Come on Over...

If you follow me on FB, you will know by now that I love to  play house. I am a home maker by choice and the only thing I want to do all day long, apart from cooking, is doing up my castle...umm, apartment. It is my joy and my pride. I know this is a food blog but you really cannot stop me from blogging about whatever I choose to. So it appears, you will have to grin and bear with me while I sing praises of my home. And share pictures of some corners. I keep arranging and rearranging stuff around and then taking pictures and then letting them lose on the world through fb. Thankfuly I have like minded friends who dutifuly cheer me on and let me believe that I am a rock star!

I have no fixed taste in interiors. However, I do have an inclination for all things ethnic. I'm afraid, sparse, clean lines, uncluttered, contemporary does not do it for me. In my house, 'too much' does not exist. Nor is 'more' ever enough for me. I like it all, bright, colourful, lush and bold. I dont like bling though, ewwww! Anyhow, as we get to meet more often, I would love to welcome you in to my house and enjoy it as much as I do. It is still a work in progress because it took some time for me to figure out the look I wanted. I also keep changing my mind, so I am never quite content with the way things look around here. Here are a few pictures to begin with...enjoy!

Stone ware, bowls from Africa.

A wooden music man, from Rajasthan, India but bought in Dubai! :) The wooden stamping blocks too from here.

                A Moroccan tea pot, I love it.

A corner in the entryway...lit up to welcome you in!

Bihari Boti Kadai- a rustic, fiery gateway to bliss...

My husband loves my cooking but has one significant gripe. I am never consistent in rustling up the same-tasting dish over and over, especially if he has liked a particular curry a lot. He says he can guarantee, I wont be able to come up with the same stuff again. Whis is true! I cook everyday, but in all these years of our marriage and being a family, I am quite surprised to recall that, indeed, I not only hardly repeat recipes, I also go on a different tangent even when I am supposed to stick to it... do any of you have that 'problem' too? Strange! Good thing then that I am writing some of the favourites here. Today I am sharing a rather easy lamb recipe. Bihari Boti Kadai- lamb or beef chunks cooked in a spicy blend. No onions-no chopping required. Which is always a bonus.

I dont really know for sure if this dish is from the state of Bihar, India. I simply, know it as Bihari Kadai and have been making it since forever. Boti ofcourse, refers to the largish chunks of meat with bone in. Kadai- as a dish refers to any 'gravy-curry' made in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent/Pakistan. The gravy could be thin and runny or even a thick masala flavoured one, to be eaten with breads. Bihari Boti kadai is quite spicy, so adjust the chillies according to your preferance and you wil be good.

Here's what you will need.

Lamb/Mutton/Beef  : 1 kg, I usually take shoulder cuts of a baby goat.
Ginger-Garlic paste : 1 tbsp heaped along with paste made of 5-8 (reduce if you want)- I simply ground them all together.

*You may even take boneless chunks of meat of your choice.

For the Bihari Masala, spices to dry roast and grind to a coarse powder:

Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp
Corriander seeds: 1.5 tbsp
Pepper corns      : 1 tsp
Gram flour (besan) - 1tbsp (optional)
Dry roast the spices and gram flour on a gentle heat. Cool and girnd.

Salt to taste.
About 5-6 tbsp of oil (reduce if you aren't big on cooking with lots of oil)
A fresh lemon to squueze over in the end and a few ginger jullienes to garnish (optional).

Marinate the meat in the ginger-garlic-chilli paste along with the spices you powder. If you have time, as always I recommend a marination of at least 4 hours or more, even over night. However, if you dont have time, worry not, just marinate and mix, and begin to cook! I did too this time because I had surprise visitors. And I served this for breakfast actually with parathas and a big cup of masala chai. Heaven!

Heat the oil in a 'kadai'-  Add the marinated meat and cook(really that simple) initially on high heat for a couple of minutes then reduce the heat to medium/low. This dish is supposed to be dry, so aim for that in the final stages. A lot of moisture will be naturally rleased by the meat/salt combination, let it all help cook the meat and then gradually let it dry on its own while cooking.

