Blueberry Buckle

Today was supposed to be a “pretend you are a sloth” day. You know… where you sit around doing nothing more strenuous than gaze at your toenails? And then I went to get some berries from the ‘fridge… and BOOM! Inspiration!

The Horned One whispered, “Cake! Cake!!” The Halo-ed One said “Nooooo! Go to the patio and read!”

Guess who won?

:|

ANYway :D I ended up digging up this recipe someone sent me.. for Blueberry Buckle. Just a fancy name for coffee cake with berries in it :D During baking, the buckle/batter rises and fruit sinks giving the cake an uneven ‘buckled’ look. Hence the name (DUH!).

As you bake, the berries explode in the slow heat and their juices trickle through the batter giving rise (no pun intended) to a melt-in-your-mouth dessert that’s easy to cook and easier to finish :D

YOU WILL NEED:

For The Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 pint blueberries

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

For The Streusel (Topping)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together

Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl

Beat in the egg into the butter mixture

Add the vanilla essence

Stir in the flour along with milk and blend well

Add the berries to this along with 2 tablespoons of flour and fold in

Pour this batter into a greased 8” pan and set aside

Combine ingredients for the Streusel with a fork to make a crumbly mixture

Sprinkle this over the batter

Bake for an hour

Yenjoi!

You can serve this with whipped cream and blueberries or with blueberry gelato (I’ll post the recipe in a couple of days).

Cutlets... My Comfort Food ;)

It’s been SO long since I’ve posted on any of my blogs… No particular reason why. Ummmm, maybe there is, but then again… :D I guess I needed some time off.
Anyway, no big deal… I guess here’s a good place to begin as any.

:D

I wanted to take some goodies to class for Peeps. It’s been awhile since I had last made something for her. And while I lay on my bed (littered with project note, thumbnails, and other unmentionables… which is a whole different story altogether) making faces just for the heck of it, it hit me… Cutlets! That’s what I’ll make!

I’d been looking for the perfect excuse to indulge in my favorite snack, and it couldn’t get any better than this :D

They make me very homesick though, because cutlets remind me of those long winter evenings spent lazing with my cousins in the guest room (which was by default our domain). Cold cold evenings spent curled up in the bed reading Debbie, Mandy, Bunty and Judy … and the oober delicious cutlets. Piping hot, they’d be delivered to our ‘kingdom’ by a lowly minions (usually one of our aunts :D)

Sigh! I wanna go home!!!
Err… not exactly!
Hell no!
Muhahahahahahahaaa!


Anyway, You Will Need:

For the chicken
Chicken/meat – 0.5 lb
Ginger (chopped) – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 4 pods
Salt – just a little to taste

(If you want a vegetarian option, skip this step and use 200 grams carrots, 200 grams beans and 100 grams peas instead)

For the filling
Onion (diced) – 0.5 lb
Green chilly (minced) – 100 grams
Mint leaves (minced) – 1 cup
Coriander leaves (minced) – 2 cups
Spring onion minced – ½ cup
Celery (diced) – 1 cup
Potato – 2 medium sized ones
Bread – 2 slices
Oil 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

For the crust:
Egg – 1 large
All purpose flour – 2 tsp
Bread crumbs – as needed
Oil to fry

Method Of Preparation:

- Pressure cook the chicken, ginger, garlic and salt (without water) till done.
- Strain and cool. Finely shred the chicken (I used my shredder) and keep aside.
- Boil the potatoes, peel, mash and keep aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions green chilly, mint leaves, coriander leaves, spring onion, celery and salt until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the chicken (meat/veggies) to this and fry for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the potatoes and bread slices and combine well for 5 minutes.
- Allow it to cool for a while.
- Meanwhile make beat the egg and all purpose flour until there are no lumps.
- Take the breadcrumbs in a separate flat plate. You can keep adding more crumbs as and when you finish.
- Next make small patties of the chicken (meat/veggie) mixture
- Dip each patty in the egg mix and roll in the breadcrumbs (gently) to give it an even coating.
- Deep fry on medium flame for 3-4 minutes on each side and transfer onto a paper towel.

