Yeh Cheese(Cake) bada hai mast mast !!!

So, rounding up my cook a meal for your wife day and getting into another one (the weekend has begun), I give you a relatively easy and tasty cheesecake. Cheesecakes occupy a significant place in my life and our household. Much before, my wife fell in love with me, she fell in love with the cheesecakes I made at Hotel Management Training facility. Even though she would hate to catch my sight and interact with me, she would queue up to get a bite of the cheesecake. Time flowed by, and I moved on to a different department in a different city, we met again,fell in love and tied the knot. The Cheesecakes stopped coming. The only cheesecakes we had post marriage were the ones we had every other weekend at the Cheesecake Factory at Beachwood, OH. Thus it was but natural for me to round up the meal with a cheesecake made by me after all these years.

Now cheesecake comes in a wide range of styles on the way it is made, taste and the type of cheeses it uses. For more information on the different styles and sub-styles read this wikipedia thread. It provides a real meaningful and academic insight. Taking a queue from one quote mentioned there, it is indeed a canvas to work on.

I typically made a cheesecake that used a short crust base and was set (with the aid of gelatin). This time however, I used a cracker (biscuit) crumb base and baked the cheesecake. For knowledge sakes, it was a cross between different styles namely, the Ann-Arbor and the New York style. The heart shape again was not by design. I could not get to find a springform pan in the city (I have really searched high ...donations are welcome :D), the heart shaped cookie cutter was the only one available. Needless to say, both mother and son, polished of the whole thing in minutes (and there were 8 batches that were made).

Ingredients:

For the Base / Crust
3/4 cup cracker crumbs ( I use either Glucose biscuit or Marie crumbs)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

For the Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt ( hung for 2 hours to drain water )
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup cream cheese ( I used the amul version available...worked fine)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Cup Strawberry Puree

For the Coulis
1 cup Strawberry puree, chunky
1/4 cup sugar
2 tblsp water

Method: For the Base:

1. Mix butter and biscuit crumbs and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened.
2. Press crumb mixture over bottom of prepared pan ( read springform, else use a big cookie cutter ..easy to remove as base is crumbly).
3. Bake crust until just golden, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside while preparing filling.

For the Cheesecake:

1. Combine yoghurt, sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. set aside.
2. In a large mixer or a bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
3. Slowly add the yoghurt mixture, eggs, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture; beating on low speed until combined.
4. Add in the Strawberry puree slowly, so as not to curdle mixture.
5. Pour into prepared pan over the base.
6. Bake at 160°C for 45 mins, or until the center is nearly set.
7. Cool for 30 minutes, remove the sides of the pan, then cool completely. Chill for 4 to 6 hours.

For the Coulis:

1. Combine ingredients.
2. Put on a low flame. Simmer, reduce a little and remove. 10-15 minutes
3. Chill.

Before signing off ....Happy Holi !!!

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Mint Potatoes

This is something I had been thinking of doing for a long time...to cook baby potatoes in chopped mint. The only dilemma being whether I wanted to toss them in mint or have them marinated in mint and then spit roasted. In the end, I kept the spit roast option for a later time.
Thankfully, because this was meant to be an accompaniment to the Ravioli and I wanted something simple. Also, the green color of the dish fully complemented the red color of the ravioli perfectly.
A most important aspect of menu planning is not only to ensure you do not repeat your ingredients in the menu ( 2 potato dishes would have killed the menu), but also to ensure you do not repeat the colors too often.

Mint Potatoes Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes - 10-20
Mint, Chopped Finely, - 1/2 cup
Garlic, Minced - 3 tblsp
Shallots, Finely Chopped - 1/2 cup
Black Pepper, crushed - 2 tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Butter - 10 gm
Lemon Juice - 20 ml
Parsley - 1 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Par boil baby potatoes. Peel and keep aside.
2. Melt butter in a pan. Add in the minced garlic & shallots.
3. Saute till shallots turn translucent.
4. Add in the baby potatoes. Toss well and cook till done.
5. Add in the mint, black pepper & salt. Mix well. Cook for additional 2 minutes.
6. Add in the lemon juice and toss well.
7. Sprinkle some parsley and take off flame.
8. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve hot.

