Saffron Rice

I commonly make saffron rice with various meat dishes. I keep referring to it and putting them in various pictures but never got down to write it’s recipe. It’s super easy to make and at the same time colorful and adds a nice vibrance to the dinner spread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1 tbsp. saffron strands
• 1/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds2tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.

In a sauce pan heat butter on medium heat till it melts. Temper with whole cumin seeds. Add drained rice to it and fry until rice begins to absorb ghee and turns opaque. Do not brown the rice.

Add salt, sugar and 4 cups of water and cook till the water is absorbed and rice is done. Pour saffron infused milk over the cooked rice and cover. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite curry. Some good options are Morich Mutton, Chaap, Rogan Josh

Icebox Cookies

This lovely cookies dotted with red candied cherries are ideal for Christmas. The good thing about these cookies is that you can make the cookie dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator for upto a week and bake it fresh when needed.

My husband really liked them and wanted a batch for his office, so some of my readers who work with him as well can look forward to these soon :)

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp.baking powder
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup candied red cherries
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Procedure

In a big bowl beat butter and sugar till they are light and fluffy. It takes almost 3 – 4 minutes with a electric hand mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract to it and beat well until incorporated.

In another bowl mix all dry ingredients and sift them. Gradually add this dry mixture to the butter until a dough forms. At the end add the cherries and stir in until distributed evenly in the dough.

Divide the dough into three equal portions and shape each of them into logs and wrap in wax paper. Tap each of the wrapped log on the counter to create a square log. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Heat oven to 350F. Take the logs 15 minutes before you bake them and slice with a sharp knife.Bake for 14 – 15 minutes, and your icebox cookies are ready..  

Chicken Lollipop

Long time back when I went to Goa on our honeymoon we went to a small restaurant by the beach called Why Knot. We befriended the waiter there who would serve us these amazing chicken lollipops with endless supply of port wine on the house. The waiter was very interesting. He used to work in a hotel in Leh (Kashmir) in the summers and in Goa in the winters. He even showed us the pictures of his Ladakhi girlfriend. It was a wonderful carefree time in our life. Even though the yearning to go back to those simpler times will not be satisfied, I can always satisfy the palate with some yummy chicken lollipop.

Ingredients For Marination

• 16 pieces chicken drummettes
• 1tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. soya sauce
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt

Procedure For Marination

Take the drummettes and trim the skin off from one end of the bone and give them a shape of lollipops. Wash and pat them really dry.

Marinate chicken with all ingredients listed above and keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. By the mean time prepare the batter.

Ingredients For Frying

• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2tsp. salt
• Enough oil for deep frying

Procedure

In a dry bowl take all the ingredients other than oil and whisk it with a fork to make a smooth batter. Ensure that the batter is lump free.

In a pan heat enough oil for deep frying. Dip each marinated drummette in the batter and gently slide it into the medium hot oil. Fry till the chicken is cooked and then turn the heat  high to give it a brownish crispy exterior.

Remove and keep them on an absorbent paper.

Ingredients For sauce

• 2 fat cloves of garlic chopped
• 2-3 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1/4 cup spring onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp. oil
• Salt if needed

Procedure

In a pan heat oil and add chopped garlic. Sauté for a few minutes and then add chili garlic sauce. Mix well and check whether to add salt or not. Add chopped spring onion and fried lollipops to this sauce and stir over high flame to coat each wings with sauce. Remove and wrap the bony end with aluminum foil and arrange them on a tray to serve.

Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

This is by far my favorite pasta. I had it while on a trip to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth in Washington state. We were there in December of 2012 to enjoy the heavy snowfall up in the cascade mountains.

Just after having this great pasta at an Italian restaurant in Leavenworth we started heading back towards Seattle. This is when things started going South. Due to heavy snowfall trees started falling down all around us in Stevens Pass. Falling trees while driving in 0 visibility at 60 mph is not a pleasant experience. However, we managed to get through the pass and just after that US2 closed for over 2 weeks, the longest in 30 years. Thankfully we didn’t get stuck in Leavenworth. However, looking back it wouldn’t been such a bad thing as I could’ve had the pasta every day :).

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. spaghetti
• 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
• 8 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley (I used the dried one)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper powder
• 6-8 mushroom thinly sliced
• 100 gms chicken breast cut into cubes
• Few leaves of baby spinach
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Cook spaghetti according to the package direction. Lightly drain spaghetti, don’t shake it dry in the colander, as you need to retain a little of the cooking water.

Take olive oil in a pan and add garlic slices to that cold oil. Put the heat on to medium and as soon as it starts bubbling immediately lower the heat. Keep sautéing for another five minutes. It helps infusing the garlic flavor in olive oil without turning it much brown. Add chili flakes to it and mix well. Turn the heat off.

In another pan take 2tbsp. olive oil and add chicken cubes to it. sprinkle salt and black pepper powder. Cook it on low heat till the meat is tender. Add mushroom slices and baby spinach leaves to it and sauté everything together for another two minutes. Transfer this content to the garlic flavored olive oil and give them a nice mix. Return this pan to the heat, add boiled spaghetti and parsley and toss to coat. This garlic flavored oil should coat each strands of spaghetti.

