppy seed paste
- Mix thoroughly
- Saute for 10 minutes
- Pour water so that the cauliflowers are submerged
- Cook until cauliflower is soft to your liking and/or the water has evaporated (If you move the cauliflower to the side creating an empty space in the middle of the cooking pot then there should be no water in the middle)
Variations
This can be cooked various other vegetables notably with Zucchini and Eggplant. You may try your favourite vegetable, however, it does not workout well with sweet vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato etc., but you are free to try it yourself
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Chilly Idli
Idlies, previously a favourite south indian dish, now a common dish across whole india is considered nutritious and can be used as ingredient for other dishes as well. Here, is being presented, a 'Chinese' dish based on idli(Now, this is known as 'Continental' dish? !!! ;-) )
Ingredients: Plain Idlis, Capsicum, Onion, Tomato, Green Coriander, Chilli Sauce, Soya Sauce, Salt, Vegetable Oil
Method:
1. Cut Capsicum, onion, tomato lengthwise
2. Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and then add onions
3. Add Capsicum and then tomatoes along with chillies
4. Add idlies(whole)
5. Mix with sauces and vinegar
6. Stir the mixture for couple of minutes
7. Add salt and stir again to mix
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and hence serve the chinese south-indian dish
Important Note: Do not overcook onions, tomatoes and capsicum
Ingredients: Plain Idlis, Capsicum, Onion, Tomato, Green Coriander, Chilli Sauce, Soya Sauce, Salt, Vegetable Oil
Method:
1. Cut Capsicum, onion, tomato lengthwise
2. Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and then add onions
3. Add Capsicum and then tomatoes along with chillies
4. Add idlies(whole)
5. Mix with sauces and vinegar
6. Stir the mixture for couple of minutes
7. Add salt and stir again to mix
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and hence serve the chinese south-indian dish
Important Note: Do not overcook onions, tomatoes and capsicum
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Regional special
Feb 18 saw us cook regional dishes including a Dutch dessert! Specifically we had dishes from Punjab, MP & Gujarat with the dessert being videshi.
For the first time the meeting was held without the 'Food Club' coordinator Prakash & his wife Vandana as their kid was not well. The meeting strength was, otherwise, full.
Menu for this meet was:
Handvo as the starters were really tasty and already occupied bit of space in the human tumbler. Next to follow were the flowers or Gobis already fried and were waiting to be garnished with masala. This was prepared by myself. Once they were baked, every body enjoyed along with amristari dal and the parathas.
In the mean time, Ashwini's Kwark had gone fluffy. She garnished with fruits which made it look tempting. We had a small but enjoyable cake or Kwark cutting ceremony honoured by Dhwani. She was going to celebrate her birthday the next day. After we were full, there was normal len-den ki baat chaired by our treasurer Ashwini. Then we discussed about the next meeting which is going to be 'HOLI SPECIAL' and would be held in TCS office so that the neighbourhood is not being disturbed by holi shor gul.
The planning of this special meeting is in process and hope it gets finalized soon. We wish Aditya, Pooja and Palak a very enjoyable and safe trip to India. We hope to see them after two months.
For the first time the meeting was held without the 'Food Club' coordinator Prakash & his wife Vandana as their kid was not well. The meeting strength was, otherwise, full.
Menu for this meet was:
- Handvo
- Amritsari Daal
- Shahi Gobi
- Kwark
Handvo as the starters were really tasty and already occupied bit of space in the human tumbler. Next to follow were the flowers or Gobis already fried and were waiting to be garnished with masala. This was prepared by myself. Once they were baked, every body enjoyed along with amristari dal and the parathas.
In the mean time, Ashwini's Kwark had gone fluffy. She garnished with fruits which made it look tempting. We had a small but enjoyable cake or Kwark cutting ceremony honoured by Dhwani. She was going to celebrate her birthday the next day. After we were full, there was normal len-den ki baat chaired by our treasurer Ashwini. Then we discussed about the next meeting which is going to be 'HOLI SPECIAL' and would be held in TCS office so that the neighbourhood is not being disturbed by holi shor gul.
The planning of this special meeting is in process and hope it gets finalized soon. We wish Aditya, Pooja and Palak a very enjoyable and safe trip to India. We hope to see them after two months.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Asiatic Vegetable Bami
Bami is either in form of noodles or rice noodles. They can be prepared in number of ways. Here, is being explained, a classic and simple way of preparing bami.
Ingredients:
Noodles 1 packet: Any brand
Onions
Finely Cut Vegetables: Capasicum, Cabbage, Spring Onion
[Tip: Different kind of ready made finely cut vegetables ae available in the market like Italian, Chinese or Indonesian Roerbak mix]
Butter or Refined Oil
Blackpepper: according to taste
Salt: according to taste
Noodles Masala: Variety of thenm available but the most preferred one is "Honig's Mix Voor Bami Speciaal - Aziatisch"
Sauces: according to personal taste
Method:
1. Cut onions length wise
2. Boil noodles
3. Heat oil/ butter in a pan or kadai.
4. Add onions after oil had become hot.
5. Add capsicum after two minutes
6. Add remaining vegetables afetr two minutes and stir them
7. Add noodles and stir
8. Add salt and black pepper
9. Add Sauces and stir
10. The noodles are ready after two minutes
Please note that the noddles should not be overcooked else they would get meshed up.
Ingredients:
Noodles 1 packet: Any brand
Onions
Finely Cut Vegetables: Capasicum, Cabbage, Spring Onion
[Tip: Different kind of ready made finely cut vegetables ae available in the market like Italian, Chinese or Indonesian Roerbak mix]
Butter or Refined Oil
Blackpepper: according to taste
Salt: according to taste
Noodles Masala: Variety of thenm available but the most preferred one is "Honig's Mix Voor Bami Speciaal - Aziatisch"
Sauces: according to personal taste
Method:
1. Cut onions length wise
2. Boil noodles
3. Heat oil/ butter in a pan or kadai.
4. Add onions after oil had become hot.
5. Add capsicum after two minutes
6. Add remaining vegetables afetr two minutes and stir them
7. Add noodles and stir
8. Add salt and black pepper
9. Add Sauces and stir
10. The noodles are ready after two minutes
Please note that the noddles should not be overcooked else they would get meshed up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)