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Heart Shaped Cheese Mushroom Ravioli in Herbed Tomato Sauce

There are weekends and then there are weekends. Of late, the day after I arrived from my Chennai trip, I was told that I would be moving to handle a new business for the organisation. Though it was something I had handled before in the company, the only difference this time being that it was not looking too good and almost everybody was looking at its numbers on a daily basis (read CEO's ). That day was the beginning of the end ...atleast for my spare time. Numerous crazy, 18 hour days followed, days turned into weeks and finally a month. With some sanity coming back to things, I decided to take an extended break...a luxurious 3 day off. I spent the time catching on some much sought sleep :), a lot of golf and quality time with the family. One of the main events of this quality time was the "cook a meal for your wife" day.
After a long time, I finally decided to don the chef cap and cook some exotic fare. It wasn't an elaborate meal, a just right trio of main course, the accompaniment and a 'to-die-for' dessert to round things off.
The menu for the evening was,

Heart Shaped Cheese Mushroom Ravioli in Herbed Tomato Sauce
Mint Potatoes
Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Coulis

Could have tossed in some garlic bread but then that would have meant to sacrifice a round of golf :)

To start with Ravioli is a stuffed pasta whose name is derived from the verb ravvolgere (meaning 'to wrap').

Heart Shaped Cheese Mushroom Ravioli in Herbed Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Pasta:
Refined Flour - 1 Cup
Egg - 1
Salt - a Pinch
Water - To knead into a dough

For the Filling:
Garlic, minced - 4-5 cloves
Onions,finely chopped - 2
Mushrooms, finely chopped - 5-6
Cheese - 10 gm
Olives - 5-6
Black Pepper- 2 tsp
Chilli Flakes - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 2 Tsp

For the Sauce:
Tomato, concasse - 5-6 No.s
Tomato Paste - 1/2 Cup
Onion, finely chopped - 1 Cup
Garlic, minced - 6 cloves
Basil - 1 Tblsp
Thyme - 1/4 Tsp
Oregano - 1 Tsp
Tarragon - 1/2 Tsp
Black Pepper - 1 Tblsp
Parmesan Cheese, grated - 1/2 cup
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 2 Tblsp

Method:

Make the pasta dough:
1. Combine the ingredients.
2. Knead until a firm & smooth dough forms.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

Make the ravioli filling
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. 2. Add Onions & garlic. Saute till onions turn translucent.
3. Add in the mushrooms and cook till they are done.
4. Add in the grated cheese, olives, chilli flakes, black pepper and salt.
5. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. The filling is ready

Make the sauce:
1. Heat Olive Oil in a non-stick skillet.
2. Add Onions, garlic, thyme, basil, tarragon & oregano.
3. Cook till onions turn tender. (5 minutes)
4. Add tomatoes & tomato paste. Bring to a boil.
5. Add in water, black pepper, salt & grated cheese. Simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes.

Make the ravioli
1. Roll the dough into thin sheets.
2. Arrange tablespoon-size dollops of the filling 1 1/2" apart on one of the sheets.
3. Brush a little egg white around each dollop, then place another sheet directly on top.
4. Gently press around the filling to remove any air pockets and seal the sheets.
5. Using a cutter or a knife, cut out ravioli squares or shapes that you want. ( I used a heart shaped cookie cutter)
6. Sprinkle with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Cooking the ravioli
1. Boil water with salt and a few drops of oil added to it.
2. Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water until they float to the top, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Take out and Drain well.
4. Toss with the tomato sauce.
5. Garnish sprinkled with some fresh parsley. Serve.

Note :
1. The tomato sauce is the basic way to make it. I ended up using the short cut by using Prego. You can do the same by using either Prego or Ragu.
2. Another thing that I tried out was using cream cheese in the filling.

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God's Pharmacy - Interesting Read

Came across this forward that was sent to me by my better half, and she in turn got it from my mom-in-law. Never saw the connection...like a lot of other nature's amazing ways that stare us in our faces but we never seem to notice them.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.



Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.



Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).



Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm cells to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Grapefruits, Oranges , and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.



Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

All photos courtesy stock. xchng

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Taste from the Bengali Household - Aloo Poshto

The very mention of Bengali cuisine brings to mind the rich desserts like sandesh, rossogulla and rajbhog or the simple and tasty fish dishes like machher jhol, yet it is the vegan fare that is as tasty and make for a good meal. Dishes like Aloo Potol, Shukto and cholar dal may not have found its way to many non-bengali households or fancy restaurant menus, but once they do, atleast in our households they gain prominence and become a repeat favorite.
Aloo Poshto is one such dish. Poshto, Short for Poshtodana which is the Bengali name for Poppy Seeds, literally translated means Potatoes with Poppy Seeds.

