The world of Chaats!

Who doesn't love chaat? Definitely not on my health food items..but then I have very few in that list :) I love fried food of any kind..so Chaat definitely ranks high in my list of favorites. Just recently, I was chatting with my BFF, and she mentioned about aloo tikkis...Yumm!! I got inspired and tried to make it myself.The first tikki I ever made was in school during 9th standard. I still remember it was for some assignment in SUPW or some class like that. The teachers basically got bored of the cafeteria vadas..so they just divided us into groups and asked each group to make some dish and feed the entire staff...and we were graded for that. We were so enthustiastic since this was an opportunity to cook, experiment and have fun without much parental interference :). My team made aloo tikkis and tamarind sauce...Which I think deserved to win. Of course, we were not fortunate enough to have the class teacher's daughter in our team. Her team made gulab jamuns out of readymade mix and still won...how rude is that?? :D

Well, back to aloo tikkis...It is a very simple but yummy chaat item.There seems to be 2 or 3 versions of it. There is one that has a coating of besan and deep fried, There is one version in which urad dal along with some spices is stuffed onto potatoes and shallow fried. The one I tried out is by just mixing a bunch of ingredients and pan frying them. I shall try out the other versions and let you guys know which one turned out to be less time consuming and tastier!

Sweet and Spicy Tamarind chutney

I am going to totally cut down on my yapping and straight away go to this mouth watering recipe. I simply love it...its easy to make and very very yummy!! you will love it too!!

Ingredients:

1) Tamarind                     - golf ball sized
2) Red Chilli powder       - 1 to 2 tsp (according to your spice level)
3) Sugar                          - 4 tbsp (according to taste)
4) Salt                             - a pinch
5) Asafoetida/Hing          - a pinch
6) Turmeric powder        - a pinch
6) Chaat masala powder - 1 tbsp
7) Red chili flakes           - half  tsp (optional)
8) Coriander powder      - half tsp
9) Freshly grated ginger  - 1 tsp
10) Water                      - 2 cups, to make the tamarind pulp

Method:

1) Microwave the water for 2 mins (or just boil it in stove) and pour it in a bowl with tamarind in it. Allow this to cool down and extract the tamarind pulp. Strain this to remove wastage. Easier way is to use the ready-made tamarind pulp. You can use 3 tbsp of the pulp to dilute in the hot water.Although I do not prefer the taste of ready-made tamarind pulp.

2) To the tamarind water add rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3) If you are using a microwave, partially cover the bowl and cook it for 10 mins. Stir the contents every 2 mins. Or you can just boil this mixture on stove stirring occasionally. Boil this till the liquid reduces to half the quantity and thickens.

4) You can sprinkle chopped Coriander leaves to garnish (this is optional).

This yummy chutney can be stored and used for a week..Love it with any kind of chaats!

Note:

1) The quantity of ingredients can be varied according to your taste. before micorwaving, just taste it once and adjust accordingly.

2) You can try out different ingredients to sweeten this chutney.one option is sugar, alternatively you can use powdered jaggrey or brown sugar or even try out maple syrup!

 3) There is another version of the chutney where you can microvave a lil sugar and seedless dates for about 5 mins, grind this and add it to the  chutney instead of just sugar. This way the chutney gets a thicker consistency. If you are lazybones like me, then use dates syrup!! :))



 

Palak Paratha, my first success at Parathas :)

I always used to wonder what is so great about continental breakfast, Why is it so popular in this part of the world...after all it is mostly just some kinda toast,jams,coffee or juice. I got my answers when I got married and had the full responsibility of a kitchen. Ah! good old bachelorhood..when you just need to wake up to the delicious aroma from kitchen, you even get to complain about mom's choice of breakfast and get away with it :)..Once I got married I started appreciating the easiness of continental breakfast..it is quick and not much effort..


Sigh! Good old days don't last forever!! Any-ways, recently I got up to a beautiful sunny day and toast was the last thing in my mind. I had this craving for something more substantial and something very Indian. Dosa and Idli batters take forever to make..so I came across this simple yet yummy recipe for a perfect breakfast solution. Parathas..not too much effort..and 1 or 2 parathas fills my tummy and keeps me going for hours! I was not too good at making parathas, but this is a simple recipe..and I can safely claim healthy too :D It took me just under half hour to make them. It is somewhat similar to the Methi paratha recipe I posted few days back. It might look the same, but palak and methi definitely have very distinct taste. Why dont you guys try out both and determine it yourself!

Palak (Spinach) Paratha

Ingredients:

1) Palak                               - 1 cup roughly chopped
2) Wheat flour                     - 2 cups
3) Rice flour                        - 2 tbsp
4) Cumin seeds                    - 1 tsp
5) Corriander powder         - 1 tsp
6) Red chili powder             - 1 to 2 tsp (accordingto your spice level)
7) Salt to taste
8) Ghee/melted butter/oil    - 2 tbsp
9) Water to make the dough
10) Ghee/melted butter/oil  - to spread over the paratha

Method:

1) Dry roast the Cumin seeds and roughly crush them using a rolling pin. Alternatively you can use Cumin powder if you have that.

