Saucy Tales

It has been a week since I found the time to post more than a quick status on Facebook. Saturday night ended up being an impromptu party at a friend's house. Parenting 101: Having kids is a great way to expand your social circle. Initially, we were supposed to attend a Big 4-0 party. Turns out the poor man's poor wife burst a cyst. With the birthday party being cancelled, we decided to hang out with the couple who were to babysit for us. Erica had the girls, my two and her one, fix their own mini pizzas. I made some Chicken Makhani and she fixed some rice.

Chicken Makhani or Butter Chicken (Makkhan means Butter) is a fairly well-known and well-liked dish in the US and in India. As elaborate as it looks, it is fairly easy to make, albeit being a multi-step process. The chicken has to be roasted (tandoori) before it is added to the sauce and cooked further to melt in the mouth consistency. Home-made Tandoori chicken rarely has the bright orange color of the atrocity served in many restaurants. The bright orange color can be credited to food coloring instead of the subtle red of the Kashmiri or Hungarian Paprika.

I have never ever found a restaurant in the US, that makes this dish the way it is made in India. A crucial ingredient in this recipe is Kasuri Methi (Methi means Fenugreek). Kasur- a village in Pakistan- is famous for its especially fragrant Methi. The delicate green leaves are dried and used to impart a tintillating aroma to dishes such as Makhani and Methi Chicken. The Kasuri Methi available in most Indian groceries stores is your run-of-the-mill methi. However, I found a brand named "Shaan". I love their kasuri methi.

I add my own twist to the dish by using pureed almonds. I found that almonds impart an uniquely sublime flavor to the sauce. I also reduce the amount of butter (saturated fats.... eeks) and use olive oil or canola oil to grill the chicken.

Chicken Makhani

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 3 Hours including time for marinating the chicken

Cooking Time: 1-1.5 Hours including the time to Tandoor

Ingredients:

2 lbs Boneless Chicken Thighs 

Juice of one lemon

2-3 tbsp Hungarian Paprika

1 cup Greek Yogurt

2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste (Grind equal part Ginger and Garlic to a paste using minimal water)

2-3 tsp Garam Masala (I used store brought Rajwadi Garam Masala which is heavy on Cinnamon)

1 tbsp whole Garam Masala (See ingredients below)

1 tbsp Green Chillies - Chopped Fine (Optional)

13-14 FLOZ Tomato Puree (I use Organic Muir Glen Puree. The Puree is critical to a creamy, smooth sauce.)

1 Green Bell Pepper - julienned

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbsp dry roasted Kasturi Methi

1/2 cup heavy cream

10 Almonds- soaked and skinned (Optional)

1 tbsp unsalted Butter

2 tbsp Olive oil or Canola oil

1-2 tsp roasted sesame or mustard oil

Whole Garam Masala Recipe: Roast the following ingredients for 1-2 minutes on a hot pan and grind to a fine powder.

3 Star Anise

1 Inch chunk of Mace

1 Inch stick of Cinnamon

5-6 Cloves

8-10 Black Peppercorns

Preparation:

Marinate large chunks of Chicken thighs with lemon juice, salt and 1tbsp Hungarian Paprika for 1 hour. When the hour is up, add the Greek Yogurt, 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste, 1tsp Garam Masala, remaining Paprika, 1tbsp Olive/Canola oil and the Sesame/Mustard oil. Marinate for at least one hour. If you have the time, it is ideal to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Soak the almonds in 1 cup water. They will plump up in about one hour. Skin the almonds and fridge until ready for use.  

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Grill the chicken for 45 minutes or until very tender. Keep whole or cut in to pieces, as per your taste.

In a thick bottom pan, heat the remaining oil and butter. The oil will prevent the butter from burning. Mix the remaining ginger-garlic paste with the ground whole roasted garam masala. Saute in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add green chillies if you prefer a hotter sauce. Add the Tomato puree and 2-3 cups of water. Let simmer on medium heat while the chicken grills (30 minutes at least). Add the grilled chicken and simmer for further 15-20 minutes.

Roast the dry Kasuri Methi. Crush and add to chicken with the chopped Cilantro.

If adding Green Bell Pepper, add at this point. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Green Bell Pepper should maintain its crunch. Puree the almonds with the heavy cream. Turn of the heat and mix in the almond puree.

Serve hot with Rotis, Nan or rice.

Do you?

Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish...

It is a beautiful Sunday morning. Even though it is bone chilling cold outside, the sun is shining. That is more than we can hope for, this time of the year, in the northeast. Around dawn, I left my comfy bed and wandered out to the living room couch. Sometime during the night the girls had slipped in to bed with us. A queen bed can not handle two adults and two kids (who like to sleep perpendicular to each). They are not as tiny as one would think.

