Celery Soup

Celery. Its an excellent source of Vitamin C , folic acid, potassium, vitamins and fibre,  but most important , everyone loves the tangy fresh taste of celery. Here is a quick and easy way to serve celery.

A bunch of celery ,  use only the leaves and the top stem which is still delicate. Finely chop the leaves and stalks. 1 onion finely chopped, 5-6 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tblsp flour , 1/4 cup milk , 1 tblsp oilve oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil, saute the onion till light brown and translucent, saute garlic. Add in the celery , cover and cook. Cool and blend in a mixer and return to the pan. Blend the flour with the milk , add 1 cup of water.  lower the flame and add the flour, milk and water . Stir continuously till it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or with a hearty  pasta salad.

Fish Cutlets - Mackarel

Mackarel is a part of the oily fish family. A rich source of Omega 3 oil. Often looked down by the new fish eaters, Mackarel or Bangda as it is popularly known is actually amongst the most nutritious fishes. Its my personal favourite and a mackarel curry with unpolished rice is a meal a goans dreams are made of :) .
Here is a fancy starter that is nutritious, filling and a change from the usual fish tikkas. This cutlet or kabab is made with Mackarel , but one can use any other fish with lesser bones or with fillets of white fish. However this is by far tastier. Here goes

4 whole Mackarel ( Bangda) , steamed, de boned and flaked. 1 large onion chopped  and sauted till light brown, 1 green chilli finely chopped, a few sprigs of coriander  finely chopped, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste,  2 slices of bread , soaked , squeezed and crumbled, 1/4 tsp each of  red chilli powder and  garam masala . 1/2 a lime , salt to taste.1 egg white

Mix together the fish flakes, sauteed onions, chillies, coriander,ginger garlic paste ,  salt, spices, and lemon juice. Mix in the bread crumble and egg white. Mix well , but lightly with a fork. Divide the mixture into small balls and flatten lightly. Grease a non stick pan and place the cutlets/ kababs on it. Fry on each side till golden or dark brown.
Serve with a mint or coriander chutney .

You can make a meal out of it by serving it with fried potato wedges , salad and garlic bread.

Khotte

There was no dearth of exotic foods in our kitchen. Having a large internationally integrated family meant there was always something new and unusual from someones kitchen that found its way to our dining table. Dads closest friends were konkanis. Khotte or idlis steamed in triangular moulds made from jack fruit leaves and twigs were not only exotic but delicious. Just looking at those huge steamed leafy moulds made my dad go weak in the knees. Accompanied by a spicy runny corriander and coconut chutney it was a meal fit for a king. On special occasions it was served with a spicy coconut based fish curry. A treat for the eyes, a feast for the palate and nirvana for the soul.

The khotte are basically made with regular idli batter. Once can use the normal store bought batter as well to make the khotte. For the procedure to make the jack fruit moulds, here is a fantastic site where it has been explained with pictures.

http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/10/25/idlis-in-jackfruit-leaveshittukhottekhotte-kadubu/

Chirote

Every now and then one remembers a forgotten flavour of our childhood. Something sweet , a unique flavour or a texture that got us all excited. One of the things i often remember is chirote. A flaky fried snack liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar, eaten while it was still warm. Aaaaah those crispy , flaky, sweet bites of heaven. Thankfully its easy to recreate the crispy flaky wheels in no time and I am able to walk down that nostalgic lane as often as I like.
Sharing the simple procedure . Try it and let me know what you think.

1 cup maida, 8 tblsp pure desi ghee , 1/4 cup warm milk, 2 tblsp rice flour, powdered sugar to sprinkle on the chirote as per taste.

melt about 4 tblsp of the ghee. Mix well into the flour . Knead the flour into a soft dough using the warm milk.Cover and set aside for about half an hour. Divide the flour into 6 equal parts. Roll out each of these parts into a thin flat pancake. Whisk together the remaining ghee and the rice flour till you get a creamy paste. Now place a pancake down on a floured surface and spead 1/5 of the creamy rice flour - ghee paste over it. Sprinkle with some dry flour over it , then place another pancake over it and repeat the flour paste layering and dry flour sprinkling till the last pancake is placed on top. Now starting from the side closest to you , roll the entire pile into a tight roll . Do this lightly so that the layers are not pressed hard into each other. Cut into about 16-20 discs. Lightly roll each disk and fry in medium hot oil. Take care to maintain the creamy colour of the chirote. Drain on absorbent paper and quickly sprinkle them with powdered sugar before they cool down.

These keep well for a week . Mine dont :( . They are over within the hour.

