A dream i never thought would come true

I had never imagined that i would blog about american politics, but today i have to, because the country called america is being taken over by a neo dectatroship/neo commounist kind of approach. I never realised that i would get so interested in a country that i am just doing my education in. It is rediculous, to say Iran and north korea should stop nuclear enrichment though it is for their energy needs but america can enrich unarium for power, this just shows that this country and its republican politics just targets on its own interests than for its people. I just hope people like Obama come to power and don't kill people in other nations who have nothing to do with america. Comon it gives me goose bumps when you see innocent Iraqis being killed by americans just in the name of oil and want to win the election in November to kill more people so that americans can drive their car and trucks. Comon world lets make a change.

Beef stew with horseradish potato

Goat/Lamb curry

The weekend as being a long one due to the labor day, was one enjoyable weekend to remember, and this came as no surprise with new recipes being experimented. There are different meats that are consumed through out the world, but for me having a fresh lamb meat that is not been frozen in some aisle and thawed when needed, does not build up a appetite. This meat was bought from a halal store and was fresh as it can get in america, because this meat has the smell of freshness, and guess what it was tender this meant that it was a young lamb that was slaughtered that morning.

Ingredients:

Lamb 1#

Yoghut 1cup

Ginger garlic paste 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Garam masala powder 1/4tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Red chilli powder 1tsp

Cumin powder 2tsp

Cardamom 3ea

Cloves 4ea

Cinnamon stick 1ea

Onion 1ea

Green chilli 4ea

Salt tt

Oil 3Tb

Method:

1. In a bowl place the meat, yoghurt, coriender powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and ginger garlic paste and let rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
2. Heat oil and saute 4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon and 3 cardomoms until it releases the flavor, add the sliced onion and green chillies split and saute until the onion turns translucent.
3. Add 1tsp of coriender, 1tsp of cumin powder and 1tsp of chilli powder to the onion and saute for about 1 minute.
4. Add the marinated lamb to the onion and cover and cook for 35 minutes on medium heat.
5. Garnish with chopped coriender leaves.

The best combination with this is roti or naan, which is two Indian flat bread. Of course it was a great night with the family freasting on the treat for the labor day weekend.

Eggplant tomato curry

Eggplant has never been my favourite, but when i found that this vegetable can adapt to various combinations i decided on trying out this great recipe of eggplant tomato curry which i am sure, most of you must have tried this at home. A simple recipe which, is usually prepared by households throughout India. It was a calm day with my brother and my nephews around, and sister-in-law was at work. I took a look into the fridge and found there were excess of eggplant and decided to make this dish for the evening, so that my family could savor it.

Ingredients:

Eggplant dice 1ea

Onion dice 1ea

Tomato 2ea (depending on size)

Whole mustard 1tsp

Dry red chilli 3ea

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Curry leaves 5 leaves

Green chillis 4ea (depending on size)

Cumin powder 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Red chilli powder 1Tbsp

Turmeric 1tsp

Oil 2Tbsp and also have oil for frying the eggplant

Water 1/2cup

Salt tt

Method:

1. Cut the eggplant into large dices of equal size.
2. In a pan heat oil and deep fry the eggplant until it turns golden brown.
3. Strain excess oil and reserve.
4. In a pan pour 1Tbsp oil and add dry red chilli and mustard seeds.
5. Once the mustards crackle add curry leaves, cumin seeds cumin powder, coridender powder and red chilli powder.
6. Saute them ( make sure to have some ventilation for the fumes to escape)until it turns dark brown.
7. Add the onion and saute until it looks translucent and the spices sticks evenly to the onions.
8. Add turmeric to the mixture.
9. Add tomato to the mixture and cookuntil the tomatos absorbs the spices, cover and cook for few minutes.
10. Add water to the mixture.
11. Add the eggplant and season with salt and let cook for another 4 minutes covered.

You can either add ground cashew, ground peanuts and black or white seasme seeds to give it extra flavor. I perfer to evoperate excess moisture and concentrate the flavors. Hope you enjoy making this great dish.

Marinated Mushroom Amuse Bouche

Eggplant stir fry

As i am following the tradition of posting simple but tasty groumet foods that is served throughout the world, this would not come as a surprise for my readers. It is a great side dish that can be had with both roti and also with a rice and can be served during occations when you have surprise guests and relatives that insist on having lunch/dinner with you.

Ingredients:

Eggplant (preferably japanese eggplannt) 1#
Onion dice 10 oz
Garam Masala 1/2tsp
Coriender powder 1tsp
Cumin powder 1tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Salt tt
Curry leaves 8 leaves
Oil 2Tbsp

Method:

1. Add oil to pan on a medium heat.
2. Add Onion and saute until it reaches golden brown.
3. Add cumin powder, chilli powder, coriender powder, garam masala and curry leaves let sweat in the pan for another 3 minutes.
4. Add eggplant that is cut into large dice, and season with salt.
5. Let cook for another 10 minutes.

