2011

Yes, I have gone off the blog, but I havent gone off cooking. I love it even more than I ever did.The year 2010 was interesting in terms of my culinary pursuits.I started the year with roasting and I ended it with loads of other stuff.

I have always found writing to be my idiom, I keep telling people that I am an accidental HR person, I stumbled into it. I could be sitting and writing, writing till I grey and grow old. In between, I love to cook meals, feed people, have them over, a passion I have developed over time. With a mom who was working, and despite her self induced pressure of cooking 3 meals everyday, we never really entertained too many people.
But I love to see my table laden, with people around, it has a very old world charm to it. I dont have culinary ambitions, its not that I do this because I want to start my own restuarant or teach cooking, or win the master chef or something.

I cook because I love to, it is my way of feeling reassured.

These are some of my experiences on cooking in 2010.

I can do anything with cinnamon. It can be in my tea, fold it in my cake, dunk it with my lamb, both Cinnamon and I come out triumphant.

I hate sideys in my kitchen, maids, friends, Vinci, anyone however noble there intentions.

Strawberry is my food of experiment in 2010. I love the berry, and what it does for me, my best dish and it came out right after several failed attempts,( one to the ridicule of friends) is strawberry tandoori. It takes nothing and tastes good.

I learnt making Dum Biryani. A new year wish is to sit with either Kareem's or Arsalan Bawarchi and do the dum biryani. The way dreams come true , this wont be far off.

Made a sub from scratch, sounds simple but getting a US sub is the most tiring job, the chicken has to be done right, the salami has to be cold,the mustard, the mayo, while its simple to get it, getting the layers seems more like a logistics job than cooking, i have never been a fan of sandwiches, but a sub is a sub, you cant say you want to cook a great meal and cant put together a sandwich. ( Nigella Lawson cant poach an egg !!! thats a good counter argument)

Befriended the Banyan Tree Chef at Taj Vivanta Goa !!! He gave me his secret green curry and red curry paste, and I made thai green chicken curry. Loved the aroma, loved it. Thanks Chef !!! you were truly awesome. ef

Made the classic rosemary lamb.

Made so many variations of roast and grill & steamed chicken this year that cant count on my fingers and toes, but mustard chicken wrapped in banana leaf, steamed to coercion stood out. also grilled chicken in oregano flavor.

Resolution

Bake , this year. had to go for a course because had no clue how to bake. Kneading as well. Nigella cant poach, I cant knead, this will be a year of genuinses getting over their basic fears, what say Nigella ?

This year will be the year of cheese.

Mediterranean is what I love and need to learn that.

Roasted Chicken

Yesterday was the first day of the year.New Years leave me slightly soppy. Perhaps I dont await any other occassion as much as the new year, there's something about a new beginning.It just gives me another chance to re-evaluate my priorities. And this time round I really took some time off to do that.

I am going to enter my 33rd year, and I claim to be a someone who loves to cook but the perfect chicken roast has eluded me.

I grew up in a home where non vegetarian was a way of life. Sometimes, I wonder how I my mother, a strict vegetarian coped with this. But there she was, her saree tucked neatly into her midriff, cooking the perfect chicken curry. Thee only issue was she was scared of experimenting with the meat.

Hence my faculties on cooking meat are severly limited and most of the cooking I do is tacit knowledge. But I did want to get the perfect brown chicken roast for my new year dinner.

So here I was surfing on the net for an hour on how to cook the perfect chicken roast in a microwave.An hour and two phone calls later I had the bird at my disposal.

I hail from the Eastern end in India and have made Mumbai my home. There are so many things I love about Mumbai but there is something that I really miss about home. One is the lovely winter that made new year look like January.

Of late, Mumbai has become slightly cooler to allure the northies and in betweens like me. If there was a perfect time for a roasted chicken in this city, it is on Jan 1st.

so here's an account of my roasted bird, It doesnt take much, I just cleaned the bird, patted it dry, smeared the innards with salt, pepper and lime juice. I stuffed it with diced potatoes, onions, carrots and a microwaved ( 20 secs) halved leemon. I stuck in two large chunks of butter ( its the new year dinner after all)

I smeared butter, salt, black pepper and rosemary on the outer side as well and lay the bird on a layer of diced veggies like carrot and onions and a pod of garlic ( I went easy on the potatoes, balance is everything).