Serve with Tomato sauce or Coriander chutney...
Enjoy… :D

Triple Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars

Etta and Preethi are coming over tomorrow and I’m SUPER excited!!! Yay! Two days isn’t enough :( But, what the hell! I can’t wait to see them again. Sigh!

Preethi is MY kinda person - an unapologetic foodie and fellow chocolate freak. So I made this for her because I know she’s one person who’ll fully appreciate and fully do justice to your cooking no matter what.

Anyway, this is one of the simplest cookies ever. Don’t be scared by the seemingly long process. It’s not so difficult (as long as you remember to stir the caramel continuously till it’s done) and your taste buds will implode with joy with the very first bite :D

Lol!

So, You Will Need

For The Base:

250g all purpose four

½ cup castor sugar

3/4^th cup unsalted butter, softened

For The Caramel Filling:

7 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup light brown sugar (muscovado)

2 * 14oz cans condensed milk

For The Chocolate Topping:

90g semisweet/bitter cooking chocolate

90 g milk chocolate

50g white cooking chocolate

Method Of Preparation

For The Cookie Base:

- Preheat the oven to 350 F

- Line and grease a 13*9 inch baking dish

- Combine the flour and castor sugar in a bowl and work in the butter with your hand, until it looks like fine breadcrumbs

- Put the dough into the tray and press it out with your hand to cover the base

- Smoothen the surface with a spoon and prick holes al over with a fork

- Bake for about 20 minutes and set aside to cool

For The Caramel Filling:

- Combine all the ingredients in a pan and heat on a medium-low flame, stirring all the while until the sugar has dissolved

- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer on a low flame for 10 minute

- Stir constantly and make sure it does not burn

- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the cookie base

- Leave it aside until cold

For The Chocolate Topping:

- Melt each chocolate separately in the microwave for 40 seconds (or in a double boiler)

- Spoon lines of plain chocolate alternating with milk chocolate and cover the surface of the caramel filling completely

- Add dollops of white chocolate and use a skewer to form a marbled effect

- Leave it to cool and cut bars once the chocolate has set (if it’s still gooey, refrigerate it till it sets and then cut bars)

*Excuse me for the ridiculous picture :D I was trying to do too many things with one hand*

Mathew Mishmash-ed!

There’s this little lady I visit online almost every other day, just to torture myself.

Not because she’s a great cook (she is!!) but because she goes one notch up above the rest and displays works of art rather than mere dishes. Droolworthy, eyepopping creations which make me want to run to the refrigerator and stuff myself up.

That’s the lady Mishmash.

Anyway, couple of weeks ago I came across this recipe of hers which I knew I HAD to try. I was waiting for a weekend when again, I chanced upon this other blogger’s post on his Mom’s biryani – Mathew - of the tongue-in-cheek, and sometimes tongue-outside-cheek wit and priceless humor.

His post reminded me of Kerala. Now, what I like BEST about Kerala is the FOOD! Actually what I like about ANY place is the food… but lets not get into that now. :(

*cough cough*

So, where was I? Oh yeah, Food.

:|

So.. I made this for the ‘Hungry Mouths’ a week or so ago and have been waiting to post this. But you know how busy a jobless person can be. :D

Anyway, ‘featured’ ;) here is Mishmash’s Mutton Fry on a bed of carrots (my idea of healthy salad… who am I kidding!) and a tomato cup of thick creamy yogurt embedded(?) in Mathew’s Savolaa.. Giri.. Giri.. Biryani.

Shn? Mathew? Very many thankoos for the deliciocity ketto! ;)

And that’s echoed by my phriends who masquerade as my guinea pigs.

Double Chocolate Fudge Macadamia Marble Cake

I should really have called this the 'Macadamia's Lost Her Marbles' cake. How else would you describe a cake born out of nervous energy and a craving for chocolates, nuts and everything decadent? Sigh!

It was past midnight I think, when I decided to bake. Anything to escape from 'actual work' ;)
And since I didn't have the patience to follow any particular recipe, I just threw in this and that on-the-fly. You can see my complete lack of focus in the frosting and decoration :D Mybad!