Beans poriyal

There are serveral instances in our daily lives, that we are too tired to prepare eloberate dishes, that carry a Wow! factor to it when you are back from a long day at work. The beans poriyal as it is called towards southern India, is nutritious and healthy by all means. It works great with either roti or even our famous rice. The process invovles simple methods.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (french beans) 1.5#

Grated coconut 3Tbsp

Chilli powder 1.5tsp

Tumeric 1tsp

Salt tt

For the tempering:

Oil

Mustard seeds 2tsp

Curry leaves 5ea

Dry red chilli 3ea

Urud dal 1Tbsp

Method:

1. Clean the beans with fresh water, and slice them.
2. In a saute pan add oil, once it sarts to shimmer.
3. Add the mustard seeds and allow time for it break and realease the flavor.
4. Add the red chilli which is recommeneded to be broken up.
5. Add the urud dal and let cook until the dal turns a golden brown.
6. Add chilli powder.
7. Add the beans and let cook.
8. Add salt and coconut to the beans and turn to a low heat, mix thoroughly and cover and cook for another 4 minutes.

Fish curry kerala style

Fish as i had mentioned in my earlier posts is a staple diet among the people of India. This is a recipe that is similar to the dry fish recipe but has a total different approach of preparing the dish.

Ingredients:

Fish 1.5#
Coconut grated 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 3Tsp

Coriender powder 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves 8ea
Salt tt
Onion julliene 1ea
Ginger 2oz
Kodam puli 5ea
Oil 2floz

Method:

1. Cut the fish
2. In a pan add julliene onion and ginger and saute.
3. Add coriander powder and chilli powder
4. Once sauted add oil and saute again.
5. Transfer this mixture to blender with 3floz of water.

6. Add coconut to the blender and blend.
7. Add water according to concistency
8. Tfransfer back to pan bring to a simmer
9. Add the fish and let cook covered with the kodam puli.
10. Finish with curry leaves

Rasgulla

A famous dessert popular among the people of orissa and west bengal. As the taste and its texture and simplicity advanced, it has caught the people of India and the rest of the world with a sweet tooth. There are other desserts which are variations that are made from rasgulla, as rasmalai, cham cham and many others.

Ingredients:

Milk 5 cups

Lemon juice or vinegar 2Tbsp

Sugar 2cups

Water 5cups

Method:

1. Place milk in a clean pan.

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Add lemon juice or vinegar diluted with 1Tbsp of water.

4. Let the milk curdle, wait until you see the milk solids have been seperated from the water.

5. Strain through a cheesecloth and pour cold running water to release the lime flavor.

6. Drain out all the water from the milk solids, by squeezing the cheecloth tightly.

7. Take the milk solids off the cheesecloth and work it with the flat of your palm, until it gets soft.

8. Make 15 small equal size balls. (Don't be surprised if the balls look small, it will grow in size once cooked)

9. Pour the 5 cups water into a pressure cooker, add the sugar and bring to a boil make sure all the sugar is melted in the bottom.

10. Add the balls that were made from the milk solids to the sugar syrup.

11. Cover with the lid of the pressure cooker and place the stopper for blocking the steam from escaping.

12. Wait for the stopper to release the first pressure, and reduce the flame to low and let cook for 5 minutes.

13. After 5 minutes cool the pressure cooker under running water.

14. Remove the lid and transfer the rasgulla and the syrup to a container to cool.

I would suggest to pour rose water the sugar syrup to give a distinctive flavor.

It is a great favourite with children and elders and will be enjoyed in all occasions.

Walk in the woods

I am out for a long walk in the woods. It's the call of the appalachian trail which stretches from maine to georgia, but not that i am going to treak the whole stretch but it is just one state that i and my elder brother are planning on completing. This is just to inform that i won't be posting for 2days and will be back with more.

Potato Cakes

Ingrediens for the potato cakes

Potato cakes garnished with tamato wedges and mint spring

This is a recipe that my wife handed over to me, she is a expert in cooking with various ingredients and also a great cook herself. This idea came to her with a lot of trail and error that has worked wonders at home that my daughter who is just about to be 2 years this september demands at the top of her voice that she be pampered with potato cakes.

INGREDIENTS:


Flour 1 Cup
Black pepper 1 Tbsp
Jeera (cumin) 1 Tsp
Mint leaves 1/2 CUP
Spinach 1/2 CUP
Potato 1 ea
Curry leaves 4ea
Coriender leaves 1/2 bunch
Salt 1/2 Tsp
Ghee (Clarfied butter) 1Cup

Method:

1. First boil the potato and remove the skin
2. Add flour, black pepper, Jeera.
3. Cut the mint leaf, spinach, curry leaves, coriender leaf into tiny bits and add together with the salt and add to the mixture, and mix thoroughly.
4. In a nonstick pan add 2 tbsp of ghee and gently drop the mixture of potato which needs to be flattened into the form of a cake.
5. Cook for 3minutes on each side till it attains a even golden brown colour
6. Add ghee accordingly as you make new batches.

It is advisable to add vegetables like carrots, cabbage (chop) into the mixture, as the kids are going to enjoy it as there is mint, jeera and this is a great source of protein and carbohydrates.

Mango Pulisheri

Indian cuisine has a varied sense of taste, smell, and mouth feel. It is absolutely mouth water when you have a little bit of sweetness, tangyness, spiceness all in one dish coming at you from every sides from the taste perspective.
Mangoes are in ambundance through out south India and across various states. The aroma of a ripe mango or for that instance even a mango grove can be distinguished when you land in any vegetable maket in India. The flavor profile of a mango be it ripe or unripe has been enhanced in the cooking methods of people from different states in India. Here is a dish that would have your craving for more.

