5 Must See Recipes For The Week

Another week, another roundup and another set of awards. Thanks to Jayasree and Swati for passing on the below mentioned awards to me. The first one is the Nice Matters Award passed on by Jayasree.
“Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

Thanks for the award Jayasree and I in turn pass it on to:
Diva
Arundati
Divya

My second one comes from Swati at Chatkhor. It is the Good Chat Blog award with all the ladies chatting in the pic. Per Swati they were talking about my blog. Swati, it is ironical, since the business I head deals with chat :)

I pass this on to:

Jayasree
Srivalli
Sangeeth
Arundathi

Ladies, Please accept these awards even if you have received them earlier.

With the season being of awards, and I being getting a few in the last few weeks, I now think I should unashamedly request every visitor on this site to go to blogger's choice award and vote for me :)

Leaving that aside and focusing on my weekly roundup, here are the 5 that I found a must try.

1. Cardamom Honey Baklava Ice Cream in Phyllo Cups - Amazing stuff, literally, very unique and the ice cream is a real scene stealer. For anyone who hasn't tried Baklava before, please have it first. After you get hooked onto it, then you can get to this one.

2. Creme Brulee - A classic for all occasions. Creme Brulee or Burnt cream in plain English is a custard dessert topped with a layer of hard caramel created by either burning sugar under a grill or by a blowtorch, and served in a ramekin. You can work with different flavors and add liqueurs to it. It's simple to make and yet elegant. Amy's dessert looks wonderful and elegant. It just made my resolve to get that Blowtorch that I have been postponing for so long.

3. Lettuce Soup - Absolutely brilliant. I have leftover Lettuce so many times and really am at my wits end on what to do with it. This is just great to have and use.

4. Pollo Alla Birra (Chicken in Lager) - I tried out the beer can chicken some years back on my grill in Cleveland and loved it ( actually the whole idea was thrilling enough). This one is another good one to try out. They say don't mix drinking and driving. I support it. But, Drinks in food ,...I support that too :)

5. Whole Wheat Sesame Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce - I love this dish, cos I love Rachel Ray's cooking. Whole wheat pasta is a healthy choice and coupling it with Peanut Sauce will make this dish out of the world. Call it my weakness for Peanut sauces and peanut butters and Snickers (wow). This is a great recipe when you are entertaining.

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Cheesecake Omnia

Its been sometime that I started visiting Diva's blog and the visual onslaught of some of my favorite dishes out there has made me go back for more everytime. It's one such post that caught my eye or rather, woke up the sleeping gastronome. It was the Beauty and the Feast challenge. All it required to do was to pick a cosmetic/beauty product which had a food related name or ingredient and combining the flavors as best as one could come up with a dish inspired by it. This one required me to think and conjure up something different.

I immediately looked up my stock of guy products. Now some would argue that it would mean just a few, cos guys really don't have that many. But I spend quite a bit on myself and really have a decent collection of guy products but nothing that I could turn into a dish. Next was my wife's cabinet...and that took time. Finally, I zeroed in on the most unusual product ...her parfum and the vast bouquet of ingredients really presented a challenge. It had Mandarin, White Chocolate, Masala Tea (yes, masala chai ) and saffron. Now these varied ingredients posed a good challenge. It was going to be an uphill task to come up with something that had all of these. How would it taste ??? If it smelt good, it must taste good too. So here I was making something out of the ingredients used for Bvlgari Omnia Parfum...and rightfully I named it the Cheesecake Omnia. In simple terms it's Mandarin & White Chocolate Cheesecake with Masala Chai Sauce.

To be honest, when I started out in the morning, I really didn't feel like entering the kitchen. It was more like a day meant for lazing in the bed, watching a movie after the other. IPL had almost lost its charm after Delhi Daredevils failed to make the cut. Thankfully, Sachin is still there. I walked almost unwillingly to the kitchen and on the way put on my ipod and selected a random playlist and hey! it started belting out one amazing track after another. I felt ready to take on the kitchen. This creation of mine is as much a help from music as the challenge posed and the amazing family that shares my love for cheesecakes.
It tasted heavenly and my son finished one whole tart. Most of them were hijacked by my better half, whatever I did lay my hands on, I enjoyed and silently patted myself. The Tea Sauce was a killer.
Diva, this is officially my entry to the Beauty & The Feast Challenge. If time permits, more will follow.