As I lay shivering under the threadbare Throw, in my mind I was already forming a list of the chores I needed to get done today. After cooking, cleaning, laundry and spending time with kids, I still needed to find time to complete some office work. Top of the list though was the fish thawing in the fridge since last night. If I didnt make the curry this morning, it would surely spoil. I finally woke up at 9AM. Thanks to day light savings, it was really only 8AM when I woke. Nice!!!

There is a history to the fish curry recipe I am about to share. The recipe has been in my family, handed down at least from my mom's grandmom to her daughters and who knows how far back it goes. We are from the Konkan region of India. This is the coastal area on India's western shore, starting in the state of Maharashtra and extending all the way down to Karwar in the state of Karnataka. The Arabian Sea has blessed this area with an abundance of food. Fish is plentiful. The rich red soil is excellent for growing Rice, Mangoes, Bananas, Cashews and various kinds of nature's bounty. Coconut palms line the shores. The culture is 1000s of years old. In medieval times, the area was involved in sea trade with Arab traders. The language is infused with words from Farsi and Arabic. The culture is rich, the people warm and the food delicious.

I have made a few changes to the recipe to allow for the fact that I live in Northeast Ohio, 1000s of miles from Konkan and dont always have access to all that bounty. I also have to build convenience in to my recipes. When my mom made this curry, she had a maid who did all the prep as per mom's instructions. I cant afford that luxury here, while I juggle cooking with two (demanding) toddlers. My mom had a puritanical approach to food. She would squirm to know that I use store-brought light coconut milk instead of cracking and grating and milking a fresh coconut. Well, moms not here so moving on...

This recipe remains true to the original by using Konkani staples such as Kokum and Teerphal.

Kokum is the dried skin of a sour fruit that grows abundantly through Konkan. It can be found at some Indian grocery stores but the quality is atrocious. I get mine when I visit India. They last for years without spoiling and a little goes a long way. Tamarind Pulp is a good substitute.

Teerphal is a spice that grows almost wild in the Konkan area. It is used widely in Malvani cooking (Malvan is a region of Konkan- the dialect spoken in this area is also called "Malvani"). If you can find an Indian grocer who sells this gem of a spice, let me know. I can guarantee that even most Indians, outside of Malvan, havent heard of it. It is great for killing the fishy smell of fish. Pepper corns are a good substitute for those of you who unlike me, dont have parental ties in Konkan, India.

Fish Curry

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1-1.5LB Ocean Fish such as King Mackerel (I find mine at Wholefoods).

One large Onion: diced thin

7-8 Kokum or 1 tbsp Tamarind pulp

1 tsp Teerphal (Optional)

1 tsp Chili Powder

2-3 Red Chillies (Optional if you dont like a hot curry)

1 tbsp Dry Coriander Seeds or 1-2 tsp Coriander Powder (Ask for "Dhania seeds" at your Indian grocers.)

5-6 tsp Pepper Corns

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric

1-1.5 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Canola Oil

13.5 FLOZ Lite Coconut Milk or Fresh Squeezed Coconut Milk (Good luck with that!)

 

I use King Mackerel for this recipe. You can use almost any fish or even shrimp. The less stinkier the fish, the fewer the number of peppercorns needed. When I make this curry with shrimp, I may add 2-3 peppercorns per pound.

 

 

Heat up the oil and add the Onions, reserving about 1tbsp of onion for later use. Let soften for 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not burn. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Add the fish, kokum (or Tamarind Pulp) and Teerphal (If available. If adding only Pepper Corns, do not add in this step). Add 1/4 cup water and cover to cook. At this step, you should not smell the fish but rather the aroma of the Teerphal spice.

 

 

In the meanwhile, start prepping the coconut milk and spices.

Roast the red chillies, dry coriander seeds and pepper corns for few minutes on a hot pan.

Grind to a paste with the reserved Onions.

When the fish has cooked through (takes about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of the filets), add the ground paste, chilli powder and coconut milk to the pan. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Coconut milk tends to separate in to whey and solids if heated for too long on high heat. For a smooth creamy curry, the consistency of the coconut milk must be maintained.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

 

Foodgasms, Razors and Cracked Eggs...

Saturday is never a lazy affair, at least not for me. I am usually awake by 7AM at the latest. Today however, I allowed myself the luxury of getting an extra hour of shut-eye. Saturday mornings are reserved for leisurely strolls through Wholefoods for the weeks groceries. In that store, I am rarely ever in a rush. There is something distinctly refreshing about strolling through mounds of fresh organic and/or locally sourced fruits and veggies. I let my mind wander as I stare mouth-agape at the silvery King Mackerels, plump shrimp and little-neck clams. Someday I fear, I will be offered a mop to clean-up the drool I leave on the freshly-scrubbed floors while dreaming about what I could do with that raw, stout, almost pulsating-with-life, lamb shank... Suffice it to say I experience multiple "Foodgasms" in that store!