Macaroons

Those Lovely , light-as-air , delightfully crunchy Macaroons. As french as they come. Macaroons are delightful on their own or as a base for ice cream, pastry , or wicked chocolate fantasies.

They look inviting and simple and trust me , they really ARE simple to make . All you need is patience and a little practise. There are many methods to make Macaroons , here is the simplest

2 egg whites, 1/2 cup powdered and sifted sugar, 1 tsp essence ( vanilla ), about 15 almonds finely powdered.

Start by heating the oven to 180 Deg C for 45 mins.

Place the egg whites in a deep bowl , with electric whisk, beat the egg whites till soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar ( a tablespoon at a time) . Take a basin in which you can place the bowl of egg whites, in a way that the bowl comfortably sits on top of the basin . Heat water in the basin, but do not allow to boil. Place the bowl on the basin and whisk till the mixture thickens.Take off the basin and add the powdered almonds and essence ( I have put in orange)  .Further whisk the batter till cool.

Take a greased tray and place spoonfuls of batter on it.


Place in the hot oven and switch off the oven.
 Let the macaroons remain in the oven till it cools completely.

Check the top for crispness. When completely cooled, place in an airtight container.



This is the basic Macaroon. More variations and recipes will follow.

Goan Prawn Curry

Prawns/Shrimps 2 cups, peeled and deveined, Coconut 1 cup , finely grated; 1 small raw mango- sliced, Turmeric Powder 1 tsp, 2-4 dry red chillies,pinch of red chilli powder, 1 tsp whole coriander seeds, onion 1 small finely chopped,
salt to taste,oil 1 tsp, ½ tsp raw rice, 4-6 black peppercorns,
water


Wash prawns and marinate with a pinch salt, a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of chilli powder. Grind grated coconut , corriander ,chillies, turmeric, peppercorns, rice, and half of the chopped onion, to a fine paste. Thickly slice raw mango.Heat the oil in a broad, heavy based pot. Add onions and fry till  light brown, add in the raw mango slices, till a little soft, add in the prawns and a little water. cover and cook for 2 mins. reduce heat and add the fine masala paste . Add twice the amount of water. Add salt to taste. Let the curry boil , uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.

 
A small variation to this is adding 1.5 " pieces of white radish / mooli. This tastes awesome.

Serve this curry with steamed rice. Its a great idea to mash the raw mango into the rice instead of discarding it.

Happy Tiffins

Have School going children? Whats your worst nightmare? Tiffins? Short Break snacks? Ok lets try to crack this one!

I have 3 kids with extremely different tastes and peeves, some bordering on the illogical. One hates tomatoes , while another hates mushrooms, the third will diligently pick out all kinds of capsicum or corn. One hates tomato ketchup, the other gags at the smell of mayo and so we go on and on and on.
One thing however they all agree on is sandwiches. As long as I am able to change the fillings, they are very happy with sandwiches.

Lets look at the various fillings options ( This may read like a subway menu)
Breads
1. Sliced bread any kind
2. Bagels
3. Croissants
4. Pav
5. Rotis.

Sliced
1. Veggies: Tomatoes, boiled potatoes, onions, cucumbers, capsicum,olives , gherkins.
2. Shredded: Apples, cabbage, letteuce, kale, celery, carrots.
3. Coleslaw, chicken salad, Russian salad, garden salad ( sliced and shredded mixed vegetables)
4. Cheese, paneer, boiled, fried egg
5. salami, ham, bacon.meat loaf, spam,
6. Grilled patties of chicken, meat, boneless fish , potato chops, veg cutlets, fish fingers, french fries,chicken nuggets.
7. Leftover tandoori chicken, grilled meats, Chinese preparations, dry mix vegetables.

Sauces to moisten the sandwiches a bit.
1. Tomato Ketchup/ sauce / hot n sweet
2. mayonnaise/ thousand island sauce
3. cheese sauce ( just heat a mixture of 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup milk, salt if required)
4. Mustard, barbeque sauce, chilli sauce, yoghurt dip, cream cheese spread, sandwich spread ( made by mixing grated salad veggies, mayo and seasonings)
5. Home made chutneys : green coriander, mint, chilli garlic, coconut.

These are just to give you a basic idea of what can be tucked inside sandwiches
Then there are some favourites , which are very simple yet amazing.
Chutney and cheese, coconut chutney with white butter, chutney and cucumber, plain butter with lots of sugar sprinkled on the butter, honey on toast, coleslaw sandwich.Chip and dip sandwich ( french fries with sandwich spread :)

Have fun with the fillings and sauces and sometimes let the kids suggest options.

