Food pursuit - 1

Thanks to Anuja, we found a new way to spend time with friends, constructively and differently :)

Starting 2011, the four of us; Rohan Abhi, Anuja and I have begun our food pursuit!

Every month we will get together to create sensational food together and explore the various cuisines on this planet.

Jan began with Thai food with an element of Chinese twist.

Starters -

Conquering the TOP HATS of Mallaka Spice our style

SERVES 4

1. Minced chicken breast- 500/550gm

2. Chicken stock - 250ml

3. Spring onion [onions and greens] - 1 bunch

4. Garlic cloves - 5-6

5. Green chilly sauce - 1 tsp

6. Soy sauce - 1 1/2 tbs

7. Fried egg noodles - 50gm

8. Bean sprout - 1 large cup

9. Ice berg lettuce - 1 medium

10. Thai rice sheets - 10 nos

11. Salt and pepper to taste

Method -

Simmer the chicken stock and add the spring onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 min.

Add minced chicken to the pan and let it simmer and cook for about 10 min.

Add chilly sauce & salt and pepper. Cook on high once the chicken in tender to evaporate the excess stock.

Lastly add soy sauce.

Ladle into a bowl and add the fried noodles.

This dish has to be made as you eat - Like a desi pani poori.

On a lettuce leaf, place bean sprout and the chicken mixture. Add light soy sauce and/or Thai sweet chilly sauce if you wish to flavour it more and put the whole in your mouth.

The same process to be done with rice sheets.

Crunchy, healthy and scrumptious.

Mains - Thai green curry & brown rice

1. Yellow capsicum - 1

2. Red capsicum - 1

3. Green zucchini - 1 small

4. Yellow zucchini - 1 small

5. Onion - 3 small

6. Chicken breasts diced - 300/350gms

7. Thai green curry paste - 3 tsp

8. Coconut milk - 600ml

9. Basil leaves - 8-10

10. Kaffir leaves/lime leaves - 3

11. Salt to taste

12. Fish sauce [optional] - 1tbs

Method -

Saute onions till golden and the add green curry paste.

Add chicken and all other vegetables and stir.

Once the chicken is slightly cooked, add basil leaves, lime leaves and coconut milk.

Simmer and let it cook.

Add salt to taste and fish sauce.

Once cooked, top with shredded basil leaves.

Dessert -

Chocolate spring roll

1. Dark chocolate grated - 200gm

2. Almonds, roasted and chopped - 8-10

3. Spring roll sheets - 4-5

4. Oil to deep fry

5. Honey to glaze

6. Vanilla ice cream - 4 scoops

Method -

Mix almonds and chocolate in a bowl.

Place and roll spring roll sheets.

Deep fry the sheets and glaze with honey.

Slurp it with ice cream topped with chocolate shavings!!

Perfect end to an awesome evening.

Super easy pizza

Sitting at home one evening, I suddenly had a urge to eat pizza. Went shopping, bought most of the produce required for the procedure. All that I had to do was, to assemble the toppings and toss the pizza into the oven.

Go to a store and pick -

1. Pizza base [8 or 10 inches]

2. 100-150gms diced chicken

3. Mozzarella cheese

4. Chicken sausages - 4-5 pieces [simple cocktail sausages]

5. Onion and capsicum - 1 each

Right from home -

Tomato ketchup, collected packets of chilly flakes [1 packet] and oregano [2 packets] :) salt, pepper, olive oil, soya sauce [1 tbs] and 1 tsp cornflour.

Marinate the chicken and the veggies in a bowl with salt, chilly flakes, oregano, pepper, soya sauce, olive oil and cornflour. Leave aside for 10 min.

Add this into a pan and cook for about 5 min, till the chicken in cooked 70%

Fry up the sausages and leave aside

Get a pizza base ready with ketchup, drop in the chicken and then cover it with a thick blanket of cheese. Lastly add sausages like a cherry on top.

Toss into a preheated oven [250 degrees C] for 8 minutes.

Savor the pizza with a tall glass of lime soda!! Aaha!

Anjali's Nankhatai

The most significant part of our trip to Delhi was our visit to Abhijeet & Anjali's place; our very dear friends.

Whats more significant is the distinct taste of Anjali's nakhatais that still linger in our lips.

Heres her master recipe -

This makes about 40 small size biscuits and they are the zhat pat type.

You will need -

Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup

Gram flour/besan - 1/2 cup

Liquified ghee - 1 cup

Sugar [whole/granulate] - 1 cup

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

Cardamom - 1 tsp

Almonds chopped - optional

*My small addition - 1/2 tsp salt

Push it in the microwave oven-

Mix all the ingredients. Always remember to sift flours/powders.

