Daily Archives: March 23, 2015

Blue lagoon

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

The word “Blue lagoon” strait away takes me to the English movie blue lagoon of 1980 in which Brooke shields and Christopher Atkins had acted in. The movie was so much talked about back then but we as kids were not allowed to watch the movie. I remember brook shields was the heart throb with her blue eyes, long dark golden hair and untouched lush thick eyebrows. Not having accessibility of things around like now a days, the one poster I got from Bangalore of brook shields was stuck inside my cupboard door to admire the flawless beauty. Long lost crazy days. Umm coming to this drink now… Summer is all about keeping things breezy and simple. So here’s a mock-tail which is fast freshness that’s big on flavors and looks cool too. A ping of citrus, never cases to surprise me.. How a simple squeeze can take a drink from nice to sublime to savor the lighter side of deliciousness. This fantastically fresh and made in a flash mock – tail is a bevy of quick comfort to fill the summer table that will leave you feeling sated yet more energized.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Lime juice	1 lemon
Sugar	1 /2 cup
Water	3/4 cup
Ice cubes	3 cups
Blue crush	2 1/2 tablespoons or blue food color- few drops
Sprite / 7 up	1/2 litter
Lemon wedges and mint leaves	to garnish

Method

Boil sugar and water together until sugar has dissolved and gets to a slightly gooey mass of sugar syrup. Remove from heat and cool completely. Chill four tall glasses in the freezer for ten minutes.
Place ice cubes into each tall glass half way through . Pour sugar blue crush or blue food color into each glass carefully making sure it does not touch the sides of the tall glass.
Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar syrup into each glass topping with a squeeze of lime. Gently with a inverted spoon in the glass pour sprite or 7 up gently making sure not to disturb the below layers.
Do not mix. Garnish with a lemon wedge and mint leaves. Serve immediately. You will get to see a thick blue layer on the bottom, then a light blue layer in between with a pure white top layer.

Quill 65

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + 3 hours for marination

Cooking Time : 3-5 minutes for each batch deep fried

Serveing : 2-3 members

Description

Never ever have I tasted any bird other than chicken before . Oops forgot , once as a kid on a Christmas holiday remember having turkey biriyani in Bangalore with my school buddies Liju and Julie . Once married , my entire in – laws family always rave about eating other sort of birds which I found to be very wired . In fact we did have a man ( koravan – addressed so because of the sect of people known locally here . ) who used to source us with birds . But that didn’t last long as hunting was banned and my folks went out of source . Then came the new breed of quails that were grown in poultry farms called Japan quail that alighted all at home . From then on the quail is on the menu once a week at least . This recipe is one such that is being served to our carnivores family . Very simple recipe . Just that the more longer you let it marinate, the more robust the flavour becomes . The crisp crust and the succulent meat inside will sure make you reach for another helping soon enough . I always add this dish to the menu when I need to breath life into a staid lunch with a dab of These on the plate to treat the taste buds with no complaints as food is to be enjoyed and to me cooking is primarily about making other happy .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Cleaned quill	1/2 kg whole ( around 2 quills ) ,
Ginger garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Chilli powder	1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Curd	1/4 cup ,
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves	2
Cardamom	1
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 lime
Vinegar	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Orange Red food colour	a pinch
Cornflour	1 tablespoon
Maida	1 tablespoon
Egg	1
Oil	to deep fry

To garnish

Ingredients	Quantity
Onion	1 sliced to rounds
Curry leaves	few
Lemon wedges	few

Method

Grind all the ingredients together except for the quill to a smooth paste .
Marinate chicken in the masala paste for 3 or more hours . Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed pan .
Fry quill one at a time for 5- 7 minutes . First 2 minutes on high heat and then on medium heat for 5 minutes .
This way you get a crisp out side and a soft , moist cooked flesh inside . Once the quill is fried ,
sprinkle a few curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds , Drain .
Garnish with sliced onions and lemon wedges over the quill 65 and serve hot .

