Phulkopir Roast -- Roasted Cauliflower

I always hear from people that they’ve had a whole roasted cauliflower at someone’s place or some restaurant and that always made me want to eat this dish. But for some reason or another I had never tasted it and decided to experiment with it on a group of 10 people who were coming over. Much as I pictured a perfect golden brown head of roasted cauliflower with the edges slightly charred I figured it was best to be practical and not be too adventurous since I would be having company. So I followed the safe mode (by cutting the cauliflower into florets and steaming it) and the underdog that it was it turned out to be a hit. Luckily I had some left to take a photo though all the charred edges were gone.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower – 1 large
Plain yogurt – ½ cup
Curry powder – 1 tbsp
Paprika powder – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1tsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Olive oil

Procedure:
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile cut cauliflower into medium sized florets.

Now steam the florets in the boiling water for a minute or so, just enough to remove the rawness. Remove with a slotted spoon and hold under running cold water. Drain well.

In a mixing bowl combine yogurt, curry powder, paprika powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Now dip the florets in the yogurt mixture and coat well. (You can make this a day in advance.)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Drizzle olive oil on the cauliflower mixture and coat well.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Lassi, with a kick

All of a sudden the Bay Area had warmed up…the fans were in operation…we were being invited to barbecues and poolside parties. At home I decided to cool down with some lassi…with a kick from some hard lemonade.

Ingredients:
Plain low fat yogurt – ¾ cup
Salt – to taste
Sugar – to taste
Chaat masala (or roasted cumin powder) – 1 tsp
Hard lemonade – ½ cup
Lime wedges – for garnish

Procedure:
In a blender blend all the ingredients. Check seasoning and thickness. If you want a thinner consistency add more liquid, if you want a thicker consistency add yogurt and blend.

Pour in serving glass. Garnish with lime wedges.

Serve chilled.

Note: you can also add some vodka (as much or as little as you want) for some extra kick.

Chicken Manchurian

A friend was coming to dinner tonight and all I knew was that I would make chicken. Because that’s the one thing I had in the freezer in sufficient quantity. Also I wasn’t in the mood for fancy elaborate cooking in the middle of the week so I was trying to figure out what chicken dish to prepare. The battle was between chicken 65 and chicken Manchurian and Manchurian won because it opened up a whole bunch of student day memories.
There was this tiny Chinese eatery called Gunjan on Surya Sen Street (near College Street, Kolkata) which we used to frequent during our college and university days. People came to know of this place by word of mouth – the fame of Gunjan travelled from seniors to juniors and it thrived on that tradition. The place could hardly seat ten people at a time. I remember the first time we tried to go there we couldn’t find it because it was just around the corner of a lane so narrow that a car couldn’t go in, and we actually ended up eating at a place which was next to it but on the main road. During our college days birthdays and special occasions were celebrated at Gunjan when side dishes like Chili Chicken and Chicken Manchurian were ordered. Otherwise the favorite was Chicken Hakka Chowmein. Once our group of 12 (yes, we did manage to squeeze ourselves in) got kicked out of the place because people were waiting outside and we didn’t show any signs of leaving even though we were all done.
And during my Masters’ I and a friend AB, who’s a great foodie, frequented Gunjan so much that we ran out of money by the second week of the month. (It was a bit on the costlier side for a student.) That was when we made a vow that we would come to Gunjan twice a month. We did manage to stick to the self made rule for a few months, mainly because by that time another cheaper Chinese shack had opened up right in the University premises.
Now for my version of Chicken Manchurian. I used drumsticks because that’s what I had. Ideally small bite sized pieces (breast or thighs are best) should be used.

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks – 8 pieces
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 ½ tsp + 1tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp + 1tsp
Hot sauce – 2 tbsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small (cut into thick slices)
Green bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces)
Red bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces) (either one of these peppers is fine)
Scallions – 2-3 (cut diagonally)
Green chilies – 3-4 (chopped)

Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tsp of ginger paste and 1 tsp garlic paste. Now coat the drumsticks/ chicken pieces in the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

After an hour remove the chicken from the marinade and dust it with a tbsp of cornflour.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces on medium heat until golden brown and cooked. Set aside.
In the same pan fry the sliced onions, bell pepper and scallions and set aside.