Divide the dough into small portions using measuring spoon of 1tbs. [I had place small pieces of cut almonds on the biscuits before baking. The biscuits had a nice crunchy almond topping. remember to make a well in your dough if you decide to add toppings]

Place on a greased and dusted microwave tray and set the temperature to 200 degrees.

Yummy nankhatais will be ready in about 4 minutes.

Thanks a ton Anjali. Our neighbours enjoyed the Nankhatais.

Please do add your other topping and mixing tips to this recipe through the comment box.

Hide & seek the dessert

Fine, if you think the sinful cake is too much work, then for the kitchen lazy people, heres a super easy recipe with absolutely zilch effort. Well, no exactly zilch!!

Make your regular open the pack, pour milk and stir custard. Leave it to cool and make sure it is slightly cool. Not cold.

Buy a pack or two of Hide N Seek biscuits.

Thats it!!

Take a square glass bowl and pour in the custard. The layer the biscuit. Continue this till the last layer is custard.

Place it in freezer till its JUST frozen. Mind you freezing it like ice cream ruins the taste [my experience :)]

Grate some chocolate OR add chocolate chips OR simply sprinkle cocoa powder.

Nigella inspires me with this deadly chocolate truffle

Am a huge fan of Nigella Lawson, well, who isn't :) For all reasons under the sun, she is most admired and adored.

At one potluck dinner, I went all the way and made Nigella's chocolate truffle desi style and it was just as good. Ofcourse, it had to be! Anything with chocolate and whipped cream better be sinfully tasty.

Its a little tedious and you might have a lot of cleaning up to do after its ready, but its worth all the trouble you take.

This truffle is working woman friendly you can even choose to just assemble everything and serve it up.

Be ready with -

1. 2 small chocolate sponge cakes [buy it or bake it]

2. Small carton of Cranberry juice

3. Blue berry jam or strawberry jam [as desi as I might get, I would avoid the Kissan jams as they don't have the fruit portions] So you can use Mapro or any kind of preserve

4. Whipped cream - 4-5 small cartons [each is about 200ml]

5. Fresh strawberries - 250gms & pitted cherries 10-15

6. Chocolate bar [sweet or bitter]

7. Custard of thick consistency [home made from scratch with eggs or the packed powder kind]

8. Chopped walnuts - 12-15

Time to assemble -

You will need a HUGE, WIDE bowl.

Slice the sponge cake into 4 layers to give you thin circular pieces.

Layer half of this on your wide dessert bowl.

After layering, pour in the cranberry juice.

Now layer the remaining cake pieces and spread the strawberry or blueberry preserve

After doing this, pour in a layer custard.

After the custard, line the bowl with fresh strawberries and some pitted cherries and the walnuts.

Finally smother the cake with whipped cream and grate the chocolate bar generously.

Place the bowl in the fridge. Its best when all the layers set in and are seen when you carry the dessert bowl to your friends.

Since this is a sinful cake, I believe, one must commit the whole sin and go that extra mile in loading it with calories :)

My friends and the fruit punch

I have really really solid memories of ordering Fruit Punch everytime I went to a restaurant and wanting to have it at home

As time passed by, I learnt to cook and more importantly, I developed a new ability; the ability to taste and tell!! The first thing I decided to make then was my favourite drink, the FRUIT PUNCH.

Its very simple and I guarantee it will be a hit at your parties and the ones with little kids, it will be rocking!

This makes about 4 -5 glasses

You need -

Mango - 1 [if & when available available]

Mixed fruit juice - 1 carton of Tropicana

[IF YOU WISH TO GO ALL THE WAY - You can bend in your own juices if you like - orange, sweet lime, pomegranate, watermelon, apple, pineapple in equal proportions]

Vanilla ice cream - 3 scoops

Strawberry crush - 4 tablespoons

Blend them all together in and serve cold

Once started making it at home, all our friends who don't drink alcohol, always demand for the ever favourite fruit punch.

Cheers!!

Simple white kidney beans with mushroom

Now, most of us Maharashtrians must be tired of chawli/white kidney beans usal, Tam Brams must be tried of the usual karamani sambar or sundal. I thought of trying out something new with Chawli that you can carry in your lunch box on any ordinary day.

You will need -

Soak and steamed chawli - 1 1/2 cup

Diced onion - 2 small

150gm mushrooms cleaned and chopped

Cinnamon - 2 inch stick

Pepper and salt to taste

Soak one cup of chawli/karamani/white eyed beans overnight.

Pressure cook it the till they soften.

In a pan, add some oil and cinnamon. Then add the onions. Add half a teaspoon sugar.

Let the onions turn transparent.

You can now add the mushrooms and saute till they are just about soft. You can shut the pan and let it cook for about a couple of minutes.

Finally add the chawli and salt and pepper to taste. Add a little water depending on how dry or gravy like you like your roti accompaniment.

Simple and tastes really good with hot rotis with ghee on top or with cold rotis in your dabba.