But it turned out ok, so I decided to let it materialize here.

And Chech? When you read this, look at the date and REMEMBER what you FORGOT.
Hmmpfhh!



Anyway, You Will Need:
Eggs – 5
Butter – 250 gms
Maida – 250 gms
Sugar – 250 gms
Cocoa/coffee – 4 tsp (mix the powder with half of 1/4th cup of milk)
Milk 1/4th cup
Baking Powder – 2 tsp
Vanilla essence – 2 tsp


Preparation Method:

1. Let the butter soften at room temperature

2. Powder the sugar

3. Separate the egg whites from the yolks

4. Cream together the butter and sugar

5. Add the egg yolks to the above mixture

6. Beat well

7. Sift the flour along with the baking powder onto a clean dry dish (sift 3 or 4 times to get rid of the air pockets)

8. Add this to the butter mixture

9. Add the vanilla essence

10. Beat the egg white till stiff and add

11. Separate the mixture into two halves

12. To one half add the cocoa (or coffee) and mix well

13. You now have two colored mixtures - one light and creamy and the other a dark chocolaty.

14. Add some chopped cashew nuts to the creamy mixture and chopped macadamia nuts/almonds to the chocolate mixture



Layering The Cake pan:

Scoop the mixtures alternatively into the prepared cake pan, making inch-wide stripes with the cream and dark dough so that you have a cream strip followed by a dark strip



Repeat till you cover the entire pan

When you’ve lined the pan, take a fork and lightly run it in a zig-zag motion over the mixture, once horizontally and once vertically.



Meanwhile, preheat the over to 180 degree Centigrade

Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges start leaving the sides of the pan


Frosting:
For the frosting, I followed THIS recipe, only I added some dark cooking chocolate for the middle layer of frosting.


Assembling The Cake:
- Ummm, you can go ahead and indulge in some creative license ;)

- For this one, Make two separate cakes in 9" pans

- Spread the frosting with dark chocolate evenly on it


- Sprinkle some nuts and dry sweetened coconut flakes

- Place Cake 2 on it and press down lightly but firmly


- Spread the normal frosting evenly, including sides



- Decorate with strawberries, sweetened coconut flakes, and whatever you can think of at the time ;)

(For the chocolate coated strawberries, simply melt some milk chocolate and coat the strawberries with it)



P.S. I'm going to dedicate this to my 'parasite' friend who's sold his soul to the devil ;)

Chilly Chicken For Fire Eaters

Sometimes I think the only reason people come to visit me when I go home, isn’t to go huggy kissy on me but to eat Latha’s food. Sigh!

But hey, who cares as long as I get to do the honors first :D

This is (she claims) her original recipe for chilly chicken. And I have to agree. I’ve never quite had the same taste elsewhere. But a note of warning: You might want to adjust the spice level, because her’s always leaves me gasping for water after the first few bites.

And since I like gasping I follow her proportions to a T :|

;)

Anyway, You’ll Need:

For The Marinade:

Boneless chicken cut into small cubes – 2 lb

Maida/All purpose flour – 3 tablespoons

Cornflour – 2 teaspoons

Chilly powder – 1 ½ teaspoon

Freshly ground pepper – ½ teaspoon

A small pinch of red food color – optional

A small pinch of ajinomoto – optional

Egg – 1 large

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon

Soy sauce – 1 tablespoon

Tomato sauce – 1 ½ tablespoon

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste – Add less than the quantity you normally use, because Soy Sauce is salty. You can add more later after you mix everything.

For The Butter Fry:

Unsalted butter - 1 ½ teaspoon

Green chillies slit lengthwise - 10

Curry leaves – 15 leaves

Method Of Preparation:

- Combine all the marinade ingredients together (except chicken)

- Check the salt and spice proportion

- Add chicken and mix well

- Refrigerate for 30 minutes

- Deep fry on low to medium heat – I burnt them this time :(

- Remove and keep aside

- Now in another pan, heat the butter

- Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry for two minutes on medium heat

- Remove and empty the contents on to the fried chicken

- Toss well and serve

My Favourite Mallugirl's Microwave Kalakand

I’m a die-hard fan of microwave sweets! :D

Anything easy and tasty is welcome. ;)

And thanks to Mallugirl, my friends and I pigged out this weekend.

