Phaldari Kofta aur Ananas Ki Tarri ( Plantain Koftas with Pineapple Gravy)

Fresh on the success of my watermelon curry and having fresh and juicy pineapples staring at me from the grocery aisles, it was only a matter of time that it found its way into some delicious item on my dining table. Fortunately, there were quite a few curry recipes made from Pineapple that I found on the internet, and some of them were from India - Southern part of India. This was strange since I assumed that I would end up finding some from the North-East part of India, where it is abundantly grown but did not find any from that part. The koftas on the other hand were my tried and tasted Plantain koftas. Plantains (Raw Bananas), unknown to many make for an amazing cooking ingredient. They are cooked and treated the same way as potatoes and are very popular in tropical regions across the world. 

Phaldari Kofta aur Ananas Ki Tarri ( Plantain Koftas with Pineapple Gravy)


Ingredients:


For the Koftas:
Plantains, boiled & mashed - 2
Cheese, grated - 3 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1 Tsp
Amchur Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Flour - To coat


For the Curry:
Onion, sliced - 1 Cup
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - A Pinch
Curry Leaves - 3-4
Pineapple - 4 roundels
Coconut, frsh & grated - 3 Tblsp (30 gms)
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon Stick - 1 (1 Inch)
Green Cardamom - 2
Ginger, chopped - 1 Tblsp
Red Chilies, dried - 5
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) - 1/4 Tsp
Jaggery - 2 tsp (You can substitute this with honey if you like)
Salt To Taste
Oil - 3 Tblsp
Coriander, finely chopped - To garnish


Method:


For the Koftas:
1. Mix all the kofta ingredients with the plantains (Except the flour) well.
3. Divide into equal portions and form round balls.
4. Coat with flour and deep fry in hot oil till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain and keep aside.

For the Curry:
1. Make a paste of grated coconut, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and red chilies. Add in a tsp. of water if required while making the paste. Keep aside for use later.
2. Heat oil in a wok, and add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add in the sliced onions.
3. Mix well and cook till onions turn translucent.  
4. Add in the coconut paste. Mix well and cook till the mixture starts to turn brown.
5. Add in 2 cups of water and stir to mix. Add in jaggery and turmeric.
6. Add in the pineapple pieces and cover and cook on medium flame for 10-15 minutes or till pineapple pieces turn soft and mashy.
7. Take off flame and cool. Process in a blender and pass through a strainer.
8. Transfer back to the wok and return to flame. Cook for 5 minutes and adjust seasoning.

To Serve:
1. Add in the koftas and serve garnished with chopped coriander.

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Pinacolada

I had gone to a resort a short drive away from the city a few weeks back for a business meeting and after the hectic day a few of us decided to stay back and have a few drinks before we headed back home. It was a nice pleasant evening, perfect for a few cocktails and while browsing through the Beverage Menu card I glanced up a few traditional cocktails. We hardly get the see too many of them these days with everybody trying to do a one up on the 0ther with having their own in-house developed specialties.
My earliest memories of the Pinacolada take me to my college days when on the new years eve of 1995, I decided to go to a private jazz party at a club near Flora Fountain organised by a few close friends. I was introduced to the Pinacolada there. I loved the drink and the proof of that lies in the fact that by the time we wrapped up I had finished 9 of those lovely cocktails.
The drink which is the official beverage of Puerto Rico is the spanish translation meaning Strained Pineapple ( Pina - Pineapple, Colada - Strained).

Pinacolada

Ingredients:
White Rum - 45 Ml
Pineapple Juice - 120 Ml
Coconut Cream - 60 Ml
Crushed Ice - 1 Cup

Garnish - Cherry & Pineapple Slice

Method:
1. Pour all the ingredients (including the crushed ice) into a blending jar and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a tall glass. ( The more unusual the glass the better)
3. Garnish with Cherry and Pineapple slice. ( Also decorate your glass with straw, swizzle stick and drink umbrella ...looks good)
4. Serve chilled ...Cheers !!!

Variations :
As with most cocktails, this one too has its variations.

Chi-Chi : Substitute the Rum with Vodka

Staten Island Ferry : Malibu Rum and Pineapple Juice.

Miami Vice : Strawberry Daiquiri and Pinacolada blended together.

Amaretto Colada - Substitute White Rum with Amaretto.

Berry Colada - Substitute Pineppale Juice with any berry juice.

Pinata Colada ( Or Virgin Pinacolada) : No prizes for guessing ....no White Rum!

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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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Pineapple Calypso - A trilogy of sorts

With this post I can comfortably say that I have completed a trilogy of fruit desserts... or rather a trilogy of getting fruits drunk :-D
After Pears and Figs, pineapple seemed to be a natural choice. The fruit lends itself so well not only to being cooked, grilled and baked independently but also as the perfect match to a lot of vegetables and meats. It can marry itself to a lot of spices too. After a dull saturday post diwali, i couldn't let Sunday pass me by and had to get myself in the kitchen before Monday caught up with me and office work took over in full flow.
What appeals to me about this dish is the simplicity in making it, the minimal use of ingredients and yet a heavenly taste ...an ideal dessert to finish of summer winter barbeques that you host in these months.
Having said this, my affair with using and amusing myself with fruits does not end here and I still have a few more to go. If you have any particular fruit dessert that you are looking out, do let me know. If its available, it will find its way to this blog.

Ingredients:
Pineapple - 1
Rum - 60 ml
Star Anise - 2
Cloves - 3-4
Sugar - to coat
Cinnamon Powder - 10 gm
Butter -30 gm

Method:
1. Clean the pineapple and cut it into slices.
2. Keep the shavings aside and make a pulpy puree out of it.
3. Marinate the slices in rum, star anise and cloves. Add in around 30 ml water to dilute it.
4. Before we cook them, dab them in sugar and cinnamon powder mix.
5. In a warm pan on the fire, add in the slices and cook them till they turn a tempting brown.
For the Sauce:
1. In the same pan, add in some butter and melt it.
2.Add in the leftover marinade & the pineapple puree we made from the trimmings.
3. Add in some water and cook till sauce thickens.

Presentation:
Layer the Pineapple slices on a plate. Pour the sauce on top.
Serve either hot or cold.
You can also serve it with coconut ice-cream.

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