Phaldhari Kofta Curry

Now the banana tree is actually a plant and not a tree. The main stem in reality is a fake stem. having said that, the plant has many uses and almost all its parts are used for something or the other. The leaves are used as plates for serving food in southern India. It is said they increase the appetite and bring out the aroma in the food. The core of the stem is used in curries ( after removing the fibrous part), the underground bulb, the plantain and the fully ripened fruit are all used in dishes. These parts are even supposed to have medicinal properties and are used to cure stomach troubles and aid digestion among other things.

Every week when we visit our grocery store, plantains stare at us begging us to take them and make some exciting dish with them. I have tried in the past to make banana chips, but after several failed attempts and a desperate phone call to my mother-in-law it dawned upon me that these are not variety used to making the chips. So I did the next best thing. I made some koftas with them. I remembered vaguely making a dish with plantains called the phaldhari kofta curry which had koftas made with plantains. This time I tried my own variation of this.

Sri, needless to say, this is yet another contribution to the curry mela :)

Phaldhari Kofta Curry

Ingredients-

For the Koftas:
Plantains - 2
Potato, medium,boiled and mashed - 1
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 Paste - 1 Cup
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Tomato Paste - 1 Cup
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tsp
Cashewnuts - 5-6
Poppy Seeds - 2 Tblsp
Melon Seeds - 2 Tblsp
Salt To Taste
Oil - 3 Tblsp
Cream - To garnish

Method:

For the Koftas:
1. Skin the plantains and mash well.
2. Mix all the kofta ingredients with the plantains 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 with Cashews, poppy seeds and melon seeds with some water.
2. Heat oil in a wok. (Use the same oil used for frying)
3. Fry the onion paste till it starts to turn golden brown. Add in the ginger and garlic paste.
4. Add in the dry masalas. Fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the poppy seeds,melon seeds and cashew paste. Mix well and cook for another5 minutes.
6. Add in the tomato paste and salt. Cook on a low flame for 5-10 minutes. Add in water to dilute the gravy.
7. Simmer on low flame for 5 more minutes.
8. Take off the flame and add in the koftas.
9. Garnish with cream and serve hot.

Note:
1. Remember to add in the koftas just before serving, else they will turn soggy and break.
2. If you want to, you can stuff a raisin in each kofta.

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5 Must See Recipes For The Week

I have been under the weather for the past few days and believe you me it's quite a bother. With the monsoons finally arriving ( better late than never) and the weather inviting you to stay outdoors...curbing your instinct to party and roam outside and stay indoors was quite a nuisance. Today also happens to be my fathers birthday. He's in Gurgaon and we had to make do with telephonic greetings and celebrations. Last year we were there to celebrate it with him but could not make it this time. He has been the first guy I have seen cook and I guess it was that exposure that make me take to the ladle and pan with ease. Even today, he wakes up early ( he has always been an early riser) and does the mis-en-place before my mom wakes up. She needless to say hates it because then she has to cook whatever he has done the pre-preparation for. A good way to ensure you eat what you want.

1. Pickled Okra - Good recipe to have your crispy faves all round the year. The dill does impart some great flavor to the okras.

2. Pork Chops - The life of a great bbq party. Neat recipe making it look too simple. The key is to know when they are done. Wish had clubbed the recipe of some applesauce along :)

3. Oregano Olive Chicken - I made some Olive chicken a few months back and loved it. This one goes a step forward and adds capers and oregano to it. The aroma is gonna blow you away and stay in the house for some time making everyone feel hungry.

4. Nigel Slater's 24-Carat Brownie - The photos have started the chocolate craving already. It looks absolutely delicious looking just perfectly moist. I hate dry brownies and sometimes the gooey ones can make a mess. No nuts have been added in ( I love it!). Will suggest adding a little rum to it. Overall, this is a great recipe.

5. Classic Pound Cake - We have always had pound cakes in our kitchen. usually, its the variety that we get from the grocery store or local baker. They make a good treat for kids at home and also a good substitute for your sugar craving, This easy to make recipe sets you to bake your own.

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Tu Talli Ho Gayi

The title of this post also happens to be the latest rage blasting from all sound systems, be it disco's, pubs, cars, and all the TV channels. You cannot escape the soundbytes and sooner or later you are hooked and humming it yourself. I think, I'm the latest victim else how can you explain this post and the dish that I cooked up while listening to this song :)

This is also my second contribution to Sri's Curry Mela.