Love ya Mallugirl!

The only ‘customization’ I did was cook it for an extra minute or two, and add macadamia nuts instead of pistachio

:D

Check out her original recipe here.

Thakkali (Tomato) Chutney

Hostel food used to be unbearable!! Its only saving grace was the “gunpowder” and tomato chutney which we were doled out in less than generous rations. Sigh.

But the nuns didn’t know they were dealing with hooligans here :D not mere kids.
Every night, after ‘lights out’, we used to sneak into the kitchen.
Loka was the gang leader of sorts for our gastronomic expeditions (where are you now Lux ??! I still have the coin. Can’t believe we’ve lost touch ! )

Err, I digress.

So, *ahem* we’d raid the kitchen, find the preserved chutney and snack on it with raw carrots and bread.

Well, yeah… desperation has peculiar taste buds me friends :D

Anyway, here’s my recipe for Tomato Chutney. I clung to this one after many failed permutations and combinations. :D You can save this for a week or two - if it lasts that long. It goes well with Rice, Roti, Bread… err, ditch the carrots though ;)

P.S. Next time I’ll post the gunpowder recipe…

You Will Need:

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon asafoetida powder

3 dry red chillies

1 cup curry leaves

10 ripe tomatoes, chopped

20 pods of garlic, finely chopped

A small piece of ginger, minced

2 teaspoons chilly powder

1/2 cup oil

Salt to taste

Method Of Preparation:

- Heat the oil

- Temper with mustard seeds

- When they begin to sputter add the fenugreek seeds and sauté for a 30 seconds in medium flame

- Add the red chillies, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and sauté for 6-7 minutes

- Next add the tomatoes and salt

- Cover and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes, stirring once in between

- Open the lid and add the asafoetida powder

- Cook uncovered until the oil starts to separate and the mixture begins to thicken

- Add the chilly powder and stir for 5 minutes

- Cool and refrigerate in air tight containers.

Semiya Uppuma

Ingredients :

3 cups of vermicelli (semiya)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, cubed
4 green chillies, finely chopped
3 tsp Ginger paste
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp Chana dal
Handful of Coriander
salt to taste
oil to saute
4 cups of water

Method:
1. Saute vermicelli in 4tsp of oil until light golden brown
2. Add 3 cups of water and let it boil.
3. Make sure semiya is cooked. If not add just minimal amount of water and let it cook. The cooked semiya should be dry and preferably loose.
4. Saute with oil: mustard, cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the ginger paste and the vegetables
5. Add the cooked semiya and keep sauteing.
6. Add salt to taste(add it along with minimal water , so that it mixes well)
7. Add the finely chopped Coriander.

Serves 2-3.

Homemade Chocolate Fudge

My aunt makes these amazingly drool-worthy cakes and chocolates! I remember how, as kids, we used to wait for holidays just so that we could lay our hands on them.

Sigh!

Then many years later, my cousin Jolnah came home to spend the weekend with me. Now Jolnah is the 'choco-aunt’s' daughter. We were reminiscing about old times when she said she could make homemade chocolate that tasted as good as her moms.

Now, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

I literally hustled her into the kitchen. There she proceeded to mix and stir and chop and heat. Until, at the end of her labored efforts we were rewarded with a warm, gooey, chocolaty mush.

She told me that it would take a few minutes to harden.
(I believed her :D) And so we waited. … And waited

Until finally, after 3 hours she suggested that MAYbe we should keep it under the fan instead.

So we did. And waited… and waited some more

When S and T came home we told them this was liquid chocolate… and they bought it, the silly things! :D

Anyway, we decided that the next morning it would’ve hardened... so there!

But on Day 2 – t’was the same old goo

Lol! I don’t remember what we did with the ‘remains’ but to this day I pull her leg about her famous ‘liquid’ chocolate.