Ingredients:

Mango 2ea
Salt tt
Chilli powder 2tsp
Sugar 2tsp
Yoghurt 1.5 cups
Green chilli 2ea (cut into halfs)

Method:

1. Select medium ripe mango and cut them into bite size pieces.
2. In a pot cook the bite size pieces of mango with salt, chilli powder, green chilli & sugar with 1.5 cups of water.
3. Cook until the pieces seem to break apart.
4. Whip the yoghurt in a blender.
5. If the mangos are cooked turn off and let cool.
6. It is the right temperature to add the yoghut to the mango when it is hot enough to the touch.
7. Mix thoroughly.

For the tempering:

Mustard 1/2tsp
Curry leaves 7leaves ea
Dry red chilli 4ea (break up)
Oil 2tsp

To temper in a hot pan add oil, once it starts to shimmer, add the mustard and let it crack then add the curry leaves and the red chillis broken up and then add the mango mixture to it and mix everything together.
It is time to serve. It is going to be a great dish which would be great with rice, or roti.

Dry Fish Curry

Fish is abundant in India. It is a staple diet of the people of Keral which is a state to the southern part of India. This is a state that is rich in greenery and has a high litracy rate. Here fish is preserved in different ways, by salt curing, sun dried are a few of the techniques used by its inhabitants to preserve their catch.
Kerala fish curry is truly exceptional with taste and the method of preperation. The recipe and the method that i am going to show here is not time consuming and also has a levage to alternations to the process.

Ingredients:

Dry fish 1#
Coconut 1/2 ea
Kodam puli (gamboge) 4ea
Greend chilli cut 5ea
Turmeric 1tsp
Coriender powder 3tsp
Chilli powder 3tsp
Potato (dice or matchstick pieces) 1ea
Coconut Oil or veg oil 5tsp
Salt tt

Method:

1. Wash the dry fish and keep aside
2. Boil the kodam puli in 1/2 cup water to extact the juices for about 5 mintues.
3. In a pan add the dry fish, coconut,coriender powder, chillipowder, green chilli and tumeric and the kodampuli with the juices, potato and salt (if it is salted fish please avoid salt)with the oil.
4. Close with a lid and let cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.

You must be wondering, why do i have to put everything together and cook, but trust me on this it is a experience that you are going to enjoy.
There can be a few variations done to the process. If you are unsure of what kodam puli is, it can be substituted with un-ripe mango. Another variation can be adding plantain jardiniere (finger cut) that can be added instead of the potato or also along with the potato in equal proportion.

A sweet treat, called, Pooran poli or Holige& Obbattu in Kannada

I must admit my wife is a expert in making holige. I can tell this proudly as, i have seen her mother, aunts and relative, asking for tips on making holige. It is a dessert that is savored by every state in India. Towards the north of India it is known as Pooran poli and towards the south Holige or Obbattu.

The Ingredients are:

Channa dal 1 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Cardamom 1 tsp
Maida 1.5 cups
Coconut grated 1/2 ea
Turmeric pinch
Oil 1 tsp
Salt a pinch

Method:

1. Maida flour, salt and turmeric needs to be mixed with water to make a dough
2. Add oil to the dough and knead well.
3. Let rest for 1 hour, cover with a parchment paper.
4. Cook the channa dal and cardamom with 1/2 cup water (just about 3/4th doneness)
5. Mash the Jaggery.
6. In a bowl put the jaggery and melt it 3/4th.
7. Add the channa dal to the jaggery mixture.
8. Add the grated coconut mix it thoroughly and let bind.
9. Blend the mixture in a blender.
10. Prepare small balls of the dough that has been resting. (flatten it with your hands)
11. Place the mixture of jaggery, coconut, dal (double the amount as that of the dough), in the centre of the flattened dough.
12. Wrap the dough over this mixture and flatten it.
13. On low heat place the flattened dough on a non-stick pan.
14. Cook on each side until you see even golden color.

This is going to be a treat for you and for your family.

A feast with snowcrab.

This is the final product once cooked

The crab with the seasoning on a doubleboiler

The shell is soft so you can cut a slit for the seasoning to penetrate

Crab once cut in a perforated pan

Cutting into large pieces

The crab legs before being cut

Corn before marination and grilling

(Follow the procedure from bottom top as i had problems uploading the photos)

A recipe which is easy and worth the treat for your taste buds.

This is a simple recipe that is followed by my sister-in-law, which was a treat for the whole family. I am going to share with you the secrets of this recipe.

Alaskan Snowcrab 2#

Celery powder 2tsp

Salt tt

Celery seed 1tsp

Mustard powder 1tsp

Red pepper 3tsp

Black pepper 2tsp

Bay leaf 1ea

Cloves 1ea

Allspice 5ea

Pimento powder 2tsp

Ginger powder 1tsp

Cardamom powder 1tsp

Paprika powder 2tsp

The reason that i posted this is naturally being a weekend, the treat will surely be special. The corn was just marinated with salt, pepper & Lime juice. Once it was marniated it is grilled. The meat was this wonderful crabmeat which was to be had by scooping out the meat from the shell. If it is snowcrab it does not need any explanation, it is just filled with meat.