Cheesecake Omnia Ingredients:

For the Crust:
Refined Flour - 1 Cup
Butter - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 Tblsp
Water - 3 Tblsp

For the Cheesecake
Hung Yogurt - 1 Cup
Orange Pulp /Juice - 1 Cup
White Chocolate, melted on a double boiler - 60 gms
Custard - 2 Cups
Gelatin - 2 Tsp
Mandarine Napoleon Liqueur - 30 ml

For the Custard -
Egg Yolks - 2
Milk - 1 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 Tsp

For the Sauce
Tea Leaves - 1 Tsp
Cinnamon - 1
Cloves- 2
Green Cardamom - 3
Ginger- 1 tsp
Peppercorns - 2
Water - 2 Cups
Sugar - 4 Tsp
Butter - 3 Tsp
Saffron - a few strands ( soaked in some milk)

Method: Make the short crust pastry
1. Sieve the flour and salt together in a bowl.
2. Add in the sugar (now traditionally sugar does not go into a short crust pastry...but I used it).
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub lightly into the flour. Life the mixture as you do this to incorporate air. Keep doing until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Stir in water (little) and knead to make a soft dough.
5. Put it in a polythene bag and chill for 30 mins.
6. Take it out and roll it out into the shape you desire or the mold that you have and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg for 18 mins.
Note : I love this site. Tells you step by step on shortcrust pastry.

Make the Custard
1. Beat the egg yolks with sugar on a double boiler till the mixture turns white and creamy.
2. Slowly add in the milk continuing to whisk.
3. Keep whisking till all ingredients combine and the mixture starts to thicken.
4. Take it off fire.
Note : Use the ready to make custard powder that you get in the market. I can't help it, I have been taught how to make it the traditional way...still cannot use the powder. My wife however, excels in using it ( Despite my sarcasm on the real way).

Make the Cheesecake
1. Add in the cooled custard to the hung yogurt.
2. Add in the mandarin pulp, melted white chocolate, Mandarine Liqueur and gelatin(soaked in warm water).
3 Pour in the molds and keep in fridge.

Make the Sauce
1. Make the masala tea, bu boiling water with all the spices and condiments added to it.
2. When the water start starts to boil, add in the tea leaves, and let them infuse into the mix.
3. Simmer for 10 mins. Take off flame.
4. Pour the sugar in a saucepan and put on a medium flame.
5. Once the sugar starts to caramelize, add in the butter. This will prevent the sugar from burning.
6. Add in the Masala Tea and let it cook for 5 mins.
7. After 5 minutes, stir the sauce and mix the caramelized sugar with the tea. Stir till sauce thickens a little bit. Add in the saffron.
8. Take it off the flame and cool.

Serve the cheesecake on a bed of masala tea sauce and some dribbled over it, garnished with either white chocolate flakes or a small cube of it and some orange slices.

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5 Must See Recipes For The Week

I'm back with my weekly 5 selection. There's a spring in my voice ( now you can't hear it) and in my writing ... the reason I got my first award. Sangeeth of Art of Cooking Indian Food was kind enough to pass on the Yummy Food Blog Award to me. It's given to the blog with most Yummy Photos/recipes. Really felt good.

Four of my Favorite yummy Desserts that I have tasted are :

Strawberry Cheesecake Infact all cheesecakes ...baked, non-baked, any

Chocolate Mousse ( Still haven't found the recipe I've been looking for...the one they make in Sheraton ...try it out its heavenly)

Gajjar Ka Halwa (Esp. the one my mom cooks)

Poached Pears ( wow nothing like fruits being poached preferably pears and pineapples)

Gulab Jamuns / Jamun-E-Gul ( With Vanilla Ice Cream ...aah! Heaven)

I have to pass this on to four of my blogging friends who have yummy recipes. Here they are:

Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons
Swati of Chatkhor
Arundathi of My Food Blog
Mansi of Fun and Food

Getting back to business, as this post now becomes a regular feature on my blog every week and I scout the web to bring out the five that really tempted me, let me ask you to forward me links of recipes that you felt should make it out here....will make my job a little easier.
The 5 must see recipes for this week are:

1. Red Wine and Mushroom Sauce for Beef - Ward Street Bistro is an amazing blog with some excellent step by step recipes. I chose this one, though the previous one, which showed us how to make a Press-in-the-pan pie crust was a foolproof recipe for all who dread to bake for the fear of failure. The sauce has good consistency, looks extremely smooth and tasty, the mushrooms are righly done, not too mashed up and will go very well with steaks, both beef and lamb.