Taste for seasoning and serve. 

Kancha Pepe-r Ghonto (Raw Papaya Curry)

This is a common summer food in Bengal and is very yummy.

I had a real hard time making it because my husband was gobbling down the dumplings and complaining about wasting them because he doesn’t eat papaya. However, next day unknowingly he actually ate this without realizing it’s papaya and was very happy with it.

Ingredients

• For Bora or dumplings
  • 1/2 cup motor dal  (Yellow split peas) soaked in water for 3-4hours.
  • 1/2tsp. kalonji (Nigella seeds)
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying
• For Ghonto
  • 1 medium sized raw papaya grated
  • 3-4 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 2tbsp. oil

Procedure

Grind dal into a coarse paste by adding very little water. In a mixing bowl take the paste and add turmeric powder, salt and kalonji. Mix really well.

Heat oil in a wok and add small balls of lentil mixture to it. Fry on medium heat till they turn crispy and golden brown. Remove from oil and keep them on an absorbent paper.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper it with whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and green chilies. Wait till they stop sizzling. Now add grated raw papaya followed by turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Cook it covered on low heat till the vegetable is 3/4th done.

Now add fried lentil dumplings to it and finish rest of the cooking on low heat. By the end of the cooking all the moisture should dry up.

Add chopped fresh cilantro and green chilies to garnish and serve with plain hot rice.

Semiya Upma or Chow Chow Bath

When we first moved to Bangalore, we discovered that it’s brimming with many Sagars (seas) in it, and you can get different kind of baths in it.

If this astounds the geographically inclined (who knows that there aren’t any large water bodies within 100s of kms of Bangalore), rest assured that these are different kinds of Sagars. They are named Sukh Sagar, Shanti Sagar, Sukh Shanti Sagar and even sometimes just Sagar and are darned good food joints. They serve various kinds of bath (which is the name for cooked rice) like tamarind bath, tomato bath and weirdly chow chow bath. Obviously the name comes from Chinese chowmein due to the visual similarity.

It is made with Indian vermicelli and free of egg. Fortified with vegetables this complete meal can be done in minutes and is great for lunch boxes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups semiya or vermicelli
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1/4 cup carrots cut into very small cubes
• 1/4 up finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts or cashew nuts
• 2 tsp. canola oil
• Salt to taste
• For Tempering
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 2 dry red chilies broken
  • 1pinch asafetida (hing)
  • 1/4tsp. each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and chana dal

 

Procedure

Take a wide pan and add vermicelli. Dry roast it by turning over and over till it takes a light brown hue. Transfer it immediately to a plate. This step prevent the upma from being sticky, hence very important.

Now heat oil in a pan and add all the ingredients listed under tempering. Sauté till they become fragrant. If you are making for the kids then remove the red chilies and keep aside.

Add chopped onion and green chilies. Sauté on low heat till they turn soft and the onions turn pink. Add carrot and peas and mix everything together.

pour 3 cups of water and sprinkle salt. Mix well and turn the heat to high. When it comes to a rolling boil add roasted vermicelli while constantly stirring it.Cook till water is all absorbed. Turn off the heat.

Add chopped cilantro, fried red chilies and roasted nuts. Gently mix and give it a 5 minutes standing time.

Serve hot for breakfast or you can pack for lunchbox as well.

Lebu–Lonka Murgi (Chicken with Lime and Green Chili)

This is a light preparation of chicken which is perfectly suitable for a very hot day. This deviates considerably from traditional Indian cooking and I learnt the recipe from a TV show by the chef of the famous http://bhojohorimanna.com/ restaurant in Kolkata where this used to be served. The combination of lime and fresh green chilies gives it a very refreshing taste.

Ingredients

• 500 gms chicken on bone
• 2 tbsp. onion juice (Make a paste of onion and squeeze out the juice)
• 2 tsp. ginger juice
• 2 tsp. garlic juice
• 2 tsp. green chili paste
• 1 pinch coriander powder
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Curd)
• 1 big lime (preferably Gondhoraj lebu + 1 pati lebu)
• 1 tbsp. refined oil (Canola or Sunflower oil)
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2-3 lime leaf
• 2-3 green chilies slit lengthwise
• 4 tbsp. ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

In a bowl take half of the yogurt and add onion juice, ginger garlic juice, green chili paste, coriander powder, refined oil and lime juice. Mix it really well to make the marinade. Check to adjust the sourness, if you want you can add some more lime juice.

Add chicken pieces to it and keep it marinated for about an hour.

Heat ghee in a pan. Temper it with cardamom pods. Allow them to crackle. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken pieces and add them to ghee. Fry the chicken pieces on medium high heat till all sides turn light brown.

Add the marinade along with salt, sugar and the rest of the yogurt. Mix well.Through  lime leaves and green chilies in and cook it covered on medium heat till meat is done.

If you want your gravy to be thick, crank up the heat to high and let the excess water dry up.

Serve with plain paratha.