The method for cooking the crab was:

1.Just prinkle the ingredients on the crab which is placed on a perforated container.

2. Place the perforated container on a double boilder with 3 cups water.

3. Cook it for about 10 minutes.

I am sure this is going to be a easy task for your weekend special.

Vada snack

The word vada might seem confusing to some, but this is a simple snack that can be done in about 10 minutes once the urad dal or the white lentil is soaked for a minimum of 2 hours. Did i tell you this is a Indian dish, especially made in south India.

This dish can be served with a chutney which is made of coconut(the base), small onion, green chilli, ginger and saute of mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chilli (broken), urud dal.

The process of making this simple but tasty snack is by soaking the white lentil for about 2 hours.

Transfer the lentil to a blender with 3 small onions, 1/2 ea ginger, and blend it to a smooth paste by adding minimal amount of water.

Once the lentils have formed a fine paste, add in 2 green chilli finely chopped, and salt to taste, mix thoroughly.

Let rest for about 20 minutes.

In a cast iron pan heat about 2/3 oil or just enough to cover the mixture.

Shape vada with hand into rounds and leave a hole in the centre for even cooking.

When it turns golden brown remove from oil and pat dry of excess oil.

It is now ready to be served with the chutney(needs to prepared before making vada).

The process of making chutney is by grating fresh cocounut (can be done with dry coconut also by adding hot water), to this add onion, ginger and blend fine with minimal water.

In a saute pan add oil and once it is hot, add mustard seeds and let it crackle, add curry leaves, broken red chillis and urud dal let it cook for little while under low heat, (do not let the curry leaves to change colour). Add the blended coconut mixture to the pan and finish with salt to taste.

This would be a dish that you will always enjoy.

A legacy

I was reading a post on turulu which is a turkish interpretation of the ratatouille, and what a co-incedence this was just the moive that i watched with my nephew this afternoon (not that i have never seen this movie but just because he insisted on it). Coming back to the fact, turulu has been famous with the rest of turkey as is with the rest of france with ratatouille. Tomatoes can play different roles in turlu, depending on the proportion and form of tomatoes used. If you add relatively few tomatoes and leave them in fairly large pieces, you get a stew of diced vegetables. Use a high ratio of tomatoes, and the turlu becomes a vegetable medley in chunky tomato sauce. I can give you the recipe for turulu which i read, the exact same as the one that i had read.

EASY EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOM TURLU
For this simple meatless version of Turkish turlu, I use canned tomatoes to save time. Mushrooms are not classic but they give the stew a terrific taste. Serve it as a vegetarian entree with pita, green salad or Israeli salad, and, if you like, with feta cheese, labaneh or yogurt.

350 gr. eggplant
225 gr. zucchini or pale-green squash (kishuim)
110 gr. large mushrooms
2 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3⁄4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
1⁄2 cup water, or more if needed
1 to 11⁄2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Cut eggplant in 2-cm. cubes, and zucchini in slightly smaller cubes than the eggplant. Halve mushrooms and cut in thick slices.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy saucepan. Add onion and sauté briefly over medium-low heat, then cover and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
Add eggplant, top with 1⁄4 cup diced tomatoes, then top with zucchini, followed by remaining tomatoes and 1⁄4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Stir once to bring top ingredients to bottom of pan. Cover and cooked over medium-low heat for 7 minutes.
Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Mix tomato paste with 2 to 3 tablespoons water and pour over vegetables. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes or until vegetables are tender; check, and add water by tablespoons if pan becomes dry. If you like, drizzle lightly with a little more olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Makes 4 servings.

Beef shashlik

It being the weekend, there is a natural tendency to be dragged into a treckking and some good food. It happened this weekend also, there was a good family reunion (lasted for only the saturday) and there was some good food also. It started off with my aunt making great tomato rice and curd rice for the lunch. It was just mouth watering, to taste them together. What i meant by tasting them together was, I took half spoon of each and eat it together (just heavenly). Today being a sunday decided on heading to a trail which is meant for families to hike with their kids, but unfortunately there was a influx of traffic heading to the NJ shores and this prompted us to head back home for some grilling frenzy. It was to sacrifice beef to the gourmet gods. It was the same marinade as i had done the last week but this time i eliminated the tamarind date paste and added some tahini paste to the marinade (make sure it is just enough to stimulate the taste as it can overpower). My brother who is a master griller, cooked it to perfection. It was a succulant meat and vegetables (onion and bell pepper).This was a superhit with my nephews and family. It left us craving for more.
There was another surprise that my sister-in-law, treated us to. It was simple but again heavenly. She cut the pineapple into rings and my brother grilled it to perfection and she topped it with some butter pecan ice cream. This was a weekend which was a total blast.

Murg Makhni

BUTTER CHICKEN

French cuisine has a large following that keeps it's secrets alive. Indian cuisine on the other hand is a combination of spices and essence of the ingredients that go into the preperation that makes it stand out among the rest of the gourmet experience.
I wanted to make a dish that i was so fascinated with it's taste that i had tried several times to get deep and understand the flavors that makes the difference. Finally yesterday my pallet could not resist the crave for this wonderful dish, and finally i decided to go ahead and do what my sensable pallet wanted.