Now add the chopped green chilies, a tbsp of the ginger paste and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the reserved marinade, water and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Add the chicken pieces and let simmer until the gravy reaches a consistency of your desire. If there is too much liquid add a paste of a tbsp of cornflour in a tbsp of water and let the liquid dry up.

About a minute or two before removing from the heat add the fried vegetables to the pan and let them sit. This way they retain their color as well as their crunch which I like.

Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Chana Masala

Much as I love chana masala I didn’t like the taste of the dish my cooking gave it. So I was browsing the internet for recipes of the dish and that was when I chanced upon this interesting tip – adding a teabag or a tablespoon of tea leaves to the chickpeas while they are being boiled. A bit iffy at first I tried this out and it gave a wonderful dark brown color, which made it look very appealing and as we all know we eat with our eyes first. And this time I did a better job of cooking it -- the chickpeas were soft and tender, but not mushy and the gravy was just thick enough – sticking to the peas but also enough left on the plate for mopping up with a paratha.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans – 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Teabag – 1
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves (minced)
Tomatoes – 1 (chopped)
Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp
Cumin-coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt -- to taste
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Cooking oil
Water – for boiling the peas
For garnish:
Lemon slices
Fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Sliced green chilies
Onion rings

Procedure:
In a large pot boil the peas with the tea bag and turmeric until tender. (You can use a pressure cooker as well. My cooker’s not big enough.) Discard the teabag. Drain the chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a pan, add the sugar and let it caramelize.

When sugar turns brown add the cumin seeds.

When seeds start sputtering add the garam masala powder, cumin-coriander powder and red chili powder and fry.

Next add the garlic, ginger and onion, frying the paste after each addition.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until oil starts separating.

To the fried masala add the drained chickpeas and coat well with the masala.

Season with salt.

Add the cooking liquid and simmer until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, sliced green chilies, sliced lemon and onion rings.

Serve hot with roti/naan/paratha or rice.

Note: This is a great slow cooker recipe. In that case soak the chick peas with the teabag. Fry the masala and then mix the peas well with the masala. Dump in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Vegetable Cupcakes

I am not too fond of beets, especially raw ones, but the other day when I saw these fresh bunches with green leafy tops at the farmer’s market I couldn’t resist buying them. Once home I decided to cook them along with some carrots and peas which could be used as a sandwich filling, made into chops (croquettes) or just savored like a curry with some rice or roti. As I was grating the vegetables the idea for this recipe came to mind.

Ingredients:
Beet – 1 (grated)
Carrots – 2 (grated)
Scallion – 1 stem (sliced)
Frozen peas (thawed) – a handful
Frozen corn (thawed) – a handful
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Egg – 1 (beaten)
Grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper -- to taste
Chili powder – ¼ tsp
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl mix the grated beet, carrots, ginger and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the beaten egg and olive oil and combine well.

Next add the frozen peas, corn and scallion and mix.

Now fill up the cups of a muffin pan with ¾ of the veg mixture.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Top it off with the grated parmesan cheese (as much or as less as you like) and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Banana Bread

My experiences with baking so far have been disastrous (to say the least). I almost quit baking till these 3 bananas threatened to go bad on me. That was when I decided to give the banana bread a try, once again.
The first time I tried making banana bread I used a food processor and in my enthusiasm I overmixed the batter which led to a chewy rubbery solid mass that made my jaws exercise quite a bit. This time I used a plain old whisk and fork to mix everything and it turned out pretty well. Maybe I’ll try my hand at baking again.

Ingredients:
Sugar – 1 cup
Butter – 8 tbsp (room temperature)
Eggs – 2
Ripe bananas – 3
Milk – 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Flour – 2 cups
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large mixing bowl beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and the vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure there are no lumps.

Now add the banana mixture to the sugar and egg mixture and stir until combined.
Next add the flour mixture and mix until flour just disappears. Do not overmix as this will make the bread rubbery.

Pour batter into a buttered loaf pan and bake for an hour to 1 hr 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool completely before slicing.