Anyway, here’s one of my favorite recipes for homemade chocolate. Err, don’t worry… I won’t leave you holding on to chocolate goo this time… hopefully :D

You Will Need:

Milk powder – 2 cups

Cocoa powder – 10 level tbsp

Vanilla essence – 3 drops

Chopped almonds/cashew nuts – 3tbsp

Instant coffee powder – 4 level tsp

Sugar – 2 cups

Water – ½ cup

Unsalted butter – 8tbsp (chopped)

Method Of Preparation:

- Mix the milk powder, cocoa, coffee powder, vanilla essence and nuts in a dish

- Take a small flat dish/tray and grease it with 1/3tsp of butter

- In a separate pan, combine the sugar and water and heat it on high flame

- When it begins to boil, lower the heat to ‘medium’ until you get a ‘single string consistency’
* You will get this consistency 3 to 5 minutes after the sugar has completely dissolved. To check this stage just dip a spoon in the syrup and let it cool for few seconds. Take a drop of the syrup from the spoon with your fore finger tip. Press your fore finger tip your thumb and slowly bring the two fingers away from each other. The syrup drop should form a thin thread between your fingers.*

- Add the butter, stir for a minute and switch off.

- Immediately add the rest of the ingredients and blend well

- Pour into the greased tray and cut into small squares after 5 minutes.

Malai Kabab

S and K were supposed to come over for dinner today. And there I was running around like a headless chicken, because I didn’t know what I could cook that would suit both the desi and videsi palettes. Then, luckily, I remembered K telling me that her mom loves kababs.

So I decided to make Malai kababs, since they wouldn’t be too spicy and yet would be flavorful enough to tease the taste buds.

(To Appu: Babe, don’t even dream of dumping your favorite white pepper into this and crying foul later. Hmmph! :D )

You Will Need:
2lb boneless chicken - cut into small (1 inch) cubes
3tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup yogurt
1/3 sour cream
3tbsp minced cilantro
2tbsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp garam masala powder
1 ½ tsp chilly powder (or according to you taste)
1 1/2tsp salt
1tbsp oil

Method Of Preparation:
- Wash the chicken well and mix it with the lime juice

- Rub the lime juice into the chicken (err, with your hands) for a minute or two

- Meanwhile, in a separate dish, prepare the marinade by combining all the other ingredients (except the oil)

- Add the chicken to this marinade

- Mix well so that all the pieces are coated evenly

- Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours (or preferably overnight)

- Take the chicken out half an hour before you plan to cook

- Preheat the oven to 500 degree F

- Coat your baking tray with the oil

- Thread the chicken on wooden/metal skewers and place them on the tray

- Roast for 25 minutes

P.S. Make sure you turn the skewers every 5 minutes

The ‘Throw-In Whatever You Can Lay Your Hands On’ Soup

I LOVE soups! Not the kind of stuff you get in the US but the Indo-Chinese version ;)

When I make it at home, I just thrown in whatever I can lay my hands on, some sauce and herbs… and bam! Soup ahoy!

If you’re too lazy to cook, this is a great option because it’s A) easy B) quick C) nutritious (unless you decide to add cheese and bacon and whatnot) and D) scrumtilicious!

(Note to Chech: This won’t kill you… hopefully :D )

You Will Need:
Chicken/meat (OR) Veggies of your choice – 1 ½ cups
Water – 3 cups
Ginger-garlic paste – 1tsp
Black pepper – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Fresh corn – 1 cup
Celery – 2tbsp (chopped)
Carrots – 2tbsp (chopped)
Green chilly – 2 (diced)
Cilantro (coriander leaves) – 3 tbsp (minced)
Corn-flour – 3tbspmixed with 1 cup of water
Soy sauce – 1tsp
Green chilly sauce – 2 tsp
Vinegar – 1tbsp

Method Of Preparation:
- Pressure cook the chicken/meat/veggies with 3 cups water, ginger-garlic paste, pepper and salt, till done

- Remove the chicken/meat, shred it finely and put it back into the broth

- Add the corn, celery, carrots, green chillies, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar and chilly sauce
(P.S. add whatever you want to at this stage… at your own risk :D)

- Mix well, add more salt f required and simmer for 15-20 minutes on a low flame

- Add the corn-flour mixture and stir for 2 minutes

- Switch off and serve

Vendai Mor Kuzhambu

I have a funny way of eating my vegetables. I make the regular sabji/poriyal/upperi first, and then I dump yogurt into it, mix, taste and hog away. It makes me feel oh so sanctimonious, :D like I’m doing my tummy a good deed after all the burgers, junk food and unholy crap I feed it ritually.