2. Smoked Gouda and Onion Quesadilla - Since my wife fell in love with Taco Bells, Quesadilla's are once a month must have in our house. Sometimes, I find them in my tiffin at work (all that cheese makes you want a good nap). This was a great recipe. Easy to make, not many ingredients, though I would throw in either some freshly ground black pepper or chilli flakes to spice it up.

3. Ginger-Mint Lemonade - Great way to beat the summer heat. Second only to the quintessential summer favorite here...the aam panna ! I have tried it out and it was great. I also went ahead and added 2 drops of angostura bitters and some soda ....tasted great !!!

4. Kahlua Brownie - The photos are enough to make you go drool ! Just my kind of brownie ...none of those nuts...just chocolate :)

5. New England Clam Chowder - On my list of must haves all then time. Those of you who haven't tried it out...must. You'll be a convert for the rest of your life. I liked Andrea's recipe...very practical and almost like the one I got from one of my friends in Boston...who's a Chowder fan himself.

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Achari Paneer Tikka ( BBqued Pickled Cottage Cheese)

Did you know that Achar(pickle) is persian in origin, the word itself being derived from Axi or Achi the term for chillies.

With the trivia bit being over, let me focus on the dish. Achari (pickled) dishes are a rage and have found themselves on the menus of countless Indian restaurants around the world, the common ones being, Achari aloos for the vegetarians and achari meat for the non-veg's. I have been a sucker for achari dishes and love to make them. Firstly, they add a nice variation to the menu, secondly, the achari starters really tingle your palate and build it up for the courses to follow. I wanted to make some paneer tikkas, but did not want the usual paneer tikka thing, so achari paneer tikka was a nice thing to do.
The photos are looking a little weird this time because I have been playing around on Photoshop a little too much these days :)

Achari Paneer Tikka Ingredients:

Paneer ( Cottage Cheese), cubed into 1.5" pieces ...use Ricotta cubes, if paneer isn't available - 400 gms

For the Marinade:
Hung Curd - 3/4 Cup
Garlic Paste - 2 Tblsp
Ginger Paste - 1 Tblsp
Fennel Seeds (saunf) - 2 Tsp
Mustard Seeds (Rai) - 2 Tsp
Fenugreek Seeds(Methi Dana) - 1 Tsp
Onion Seeds (Kalonji) - 1 Tsp
Cumin Seeds (Zeera) - 2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Mustard Oil - 2 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

For the skewers:
Capsicum ( bell peppers) - 2
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 2

Onion Rings & Lemon Wedges for the garnish
Mint Chutney, as accompaniment

Method: Pre-Preparation:
1. Coarsely grind the fennel, mustard, fenugreek, onion and cumin seeds with mustard oil.
2. Blend together the yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and the ground masala.
3. Add the Paneer cubes to this marinade and chill for 30 mins.
4. Cut the Capsicum, onions and tomatoes into dices ( same size as paneer).

Preparation:
1. Arrange the paneer on skewers. Skewer the Capsicum dice, followed by a paneer cube, followed by a onion dice, again followed by a paneer cube, followed by a Tomato dice and a paneer cube. You may repeat this if the skewer is long.
2. Pre-heat the oven,tandoor, microwave, grill.
3. Grill for 20 mins, or till edges turn brown.
4. Remove from skewers and serve hot.

Note: To add in more achari flavor, you can add in 1 Tblsp Pickle masala (green chilli, mango, lemon) to the marinade.

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Tandoori Gobhi ... (Tandoor roasted Cauliflower)

Having a vegetarian in the house ensures that the veggies are not neglected ...ever. Especially, if the vegetarian is my wife...who doesn't like Paneer and goes drooling over potatoes and cauliflower. This love for Cauliflower prompted me to make some Tandoori Gobi one fine evening. She doesn't like it too browned and loves it a little crunchy, hence I took it out a little early. You could keep it for some more time to get that color.