2) Mix all the ingredients from 1 thru 8 (including the roasted cumin powder). You can chose between ghee, oil or melted butter. I prefer using ghee because of the flavour.

3) Sprinkle some water and knead the mixture into a soft dough, until the dough doesn't stick to your fingers.

4) Cover this with a moist cotton cloth and set aside for 10 to 15 mins.

5) Similar to how we make chapathis, just divide the dough into golf ball sized portions and roll them to make them smooth.

6) Dip the ball in some wheat flour and roll them into a thick circle. The Parathas are generally thicker than chapathis.

7) Heat a griddle, and when it is hot enough put a rolled out Paratha and let is cook for a min or till you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the Paratha.

8) Flip the Paratha and spread some melted butter/ghee/oil on the surface. flip again in a min and apply some ghee to this side as well.

9) Remove from heat  when both sides are golden brown.

Rolled out parathas

Cooked paratha with ghee

Store them wrapped up in a moist cloth and place it a hot pack to keep it fresh until you serve. Serve it warm with some thick curd and pickles. I have seen some people enjoy it with a dollop of salted butter...but even to a grease addict like me..lotza butter first thing in the morning is a big NO NO..but you are free to enjoy it however you like it.. :)
 

Palak paratha with cauliflower fry and lauki subji

My love for the love apples (Tomatoes)

I just love tomatoes in any form, cooked,uncooked,sliced,pured etc.. sometimes I just eat it raw with a pinch of salt..They are yummy!! I feel that there is nothing yummier than a glass of ice cold tomato juice on a hot sweaty day...

Of course the obsession with tomatoes ends with me in my family. My hubby makes it a point to dislike anything I love! I have to turn the house upside down to make him eat my tomato dishes..How sad for me...It might be because of the tiny mistake I made while I made tomato juice for him long long ago...I accidentally put tonnes of salt instead of just a pinch...and then insisted him to drink it up till I realized my mistake....I guess this was the second nightmare I gave him. :D
The only way I get him to eat tomatoes is in this pachadi format..Its spicy and tasty..hope you guys like it as much as I do..

Methi (Fenugreek) Parathas,my attempt at healthy cooking!!

My quest for making healthy food is ongoing. I always find out different health food recipes, try to add my own twist to it, and the end product is a far cry from healthy. I guess I should find a way to break away from my butter/ghee addiction...tough one,especially since the more grease you add, the tastier the food becomes! Well, there was one time when I used to run in the opposite direction when any of the greens are mentioned in the lunch or dinner menu. These days I seem to have matured enough to eat any vegetable. I remember my mom used to break her head to make something that the entire family would eat. we used to make her life hell by being very picky about food. The moment I started cooking on my own, I realized how hard it is to think up of a simple menu for lunch.

Back to parathas...My prior experience with parathas were not so good. I was not good with stuffing the dough and rolling it out and my work space used to be such a disaster. Just recently I found out that you need not really stuff the ingredients to make a tasty paratha..phew! such a relief!! This is a different way of including greens into ones palate, boiling them is not the lone option. Below is a tried and tested way of making decent parathas..you might question the health factor after reading about the ghee/butter I have used..but you are free to alter the amount according to your taste.

RASSHX's kitchen magic strikes again!!!

So you people challenged me for a test and I'm sorry that i've accepted the challenge
Today I'm introducing a recipe that is so easy to make and eat with almost everything,
Egg Peera
        Peera is a traditional dish of kerala available in various forms like fish peera etc.Its a very spicy delicious dish.I'll explain how to make it.Try it and avoid nightmares.And also thank me for sharing my patent recipe.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my dears and well wishers.Here I come to solve all your cooking issues.

"Cooking is one of the oldest arts and one which has rendered us the most important service in civic life."

These are not my words,Some legends told this words,Anyway I'm going to help you out with a lot veg and non-veg recipes.

The mystery behind Paniyarams..

Paniyaram is a Chettinad delicacy. Being born in a pakka brahmin family, I have never had a chance to taste it, and my mom had no idea how to make it (she would disagree on that point :D)...Let me tell you how I came about trying out Paniyarams. The first thing that struck me after seeing the movie Roja, was not about how great Arvind swami looked or how cool Madhubala's acting was...it was not even about the violence in Kashmir...As I left the movie theatre I was left with a craving for paniyarams :) yup...Sorry Mani Ratnam...it was the paniyaram dialogue that impressed me and not Arvind swami rolling on a burning flag :D

Much much later when I went to a restaurant with my college friends, I had the grand opportunity to try out various paniyarams...well the first time I ever tasted a masala paniyaram, it was such an anti-climax. The expectations were sky high...as it turned out,a masala paniyaram tastes exactly like an uthappam...even if you take the ingredients into account they are just miniature uthappams in attractive shape...and the Paal paniyaarams taste a lot like sweet aapams... But over the time, after infinite number of trips to restaurants around chennai, I can say paniyarams have grown onto me, I seem to have a soft corner for this simple yet attractive golden delicacy :).