This one here is different though. It’s meant to be yogurt based. In Kerala they make it without veggies but I like it the ‘Tamil way’ – with cooked Vedakkai (Okra) and onions.

The best part about this dish is that it can be stored for a 3-4 days. It only gets better each day. I’ve decided to re-christen it my Assignment-week curry ;)

You Will Need:

Okra – 150g (or half a packet of frozen okra) cut into one inch pieces
Onions – 1 large, sliced finely
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Dry red chillies – 5, broken into two
Curry leaves - 10
Red chilly powder – 1tsp (or adjust according to your preferred spice level)
Asafoetida powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Yogurt – 2 cups
Oil – 2 tsp

Method Of Preparation:

- Heat oil in a pan (yeah right! Like you didn’t know it already. lol!)
- Add the mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop, add the fenugreek, cumin, red chillies and curry leaves
- Sauté for a few seconds
- Add the onions and fry till the onions turn golden brown
- Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida
- Saute for 2 minutes
- Now, add the cut okra
- Mix well
- Cover and cook till done
- Add the yogurt and mix well (if its too ‘thick’ for your taste you can dilute it by adding a little water)
- Heat on low flame for 3 minutes, stirring continuously
- Switch off and transfer to a serving dish

Potato Masala

When we were kids we used to call this the Yellow Kootan (curry). Now we’re older, and yet none the wiser. So I’ll name this Potato Masala, just so that there are no doubts about its (debated) virtue ;) It's got its place in the Hall Of Fam-ish because it's extremely easy and fast to cook.

Anyways, I don’t have the patience to wax eloquent about food (why waste time when I can hog instead. Lol), so here goes nothing…

You Will Need:
2 large potatoes
1 onion sliced
5 green chillies slit lengthwise
1tsp mustard
1/2tsp Bengal gram
½ tsp urad dal
10 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida
½ tsp turmeric powder
2tsp oil
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method Of Preparation:
- Pressure cook the potatoes till done
- Cool, peel, mash and keep aside
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan
- Add the mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop add the Bengal gram and urad dal
- Stir for 10 seconds or until they turn golden brown
- Add the onions, curry leaves, green chillies and turmeric powder
- Fry till the onions become translucent
- Add the turmeric powder and stir for 10 seconds
- Now add the mashed potatoes and salt
- Mix well
- Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil
- Switch off and garnish with the coriander leaves
- Cover for 5 minutes before serving

This goes very well with Roti. And if you thicken the masala a little more you can spread it on your dosas as well… instant masala dosa ;)

Meen Curry

My idea of comfort food is Potato Chips as appetizer, followed by Meen (fish) Curry and Rice for main course and mangosteen for dessert. Weird, no? But if I have a never-ending supply of these (and unlimited books of course), I can survive on any deserted island till I die.

Err… while you’re at it, throw in those 5 people in my life as well :D

I love the way my Wallima (aunty) makes Meen Curry!
*drool*

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve called her up for the recipe. Each time, she painstaking drawls out the recipe over the phone, interrupted, of course, by my queries and dumb-ass doubts. I then make the dish and promptly misplace the piece of paper. Something I’m wont to do quite often. And the next time I want to make it, well, there’s yet another harried phone call. :D

Anyway, here’s her recipe… with some subtle changes by me to suit my palette.