Tandoori Gobi

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 Cut into big florets

For the Marinade:
Hung Curd - 1 Cup
Gram Flour (Besan) - 3 Tblsp
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 Tblsp
Onion Paste - 2 Tblsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 2 Tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Oil - 1 Tblsp
Grated Cheese - 1/2 Cup
Cloves, Nutmeg, Cumin, 1 black cardamom, Fenugreek Seeds - 1 Tsp each, powdered and mixed together
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Boil water with salt.
2. Add Cauliflower Florets. When the water starts to boil again, remove from fire and drain after 2 minutes. Refresh under running water.
3. Mix all Ingredients for the marinade well in a bowl.
4. Add florets in the marinade and mix well to coat florets evenly. Chill for 30 minutes.
5. To grill either skewer the florets or put in a well oiled baking dish. Preheat the oven.
6. Grill in hot oven/tandoor/microwave at 200 deg. for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with Onion rings and mint chutney.

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Punjabi By Nature - Restaurant Review

It had to happen sooner or later. A restaurant could not escape the foodie's critique no matter how much they tried. I have been trying to get myself to do one for quite some time now and somehow managed to avoid it all this while.
That is till, Punjabi By Nature opened its fare for the discerning Hyderabadis. I have been to the place twice till now and have always come back with the same experience. For starters, the city has always welcomed restaurants with open arms. Queues have been the norm of the day for any newly opened restaurant even if it served mediocre fare. But there has been one thing or two lacking in all the restaurants that I have been to here. Either its the ambience, or the service or the food.
So it was but natural for me to be all excited when Punjabi By Nature, a well known Delhi eatery opened up in Hyderabad ( Rd. No. 12, Banjara Hills). The reasons for the excitement were namely, the good brand name it enjoys in Delhi to the fact that at last I'll get some good Punju food. It was their largest restaurant consisting of 240 covers and spread over 10,000 sq. ft. this restaurant split over 2 levels is quite a rage in the capital with 4 outlets in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. Thus armed with a good appetite, I rushed to the place and by the time I was done with my experience of dining there, the feeling wasn't all that gung-ho.
For starters, The place still doesn't have a Liquor license ( they promised me 10 days later they would have it ...they didn't have it 20 days later too) ...so no Vodka Gol-guppas, the most famous thing from its menu in Delhi. Secondly, the menu card is very limited, though it has some signature dishes, you are left wanting for more choices. Lastly, the prices really burn a hole into your pocket.
The meal starts with a complimentary basket of roasted papads and mint chutney. Eat on them and waste no time in ordering for the every order takes around 15 minutes to reach you. In the meantime you can either munch on the papads or admire the 30 ft waterfall which forms the focal point of the restaurant. The traditional beverages range from Aam panna to Jaljeera to Lassi each priced at 95/- which is a little steep ( you'll find this being repeated often). Even the chilled coconut water is priced at the same rate.

All veg. appetizers ( kababs) are priced at 295 and the non-veg kababs are priced at 345, except the Paneer Tikka at 375 and the Fish Tikka Amritsari at 455. Your best bet is to take the kabab platters priced at 465 for the veg and 545 for the non-veg. They are steeply priced but you get a decent selection of kababs. The veg fare in the kabab section includes Tandoori Broccoli, Tandoori Gobi, Dahi Ke Kabab and the veg Galouti Kabab. The Non-veg selection includes the Murgh Malai Kabab, Jhangi Chaamp, Tandoori Prawns, Amritsari Fish Tikka, Seekh Kabab, Tandoori Murgh and Galouti Kabab. The Seekh Kabab was brilliantly done. Very succulent and juicy. If you do not want to go for the platter, would highly recommend the seekh followed by the fish tikka.