The colour here is still that of raw meat and spices, the water is being released now...

Again, over the next forty-fortyfive minutes, if you are slow cooking it on the stove top, you may have to baby sit it and watch for any burning/sticking -to- the -bottom action happening. In which case, all you need to do is keep adding a little water, say about 1/3 cup of hot water. Always try and add warm/hot water to curries, helps retain the flavours better than just adding regular/cold water. I usually keep a big mug of hot water around myself. You may also pressure cook with 1 cup of water to hasten the process but dont omit the 'bhunoing' process in the begining for at least twenty minutes and untill oil has seperated.

Half an hour in to cooking, see how the colours change! I added extra hot chillies for our guests who enjoy it like that. So just follow the recipe if you are not ok with too much heat.

Then go ahead and pressure cook, once 'almost' done, remove lid, leave the pan open and cook to evaporate any water/moisture left.  Keep mixing and stirring untill the final look is thick, dry with the marinade sticking to the meat pieces. In the last few minutes, while you are letting the excess water evaporate, all 'doneness' of the meat will be achieved now. So dont worry even if pressure cooking it hasnt cooked the meat completely. Usually, you will find beef taking time.

Do you see how all the moisture is gone and the spices stick to the meat? Using 'besan' also helps in that.

I used thai red chillies to garnish as well as in my marinade paste, feel free to use whichever chillies you enjoy normally.

Garnish with ginger jullienes and serve with a wedge of lime to sqeeze over if preferred. Also ofcourse, you will need to make some warm chapatis to make it a perfect meal.

Grilled Chicken In A Creamy Marinade

It has been a few months since I started a low carb diet and my meals now mostly consist of meat/poultry/fish with tons of vegetables, salads and fruits. I often eat chicken for dinner. With lots of veggies, cooked or as a salad. As expected, I run out of ideas all the time. I dont fancy curry anymore, so am pretty much stuck with grilled,baked or kebab forms of it. Even though I have this food blog, I am actually not a foodie at all. My food-knowledge is next to zero and trust me, I wouldn't know my Ratanjot from a Riesling! I eat to live, that's about it. I also prepare my menu three days in advance, so that I just do not get tempted to cheat.

Chicken breasts in a creamy marinade- I dont know if similar recipes are around, well they must be I am sure, but since I thought of the ingredients for the marinade myself, I am going to take full credit for it.

Just a few things before we get to it. I have used low fat, 'cream cheese'- which is freshly made here in the middle east.  Labaneh and it's varieties are commonly found in the middle east and is super yummy. One food of the Arabs, which all expats enjoy I think. I used one which was flavoured with thyme. You can get any flavour you want. If however, you don't get labneh, simply get any brand-any kind of cream cheese or hung yoghurt made out of the Greek variety.  Philadelphia is also good. If that is also not an option then get thick, plain cream and season it with garlic powder and some dried herbs of choice. However, do try and get a tub of cream cheese, will make quite a difference to the over all flavour of this dish.

Here's what you will need:

1/2 kg              boneless, breast of chicken- cubed or cut in strips.
2-3 tbsp           heaped Labaneh/cream cheese/cream
2 tsp                 mixed, dried herbs. I used everything I had. :)
1.5 tsp             paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder)
1/2 tsp            red chilli powder
1 tsp                black pepper powder
1 tbsp              ginger-garlic paste or 1 tsp heaped garlic powder alone.
2-3 tbsp          fresh lemon juice.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken chunks in it for as long as you can, preferably at least 2-6 hours. Grill on medium flame untill done. Alternatively bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or little less. Or simply pan fry them, which is what I did last night. Serve with a big, garden salad. I dont usually use any salad seasoning, so I end up eating a lot of different types of pickled peppers, and my favourite is Jalapenos.

I had some chicken drums also, which I grilled for hubster's India vs Australia game night.

This family, quite clearly, loves chilies in all forms!

