beingdesh

Category: Recipe

  • Are you there?

    Are you there?

    Yes. I am.

    It has been more than a year since I wrote a blog post (or rather posted one). I have written quite a bit since last year but hardly anything has made it to this blog. This has been my longest break since I started the blog and it is strange considering there has been so much to write about.

    Last year and the part of this year  has brought about a number of changes- turning 30, adjusting to a married life, moving to U.S., learning how to drive, and getting used to change in working styles. It has also been about the usual stuff- travelling and eating interesting things, reading new stuff, having conversations on politics and sports, and trying out new things in kitchen.

    But it seems that day by day there is less to talk, and a even lesser number of people to talk with. I own a few more devices now than I did a year back, although I use them less than what I used to do. Is it the age catching up? Or is it just the lack of time? Or just a lack of motivation to pick up things of my interest and record them.

    Apart from the fact that my social life in U.S. has been a bit on the decline, the rest of the parameters have stayed the same. I have enjoyed the lakes, the forests, the occasional runs, the beautiful drives, and the snow. Yes the snow. New York has reminded me of Mumbai and Chicago of what Mumbai can never be. Disney brought out unlimited happiness in me, Niagara stunned me with its visuals, and Grand Canyon was a bit of a let down. Food in America has swung between greasy and over-healthy and “good” Indian restaurants have been hard to find. American History has intrigued me, from the museums in DC to Netflix documentaries to books on Civil War. Winter has charmed and shivered me in equal proportions, Fall was something I totally missed, and Summer seems like something that happened a long time ago. Right now I am just hoping that this winter slowly melts into summer again. And yes that is currently the only thing I wish for,

    And I have missed a lot of action back home, especially the experience of voting in the Lok Sabha elections last year and just talking about it a lot. I have developed appreciation for Ravish Kumar’s reporting on NDTV India and have stopped watching the noisy debates of Arnab totally.

    Between all this what has kept me engaged has been my attempts to perfect my Indian cooking. As my wife says there is a difference between being someone who likes to cook occasionally vs. someone who has to cook daily. It is a big challenge to cook daily. It is more difficult to keep your Daal interesting on a day-to-day basis than rolling the perfect Pizza (which I have tried too). As I learn the art of tinkering with the daily recipes, without altering their simple nature, I do indulge a bit of special cooking from time to time.

    Here is a recipe for one dish which reminds me of some awesome drinking / talking sessions at Raj Palace, and something which I prepare for a respite from the usual routine food.

    Recipe: Egg Biryani

    Ingredients:
    * Hardboiled eggs
    * Rice (Cooked, but shouldn’t be overcooked)
    * Whole Garam Masala (Cloves, Cardamon, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves etc.)
    * Onions and tomatoes
    * Regular masalas from Kitchen

    Put some oil in pan. Add few drops of ghee in it. Put thinly sliced onion in it. Fry till they are nice and brown. Bring them to the sides and keep it in pan, don’t mix with oil.
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    Add Jeera and whole garam masala in oil ghee in pan. I added cloves, cardamon, bayleaf and cinnamon. You can consider adding few others of your choice.

    Then add green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, and some ginger julienne. Add tomato paste and a bit of water. Pull in a few fried onions from the side and mix in it. Not all. We want the onions to be separate and not mash in like a paste.

    Once masala is ready add eggs. Then add rice and mix it gently. Add a bit of coriander.
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    Serve with Papad and Raita.

    Best enjoyed with Old Monk and Thums Up.

    Note: Just to be clear, my wife does most of the cooking but I do end up doing a bit too 🙂

  • Simple Cooking: How To Make Poha?

    I often come across people who hate cooking. I believe that cooking is a life skill, something as important as cleaning your wardrobes every week, maintaining personal hygiene,  and ability to keep your home neat and clean. One of my life’s mission is to ensure that people overcome the mental barriers they have with respect to cooking, and start preparing some simple dishes.

    This post is meant for all those people who never think twice before ordering a pizza on a day maid doesn’t arrive, or worst still boil a Maggi to break their hunger (I am a firm believer in having Maggi, only when I feel like having Maggi, not because of the lack of options).

    Ok enough of lecturing, sharing a short and simple recipe of how to get your Poha (Flattened Rice) right, one of the easiest things one can start with. And yes, will start posting recipes of some simple dishes soon.

    Step 1: Buying the right Poha

    This is the most important step for getting your Poha right, don’t buy the very thick one (popular in Maharashtrian Poha, fried chiwda, or Avlakki Bhath in Karnataka), or the very thin one (used for making chiwda in Maharashtra). Buy something in between, but more towards the thinner side. Touch, feel and compare poha while buying, might help in judging the thickness.

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    Buying the right Poha is important, check the thickness.

    Step 2: Soaking Poha

    If buying the right Poha is 50% of the job, soaking it right makes your task 95% complete. In the picture I use a large strainer to soak it. Wash it nicely under running water, and drain out excess water. Another way is you wash it in a vessel, drain the water, and then place it over a clean cotton cloth (to help soak out excess moisture). Remember to drain out the excess moisture, otherwise you will get a mashy consistency.