Unniappam chatti

Small kadai

Bharat Matha Ki Jai!

Hello and welcome to good ole co-author-of-this-blog Jishnu's first post...some of you seem to doubt my abilities to make any significant contribution..and by hell, you're right..my sis already wrote about tea...which leaves me with omelette,bulls-eye and bread-butter-jam :D And so ive decided that theres no real need to write about something you already know of. ( Honestly..just take a look at the topics so far..chappatti..tea..hubby nightmares? ) Im gonna let you in on some of the lesser known facts of Trivandrum cuisine..you may not have guessed, but im talking about Indian Coffee House!
*Drum Roll* *Crash* *Wild applause* *Good ole Jishnu bows to the crowd* *Thank You!*


Now to start things off..Indian Coffee House? You serious Jishnu? You really believe Indian Coffee House is the pinnacle of Trivandrum cuisine? My oh my..you better get your taste buds tested..cos you believe beetroot curry stuffed into every known food to man is the absolute pinnacle of Trivandrum cuisine..!
Guys..heres how things really are...the process of eating is not merely aimed at powering-up your system..its a holistic and spiritual experience...and i tell you now..Indian Coffee House is THE place to go with your friend if you wanna relax and communicate...spending not more than 30 bucks..30 Indian rupees..picture that if you will, my dear NRI cousins :) Hardly one dollar..

Now heres what I like about Indian Coffee House..
1) Cold Coffee
Indian Coffee House has a special preparation of cold coffee..a very fluid form..packed with three times the normal quantity of caffeine...Im not kidding..but im actually scared to have more than one glass of cold coffee..cos I know I wont be able to sleep a wink that night..and one glass can be downed in one gulp..so it takes a hell of an effort not to have another..

Struggles with Atta - pursuing the perfect Chappathi

Note: I use the names 'Roti' and 'Chappathi' interchangeably in this post, referring to what is called 'Indian flatbread', shown below:

My struggles with Atta (whole wheat flour) started in my early twenties when I started living with four other girls in our rented apartment in Chennai. Those were the initial days, when the perseverance for the perfectly round roti was very high. Until then, all the experience that I had with atta was after it was in round shaped flat form. My area of expertise in my mother's kitchen was to take care of it after it was put on the heated tawa. The steps up till then were taken care of by her.

In the company of girls cooking together for a night's meal, I started learning the intricacies of mixing the atta with water and working on it until the right consistency of dough was reached. We each had our roles in the process, and mine quickly became the one of the dough maker and while I pumped and coaxed the atta into submission, work would progress simultaneously on cooking the sabji to go with the roti. Meanwhile hands were ready and waiting to take the dough and roll into the flattened and perfect round form.

My first dish that gave my hubby nightmares!!

Why is it so hard for me to just write up something I am very familiar with? I cook all the time..Of late it has kind of become an obsession...Do I cook well?Hmm...that you have to ask my hubby...'coz if you ask me..there's going to be just one answer.."am an amazing cook" :D

I always loved cooking or at least the idea of cooking..for sometime I even fancied about becoming a 5 star chef...like all dreams..that never happened...my life was just predictable...I joined an engineering college and later got into one of the software companies...Like most of you know once you get into a job..there is very little time for any kind of hobby..or at least that's my excuse for not pursuing anything else other than couch potato-ing :D

I remember the first time I cooked anything outside my mommyz kitchen, it was for my hubby. Like I have been telling you guys about my awesome cooking, I had led on my hubby to believe that I was just too good at kitchen...He had been out of India for more than a year and so he was expecting me to create magic in
his kitchen...Since I knew he was a novice...I was just behaving like a pompous rat! (can't use any other words here I guess..G rated blogs :D) Anyways, I gave him the impression that I had a second job as a big shot chef..made him gather ingredients for me..clean up vessels...etc etc..The poor chap did everything to make me comfortable in the kitchen in the hopes of getting a decent meal after a longtime...

Tea-time

Happy new year to everyone reading this! Its 11:30 am on New year morning, I've just had my cuppa tea and  slice of toast with honey. I was trying to think of something to write here today, and then I thought why not start from my cup of tea. Well, you might be thinking, "tea!!?" Hm,yes.. I love my tea and I can have it anytime. Tea is more than just a beverage, it is a comfort.Besides which, being from Kerala which is famous for it's tea stalls, I consider myself equipped to ramble about it.

I know it will be presumptive of me to try to explain how to make tea. But there are so many nuances in it,that as a tea lover, I feel I should elaborate on.