Keeping It Simple....Pickled Shallots With Nigella Seeds

Continuing my 'keep it simple' mantra from the previous post, here is a commonly found recipe for Indian style Pickled Shallots. If you were to ever eat a meal in any of the regular north Indian homes, you will be served this pickle for sure, especially in the hot summer months. A bottle sits on the dining table of every home. It is multipurpose, works as a side, as a pickle, as a condiment, or even just to nibble on while your mommy (or daddy, why not?!!) serves up the food. Make some every few days and be assured of some extra kicks at meal times!

Here is what you will need.

1 cup washed, peeled and whole shallots/pearl onions.
1 tsp levelled Nigella seeds (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
A few green chillies, slit (optional)
1 cup of white vinegar

Once you have assembled your ingredients, simply combine them in a lidded jar/bottle. Let sit for a few hours and voila, it's ready to eat! This pickle does not really get spoilt if kept in the fridge but if you are keeping it out, make it in less quantities and keep replenishing with fresh stuff every time you run out.

Serve with any desi meal of choice.

                                Dont you think it looks pretty!



A comeback of sorts and Oh, A happy New Year Folks! ,

That is right. I am aware, oh so aware, that I have been missing in action since a long, long time now. I was away mostly travelling, celebrating a massive Christmas this year and then faffing around on FB. It is not much of an excuse but will have to do. FB has become the bane of my life and today, just like that, I decided to pull myself away from it and slather some TLC on my poor blog. If only I would spend some time being useful and productive, I would have been filling up this blog with yummylicious food which, by the way,  I do cook on a regular basis. Sorry that I haven't gotten  around to sharing them yet. I hope to change all that soonly though. :)

I am going to keep this as short as possible. Do let me wish my two and  a half readers, a fabulous new year which already seems to be speeding along! Anyhow, those of you who blog hop, must be kind of expecting some kind of  'good wishes' on the blogs you visit, so I dont see why should I be rude and not do it as well. Have you ever seen such a long and convulated New Year Greetings ever? Well then, here is it...

Have yourselves a fabulous year ahead... whatever is left of it, be safe, be happy and please be eating  good food everyday!

Now, I do not have any fancy-shmancy recipe to share with you. I have a lot going on in the other departments of my life and it will take some time before I warm up to blogging about 'noticeably' lovely food which might want to make you try them asap. I am sharing a really easy and simple Minty-Tomatoey-Fish Masala recipe, served with a simple steamed rice or even a mildly spiced, fragrant Pulao. It will become a keeper, thats how simple and delicious it is. The recipe came off from the top of my head, so there are no rules to follow. You will need :

6-8                 pieces of any firm fleshed fish steak. I used King Fish.

1                     very large Tomato, grated, skin and all included. Or finely chopped.

1'                   grated ginger

4-6                fresh green chillies, slit whole.

1/2 cup        fresh mint leaves, chopped up

1/2 cup        fresh corriander leaves

Juice of one medium seized fresh lemon

4-5 tbsp      mustard or any vegetable oil

The spices:

1/2 tsp     turmeric

1/2 tsp     salt (to smear over the fish)

1.5tsp       roasted and coarsely crushed cumin seeds

1/2 tsp     Panch Phoron (optional) I dont always use this

Salt to taste

Wash and pat dry the fish pieces. Smear them with turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for about half an hour. Next up, heat the oil in a wok. Once the oil is heated through, tip in the green chillies and panch phoron (if you are using). Let it sizzle for a few seconds. Slide in the fish pieces at this point and lightly brown them on both sides taking care not to cook them completely. This should take about 2-3 minutes on both sides on high heat. Then you shift the fish to the sides of the wok and arrange them in a circle making an oil well in the middle. Let the chillies remain in this well. Something like the picture that follows...

Next to go in will be the chopped tomatoes, let them sit in this well too, spread the chopped mint and corriander leaves, sprinkle the roasted and crushed cumin, squeeze that lemon now, season with salt but dont stir just yet, cover and cook for about 15 minutes on very low heat. 