Coming to the main course, all veg dishes ( which aren't many) are priced at 395 except the paneer makhani at 455. We tried the Amritsari Bharwan Aloo and found it a little tangy, something which turned us off. The Palak Malai Kofta though was very decent and is highly recommended. The other dishes for the vegetarians include Pindi Chhole, Lahori Masala Paneer, Sarson ka saag and Baby Vegetable with Masala Okra.
The non-veg selection leaves you wanting for more and more often than not all dishes end up tasting at the same level. The selection includes the Amritsari Magaz masala ( yes, you got it, Brains), Raan-E-Punjab ( priced at 595), Bataear Masaledaar ( Masala Quail) priced at 345, Murgh Makhani ( 425/-), Punjabi Meat Masala and the Meat Punjabi by Nature priced at 345/-. The Quail was highly recommended, so we went by all that hype and ordered it. The gravy was good, but the quail was a little tough. Do not order, unless you love having quail and are only two of you eating it. Any more and you'll need to order more. The meat punjabi by nature was next and we loved the meat. It almost melted in the mouth. The gravy though was extra spicy.
More or less, all gravies are spicy, especially the non-veg ones and they are thick, making the portion sizes adequate for two people.
The real killer on the menu are the accompaniments. Imagine ordering masala papad at 45 rupees. OK you can do without the masala papads. But then you need to have Roti or rice. A normal tandoori roti will get you down by 50/- and a tandoori naan by 85/-. If you are feeling indulgent, order the Bharwan kulcha for they are priced at 125/-. If you want to leave the rotis and go with rice, then a portion of steamed rice ( which is sufficient for 2) will set you off by 145/-. A veg biryani will cost 295/- and its non-veg cousin will cost a steep 425/-. Even the green salad and raita are priced steeply. The Dal Makhani is priced at 295/-.
Lastly, the desserts are nothing spectacular to write about. They look stunning but do not live upto the hype created by their presentation. One spoonful and you regret most of them. Most notably, the Hot Chocolate fudge left us wanting for more chocolate. They should have tried out the hot chocolate fudge doled out by Nirula's. That is what I call a hot chocolate fudge. The rasmalai is fine and so are the other desserts. But priced at 165/- ( except flambeed gulab jamuns at 195) they rather be given a miss. If you still want to go in for a dessert, try the lychee with ice cream, that is if you can have canned lychee's.

To sum it all up, the place has lots of space and is really done up tastefully. The dishes taste good, especially the kababs and main course. The service is good, the portion size is decent ( you might end up carrying doggy bags), but the price is too steep. At almost the same rate or a little more you might want to go to ITC Kakatiya Sheraton, a five star hotel and sample the most heavenly kababs and Dal Makahani. If you want to enjoy at a lesser rate you could go down to Angeethi, which is close to Punjabi By Nature and enjoy the north Indian fare at cheaper rates.

Pros : Great Ambience
Good Service
Decent Food

Cons: Value For Money

Bottomline : Great place to take a client out. Good for a one time visit.

Rating:
Ambience - 5/5
Food - 3/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 1/5
Overall - 3/5

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I'll stick with these cocktail sticks

Last weekend was wild. Had thrown a beer party for all my managers, and it was meant to be a nice quiet evening to get together and unwind with the lot. The plan was to meet early at my place and wrap up the evening by 12 in the night, so that I could hit the golf course the next day. But then plans are plans. It started off well, but then the list kept growing. People kept on pouring in, apart from my managers, a lot of other managers from support functions dropped in, and then some ex- managers who had moved to greener pastures dropped in. Cases of beer got emptied and people made desperate attempts to get in some more. Food that was made for 10, had to be remade to accommodate another 10. By the time the bash ended, it was 6 in the morning, I was staring at 3 crates of empty beer, some other ancillary bottles of scotch, broken glasses ( included one from my prized Baccarat set) and lots of empty plates. And Yes, not a morsel of food was to be found. Thankfully, the rooms are all soundproof, so my spouse didn't notice the commotion throughout the night, till she saw the mess the next day.

Guys parties needs some essentials apart from the beer, that is things to munch on. I always, and always bank on evergreen kababs & tikkas apart from some nice grilled snacks, munchies and yes cocktail sticks. They are colorful, go well with beer and can be really made in different assortments.

Mushrooms- Cheese - Pineapple Trio

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 500 gms
Cheese Cubes ( I tried the masala ones) - 6 cubes
Pineapple - 1, cut into cubes
Green Bell Peppers ( Capsicum) - 2
Mini Skewers or toothpicks

For the mushroom:
Ginger paste - 15 gm
Garlic paste - 15 gm
Onion paste - 2 Tblsp
Soy Sauce - 4 Tblsp
Red Chili paste - 2 Tblsp
Vinegar - 2 Tblsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 Tblsp

For the Pineapple:
Rum - 30 ml
Castor Sugar - 1 Tsp

Method: Pre-Preparation:
1. Cut out the stalks from the mushrooms.
2. Cut the cheese cubes into smaller cubes, as large or small as the mushrooms
3. Blanch Bell Peppers and cut into dices.
To Prepare Mushrooms:
1. Heat oil into wok. Add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a minute.
2. Add in the onion paste. Fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Add in the mushrooms. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add in the red chilli paste, vinegar and soy sauce alongwith the salt.
5. Toss well on high flame till mushrooms are done and gravy has dried up.
To Prepare Pineapple:
1. Heat a pan and add in the pineapple cubes.
2. Sprinkle the sugar on top and toss.
3. Once the sugar coated dices start to caramelize add in the rum.
4. Flambe. Remove after a minute.
To Assemble:
1. Take a skewer/ toothpick. Skewer the Bell Pepper dice, followed by the Mushroom. Then add in the cheese cube and finally the pineapple cube.
2. Arrange on a platter and serve.