Talli Murgh Masaledar ( Drunk Spicy Chicken)

Ingredients:
Chicken, cut into pieces - 250 gm
Rum - 90 ml
Amchoor Powder - 1 Tsp
Onion Paste - 4 Tblsp
Ginger Paste - 1 Tsp
Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Tomato Paste - 4 Tblsp
Yogurt - 3 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt To Taste
Oil -2 Tblsp

Method:
1.Clean and rub the chicken pieces with amchoor powder. Marinate in rum. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add in the onion paste and fry till it starts to turn brown.
3. Add in the ginger and garlic paste. Fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Add in the masalas. Fry for 2 more minutes.
5. Add in the chicken pieces and fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining marinade and salt.
6. Add in the tomato paste and mix well.
7. Add in the yogurt and a little water. Cook the gravy on low flame till chicken is done.
8. Serve hot garnished with chopped corriander.

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Qasar- E- Pukhtan

The first time I entered the kitchens cooking some delicious fare from Awadh, I was absolutely mesmerized by the names, which sounded both elegant and mysterious. Suddenly we had names like Koh-e-awadh, Guncha-o-Kheema and Qasar-e-pukhtan flying around. I'm sure, the customers who came down to eat must have been equally intrigued and must have ordered ordinary dishes with these fancy names just to check them out.

Qasar-e-Pukhtan is one of them. In simple terms, it is another version of the shahi paneer. But the names makes it sounds as if something out of the world being prepared just for you. After all these years, I felt like trying these fancy dishes out. This particular recipe is my version of the famous dish ( atleast famous in the kitchens of Welcomgroup). There are other versions that exist that use cashew paste and papaya paste but this turns out just fine.

Qasar-E-Pukhtan
Ingredients:
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 250 gm
Tomatoes - 4 Large
Onion - 1
Ginger Paste - 3 Tblsp
Garlic paste - 3 Tblsp
Red Chillies, dried - 3
Shahi Zeera (Black Cumin) - 2 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tsp
green Cardamom, crushed - 1
Mace(Javitri) - 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Processed Cheese - 3 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 2 Tblsp

Method:
1. Heat very little oil in a pan and saute the onions for a minute.
2. Add in roughly chopped tomatoes and ginger & garlic paste alongwith dried red chillies.
3. Add in a little water and cook till the tomatoes are totally mashy.
4. Take out from flame, cool & make a paste in a processor.
5. Add 2 tblsp oil in a wok and heat.
6. Add in the shahi zeera.
7. When the shahi zeera crackles, add in the paneer cubes and fry for 2 minutes.
8. Add in the tomato paste and other spices.
9. Cook to form a gravy. Stir in the processed cheese and cook for 5 more minutes.
10. Serve hot garnished with chopped corriander and cream.

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5 Must See Recipes For The Week

It's been raining since last night, and I have had to cancel my round of golf today. To add to it, I had promised my lovely better half that I would help her out with some house cleaning today. As it turns out, it happens to be a perfect day to spend in bed and I think she'll have a tough time to get me out of it and cleaning the junk which I call my studio. The whole idea of having my own place (studio) was that I could keep it anyways I wanted to.

1. Whiskey Sour - If you ask me what this simple recipe is doing on this post, my answer is ...there are still many who haven't discovered this wonderful drink. A piece of caution: go easy on this! You wouldn't realize when you are blanked out.

2. Gumbo - For starters Gumbo is a hearty soup or stew that originated in Louisiana and is traditionally served over rice. I had gumbo a few years back in Texas and I have been a convert since then. This recipe is fantastic and is a must try for all.

3. Chicken with Olives and Apricots - A taste of Algeria with some amazing photos of the dish alongwith an excellently written post that just absorbs you and transports you there as if all this was happening in front of you. I have tried matching apricots with chicken before in a Biryani and have also had the parsi dish of Salli Zardaloo murgi. It'll be nice to check this one out.

4. Chai Chocolate Sorbet - Sorbets are back in vogue and so is mixing and matching. Chai or tea has been a much experimented medium for sorbets. We have the green tea sorbets, Earl grey and Pear sorbet and now this. What amazing about this dish is that it is uncomplicated and exotic enough.

5. Watermelon Ginger Punch - Summers are gone, although we haven't had much rain this season in our area( apart from yesterday and today), so it still makes it summers for us :)
Nice punch with a neat kick to it. Though the author recommends not using fresh ginger in large quantities, if you are the ginger ale type, go ahead and indulge. I would infact add a bottle of Ginger ale to it.