Chicken with Mushrooms- Coq Au Vin

My own very simple version of the classic French Coq Au Vin. Every once in a while , you are short on time , yet dont want to eat the same old boring food. The chicken needs minumum marination time. Infact by the time you mix the chicken and have fried the onions and mushrooms , the chicken is ready to go in the pan. Garlic bread or plain french bread is great with this chicken. Add in a side of mashed potatoes or frenh fries and Voila , you have a fancy dinner!

1 medium chicken, cut into medium size pieces, 1 cup sliced onions, 1 cup sliced mushrooms,2 tblsp chopped garlic,2 tblsp Worcestershire sauce,1 tsp roasted crushed peppercorns,1/2 cup red wine. 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp cornflour, salt - pepper to taste.3 tbsp oil.

Wash, clean the chicken pieces. Add in 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp vinegar and the cornflour to the chicken.mix well and keep aside for half an hour.
Heat 2 tblsp oil in a pan , when hot place the chicken in the pan . quick cook on both sides till the chicken is golden brown. Remove and keep warm. In the pan add in 1 tblsp oil , when hot add sliced onions and fry till the edges turn light brown. Add garlic, mushrooms . Stir till the mushrooms wilt a bit. Add in the chicken, peppercorns, Worcestershire sauce, wine and salt to taste. let the liquid bubble a bit , then turn down the flame and let the chicken cook. Serve with crusty bread.

Methi

Since early childhood we are urged to eat our green vegetables. Amongst the least favourites though are the green leafy ones. Palak ( Spinach), Methi (Fenugreek), Shepu/ Sua ( Dill), Chawli ( Amaranth), Lal Maath ( Red Leafy Amaranth), Mayalu/ Vali Bhajji ( Climbing Spinach), Bathua/ Chandan Batva (pigweed/ white goosefoot), Chuka ( Sorrel) etc.


As kids we were encouraged to eat our greens . We grew up loving them in all combinations and today one green leafy vegetable is a must everyday. Thankfully I managed to cajole my kids into eating and eventually enjoying these vegetables. While spinach is happily consumed with paneer ( cottage cheese) , cheese, corn or fried in oriental preparations, Methi is left to be cooked with the popular potato. Guess that way it is easy to consume.
We were introduced to methi in its various forms
Seeds: Used for tempering Upmas, Pumpkin curry, Kadhi.and in special ladoos
Sprouted Seeds: Khichadi, salad
Young leaves: Salad , pan fried vegetables
Greens: Vegetables, Salads, Daals, Theplas, Namkeens
Dried: To flavour curries, tikkas, chicken gravies

Sprouted Methi Seeds

Young Methi leaves

Young leaves

There is a lot to be said for the benefits of Methi.

Methi is a natural source of  protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron and its mineral and vitamin contents are also very high and this is easily absorbed by our body. Regular use of  methi seeds reduces deposits of fat in the body and lowers cholesterol.They are highly beneficial in the treatment of diabetes.

The most effective way to eat methi seeds is to sprout them a little, then dry the sprouts, powder them and include in the everyday diet. You can have it in powdered form, as a decoction and herb tea.

Paste of the fresh leaves and coconut milk applied over the scalp is believed to prevent hair-loss, promote hair growth, preserve its natural color, delay graying of hair and make it silky soft.

Add the powder of methi seeds with coconut oil and massage it on your scalp. Wash it off the next day with cold water. This helps to prevent premature graying of hair.A paste of methi leaves mixed with vinegar is good for treating dandruff.

Applying the paste of methi leaves and turmeric on your face is very good for pimple and blackhead prone skin.

Ambadi Udda methi

1 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp urad ( split and husked horsebean) , 1 and 1/4 tsp methi dana (fenugreek seeds),1/2 cup grated coconut,2 dry red chillies, 1 tsp dhania ( dry corriander ) seeds , a pinch of hing ( asafoetida) , gud ( jaggery ) size of a small lemon ,1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 4-5 Ambade ( hog plums). salt to taste.

Thinly peel the ambade.Heat a little oil in a small pan and when hot add the urad dal and fenugreek, coriander and dry red chillies.Roast it on a slow flame till it gives out a toasty fragrance .Mix with the coconut, add turmeric and grind to a smooth fine paste. Heat a tsp of oil , when hot add mustard seeds . When they splutter, add hing. Next, add a little water and the ambade. Add the jaggery and salt.When the ambade feel soft to the touch, add in the coconut paste and bring to a gentle boil on slow flame. Remove from heat.

This uddamethi can also be made from raw mango ( thinly peeled and cubed), or just using slit fat green chillies which are not very hot.

Serve hot with rotis, dosas or steamed rice.