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5 Must See Recipes for the Week

After flirting with danger last week and coming out with the 5 must see recipes for the week, doubts of whether it will be a flash in the pan to how it will be received, I come out with the second edition this week.
Work has been crazy and health has been taking its toll on me...guess age is catching up. This week, again features my all time favs like cheesecake ( what would I do without them) to some asian food thrown in with good measure. Unlike the previous set which only consisted of the photo friendly desserts, I get a little adventurous this time.
1. Cilantro Chicken with Fresh Water Chestnuts and baby Bok Choy - A very different recipe and good use of chestnuts. I agree with the author on using fresh chestnuts and the note on handling them is excellent. The combination is killing and makes for a good dish. The use of spices in this stir fry will not be unusual for the Indian palate, but will still be welcome. Vegetarians, use cottage cheese cubes instead of chicken.

2. BBQ Tuna Steaks with Pretty Pomegranate & Corriander (With Winter Tabouli on the side) - The post tugs at the strings of your heart. Mother's Day has gone for this year, though for me it always remains round the year... every day of the year.
The marinade ingredients are very finely balanced, no complications or a whole load of ingredients to overpower the dish. Though I would have still gone ahead and added some ginger to it.

3. Honey and Roasted Garlic Baked Brie with Crispy Baguette - Cheesy, creamy and very unusual. Taken from a culinary portal, this one caught my eye. I was already conjuring up on how I am gonna do this one. I'm gonna go with also sprinkling a little Curry Powder on top before I bake it, and yes, lessen the honey to an extent.

4. Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast - This was an unusual use of the cheesecake and it got me into it right from the word go. Easy to make with photographs at each stage makes you wanna try it out. The final result might be a good combo of a cheesecakey ( I know I invented the word) hint with the good ol' french toast taste. It looks sinful and can be a great way to start your day ...provided you have the time to make it for breakfast.

5. Florida Pie - A nice crumbly pie to finish things off. How many times do we come across the use of coconut in a pie.
Caution: Be very attentive while working with Meringue. If possible after you have beaten the egg whites really well, pipe them over. The browning looks good on them.

I leave you all in the end with 3 more posts ...no recipes but informative ones on firstly how rice paper is made in vietnam, the second on how vietnamese bun is made and third, very importantly, on how to measure flour correctly. Happy reading, and Bon Apetit !

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Why worry when there's curry ?

Curry has been the most popular Indian export to the world after zero ( :-D) especially to UK. Hundreds of curry houses exist at every nook and corner, and then you have the frozen..just heat and serve varieties staring out at you from the shelves at Sainsbury’s. Statistics report that half a million curries are eaten every day in the UK.

Before going any further, curry simply put, means a spicy, stew like dish which has gravy. The origin of this word has many different versions to it. Some say it came from the ‘karahi’ ( Indian wok like vessel used for making gravies), while some say it is from the north-indian ‘Kadhi’. The most acceptable version though seems that it is from the south-indian word (Tamil) ‘Kari’ meaning gravy or spiced sauce.

Also, not all curry’s are hot. There are mild curries and medium spiced curries. To make a hot curry mild, coconut milk is usually added.

The mere mention of Coconut, also conjures up another interesting culinary location situated in the South of India – Kerala. With a diverse set of population, ranging from the Hindus to the Syrian Christians to the Muslim community, Kerala offers an interesting menu of tasty fish delicacies to some popular vegan dishes also. The Kerala cuisine ( also called Pachakam in Malayalam, the local language) is spicy and uses lot of coconut in various forms.

This time around however, I bring the Malabar Mutton Curry which is cooked by the Kerala Muslim community called the Moplahs. Though the Moplahs are more famous for their Biryanis and chattipathri ( Malabar Cake), the mutton curry is also worth a try as it is tasty, not too spicy and not too greasy.

Ingredients :

Mutton/lamb - 1 Kg
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 Tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 Tsp.
Corriander powder - 3 Tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp.
Black peppercorns - 1 Tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp.
Fennel seeds - 1/2 Tsp.
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Bay leaf - 1 No.
Cloves - 5 No.
Onions - 2 No. (Made into a paste)
Cashew nut paste - 2 Tsp.
Tomato - 2 No.
Coconut milk - 1 Cup
Salt – To Taste
Oil – 15 Ml

Method :

1. Grind together grated coconut, red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, corriander, turmeric, black peppercorns, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves into a paste.