• Cut the chicken into bite size pieces
• Apply ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriender powder and salt
• Heat a pan with 3 TB of oil and sear these chicken pieces
• Remove them set aside.
• In the same pan add cumin seeds, onions and ginger garlic paste and add little water just to release the fond.
• Put corriender powder, blanced almonds, red chilli powder, fenugreek powder.
• Once it is a little done, add diced tomatos.
• Cook until the tomatos are done.
• Puree this mixture to a fine paste.
• Now in the pan add butter with the juices from the chicken.
• Add the puree to the pan, then add the chicken to the sauce.
• Add salt and add little tomato ketchup to get the tangyness.
• Once it comes to a boil add cream.
• Finally add garam masala (Already posted)
• Let it simmer for another 5 minutes

This is surely going to be a great experience. Enjoy!

Hot spices

GARAM MASALA

Garam Masala means hot (Garam) spice (Masala) is not an spice in itself. It is a powder used throughout India and the rest of the world.

It solely depends on the region and personal tastes that people make this powder. It is unique to various cultures and this has a huge demand in the world market.

The basic ingredients are:

30 green cardamom pods

15 cloves

5 black cardamom pods

4 pieces cinnamon

5 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp coriander seeds (shown here in powder form)

1 tbsp fennel seeds (optional)

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)

Preparation

Place all these spices in a hallow bottom pan or skillet and heat over a very low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the aroma from the spices begins, remove the pan from the heat (make sure not to over brown them). This step is to release the aromatic oils from the spices.
Working with only a small quantity at a time, put the spices in an electric blender to grind it to a fine powder. Remove the cardamom pod skins. Allow to cool.
Store the Garam Masala in an air-tight container. As long as the container is tightly closed after each use, it should last for a long time.

Summer farewell

Summer is on us, Oh! no don't think i realised it too late. It is just that when it get hard on you that is when you try to get remedies out of books, internet, friends and other means to cool yourself down.
This is a typical smoothie, but the exception is that you may not find in any Mc Donald or KFC outlets. It is a simple drink but has a smooth and cooling effect on you and your family once you have tried it.

Recipe:

Watermelon - 1/4 ea
Kiwi - 4 ea
Ginger - 1ea
Fresh Mint - 15 leaves
Lemon Juice - 1ea
Crushed Ice - 1 cup


All you have to do is blend all this together and if you have a pallet that is craving for tanginess, and health concious it's good to have the drink without sugar as is mentioned in the recipe, but if like it sweet add 2 sugar cubes per glass. (It would be great if done fresh)
It can be garnished with either mint leaves, Lime wedge, watermelon chunks, Orange zest, Orange segment. (
Another great aspect about this drink is that, it is a great combination if you would like to try some alcholic beverage with this like vodka, gin etc.

Fusion my way

It is not very hard for a person to understand what are the basics of cooking. But the taste that carries the senses is something which can be found only in people who have truly understood the tastes of the masses. This is the reason that we have certain restaurants that have gone fusion cooking. This is an intersting subject to me and many others like me. There are restaurants in the city (New York) and other places like california that have restaurants that open for few hours for lunch and dinner but make a good business out of it. The reason why i wrote this topic was that i realised that i would not like to eat my food just with one accompliment but have a mixture of two or more dishes and to form one more eloberate taste that can tickle my senses.
The simple aspect of adding some tamarind and date paste gave the gobi manchurian and also the beef shashlik that i had prepared this weekend to taste something different to the people who indulged in this ritual of eating good food.
There are many spices in Indian cooking that can help bring out a different taste. There are dried spices like dried mango which can give a dish tanginess, it also depends on the amount that is being added to the dish to bring out a unique flavor. There is a recent trend of using duck fat to enhance the flavor of certain Indian dishes as beef and pork is considered religious to certain religious groups, this is again to enhance the experience and to tease the pallet. The gourmet world is heading to new sphere of taste perception that it has bought about personal chefs who cater to a elite few.

Freeding frenzy

It was a wonderful weekend which was filled with fun, and a time to experiment with new recipes. The saturday we (our family) headed to brooklyn, the time was perfect for me to try my recipe of gobi manchurian. My brother decided that i need to try my knowledge on the family gathered that afternoon. It was a unanimous decision to make gobi manchurian to go with the lunch. It was a simple recipe that i followed:

1 Head Cauliflower
1/2 Cup Corn starch
1/2 Cup Rice flour (instead of all-purpose flour)
1 TB soy sauce
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup Ginger garilic paste
3TB Tomato ketchup
1 red onion medium dice
2 Bell pepper medium dice
1Tb Tamarind & date paste
1Tb Salt

This was a usual kind of recipe which is best for home prepearation, which had a few changes done to it. The main changes were the rice flour and the tamarind and date paste with no addition of green chilli these were the only definitive changes that i had made to the recipe and it turned out to be a super hit with the bowl licked clean (it was not licked but clean).