Aloo Poshto

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 No.
Poppy Seeds - 2 Tblsp
Green Chillies - 2 No.
Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
Mustard Oil - 2 Tblsp
Whole Dry Red Chillies - 2
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - To Taste


Method:
1. Roast the poppy seeds and alongwith green chillies and a few tablespoons of water, grind it to a smooth paste.
2. Dice the potatoes into cubes. ( 1.5" x 1.5"x1.5" )
3. Heat Oil in a pan.
4. Shallow Fry potatoes till light brown. Drain and keep aside.
5. In the same oil, add whole dry red chillies and turmeric powder. Fry briefly.
6. Add in the poppy seed paste and fry for 4-5 minutes or till oil starts leaving sides of the pan.
7. Add the lightly fried potatoes and mix well.
8. Add water and salt. Stir well.
9. Cook till potatoes are soft and the dish turns a little dry.
10. Serve Hot.

Note: This is also my post for Sandeepa's RCI - Bengal event.

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Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 3

Like all good stories this comes to an end too. I like to finish my ode to Star Anise with one statement ...and that too not original ...Taare Zameen Par !!!

Its been fun participating in the Arusuvai chain and cooking up new things. Unfortunately this last post cannot make it to Sunita's Think Spice event of the month. So after a great Appetizer and a spiced up main course (though their orders of posting was in the reverse), lets round up with a great dessert.
There has been a little addendum since I started with this Star Anise trilogy. I made a nice easy dessert to round up, by grilling bananas with Star Anise but as I waited to post all the three recipes, a new idea slowly started to take shape which culminated in the tasty Indian Dessert which well tasted good. At first I thought, the sweet and cardamom would overpower the star anise, but it did not happen, instead the marriage of cardamom and star anise produced a nice after taste which lingered on and made me want more.
The dessert in question here is the north Indian winter favorite called Gajjar Ka Halwa. I love the dessert and is my all-time favorite request whenever I visit my mom or she visits me. Over the Years my wife has taken to making it just perfectly, and I end up piling this request on her.

Gajjar Ka Halwa with Star Anise ( Carrot Halwa with a hint of Star Anise)

Ingredients:

1 kg Carrots, the red ones
1 litre Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Powdered Star Anise
450 grams Sugar

Method: Pre-preparation
1. Wash and grate the carrots.
2. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes.
3. Shred the almonds.

Preparation
1. Put the water to boil, add in the carrots the moment it starts boiling. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed by the carrots.
3. Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the crushed cardamoms, shredded almonds, powdered star anise and the raisins. Mix well.
4. Remove the gajjar halwa from heat.
5. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

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Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 2

Moving on to the second part of my three part special dedicated to the star spice - star anise and Arusuvai (actually, I'm prolonging till the secret spice reaches Jayasree :D), this time I had decided to try out something different and while searching for ideas, I stumbled upon a recipe for a recipe of Hummus with ginger-garlic. Hummus as most of us will be knowing is an integral part of mid-east cuisine. It is a dip made of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice & garlic and is eaten with pita bread, falafel and even crackers. It can also be served with carrot or celery sticks and is a great appetizer. It is also something my wife loves. One of the reasons, we frequent the Mediterranean restaurant in the city too often. It was easy to make and believe you me it took lesser time to disappear. My son who runs away on the mere mention of the word food, relished it and it actually turned out to be the only thing he ate for his meal. Star Anise added a wonderful flavor to the otherwise pungent and spicy concoction. Falafel can traditionally be made in two ways. One, the way it is still made by the Egyptians, using Fava Beans, Chickpeas and Bulgur or the way it is made in Israel, using chickpeas alone. Since, some of the ingredients are a pain to find in the local supermarket, I decided to do it the Israeli way...make it with chickpeas alone.

Cilantro Falafel with Star Anise Flavored Soy Garlic Hummus

Cilantro Falafel

Ingredients:

Chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained - 1 Cup
Cilantro ( Corriander ), Chopped - 3 Tblsp
Onion, roughly chopped - 1
Dried Red Chilly - 2 No.
Cumin, powdered - 1 Tsp
Garlic Cloves - 2-3
Baking Powder - 1 Tsp
Refined Flour - 4 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil for frying - 20 Ml.

Method:
1. Place the drained chickpeas and the onions in a food processor. Add the Cilantro, salt, red chillies, garlic, and cumin. Process until coarse mix is formed.
2. Add the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and mix.Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
3. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, flatten to form a patty.
4. Heat Oil in a pan and shallow fry till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels to take out excess oil. Serve hot with Tahini or Hummus.

Note: Take more flour to ensure the mixture does not stick to your hands.
Traditionally the falafel may not be turned into patties and just fried as balls.