The Parenting 101 lesson for today was that nothing you believe to be yours is truly yours, until your kids leave the nest. I thought it was safe to leave my razor in MY bathroom by MY bathtub. Well, it so happens that Samaira decided it was great idea to try it out on her face. This is AFTER, me having explained to her and her sister, over and over again, how dangerous a razor can be. Luckily hubby was around and took it away from her in the nick of time. She did end up nicking her lip a bit. It was pretty bloody by the time I rushed in to bathroom with a pinch of turmeric in my hand. Yes, I said TURMERIC, as in the yellow spice used in Indian cooking. Its an age-old trick. Turmeric is an antiseptic and coagulant. It is great on small nicks and cuts.

I was all set on making Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) for dinner, but decided to use up the dozen or so organic brown eggs that were closing in on their "use by" date. Dinner today was egg curry. It is such a simple yet versatile dish. You can make the curry ahead of time and freeze for later use. Just add some boiled eggs. For a twist on the taste, you can add curry leaves and coconut milk. Just increase the amount of chili powder and garam masala by a tsp each (more if you like you curry hotter).

Egg curry is an universal favorite in our house. The dogs go starry eyed too, waiting for that special treat they know is coming their way, when they hear me crack hard-boiled eggs.. I always boil extra eggs when I make this curry, just for Yohan and Zaara.

Egg Curry

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

9-10 hard-boiled eggs- Shelled and diced

One large Onion: diced thin

2 large Tomatoes: diced

1/2 cup frozen Peas (optional)

1tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2 tbsps Cilantro: chopped

1tsp Mint: chopped (optional)

2 Bay Leaves

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

2-3 tsp Garam Masala Powder

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Canola Oil

3-4 Curry Leaves (optional)- also known as Kadipatta. Find it at your neighborhood Indian or Pakistani grocers.

1/2 cup Coconut Milk (optional)

Heat up the oil. Add the Curry Leaves/Bay Leaves when the oil is hot enough. Do not let burn. Add the diced onion and saute until softened (about 5 minutes on medium heat).

When the onions start to brown, add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir for a minute and add the diced tomatoes. Cover and cook until tomatoes start to soften. Then add the chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, cumin powder and salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes start sweating. If you want a smoother gravy, puree the onion and tomato mix (bay leaved and all) in a processor. I love my Magic Bullet for such activities. It is quick and easy to use and clean.

Note: If you plan to make the gravy ahead of time for future use, STOP HERE. Freeze the gravy. It should last in the freezer for about 2-3 weeks. When you are ready to serve, thaw, add eggs and cilantro and simmer for a few minutes on medium heat before serving.

Pour the blended mix back in to the pot. Add the peas. Cover and simmer until peas are tender. In the meanwhile, shell and chop the hard boiled eggs.

Add the chopped eggs to the pot along with half of the cilantro.

Cover and let simmer couple minutes.

Note: If you would like to add coconut milk, add at this stage. Simmer for 7-10 minutes on medium heat to allow the spices to blend with the coconut milk. For the quantity mentioned in this recipe, you would need about 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Take off heat, garnish with the cilantro and mint and serve with Roti or Rice. You can also squeeze half a lemon on top for an extra zing. 

Parenting 101:You can hope for the best, but hope is a fickle friend.

8:05AM

Two sick kids are no fun, especially if one of them keeps ranting that you "hurt her feelings" for asking her to rest. Samaira woke up this morning with the same complaints that Soha had on Tuesday night; burning eyes and a headache. This time, I knew the diagnosis. I gave her some Motrin and told her to stay in bed. Deep breathes. This too shall pass!

I logged in to the blog this morning to find I have two followers. Before I can say YIPEE, its (only) Hubby and Sis. I deeply value your opinion guys but this does not protect you from any digs I may want to take at you.

Back to the day job.

Dinner is served...

7:35PM

It was 11:30AM by the time we were done with Soha's doctor visit. I was hungry enough to eat a whole cow (although I would never eat a cow. I am a Hindu. My mom would do jumping jacks in heaven with sheer frustration if I ever sink my teeth in to a juicy steak. God bless her soul. I love her and miss her everyday but I DO NOT want her haunting me.). We went to one of my favorite places, "PF Changs". I came out feeling less than satisfied. Is Sichuan (or is it Szechuan) Shrimp supposed to taste sweet? I dont know. I do know that my taste buds were yearning for "heat" after that meal.