On Sunday morning before leaving for a recreation park in New jersey, my sister-in-law, told me that it was decided to have beef for lunch. I marinated the beef with fresh basil, worecestershire sauce, soy sauce, fresh crushed black pepper, Tamarind and date paste and english mustard. I cut the beef into chunks and marninated it until the afternoon. After we were back from the park i immediately cut 1 red onion, 2 bell pepper into large dice and marinated that with crushed pepper and lime juice and put the rest of the marniation of the beef to the vegetable and made some tasty shaslik. With some corn on the cob which was my brothers marination which just had some salt, curshed black pepper and lime juice. My brother just grilled it to perfection. It was a wonderful treat to the gourmet gods. They were so impressed by the taste that it rained mad.

Restaurant Drums

A fancy restaurant with some fancy rules, this is what i felt when i trailed at one of the restaurants in new york city. It was a restaurant (which i would not like to mention here) that has got a name with spanish speaking immigrants working long hours. It is hard to believe in this time and age when slavery has been a word of the past is clearly being carried on by having cheap labour.
As i walked into the restaurant i was asked to wear the uniform and was assigned a station (remember this was a trail to know the flow of the kitchen), I was being called at by every cooks in this restauarant to help them with their preparation. I was willing to work, but never expected it would turn out to be a bad experience after all. I walked into the kitchen at 10.30am and started to work. I was not informed of a lunch break that they had so that i could have lunch. The chef calls me for a interview into his office at 6.00pm, questions asked were what was my visa status, this was a question to judge if this person he was interviewing was for cheap labor or if he had to pay normal wages. As i am a international student (which he presumed i would be), i told him the fact as the government allows me to work on a OPT (optional practical training) status for a period of 1 year he just got his break. He tells me that i will be informed of the position that will be available via e-mail or will have the chef de cuisine inform me in the night. Once i was done with the interview i saw him walk upto the chef de cuisine and tells him something and walks away. At 8.00pm i told the chef-de-cuisine i need to leave, as i had no means of transporation and had been working straight without food for 9.5 hours, but guess what he tells me, if i needed a job i needed to wait until 10.00pm. At about 9.00pm i get the results of this gruelling day, he tells me that i will be offered a position of butcher and my wages would be 10.50 per hour. This caught me by surprise as this was direct exploitation of labour. As i had applied for a position of mid managerial level which would be a demi chef. Getting to know that i was being taken for a ride made me understand that there is no value for educated and experienced people. It just matters if you are a american you get the previledges that every american gets, and if you are a international candidate you are considered to be a payed slave.
PURE EXPLOITATION OF LABOUR IN A RESTAURANT THAT IS ZAGAT RATED.

Weekend Photo

I am a CIA alumni with a Culinary arts degree

On the 3rd of July, it was a nice sunny morning when i was awarded the Assoicates degree from the prestegious Culinary Institute of America. I was overwhelmed by different emotions. It was the day of my graduation, that i had been waiting for a long time.

It was a hard for me to imagine that i would be studying in this prestegious college that has produced some eminent personalities in the culinary world. The dream came true as my whole family supported me throughout the process. It was a hard decision that i had to make when my daughter was born, and was just 1month when i had to tell my wife and daughter that i will have leave for my education. My wife understood the reason behind the decision, which would be just nothing without her support. The money i had saved through the years that i had worked in the cruise line industry, was not even enough for the 1st semisters fee. My brother, sister-in-law, Sister, brother-in-law were the people who financed my education, without whom this would not be a reality. My parents gave me all the moral support. My wife took good care of my daughter during my absence. It was all these emotions that had filled my heart and mind as i walked to receive the medal of honor from the president.

Protein

Persillade Crusted Salmon with Horseradish mashed potato and beurre rouge

Myself and salmon we get along very well. It had been the first choice in seafood next to swordfish (if cooked right). I have been a fan of salmon since i started with salmon gravlax which was served on the cruise line that i worked with. Salmon has a unique falvor and taste which differentiates from the rest of the seafood varieites. This recipe could be tried at your lesiure, which is very simple and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Salmon, 5oz slices 5ea
Salt and pepper t.t
Dijon Mustard 1/4tsp
Japanese Crumbs 1/4tsp
Parsley chopped 1/4bunch

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350*F
• Season fish with salt and pepper and organize according to thickness on a sheet pan
• Brush with mustard and sprinkle the mixture of parsley, salt, pepper and japanese crumbs (mis de pain)
• Cook fish in oven half way and set aside. Make sure to wrap with a moist a paper towel to hold it until it is ready to serve.
• Raise the temperature of the oven to 500*F
• When it is ready to be served slide the tray in the oven and cook until done and there is a slight browning on the surface.

For the horseradish mashed potato

Ingredients:

Potatoes 7ea

Fresh horseradish grated 2tsp

Butter 1/4#

Cream 4oz

Chives, minced 1/4bunch

Method:

• Quarter potatoes and place in cold water with salt.
• When potatoes are cooked (when a knife can pass through) puree with a food mill.
• Add cold diced butter, horseradish and hot cream until you get a good texture.
• Add the chives, salt and pepper and hold in a plastic piping bag until service
• Keep warm.

For Sauteed spinach

Ingredients:

Spinach individual leaves 1#

Garlic thinly sliced 1clove

Olive oil 1oz

Salt and pepper t.t

Chicken stock as needed

Method:

Prepare this right before service.