The fish will cook in all the juices being relased by the tomatoes which will turn all mushy. You must not stir it untill just before sereving and that too, to just mix the salt well. Once you are ready to serve, arrange the cooked fish pieces in a bowl and then pour the thick sauce over it. Give the sauce a good mix before you do so. Serve, garnished with some more fresh mint and corriander leaves. I served this with dal, rice and sauted mushrooms. I have also served this on a bed of fresh, crisp salad of lettuce, onion rings and cucumber cuts and roasted-crushed peanuts. Simple, easy to cook and as elegant as you want to believe it to be!

That is how I have begun my year too. After a lot of introspection, soul searching and getting rid of rubbish, here's to an all round calm and peaceful year ahead. Take it easy folks. Cheers!

Bharva Mirchi- Stuffed Green Chilli Peppers with Besan or Chick Pea Flour

I am leaving for India in just about two hours, but then my friend Anshie of spriceroots , asked me to participate in an online blogger food event and I could not say no to her. I was wanting to post a recipe before I left for India and this provided an excellent chance. I have so many pictures on my hard drive, but no time to sort them out and do a post. So when she asked me to join in the event, I agreed. The event is called 'Know your flours' with a focus on Chick Peas. Indian cuisine has an extensive use of chickpeas flour, all sorts of vegetable fritters fried dipped in chickpea batter, being one. I had some fresh green chilli peppers lying with me. I decided to do a stuffed version which is popular in my state. Something like a fresh pickle if you will. I made only four of them but you can make as many as you like. Serve them warm with a main of rice-dal or for morning brekkie of paranthas and yoghurt. Finger licking good and really easy to not only assemble but to cook as well.

Ingredients:

4 fresh, green chilli peppers, long ones, washed, dried, slit in the middle and deseeded. Jalapenos will be fine.
1 cup of chickpea flour
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1tsp of amchur (mango) powder
1/2 tsp of ajwain seeds (carraway)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp each of very finely chopped onions and fresh corriander leaves
1 tbsp of raw mustard oil

Combine all of the above in a plate except for the chillies. Now stuff the slit green chillies with this mixture and keep aside. Do a taste test, sometimes a little extra salt, than you would normally use, is required.

For the Tempering:

1 tsp of mustard seeds
2 tbsp of mustard oil
a few pods of fresh garlic

How to:

In a wok heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil untill smoking. Chuck in mustard seeds and let splutter. Throw in garlic pods. Place the stuffed chillies in to this wok, brown on all sides for approx two to four minutes on  medium flame. Wait to get brown specks on the chillies. Lower the flame to low, cover the wok with a dinner/flat lid or plate. Now put 1 cup of water over this plate, so that the steaming action will soften and cook the chillies underneath. Chickpeas take 'longish' to cook, so cooking these stuffed  a good fiteen to twenty minutes on low flame, covered will do the trick. Thats it! Done! This will stay in the fridge up to a week if you dont use onions, else 2-3 days. Store in an air tight container. You may adjust the tanginess, heat and salt factor according to your taste. If you have extra stuffing left, use it to make stuffed paranthas or simply just sprinkle it all over the chillies before you cover them. They make a moist, tasty crust on top and sides of the chillies.

Linking to Anshie's  Know Your Flours: Besan Chickpea Flour blog event. Do hop over to check out other entries and to participate even!
 

Things have been a little quiet here...

I am sorry about the long absence. While  many good things have been cooked and photographed, I have not had time to blog about them. It happens often to me, I start off with a big bang and then kind of fizzle out. I am hoping that wont happen this time. I love to cook and entertain. However, for the next six weeks, I will be away in India, visiting my parents. Whenever I go home, I make a resolution to stay away from phones and the laptop. Which means no facebook, no emails, no sms's and no phone calls. It is my detox time and I enjoy being away from it all. I do this twice a year. It has always worked wonders and I come back to Dubai all rejuvenated. We all need it. Time spent at the parents' is completely me time and I also dont do any cooking at all. On the other hand, I get to enjoy all the amazing home food cooked by my mother's cook. She is fabulous....I hope to share some pictures with you. In the mean time, here is a lovely shot of a little viginette I created this evening at home. For your viewing pleasure and to tell you to not to abandon me while I am gone, my 2.5 readers!

Will try and post one or two recipes here before I leave. Toodles!