Dinner in this household is almost always an impromptu affair. I have tried meal planning before without much success. I hate schedules way too much. I find them boring. Where's the fun in knowing you need 2 onions and 3 tomatoes for lunch tomorrow? I like the challenge of tweaking recipes. There is a different sort of exhilaration in pulling Tuna from the freezer only to find out that we used up all our Cilantro for the Chicken I made on Monday (Yum!!! Tongue Tingling Memories!!!) and still going ahead with Tuna Stir-Fry. It kinda makes me feel like George Constanza's dad, "If I spice it just enough... " . But I can assure you the outcome is far tastier than anything Frank Costanza may have ever cooked and certainly not poisonous.

I did learn a few things from blogging this recipe. I am not a good food photographer and I must buy better serving ware if I am to keep updating this blog.

Tuna Stir Fry

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 large Tuna Steaks cubed in 1 inch pieces OR a large family pack of water-packed Tuna
1 medium onion: Diced as thin as possible
2 cups chopped tomatoes (I use Roma or Vine Ripened Tomatoes because they both make a mean sauce)
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste (equal quantities of ginger and garlic ground to a fine paste. I usually make a cup every weekend to use throughout the week. It keeps in the freeze for upto 2 weeks in an air tight container.)
1/4tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili Powder or 1-2 Green Chili (chopped fine)
1tsp Garam Masala Powder (Mine is a family recipe but store brought kind works just as well. Ofcourse different types of Garam Masala can alter the taste based on the dominant spice)
Oil Spray or 1tbsp Olive or Canola Oil
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cilantro for garnish

Marinate the cubed Tuna with about 1tsp of the Ginger Garlic paste.Water-Packed Tuna does not need marinating.

In the meanwhile, heat up a thick bottomed pot. Add the oil. When the oil is hot enough add the diced onion (to test the temperature add a bit of onion. It should sizzle but not burn). If you add the onions when the oil is not hot enough, the dish will have an oily after taste. Saute the onions for 5-6 minutes on medium heat until softened, but not browned (and certainly not burnt). If adding Green Chillies instead of red Chili Powder, add them now. Add the rest of the Ginger Garlic paste.

Saute for a minute and add the diced tomatoes, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Cover the pot. Cook for aout 10 minutes. Tomatoes should have completely cooked with a bit of moisture starting to separate from the onion-tomato mix.

Add the Tuna. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with Cilantro.

Since I did not have Cilantro today, I sprinkled some dry Parsley flakes for the effect. I used Olive oil but you can trim the fat by using oil spray. Just make sure you dont burn the onions while frying. My mom use to make this dish with an ocean fish called Pomfret. Instead of tomatoes, she would use a fruit called Kokam as a sour. More on that later.

You can serve with Rice or Roti or Nan. I use the leftovers to make a sandwich with regular sourdough. Today I served it with Rice and Yellow Split Moong Dal.

One sick child and Tuna fish stir-fry

Soha came back home yesterday from school complaining about a headache and burning eyes. I should have known at the time that I would be eating Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake (YUM!!!) at 10PM that night to mourn another nights sleep lost on the altar of parenthood. The poor child was burning up by 8PM and coughing away like a cat with a hairball. 1tsp of Tylenol later she seemed to settle down a bit.

I guess all sorts of viruses must come out to party at night, because by mid-night she was burning up again. 102.5 is not a good number when it flashes up on a children's thermometer. Hubby and I took turns sleeping with her on the sofa outside because Samaira- her twin sister- had laid claim to the sprawling master bedroom bed. She wanted in on the "excitement" even displaying a pretend cough to get a taste of grape flavored Tylenol. We had to keep them separated. Parenting 101: Handling two sick children at the same time is no fun, having experienced it before.

It was a rushed call to the Peds office today morning for a same day appointment. The lovely doctor was exceptionally good with my apprehensive daughter (The stinging memory of the chicken pox vaccine she received only a few weeks ago, is still fresh in Soha's mind). I hesitatingly told the doctor that I had given Soha a teaspoon of honey to soothe her throat. I have been burned before when medical professionals have given me the stink eye for using home remedies. Delightfully, the doctor shared with us that honey, specifically Buckewheat Honey has been proven to be at least as much, if not more effective than your off-the-counter cold and cough medication. My ancestors have known that for generations. I am glad, modern medicine agrees.

Turns out it may be only a cold... No pneumonia and certainly no strep throat. She got to spend the day at home with me. I took the day off and she and I slept the afternoon away. Come 5PM, dinner duty calls. We are making Tuna Fish Stir Fry, Split Moong Bean Dal and plain rice. Easy to make and the Moong Bean Dal will be a hearty yet light to digest option for Soha. Will post recipes and pictures shortly.