• Heat olive oil in a pan, add sliced garlic and lightly toast to a golden color. Add spinach and cook until tender.
• Add a little stock to moisten
• Season

For the Beurre Rouge

Ingredients:

Shallots minced 1/4cup

Red wine 4oz

Red wine vinegar 1oz

Peppercorns 6ea

Bayleaf 1ea

Heavy cream 2oz

Unsalted butter diced 1/4#

Lemon Juice t.t

Salt and pepper t.t

Method:

• In a pan, add shallots, wine, vinegar and peppercorns and bay leaf and the wine reduce.
• Abour 15 minutes before you are about to serve add cream and reduce slightly on low heat.
• On the same heat add the butter slowly whipping constatly, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and strain.

During service. Pipe the mashed potato to the side of the plate and beside that place the sauteed spinach. Above the spinach rest the salmon and drizzle the sauce around.

Endive and Scallop tart

When we think of lettuce, there are variations among them with reference to texture, bitterness and palatability. Endives is a bitter lettuce which is a great combination with light seafood. This is such an example of a wonderful recipe that would work great with the endives.
This recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients:

Basil leaves blanched 1 bu
Olive oil 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper to taste

For the orange Oil

Olive oil 1/2 cup
Orange Juice 4 ea
Orange zest 4 ea
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tart

Puff pastry 1/4#
Belgian endives 4ea
Butter 3oz
Sugar 2oz
Fresh scallops 12 ea
Salt and pepper to taste

For the garnish

Basil leaves fried 8ea
Firm ripe plum tomatoes, peeled seeded and diced 2ea

Method:

For the basil oil:
Place the freshly blanched basil leaves in a juice extractor. Place the juice in a small sauce pan and lightly emulsify with the olive oil over low heat. Season to taste. Repeat the process for the orange oil, adding the zest at the end.

For the tart:
Roll out the puff pastry until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 4 (4 inch) circles. Let rest for at least 4 hours. Seperate the leaves of the endive and blanch quickly in boiling salted water. Shock in ice water and drain. Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the sugar. Cook to form a light caramel. Add the endive and allow it to color. Remove from the heat, season and drain.
Arrange the endive leaves in a base of a 4 inch pan. Pace the puff pastry circles on top of the endive, ensuring that the outer edge is well tucked in. Set the tart in a hot oven until the pastry is browned and cooked through. While the tart is baking, occassionally press the puff pastry with the back of a palette knife to obtain a neat finish. Turn the tart out onto a tray so the endive is on top.
Season the scallop with salt and pepper and sear in a hot pan until they are browned on the outside but rare on the inside.

To serve:
Arrange the scallops on top of the endive and place 2 fried basil leaes on top of each tart. Add the died tomato to the orange oil and spoon around the plate. Finish with a drizzle of basil oil.

Tapioca Pudding

When you are catering for large group there are many simple dishes that would work wonders at the party. Among them is the tapioca pudding which blends good with any events.

This recipe yields 80 portions.

Ingredients:

Milk 9 qt
Small pearl Tapioca 3 lb
Sugar 1.5lb
Salt 2 tsp
Vanilla bean 5 ea
Egg yolks 8 ea
Sugar 1.5 lb
Heavy cream 1 qt

Method:

• Soak tapioca in milk overnight
• Bring tapioca, milk, salt, 1lb of sugar and the vanilla beans to a hot, using a double boiler. Cook tapioca until it's translucent and tender and mixture is very thick.
• Mix egg yolks with remaining sugar. Remove tapioca from heat, add egg mixture into tapioca and cool mixture over ice.
• When cold, fold in one quart of soft peak whipped cream.
• Garnish with your choice of fresh fruit (i.e raspberreis, blackberries and sauteed apples).

A weekend of fun

Being a long weekend, i decided to spend time with my brother and family. It was a weekend that was just filled with fun and learning. My sister-in-law though had a hectic schedule (being a doctor), picked me up from the station and bought me home for some good food. I was treated to a south Indian pancake (dosa). On saturday we visited the american museum of natural history which had a lot of information and worth the money spent. The lunch that was planned for the afternoon was at the Joe's Shanghai restaurant at flushing New York. My sister-in-law made sure that we have the reservations for the lunch. We waited in line though we had reservations and finally was seated with all the six of us cramped in a corner, as the restaruant was packed to the max. The waitress wasted no time, and asked if we would like to have pork or crab which does not need any explanation as this is a restaurant famous for it's dumpling which could be either pork or crab. Just the thought of my first visit here about six years back had my mouth watering. As we waited for the pork dumpling, we treated ourselves to some hot herbal tea which was set on the table. As the dumpling arrived my brother served, those steaming dumplings. It is just outstanding, i made sure i got my share of this wonderful dumpling. The next dish was the kung poa chicken which was mouth watering, then came the shredded pork & diced bean curd with jalapeno pepper and finally the beef with scallions. This treat was worth the energy that we put in waiting outside to get seated. You cant expect extra ordinary service but it is great for the food that keeps your palate craving for more.