    Add some Red Chilli and Turmeric powder, some salt, and a pinch of sugar and keep it on the sides.

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    You can add the spices while soaking, or while cooking, but do remember to add a pinch of Sugar.

    Step 3: Preparing Poha

    Chop a large onion and some green chillies. You can add potatoes too but that will increase the cooking time. I anyway like my Poha to be Potato-Free. Keep some onion for garnish later.

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    I love adding peanuts to my Poha. The problem with peanuts is that if you add it in the normal cooking process, they tend to either under or overcook, which kills the fun while eating. I start with putting some oil in a pan and first frying the peanuts in it. Ensure that take out the peanuts at the right time (deep reddish brown in color). Add those peanuts to the same plate/strainer with soaked poha in it (to ensure that oil is not wasted).

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    Make sure you pull out your peanuts at the right time.

    Now add some jeera (cumin seeds) to oil and let it crack. Add onion and chillies and fry it for sometime on on low flame. Add a bit of salt as it helps release moisture out of onion and will facilitate its cooking. Lesser the oil, more the time and stirring required. But salt does help in quickening the process.

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    Add a pinch of salt to ensure that onion cooks quickly

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    Once the onions change their colour, add the soaked poha and peanuts and mix it nicely. Use soft hands (as Dravid) to ensure minimal damage to the consistency of poha. More power you use, more the damage to the poha, and more the risk of it losing its shape and consistency.

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    Mix the poha with soft hands

    Add some chopped coriander leaves, squeeze a bit of lemon juice, sprinkle a few drops of water, mix, and then cover it for 2 mins or so.

    Step 4: Serving Poha

    Once its done serve it with Sev (I use an Indori Double Laung, which is a thick spicy sev with lots of clove in it) and chopped onions. I also sprinkle a bit of Jeeravan (a much spicier version of chaat masala minus the sourness) over it.

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    Serve with sev and some chopped onions

    Enjoy Poha, goes well with Jalebi and a hot cup of chai.

    If you want to know more about Poha, Indore, and the things which make it so special read A Day in the life of Indori Jalebi.

    Featured image from Google Images, other inline images from the cooking process in my kitchen.

  • [SCM]: Baigun Bhaja

    [My fascination with Bong food goes back to my good old childhood days, where Durga Puja and Navratri used to be my favorite festival. Khichdi at Durga Puja has no match, and the amazing chutney served with it, ahaa. Also my pados ki aunty used to make amazing fish for me. My liking for bong food has been well documented earlier. This recipe is dedicated to kharagpuriya bong at whose home I made this last week, the to be bong bahu who will eat a fish-head during her wedding, and my poor friend who spends nights in shady bengal hotels traveling on thelas, eats jhal mudi and sells tide:). And haan to the Amdavadi Bahu who loves cooking]

    Baigun Bhaja (Serves 3)

    Ingredients:

    • Big Fat Brinjal (One or two, depends how hungry you are, please check for small pores in the Brinjal, if they are there be careful, isme keeda lag jaata hai kai baar]
    • Mustard Oil or Sarso ka Tel (extremely high on calories, superb on taste, if you don’t have this, please don’t try this dish)
    • Ginger-Garlic Paste
    • Turmeric and Red Chillies powder

    Method:

    Wash the Brinjal (they use the max pesticides on poor Brinjal, wash it properly, and then wipe it with a dry cloth). Cut it into slices, slices shouldn’t be wafer thin, nor they should be very thick. Medium thickness slices. Cut them but don’t leave them for long, Brinjal has Iron in it, so like Apple, it oxidizes and turns dark. Its very high on Vitamins and Iron, but don’t worry, we will kill it all :).

    Take a bowl, put 2 Tb Spoons of Ginger-Garlic paste in it. Add a tea spoon of mustard oil, half tea spoon of turmeric and hald tea spoon of chillies powder. Mix it well. Remember its not like pakode ka batter, it shouldn’t be too much, you just need to put that masala on the slices.

    Take a pan, heat it, put mustard oil in it. Remember less oil and Brinjal might burn, or turn dry, a nice bhaja is always soaked with oil. Put the Brinjal slices in the bowl with paste in it, coat it evenly and shallow fry it in the pan.

    While frying notice the sides, they will turn crisp, the center soft and yellow, fry evenly on both sides. Don’t fry it too much, otherwise it will be too oily, just the right amount. The center should taste like oily bharta, and you know its done.

    Goes well with Khichdi, simple Daal-Rice and even as a starter with alcohol. Yes after a long time I have found new company for alcohol 🙂

  • [SCM]: Desi’s Mashy Mayo Wich and Thakela Sunrise

    [Through Simple Cooking for MBAs or SCM I want to share a bit of whatever I try out in kitchen, you can ping my roomie, it tastes decent :), and its easy to make. For all my friends, living on those lonely sales stints, or sitting in distant plants, girls who always have wanted to cook but then finally don’t, guys who think they can cook if they make maggi, those who are bored of their cooks, or thinking of throwing a home party, you can try a few out. Didn’t take any pics today, will put them up next time around.]