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Korma

Korma, Kurma, Qurrama, Quorma ...so many different names and so many different myths. But ask someone, even a restaurant guy as to what a Korma is and you will see a different look of blankness. The most amazing explanation that I have come across is that any creamy dish made without turmeric or tomatoes is Korma. It would have sufficed but for the fact that I knew many Korma dishes that used turmeric, if not tomatoes.
So let me try explaining this one...who knows someone may write a post quoting mine as the most ridiculous explanation. Korma (KOR-mah) is a curry with mild, creamy aromatic stew base in which meat or vegetables are simmered slowly. More specifically Korma is a cooking technique which means braising. The Larousse Gastronomique which I have consulted many times over for different things defines it as a mildy spiced Indian dish thickened with poppy seeds and/or nuts such as almonds/cashews. Yogurt and/or cream can be used to thicken the sauce and make it more creamy.
Over time I have come to three types of Korma, the north indian or mughlai korma where almonds, cashews and yogurt is used to make the creamy base. Addition of saffron and cardamoms given the dish the aroma. The second type of korma is the kashmiri korma which has a lot dried fruits added to the dish. It may not be as thick as the mughali korma. The last one is south indian Korma also called Kurma in those parts. Here coconut milk and freshly grated coconut make the creamy base. The aroma is contributed by addition of Curry leaves and fennel. In some restaurants you may find certain dishes like malai korma or shahi korma, which are but north indian kormas with liberal addition of cream.
Case over, I move on to make my version of the Murg Korma and yes! I have used turmeric in it.

Murg Korma

Ingredients:
Chicken, cleaned and cut into pieces - 500 gm
Onion Paste - 1 Cup
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 2 Tsp
Yogurt - 1 and a1/2 Cup
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Poppy Seeds paste - 2 Tblsp
Almond Paste - 2 Tbslp
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 3 Tbslp

Method :
1. Marinate the chicken with 1/2 cup yogurt, salt and 1/4 cup onion paste. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok.
3. Add in the onion paste and ginger-garlic paste. Fry till it starts turning brown.
4. Add in the chicken pieces and fry them for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the garam masala, red chili powder and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute.
6. Add in the poppy seed and almond paste. Mix well.
7. Add in the whisked yogurt. Add in some water and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Serve hot garnished with fresh cream.

This is my contribution to Srivalli's curry mela. Sri, Havent been able to contribute to all those wonderful events that you ran all this while. Hope this makes up for them :)

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5 Must See Recipes For The Week

Had a horrid round of golf, which can only be termed as forgettable. The weird part was that during the last 4 holes even my pitching wedge failed me. Usually I pride myself for my pitching wedge. I have got almost 200 yards with it and when my golf buddies tee off on a par 3 with an 8-iron I use my pitching wedge. Nevermind, better luck next weekend.
Now golf is like cooking, it requires patience, sticking to the basics mostly, absolute concentration and you have your days. If it's not your day, you can try something as easy as making lemonade and yet goof up!This week's selection is fantastic. I'm sure all those who posted these are the masters of the game :). The must see for this week is as follows:

1. Sweet Potato Wedges - Now I'm not a typical sweet potato fan, but looking at the photos, I'm all set to give it a try. Kevin also finds his way back to this list again. His choice of dishes and his photography can anyone go hungry.

2. Smoked Chicken with curried stuffing - Wow! look at the balancing of flavors in this one. This is just the dish you were looking for to impress your friends on the BBQ. The wide flavors ranging from sweet to mild spicy make it a meal in itself.

3.Two toned Melon Gazpacho - I'm not a soup guy! But the only time I end up having a soup is when someone offers me a gazpacho. The coolness of the soup and the mild flavors just set me off to explore more on the table. Now I've only had a normal tomato based gazpacho, but this one is good.

4. Papa Al Pomodoro - So soups are the flavor of this week. Coming close to the heels of the gazpacho is the tomato and bread soup ( the translation). I like the choice of rock salt to this one and the herbs are so nicely blended, complimenting the soup rather than overpowering it.

5. Heston Blumenthal's popping-candy chocolate cake - What a way to finish this list. An absolute show stealer. I love popping candy and would love to try this one out. Actually will want to see the look on my sons face when he eats a slice.

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Khoja Kachi Biryani ( With Chicken)

Continuing with my love for Biryanis and adding more of them to this blog, here is one that the Khoja community makes. Now, this Biryani is typically made with Lamb but I tried it out with chicken. The term Kachi is to denote a kind of Biryani where the meat is cooked alongwith the rice. Pukki the other term denotes that the meat has been cooked separately and then layered.
I'm still on the lookout for some Khoja family that can actually invite me over and take me through the way they make their authentic biryani's. Till then maybe this will have to suffice.