2. Heat oil in a wok.

3. Add the onion paste and fry the onions till they start turning brown.

4. Add the spice paste, sprinkle a little water and fry for 2 minutes on a low flame.

5. Add the mutton/lamb. Stir well and cook.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes and the cashew nut paste.

7. Add salt and water to cover the mutton pieces.

8. Cook until the meat is done. ( If there is a paucity of time, transfer to Pressure Cooker and cook ...will cook faster)

9. Add the coconut milk and allow it to simmer.

10. Serve with Rice.

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5 Must See Recipes for the Week !

Now this has been going through my mind for a fairly long time and finally I decided to go and do it. Rather than have all visitors to this blog go through my adventures and misadventures of the culinary kind, also give them a once a week opportunity to come here and go through to see other blogs that they probably are missing out on. It's kinda me opening a window to the wider world ( and if its blog listed here, then showing you a mirror ... :-D)
The only glitch was
1. Time : I always blamed time or rather the lack of it, for not doing it. Will I be able to do it regularly, again and again, till blogosphere dries up. To hell with it, firstly there are enough sites that exist. Secondly, lemme atleast give it a try.
2. Criteria : What would be my criteria of judging the best 5? How many stars on different factors? Well, its my blog, I loved these recipes. They are just my opinion. I loved them and am sharing them with you. Also, I'm sure fellow bloggers are pretty forgiving. I can always refine as I go along.
So here I am, publishing my best 5 of this week that I stumbled upon. I'm sure plenty good ones exist, I'm oblivious to them right now. My sincerest apologies to all. Since most of my visitors come in from Taste of India, I've tried to move away from all blogs that list there. For we all, visit those ones. Most of my present 5 recipes are mostly sweet/baked fare. Cannot be helped, they are just picture perfect and I have a sweet tooth. The best 5 are in no particular order, so none of the five are No. 1 and in the same breath all are. :)

Chocolate Non-Bake Cheesecake with Gingerbiscuit Crust and Raspberry Coulis - I ventured onto Diva's site by mistake a few days back from another site. The wonderful photography and use of color struck me. This particular recipe is so easy to make, and is the best thing for summers. Plus, I (alongwith my wife) have this weakness for cheesecakes, me for making them and she for eating them. Hence, a cheesecake had to find its way in this list. The photos look great, especially, the bluebells add in the X-factor to the explosion of colors. The coulis has the correct thickness and the dessert overall is fairly light. This is a perfect dessert for a sunday lunch.

Chocolate cupcakes stuffed with strawberry chocolate ganache and frosted with chocolate glaze and buttercream - An amazingly large name for a small thing. Easy to make and a real crowd puller especially for the tiny tots. You can scroll down on the webpage for other exciting cupcake recipes.

Trifle - Aah! the ever familiar always in vogue trifle. So what if it started out as a Napoleon. So what if the heat wave never let it set fully. It must have tasted heavenly ...did I taste it...certainly no, but it looks inviting and makes me want to go and make some this weekend. So, Kate thinks the photos are awful. I think they look just good ...a little bit of the chocolate mousse dripping down has always looked good. And then there's the walnut brittle to go with it. A delicate blend of chocolate and coffee. If you have some small dessert cups ( glass ones dear), go with this, the layers will keep the audience spellbound and the chocolate and mocha will do the rest.

Tapenade - I have regularly checking out Kevin's blog and the quality of fare on the blog has been superb. Tapenade the latest addition is a pasty provencal dish from south of France and gets its name from Tapeno, the Provencal word for capers. The dish looks good and the Crostini on which it is served looks so perfect. A good starter for an evening with your drinking buddies. It's THE thing that I've put on my menu for Saturday night when I get together with my office crowd.

Monkey Bread - The name's unusual for this dish, and I stumbled upon it while I was not looking for it ( just as the blog author had). Jamaila, I haven't been living under a rock, but I've seriously never eaten one :) . This however looks inviting, more so the name looks even more inviting to give it a try one of these days. With my eldest son, up with his monkey antics throughout the day, should take to it lovingly. Minimal use of ingredients, this one is a sure thing for a quick breakfast that is filling as well.

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