    Desi’s Mashy Mayo Wich (serves 3)

    Ingredients:

    • Vegetables: 3 Potatoes, 2 Tomatoes (1 tomato diced, 1 sliced), 1 Onion (diced), 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
    • Brown / White bread: 9 Slices
    • 1 Tea spoon oil (use Saffola, good for heart, and would help increase my friend’s sales)
    • Butter / Amul Lite (based on what mood you are in, nothing tastes like Butter, but I think Lite is Ok)
    • Masala: Jeera whole (1 tea spoon), Red Chilli powder, Chat Masala, Salt, Pepper
    • Mayonnaise (take the veggie one, its tastier, there is healthy option available too, fat-free one in stores, made of mostly milk solids)

    Method:

    Boil the potatoes (wash them, put them in a cooker, now handling a cooker totally depends on you, my cooker is awesome, and I am comfortable with its setting, Apeksha’s cooker behaves differently, totally your call. For me I sink them around 3-4th in water, put 6-7 whistles as I want to mash them, Jeera-Aloo would require 4-5 whistles). Then mash them.

    Heat a bit of oil in pan, now crack Jeera in it. Now Jeera cracks earlier than Rai (mustard does) so don’t heat it too much or you risk burning the Jeera. Best way is to heat it, then sim the gas a bit, then add couple of Jeera seeds, if it cracks put the rest.

    The sugandh / khushboo / fragrance which follows is better than your Chanel’s and Boss’s. Its mahaan (most prominent places where you find the smell, Jeera rice, Dal Fry made with Jeera ghee and aloo jeera).

    Put in the mash potatoes, mix chat masala and red chillies powder. Slightly heat it and mix it well. Take it off the flame, add diced tomatoes and onions. Cool it a bit (the sandwich mix is ready). Put salt and pepper to taste (remember you have added Chat Masala which has tonnes of Salt, so be careful while adding salt)

    Heating the bread is not a simple act, there are multiple variations to how you can do it. The most boring is the videshi method of putting it in a toaster or microwave. Boring!!!

    Best is the desi tarika, put them in a pan / tawa, put Lite / Butter, let it slightly melt add Jeera powder in Butter (you can add Red Chillies Powder too), put the Bread on Top, nicely butter it with Amul Lite (remember not that many calories, you can add your bit:)) and heat it. Let it be nicely brown (slightly soft or crunchy, whichever way you like it).

    For the wich to be ready now, keep a slice of heated bread on a plate, put the potato as one of the layers. Close it with a slice, put mayo on it. If you are cal-conscious use a knife to spread it, otherwise use a spoon :). Remember even this has salt (so keep this in mind while using salt earlier). Now put the tomato slices on this layer and close it.

    Its a fact that Sandwiches cut diagonally taste better than stand alone or beech se cut sandwiches.

    Btw it’s ready, eat it :). You can add cucumber to it, might go well. Goes well with Thakela Sunrise.

    Thakela Sunrise (Serves 3)

    Ingredients:

    • 350 ml Minute Maid Pulpy Orange
    • Ice Cubes 12
    • 5 Tea Spoons Glucon D (preferably Orange flavor)
    • Bacardi White Rum (90 ml) (depends if you want a mocktail or a cocktail)

    The objective of this drink is to energize you on a boring day, and its amazingly refreshing. A sunrise for the thakela 🙂

    Remember cocktails are all about measures, you won’t get the right feel if the measures are not right.

    Method:

    Mix it, if you have a cocktail mixer, shake it. And its ready.

    Let me know if you try something out, in case you don’t be happy to know that your friend keeps on trying things out 🙂

  • Plum-esh

    Plum cakes, those brilliant ones which Anthony uncle used to bring to our house on Christmas when I was a kid, mostly all of us had it during Christmas season in all parts of the country. The dark brown ones filled with fruits & nuts, and marmalade like orange peels, these things are simply awesome. The best part about plum cakes are those mishy-mashy fruit bits and marmalade, they just stand out for me and create that plum-esh effect. Those bits and pieces are soaked in brandy or rum, and they just absorb its flavour, its some kind of a taste which you can only associate with a plum cake. It takes time to make one, you must keep the fruit pieces soaked for a couple of days before you can create the bestest plum cake (it can’t be like the instant one, with hide and seek biscuits crushed and mixed with Eno, that only our super awesome brilliant Gujarati genius lady can manage).

    Relationships too take time to mature, initially you need to soak them in the right kind of brandy and let it be, and slowly it will absorb all the good things around. Then you need to bake it at the right temperature and then scrub off all the unnecessary burnt portion. But what would stand out is the taste of those early days, soaked in the brandy of love, friendship and all the good time you spent together. And those days will define how life would taste in the future.

    Plum-esh is just a start my friends 🙂 and sorry there is no short-cut Eno recipe for the perfect plum cake, there never can be one :).