I tied both the legs ( I dont understand this cruel naunce, but I did as I was told)

The bird looked ready to be roasted. Drizzled a little oil on the dish and it was ready to go.

I pre heated the microwave at about 200 C. and send the bird ( breast side down) in with a silent prayer. After 10 minutes I changed position, the bird was softening well. In another 10 minutes, I could see it ready. and I switched on the grill to get that perfect browning.

My bird was out, it was a beauty and guess what it didnt blacken like last time.

This new year I learnt to roast the perfect chicken. It cooked well, retained the juices and was yum.

The carving was mess, and I need to really learn that from a professional chef, now that could be a new year resolution.

Home made Lamb Kababs

Ingredients

Lamb Mince ( Keema) - 1 kg
Gram lentils ( Chana Dal) - 100gms
Raw Papaya - 2-3 pieces peeled
Black cardamom - 2 -3
Green cardamom - 5-6
Cloves - 5-6
Dry Chili- 5-6 ( for a high spicy flavor)
Mace - 1 piece
Nutmeg - scrapped 2-3 slices
Cinnamon - 2- 3 pieces
Ginger - 100 gms ( for an extra hot flavor)
Garlic - 2 full, peeled
Black Peppercorn - 12-13 ( for an extra hot flavor)
Salt - To taste

For Frying the kebabs

Refined oil
Onion - 2-3 finely chopped
Coriander leaves
green chillies - chopped (according to taste).

For Garnish

Onion wedges
Lime wedges


Method

Pressure cook all the ingredients together with 1 glass of water. In case the mince meat becomes watery, dry it on a high flame by keeping the cooker lid open.


















Let the mince cool down. Make a thin paste in a mixer.

Add the chopped onion, chillies & coriander leaves to the paste.


















Make small round, flat chops from of the paste by and fry on a pan on slow heat. Turn the kebabs to the other side for a red crust.




















Garnish with onion and lime wedges and serve.

Steamed Chicken

Its a healthy meal option for dinner. Well, also easy to prepare.

Ingredients

To marinate

Olive oil ( as per taste, can be omitted as well)
Salt
Black Pepper
Chilly Flakes
Lime juice
Rosemary


Method of preparation

Wash the chicken. Sluice with olive oil and lime juice. Add salt, black pepper, chilli flakes , rosemary or any other seasoning of your choice.

Set aside for 2 hrs.




















Pour water in the lower section of the steamer. Bring to a boil. Arrange the chicken pieces on the first and the second rack of the steamer.

Steam for 20- 25 minutes for an oversteamed variation.




















For better results, add veggies like carror, cauliflower, brocoli, onions, cabbage. Do not marinate or add salt to the vegetables though.

Roasted Chicken

Travel & Living has some of the best cooking shows. While I love all of them I am a little biased towards Anjum Anand's "Indian food made easy".

I like the way she makes it easy. The way she goes into the nook and corner to source ingredients, spices, substitutes etc. etc.

Here's Anjum Anand's chicken roast recipe. Snaps are mine.

Ingredients

Whole Chicken - 1kgs
Yoghurt - 500gms

For marinade

Garlic
Ginger
Chillies
Cinnamon
Black pepper
Poppy seeds
Black Cardomom
Cloves
Green Cardomom
Nutmeg
Whole Red Chilli
Salt
Crushed pepper

For garnish

Almonds

Preparation

Clean the whole chicken. Braise it with oil ( oilve for health reasons, you can use butter as well. Apply salt & crushed pepper

Grind all the spices into a smooth paste. Mix the paste with Yoghurt( 400gms only).Apply on the chicken well.

Take an airtight plastic pouch and place the chicken inside. Add the spices as well and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Grind yoghurt with almonds in a mixer and apply on the marinated chicken before setting for roast.

You can roast the chicken in a microwave or an oven.

Serve.

Caramel Custard

Thanks to the nameless author of the blog

100recipes.blogspot.com

I made Caramel Custard. If you want the recipe go to that blog. the recipe is hers. the taste is mine. of course the pictures are mine.

News

Hi All,

My hard disc crashed, and I lost all those nice pictures I took have gone with it. Thankfully I had uploaded most of them.

I will post my attempts at roasted chicken ( travel & living recipe) and caramel custard soon.

As soon as the net connection is restored at home.