Khoja Kachi Biryani

Ingredients:
For Rice:
Basmati Rice - 500 gm
Black Cardamom - 3
Black Peppercorns - 10
Bay Leaves - 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Salt
Ghee

For Chicken:
Chicken, cut into pieces - 1 kg
Tomatoes, chopped - 300 gm
Onions, sliced - 300 gm
Potatoes, cubed - 200 gm
Yogurt - 300 gm
Garam Masala - 2 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tblsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tblsp
Black Cumin (Shahi Zeera) - 2 Tsp
Green Cardamom, crushed - 3
Dried Apricots - 12
Lemon Juice - 4 Tbslp
Black Peppercorns - 12
Ginger Garlic Paste - 4 Tbslp
Green Chillies, minced - 4
Salt - To Taste
Ghee


Method:
1. Marinate the chicken in yogurt, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, peppercorns, red chili powder, lemon juice and chopped tomatoes. Keep aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Fry the sliced onions to a crisp golden brown color. Drain and keep aside.
3. Fry the potato cubes in the same oil to a golden color and keep them aside too. ( I typically cut the potatoes into cubes and keep them in a salted water for some time before frying.)
4. Add this oil to the chicken marinade.
5. Cook the rice in water alongwith the spices, and when it is half done, drain and keep aside.
6. Take a heavy bottomed vessel and grease the inside with ghee.
7. Add some more ghee to this vessel and when it becomes hot, add in cumin seeds, shahi zeera garam masala and green cardamom. Fry for 2 minutes.
8. Add in the chicken pieces and fry till chicken is half done and add in the dried apricots.
9. Add in a layer of rice followed by potatoes and onions. Pour over the remaining marinade.
10. Add in the remaining rice on top to form a final layer. Sprinkle the saffron soaked in milk over.
11. Add 4 cups of water and cover the vessel with a tight lid. Seal the vessel's rim and lid with fresh dough.
12. Place a iron tava on medium flame and put the biryani vessel on top. Cook for 30 minutes.
13. Open seal and serve hot biryani alongwith raita and papad.

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Spiced Mango Jelly with Cut Mangoes

The season is over and I'm already missing them. I simply love mangoes and the only other fruit that comes close to getting that sort of attention from me is probably lychees. Unfortunately, even their season is over. So when I found some nice kesar mangoes the other day at the Metro Cash & Carry, it was a reason to celebrate.Here is my ode to the Mango till the next year and another season :)

Spiced Mango Jelly with Cut Mangoes

Ingredients:
Mangoes, sliced and diced - 4
Mango Pulp - 2 Glasses
Star Anise, powdered - 1 Tsp
Cinnamon Powder - 1 Tsp
Gelatin - 2 Tsp
Water - 1 Cup
Sugar - 2 Tsp

Method:
1. Dissolve the gelatin in 4 tblsp of warm water.
2. Heat the mango pulp alongwith sugar and water to near boiling point and pour in the gelatin.
3. Stir well and add in the powdered star anise and cinnamon powder.
4. Pour the mixture in a jelly mold or a glass bowl.
5. Chill until set. Take out from mold, arrange the mango cubes around the jelly and garnish with sprinkled cinnamon powder.
6. Serve and watch it disappear.

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5 Must See Recipes For The Week

I'm late again this week. We lost our Dog this Saturday and I haven't been in the mood for the past 2 days to post anything. It was indeed a sad day for all of us. Snuff ( his name) had been a part of the Bhaskar family for 14 years,9 months and 25 days and I still cannot get over it. The whole episode just strengthened my resolve not to get another pet home. The lifespan is too short and the attachment too great. I dedicate this post to him.

Snuff U will be missed !

1. Green Mango Salad with Macadamia Nuts - Spicy, tangy, crunchy ...varied flavors exploding in your mouth. Perfect to have while you can still lay your hands on some green mangoes.

2. Potatoes Gratin - The classic ...no reason needed to have this one. I make it with one exception, a hint of garlic and chili flakes.

3. Rice Ice Cream - Wow! Never knew this existed. A must try for all those who are a sucker for novelty experiments. Read the comments too...nice suggestions given.

4. Cream Cheese Wontons - Nice variation. All of you like me who have a problem finding Wildfire spice, can do with a little ingenuity, like I always do. Who knows, we might create a new signature masterpiece. Personally, I'll make my own desifire spice by mixing some lemongrass, green peppercorns, aniseed and curry powder. As far as the bush tomato chutney goes, I'll substitute the bush tomatoes with some green ones and sun dried ones.

5. Stuffed Eggplants, Peppers & Tomatoes - My wife would absolutely dig this. Just look at the variety it'll add to your table. Vegetarians, substitute the ground beef/lamb with mushrooms and other veggies. Farida ...u truly rock!

As a footnote I leave you with a great blog that my dear friend Harry writes. It has some great home remedies for prickly situations and issues. A must see and add to your favorites to visit time and again when u get caught in those situations.

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