You Will Need:
Salmon/ Shark (or any fish of your choice) – 1 pound
Onion – 1 big (thinly sliced)
Garlic – 4 pods (chopped fine)
Tomato – 2 (chopped)
Green chilly – 2 (slit)
Dry red chilly – 2 (broken in half)
Mustard – 1 tsp
Fenugreek – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Tamarind – 1 gooseberry sized ball
Oil – 1 1/2 tablespoons
Salt as required

Powders:
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Chilly powder – 2 tsp (or as per your taste)
Coriander powder – 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida – ½ tsp

Seasoning:
Oil – 1 tsp
Shallots – 8 chopped
Curry leaves – 6

Method Of Preparation:
- Soak the tamarind in ½ cup hot water
- Combine the powders and salt in a separate bowl with water to make a thick paste
- Heat the oil
- Add mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop, add the fenugreek and red chillies
- Stir for a few seconds
- Add the onions, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies
- Fry on medium flame till the onion turns golden brown
- Add the tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes
- Next, add the paste made with the powders
- Stir for 7 minutes or till the raw smell leaves
- Extract the juice from the tamarind and add
- Add 3 cups of water and bring to boil on a high flame
- Lower the flame to ‘medium’ and simmer for 15 minutes
- Add the fish and cook for another 15 minutes or till done
- Don’t stir once you’ve added the fish
- Once the fish is cooked take it off the flame
- Heat the oil for seasoning in another pan
- Fry the shallots and curry leaves till the onions are caramelized (make sure you don’t burn it)
- Switch off and pour it over the Meen Curry
- Cover for 5 minutes and then stir and serve

P.S. This tastes better on the second day. Just fyi.

Olan

The most precious memories of my childhood are of the days I spent with my Amamma and Ammacha (Grandma and Grandpa). They never failed to spoil me rotten with goodies and clothes… and a incredible kind of unconditional love.

Amamma was a great cook. In retrospect, I think she had magic fingers, because everything she touched translated into delectable dishes.

My favorite was her Olan.
Olan, rice and a good story would guarantee that mini-me ate in peace without throwing one of her famous tantrums :D

So here it is, a recipe for the Olan I used to (and still) love. It’s super easy, super tasty and super healthy if you avoid adding the oil at the end. Though most people make it with black-eyed peas, I prefer the plain version.


You will need:
Ash gourd – 250g thinly sliced
Green chillies – 6 to 7 slit
Salt - As required
Thick coconut milk(1st extract) - 1 cup
Thin coconut milk(2nd extract) - 1 1/2 cups
(I use tinned coconut milk. If you prefer using it too, then shake the tin well, divide the contents into two. Mix one half with 1 cup water. That will be your ‘second coconut milk’)
Curry leaves – 12 leaves
Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation Method
- Combine the ash gourd, green chillies and salt along with second extract of coconut milk in a pan, and bring to boil on medium flame
- Simmer and cook for 25 minutes
- Lightly mash the mixture with your ladle
- Add the first (thick) extract of coconut milk
- When you see it begin to boil take it off the flame
- Add curry leaves and oil and cover
- Open and stir well before serving

Chunky Butter Cookies

I love cookies! Especially home made ones. Though my weighing machine groans in silent agony each time I gobble a cookie in front of it, I cannot but give in to some devilish inner urging… every time.

Sigh!

Anyway, this is an extremely simple recipe which comes in handy when my sweet tooth’s a-calling and I’m too bored to drive to the nearest Mapco or Publix. Minimum mess, zero fuss and great taste, makes this one of my most favored ‘to go’ cookies.

You will need:
180g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
90g castor sugar
250g all purpose flour (maida)
Cashew nuts according to your taste
1tsp vanilla essence
Raw sugar for coating


Method:
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until its well blended and fluffy
- Add the nuts and vanilla essence
- Add the flour a little at a time and, using your hands, work the mixture to form a smooth dough
- Roll into small sausage shapes
- Sprinkle a thick layer of raw sugar on greaseproof paper/aluminum foil
- Press-roll each piece into the sugar to coat it
- Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
- Remove the dough from the refridgerator
- Cut into thick slices and place slightly apart on greased baking trays
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Cool and store

These easily last for 3 weeks… that is, if you don’t hog them before then.