Star Anise Flavored Soy Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Cup chickpeas soaked overnight in water, drained, liquid reserved
20 gm White Sesame seeds powdered
3 tblsp unseasoned vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red chili sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground star anise
2 Tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 white onion, made into a paste
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Method:

1. Mince garlic in a processor.
2. Add Chickpeas, reserved liquid, sesame seeds, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce and ground anise. Process to coarse puree.
3. Add Cilantro and onion. Combine.
4. Serve garnished with whole star anise and a sprig of cilantro.

To Be Continued ...

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Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 1

The friendship Chain has been doing its rounds for quite some time, and I was supposed to get my mystery ingredient from Arundati. Srivalli had been regularly checking with both of us on when I would receive it. I was also reguarly in touch with Arundati on its delivery and she was a little caught up ( like I have been ...looks like this is a damn busy year for everyone).

Must say I had been a little nervous on what it might be and whether I will be able to recognise it and use it or I will have to get back to Arundati to find out the mystery. Luckily, when it arrived I heaved a sigh of relief ...it was but something that is always there with me in my kitchen cupboard, for it is an amazing spice, that can turn ordinary fruits into magical grilled/poached delicacies and is also used in making the tasty Andhra Biryani. It is something that the local populace has just started discovering over the last 2-3 years, thanks to the grocery store boom and the availability of stuff that was unheard of in the old kirana store days.

This also happened to be my 50th post. It had to be special. I was mulling over whether to post my Chennai travails or something else. Arusuvai proved to be the perfect one for the ocassion. For all who do not know about Arusuvai, you can go over here and read all over it. ( Arundati, thanks a ton ...the letter though is pending :D)
Now its my turn to send over a mystery ingredient to an unsuspecting blogger. Mulled over whether to send some wasabi or ratan jog ...but then decided to go easy. Jayasree, will be receiving the secret ingredient. All the best to you ... hope you work wonders with it.
Now getting back to my secret ingredient ...Star Anise. It is called Anasphool/Dagphool in hindi, Badian in Marathi, Anaspuvu in Telugu and Anashuppu/Anasipu in Tamil. A traditional ingredient of the chinese five spice powder and also traditionally used in many indian dishes. You can read more about Star Anise in this wikipedia post ranging from its traditional uses to its recent uses in Baking to its medicinal properties.

I had already posted a pineapple dish sometime back in November where I had used Star Anise, so I couldn't do it again. For nostalgia sakes I'm adding a hyperlink for all those who missed it out. This time it had to be different, bigger and better. Afterall it was Arusuvai and it was my 50th post. So, here it is, a combination of 3 different dishes, 3 different courses of a meal, a starter, a main course and a dessert, 3 different cuisines, Indian, Mediterranean and western. Of course not all in one, though they were all tried out in a single day. This is my first trilogy, one after another ..an ode to Star Anise, A big thumbs up to Arusuvai ...may the chain, go on and on ( well, that reminds me, I still need to send the stuff to Jayasree ), and last but not the least, kudos to this blog ( never thought it will last this long and see so many pour in). For some time, my Chennai travails and the Iyer delicacies will have to wait.

Mutton Chops Kozhambu

Chettinaad cuisine from Tamilnadu brings the lifestyle of Chettiars ( the merchant banker class) to the forefront. Coming from the driest regions of the state, they make full uses of all that is available to them. Kozhambus are gravy dishes made of a variety of spices, predominantly using, Marathi Mogga, Star Anise and but of course peppercorns. Meat, Chicken, Fish & Vegetables can be added to these gravies and cooked.
I made a typical Mutton Kozhambu, but instead of using mutton pieces or chunks, I used Mutton Rib Chops.

Some ingredients that I did not add, but you can try it out with them like, drumsticks and shallots. I wanted to keep it simple rather than a medley of different flavors. Must say, the addition of star anise makes the dish come out fabulous.