Crispy noodles bhel

Preparation Time : 35 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

I think I have around four versions of this same recipe in my hand written cook books . But never have I tried even one recipe , the reason being ” I don’t know ” . Having my first cook book launch with few friends of mine , being nervous and having a million butter flies in my tummy. Had to decide a menu for the event that has to be hassle free as well . Crispy noodles bhel popped up in my mind from no where out of a sudden. Went through all the four recipes and made up a recipe of my own combining one another together. Made the sauce and the crispy noddles a day before. The next day while assembling the dish, it was hassle free and done in seconds. Among the grand spread, the crispy noodles bhel was the stand out dish where most of the guests made sure to take away as well. From then on, I have both the crispy noodles and the sauce ready in hand stored. The first thing that’s on the table when I have sudden guests this dish is one that I rely on the most for a quick fix as all you need is some flavored beauties to make your guests swoon. So get smart with this idea that is simple yet drop dead impressive with entertaining factor becoming a cinch

Ingredients for noodles

Ingredients	Quantity
par boiled Chinese egg noodles	1 packet drained and dried on a kitchen towel , cornflour - 1/4 cup
flour / maida	1/4 cup
salt	to taste ,
Vegetable oil	to deep fry

Method for crispy noodles

Mix corn flour , flour / maida and salt together. Sprinkle over the dried out par boiled noodles well making sure all the noodles are not stuck to one another .
Heat oil to deep fry in a large pan. To Fry one cup noodles, reduce the flame to medium high and deep fry to crisp and golden in color.
Drain in absorbent paper and repeat with the rest of noodles. Cool a bit and store in air tight container until needed to be used .

Ingredients for sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Oil	1/4 cup
Garlic	1/8 cup grated
Ginger	1/8 cup grated
Celery	1/8 cup grated chopped stem and leaves
Tomatoes ground	1/4 cup ( around 2 small tomatoes )
Red chilly powder	to taste
Salt	to taste
Vinegar	1 teaspoon
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Tomato sauce	4 tablespoons
Light Soya sauce	1/2 teaspoon
Red chilly sauce	1/2 teaspoon
Green chilly sauce	1/2 teaspoon
Ajinomoto	a pinch ( optional )

Method for sauce

Heat oil to smoky. Reduce the flame and add celery, ginger and garlic . Sauté for thirty seconds .
Top with ground tomato purée and Stir continuously until oil floats on top. Add all the other ingredients one after the other.
All the way stirring once in a while. Taste and adjust seasoning and boil until oil separates and gets to a red thick sauce.
Remove from heat and cool completely

Other ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
Red + green + yellow bell peppers / capsicums	1/4 each chopped Cabbage - 1/4 cup shredded
Cabbage	1/4 cup shredded
Carrots	1 small chopped
Spring onions	1/4 cup chopped
Celery	1 tablespoon chopped
Salt	to taste

How to proceed

For four cups of crispy fried noodles . Mix red + green + yellow peppers, carrots, cabbage,
celery and half of chopped onion stem together. Add 1/4 cup of cooked sauce and mix well.
Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more salt if needed. Toss the crispy fried noodles over the above mix just before needed to be served.
Making sure the sauce and veggies are coated well. Garnish with remaining chopped spring onions and serve immediately .

Notes

The remaining sauce can be stored in air tight glass jars and refrigerated up to one month and used as a dip, can be used for cooking any Chinese dishes of choice or at times ,
I toss my left over idlis, Kuli paniyarams in this sauce and serve. Sky is the limit for imagination to come up with ideas.
In case you have left over crispy noodles , store in air tight containers at room temperature.
Keeps well for a month or two. This can be used for garnishing soups, along side ice creams with a toss of honey, for American chopsuey or to make another batch of crispy noodles bhel itself .
Can add pineapple chunks, sweet corn or any veggie of choice towards your liking also .

