Beef Carpaccio

Beef is considered to be holy in parts of India, being a globalised country there are vast changes that are keeping us in tune with the rest of the world. Here is one of a kind appetizer that is well known in the western countries but has found it's way to our beautiful India. Being a huge fan of beef myself, I would say this is a wonderful treat.


Ingredients:

453 gms Beef, tenderloin or flank steak
250 gms Baby Arugula, large stems removed
120 gms Parmesan Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar, aged

Preparation:

Heat up a small skillet with a tablespoon of oil. Briefly sear the beef on all sides. You want the outside of the beef to brown, but the inside should remain very rare.
Place the beef on a plate and put in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to slice. Slice the chilled beef as thin as possible against the grain.
On chilled plates, place the sliced beef, arrange in a round fashion and place a small handful of arugula in the center. Shave some Parmesan over the beef. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar over the whole thing and serve.

ENJOY!

Chicken salad

Having a chicken salad just for dinner or having this great chicken salad stuffed into a sandwich just makes a wonderful treat for the taste buds and it is also filling. I tried it out with some chilly flakes (I am into some spicy food these days) made me want for some more, but i have become more diet conscious.

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup salad dressing
½ cup yogurt
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1 cup cook cubed chicken
1 cup cooks Cubed turkey
1 cup celery1 cup carat
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup raisins
cup dried cranberries
cup dried cherries
cup apple cubed
½ cup grapes

1. In a lage bowl mix together everything
2. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Potato salad with chilli dressing

2 lbs. Boiling potatoes

1 Fresh jalapeno pepper chopped

2 small Garlic cloves chopped

1 Tbs Sugar

1 Tbs White-wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs Fresh lime juice

1 Tbs Anchovy paste

1 1/2 tsp oliveoil

1/4 cup packed fresh coriander chopped

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves chopped

2 ribs celery; sliced thin
Cut the potatoes lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. In a steamer set over boiling water steam the potatoes, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just tender, transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool to room temperature. In a small bowl whisk together the jalapeno, the garlic, the sugar, the vinegar, the lime juice and the anchovy paste add the oil, and salt to taste and let the dressing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the dressing to the potatoes with the coriander, the mint, and the celery and combine the salad well.

Chef sujith and Fish

Sujith with a beautiful coconut para
Sujith with a silky sear fish

Photos of Salads, more to come

SICA MEET AT BANGALORE

Carvings at the forum

Myself (Sujith Gangadharan) and Chef Abhijit Saha

Chef Vijaybhaskar and myself (Sujith Gangadharan)

I am at the back row 2nd from left , it was a great evening with lots of information on the culinary trends and standards. One filled with information.

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.