Ingredients:
Mutton Rib Chops - 150 gm
Onions, made into paste - 200 gm
Tomatoes, made into paste - 150 gm
Star Anise - 2 No.
Marathi Mogga - 1 No
Cloves - 5 gm
Whole Red Chillies - 3 No.
Fennel - 5 gm
Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 Tsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 4 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 2 Tsp
Cumin Powder, roasted - 2 Tsp
Coconut, grated - 2 Tblsp
Curry Leaves - 5-6
Lemon Juice - 3 Tblsp
Pepper Corns - 5 gm
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Oil - 20 ml
Salt - To Taste

Method:
Pre-Preparation
1. Marinate Mutton Chops in oil, lemon juice, 1 Tblsp Red Chilli Powder, Black Pepper Powder 50 gm Onion paste and salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat Oil in a pan. Sear the mutton chops. Add in the remaining marinade. Take out chops once half done and keep aside.
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a Wok. Add in the remaining oil and marinade from the chops.
2. Put fennel then whole red chillies, Star anise, Marati mogga and cloves.
3. Saute it till light brown and add onions, followed by ginger garlic paste.
4. Once paste startes to turn golden brown add in the mutton chops. Saute for 5 mins.
5. Put turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, coconut, salt and pepper corns.
6. Add water and cover and keep in slow flame.
7. When chops are almost cooked add tomatoes and cook till done.
8. Serve Hot.

To Be Continued ...



Addendum: Sleepy brain ...missed out another part. Srivalli had mentioned to me ( when I disclosed my secret ingredient to her) that I could send this entry to Sunita's Think Spice event of the month, for Star Anise was the star for Feb'08. So here it goes ...this post is my entry. You can go and check out the Think Spice Event here.

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A feast fit for a president - Article from ABC News

While I was away vacationing in Chennai and soaking the sun ( it was hot there ), I had this mail come in from Scott Mayerowitz on an article he had written on the ABC news portal. It was about the Waldorf Astoria launching a menu based on dishes that had been created for past presidents.
It made a good read and some of the dishes also have their recipes listed.
Without much ado, please read the article and try out some of the dishes. If you are feeling a little rich ...well go over to the Waldorf Astoria and try them out. :)

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Who Pickled my Mushrooms ???

This blog is slowly becoming a one post a month thing and let me assure everyone that it is not by design. 2008 has been fairly busy with the new arrival, travel, work pressures and family commitments. I just returned from a 7 day trip to Chennai and am still recovering from the Simbly Southern experience. I will write more about it alongwith photographs in my next post.Also, there are some interesting posts that I received from readers to put up on my blog that will soon find a mention in the coming few days.

Continuing my affair with mushrooms, I tried out another dish with the mushrooms, something that you find commonly done with Potatoes. Yes, I tried doing a 'Achari' thing with them and they came out absolutely finger licking. As I was in the process of making the Achari Khumb, the idea of doing a 'Dum' came up. Contrary to opinions and fears, doing a Dum is fairly easy and does not require a rocket science knowledge of culinary arts. Translated to English, Dum means to cook in its own steam. Voila, ensure the pot is sealed, so that the steam does not escape and the food is cooked on a slow fire till its done.
All in all, the dish was fairly easy to make and the best part, it was liked by one and all in the family.

Dum Achari Khumb ( Pickled Mushrooms cooked in their own steam/juices - The Dum Way)

Ingredients
Mushrooms, cleaned and cut into squares - 200 gm
Onions, finely chopped - 1
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 20 gm
Fenugreek Seeds - 5 gm
Nigella Seeds ( Kalonji) - 10 gm
Mustard Seeds - 10 gm
Peppercorns, freshly crushed - 10 gm
Red Chilli Powder - 5 gm
Mustard Oil - 50 ml
Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Tomato Paste - 1/2 Cup
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Heat Oil. Add in the Mustard Seeds. As soon as they crackle, add in the nigella seeds & the fenugreek seeds.
2. Add the Onion paste alongwith the ginger-garlic paste. Cook till they turn translucent.
3. Add in the mushrooms andcook them for 5 minutes.
4. Add in the red chilli powder,salt and peppercorns, followed by the tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add whisked yoghurt slowly into the already cooking mixture and stir well to mix everything up.
6. Cover and seal the pan. Let it cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes. ideally, put a tawa on the slow flame, and put the sealed pot on top of the tawa. This will prevent the dish from over cooking (read burning) and sticking to the bottom.
7. After 10 minutes, take the pan off the flame and remove the seal. Mix well and serve garnished with ginger juliennes or a sprig of corriander.

Note:
1. Do not cook the fenugreek seeds too much or add too much of fenugreek seeds or they will turn the dish bitter.
2. To seal the pan, make a basic dough and roll it out into a long snake shape. Cover the dish with this dough and press to seal. To read more about the art of Dum cooking read this article. FYI, the guy shown in the article is Chef Irfan . I have had the pleasure or good fortune of working with his father, often regarded as the father of Dum cooking or the person who bought the dum cooking to the masses, Chef Imtiaz Qureshi.
3. If you are feeling extra experimental. try adding some hot coals on top of the sealed dish while it is on the flame.

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