Sweet potato dhahi chat

Preparation Time : 35 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

The entire world revolves around being loved . Love is a universal language that has no explanation as how it makes you feel . But each human being does get to experience what it feels like for sure through our parents , siblings , children , friends , relatives etc…. Like wise I have very few people who shower their love over me just for the reason of liking me with no connection at all . One person among them is “poongothai ” who is a live in help from hubby dears ancestral village . When ever she comes to visit me , she makes it a point to get some thing or the other for me and most of the time it’s the seasons local produce . Last time she visited me it was sweet potatoes that she had got . Fed up of just boiling and eating it the regular way , remembered taking note of a savoury dish in one of my cook books . Searched and found the recipe and started of with it . As prepping for the dish , I started to crave for a chat dish . Being a chameleon changed my mind and decided to do a fusion dish of sweet potato chat . Made a dahi chat with the savoury sweet potato balls and served it to hubby dear ( poor rat of my kitchen laboratory . A big yes from his side , that led to parcels being sent over to my in- laws and my friends in the gym . A sure fire hit with every one . Just a spoon full will let temptation take over to blast your senses . In a few days , my mother – in – law asks me for the recipe which took me to cloud nine as my culinary guru ( my mother – in – law ) asking for a recipe happens only once in a blue moon

Ingredients for sweet potatoes

Ingredients	Quantity
Boiled sweet potatoes	1/4 kg ( peeled and mashed )
Ginger + garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Chick pea flour	1/4 cup
Fennel seed powder	1/ 4 teaspoon
Cumin seed powder	1/ 4 teaspoon
Onion	1 chopped
Turmeric power	1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon	1/4 inch piece powdered
Cloves	1 powdered
Red chilly power	1 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Mint + coriander leaves	few chopped
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 tablespoon + to deep fry

Method

Heat oil one tablespoon in a non – stick vessel . Add ginger + garlic paste and fry to brown .add onions and fry to translucent.
Top with fennel seed powder , cumin seed powder , cinnamon powder , clove powder , salt , red chilly powder and turmeric powder. Mix well .
Add the cooked , mashed sweet potato and mix well in low flame for a minute or two . Remove from heat and cool completely. Add chopped mint , coriander leaves and chick peas flour . Mix well .
Roll this mix into lemon sized balls . Heat oil to deep fry .
Drop the balls in batches of 3 to 4 balls at a time and deep fry to a golden brown color.
Drain and set aside . (On lazy days , I omit the deep frying part and use the sweet potato balls as it is )

Sweet chuntny

Ingredients	Quantity
dates	8
jaggery	1 table spoon
black salt	1/4 tea spoon
tamarind pulp	2 table spoons
salt	to taste
chilli powder	1 tea spoon
cumin powder	1/2 tea spoon

Green chuntny

Ingredients	Quantity
green chillies	10
coriander leaves	1/2 cup
mint leaves	1/2 cup
cumin powder	1/2 tea spoon
chat masala	1/2 tea spoon
salt	to taste
lime	1/2

Method For sweet chuntny

Boil all the ingredients together with little water for 8 minutes .
Cool and blend to a smooth paste . Keep aside .

Method For green chuntny

Grind all the ingredients except for lime to a smooth paste adding little water . Boil till raw smell goes .
Cool add lime juice . Taste and adjust . Keep aside .
Blend together and keep in refrigerator.

Other ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
Hung curd	8 cups
Sugar	to taste
Salt	a pinch
Onion	2 chopped finely
Coriander leaves	few chopped
Sev	1 cup

How to proceed

Blend hung curd , sugar and salt together to get a creamy semi thick following consistency liquid .

Assembling

Place two fried sweet potato balls on a serving plate .
Pour around 1/2 cup or more of hung curd mixture over the sweet potato balls .
Pour one tablespoon of green chutney over the sweet potato balls .
Pour one tablespoon of sweet chutney over the green chutney .
Sprinkle chopped onions , coriander leaves and sev over and serve immediately.