A tip on wines

I am aware, that there are some readers to this blog wondering what too me so long to get myself back and running. I was taking a crash course on wines which is part of the Associates programme at the C.I.A Oh! let me get this right it is the culinary institute of america. This programme runs for 3 weeks and includes wines, regions, grapes, laws, varietals anything and everything that come under the term wines. It is a pretty intense course with failure rate on the high. I would like to give you a bit of the various aspects of wines, which could be of good help to all.
In the world of wine making, grapes are divided into red and white.
The major white grapes are:

Chardonnay
Sovignon Blanc
Reisling
Pino gris

The major red grapes are:

Cabernet sovignon
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Syrah

We can seperate these grapes with the body, by matching it with the tower of power:

Very light bodied whites
Muscadet (France)
Light bodied whites
Stainless steel fremened Sovignon Blanc
Medium bodied whites
Stainless steel fremened Chardonnay
Medium to full bodied whites
Barrel fermented Fume Blanc (Sovignon blanc)
Full bodied whites
Barrel fermented and aged Chardonnay

Light bodied reds
Gamay
Light to medium bodied reds
Pinot Noir
Medium to full bodied reds
Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache, Cabernet Franc
Full bodied reds
Cabernet Sovignon, Mouverde
Very full bodied reds
Syrah/Shiraz, Petite sirah

I had the opportunity to dine with the C.E.O of Iron horse vineyards Joy Sterling. It was a wonderful experience and had the opporutnity to taste some of their wonderful wines. Blanc de Blanc which is a sparkling wine produced from 100% Chardonnay was truly amazing. This lady had a charisma and enthusism which i could feel as i sat there sipping the glasses of different wines. The dedication and care that this vineyard takes to make their wines was reflected on the wines.
California is the larger producer of wines in the U.S, with napa valley contributing a major chunk. When we buy bottles of wines, we do not realise the amount of work involved in producing that single bottle of wine. Each plantation takes a minimum of 3 years for a producer to get any yield. Most of the grapes are picked early morning to make sure that the acidity levels are balanced. The brix scale is used to measure the sugar to alcohol ratio which would determine the end product. The grapes are immediately transported to the processing plant to ensure freshness and are fermented in large stainless steel barrels with temperature regulation. In certain regions like France, Italy, Portugal there are strict government rules that needs to be followed during the wine making process. America has a short history in wine making, but has a great advantage over the rest of the world, with the rootstock fo the vitis vinifera/vitis labrusca (species of plant producing grapes), being phyloxera (an insect that destroy the roots) resistant. With the exception of Chile and parts of Australia that have not been effected by this insect.
It was a course that was worth the time spent, had a lot of information and the major aspect that is emphasised on this course is the food and wine pairing which make the dining experience pleasurable.

Stuffed lobster with spetzel and gnocchi

Stuffed lobster with spetzel and gnocchi
Originally uploaded by sujith gangadharan

This was a experimental dish which was a combination of seafood with starch of two varieties. The potato gnocchi and the spetzel. This is yet in the process of confirming which would be the best suitable starch for this seafood.
There is nothing fancy about this dish, but has a great flavor with the butter sauce that goes in with the flesh of the lobster,that has a combination of the three different peppers (red, green, yellow) diced and tossed in butter with seasoning and finished with marsala wine.
As it is yet in the process of confirming which would be a suitable starch for this elegant dish, there is the world of culinarians who can give suggestions.

Fruits in Jelly

Fruit in Jelly

Lindser Tart

Dough for the tart crust

Spreading raspberry puree filling

Final product once baked

Serves 6ea

Ingredients

Butter 1.8lb

Sugar 1.2oz

Eggs 3ea

Cake Crumbs 4oz

Cake flour 1lb14oz

Cinamon powder 1/2oz

Baking soda 1/2oz

Hazelnut powder 12oz

Raspberry puree 2lb

Method

• In a bowl mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.
• Once it has formed a nice creamy paste add the cake crumbs, cake flour, baking soda, hazelnut powder and cinamon powder.
• Once it has totally incorported add in the eggs and mix it throughly.
• The dough will be ready for making tarts.
• Organize the tart mold six each and a rolling pin,.
• Divide the dough into six equal portions.
• Dust the table with little amount of cake flour and roll the dough flat about 1/2 inch thickness (do not excess pressure as the dough will stick to the rolling pin).
• Roll the dough back on the rolling pin and gently place on top of the tart.
• Insert the dough into the tart gently making sure not to break the dough.
• Trim off excess dough from the sides of the tart mold.
• Spread the raspberry puree 25oz each over the bottom of the tart.
• Cut strips of the dough and arrange it in a criss cross design or any design of your choice.
• Place it a pre-heated oven at 450*F for 15 minutes or until done.

Cake Decoration series

Music theme cake

Wedding cake 1

Kids play cake 1

Banquet style cake

Wedding cake 2

Spring cake

Beach cake

Kids play cake 2

Wedding cake 3

Wedding cake 4

Wedding Cake 5

Wedding cake 6

Beach party cake 2

Wedding cake 7

These are some of the creations from the future patessiers of the world. These show pieces were created by students of the Culinary Institute of America. They were given themes that need to reflected in the cakes that they make. There are competations held by the student bodies to encourage bringing out the hidden talent in the students at this prestigeous college.