What Katy Did

There was a box at home that was slowly disintegrating. It held pottery that my mother in law had excavated even before I was born. As I sat sorting through the beautiful painted sherds of Harappan pottery, packing it anew, I missed her all over again. It will be two years since she has gone and there is so much to miss...

Katy Dalal with her two daughters in law (Farah and Myself) and her daughter Freny

One individual and so many personae! The wife, the mother, the boss, the caterer, the archaeologist, the bookworm, the mother in law, the friend, the teacher, the daughter, the author...how did she fit it all into one lifetime? She just went ahead and did.

I first met Katy Dalal in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. She was to teach three papers in my TYBA course. She was the most generous teacher I have ever met. She Xeroxed entire books and distributed them to every student in the class. She took class in the college canteen and plied us with tea and samosas as she explained Indian Philosophy. She took class with three of us students at the Rangoli at the NCPA once. We were fed a sumptuous lunch and then she insisted on giving us taxi fare to go home, all the way to Andheri! This was just before the TYBA final examinations and she didn't want us to waste time waiting for buses and trains. We were welcome to go over to her house whenever we needed to, in case we needed help with any of the papers, even the ones she wasn't teaching us. Such was her love for teaching...and her son Kurush is just the same. How could he not be!

Katy studied archaeology at the Deccan College in Pune and did her PhD under the guidance of Prof. V.N. Mishra. Many years later Kurush went to the same college and also earned his PhD degree. Prof. Mishra was his guide too.

Armed with a thorough grounding in History and Archaeology Katy returned to Mumbai but found that there were no suitable jobs. Though acutely disappointed she wasn't one to sit around moping. She saw opportunity and grabbed it. What started as a favour to a family friend soon grew into a Parsi Catering service of great repute. There was a time when she ran the kitchens at the Free Masons Hall and the Ripon Club simultaneously while  catering private parties and sending daily tiffins to peoples' houses and offices at the same time. She was also bringing up three kids alone as her husband was away at sea. In the later years she also taught at a few colleges in Mumbai, whenever the opportunity arose. The older members of the staff say "bai kab sotatha malum nahi".

Lunch with Katy in Lonavala :)

Once Kurush came back to Mumbai with his PhD completed she said she's had enough, the business was all his. She sat back, always keeping an eye on what he was doing, and settled down to fulfil yet another dream - write a cookbook. The first book, Jamva Chaloji, was a runaway success and she went on to write five more.

She was a very sensible and practical woman and when Kurush and I decided to marry, she made space for us to have our own home, separate from her household. We were just upstairs, at hand when required, but still independent. She loved her children to bits but she was mature enough not to cling to them and strangle them with her love.

In the early days I worked alongside Kurush helping him with the catering business. The 'glamour' of being in the food business had always attracted me but now I got to see the dogged hard work, day after day, that went into producing flawless, well presented food every time. I learned to pay attention to detail from Katy. Go straighten those napkins, arrange the serving spoons properly, taste everything before it is put on the counter, why does that waiter not have a bow-tie...the list was endless but that's what made all the difference.

As we got used to each other Katy and I became friends. In 2007 I started writing professionally. After a couple of starter jobs I got the chance to work freelance for a company based in the UK. The money was excellent and I loved the work I was doing. No one was prouder of my achievement than Katy. She would always scold Kurush "don't waste her money buying silly things. She is working hard, save it!" All of us know the joy of indulging others with money you have earned yourself..Your first pay check - the saree you buy for Mom, the iPod you buy for yourself... I took Katy shopping and we had such a blast! Though she did scold me for 'wasting' money she was thrilled. And very proud of her daughter in law.

Katy blessing Kurush and me 

Katy was addicted to romance novels. If you happened to drop by to meet her you would always find her with a pile of Mills & Boons nearby. On one birthday, her husband Feroze bought her as many Mills & Boons as her age that year. Yes, she was a spoiled wife and she was worth the spoiling!  She was always happy to share her books with me and would even tell me 'this one is quite spicy!' with a twinkle in her eye! She and I shared a great love for Georgette Heyer and once I discovered other historical romance authors, half the joy in buying their books was in sharing them with Katy. That is something I keenly miss today.

Her love for romance and for history led her to start writing a romance novel set in India at the time of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Her heroine was a Parsi girl. Katy was in her element! She was so taken up by the history of the Mutiny that she delved deeper and deeper, forgetting her novel and just enjoying the research and all the little unknown facts she unearthed. She would carry her notes and her books in and out of the hospitals too - she was never too ill to read, to research and to learn. She didn't finish that novel but finishing it wasn't the point.

Katy with Kurush at our wedding

Katy lives on in her children and her grand children. And she lives on in me too. I like to believe that.

You can read a few things her friends and family have said about Katy here and here.

Bhetki in Mustard sauce at warp speed

It was one of those days that began early, the coffee was perfect, the weather was great, the birds were twittering obligingly in the Ashoka tree outside my window and Abida was singing. Work was flowing and I was having one of those magical mornings.

However the innumerable inevitable distractions that a working Monday brings with it made their presence felt and I lost pace. Work became a burden as I struggled to finish writing those last 200 words that would signal the end of the assignments to be submitted today. I finally finished at about 3pm and I realised I was ravenous. (Of course it was also one of those days when the watchman came by to inform me that there would be a water cut for most of the day.) So what to cook really quick without involving too much prep and resulting in minimal dishes piled up in the sink?

I rooted around in the fridge and found these beautiful boneless pieces of Bekti or Bhetki (as we Bongs refer to it) that were already marinated in salt and turmeric. Bingo! A quick call to my Mom and lunch was sorted.  Sorse Bhetki with hot rice was ready in a jiffy and a few minutes!

Here's how -

Boneless bhetki pieces (or on the bone)
green chillies
tomato (optional)
Kalonji or nigella seeds
mustard oil
Fresh cilantro or coriander leaves
Sunrise Mustard Powder
salt, turmeric to coat fish pieces


Soak a generous tablespoon or two of the mustard powder in a small glass bowl, depending on the quantity of fish you will be cooking and whether you want lots of gravy or less.

I used this mustard powder. It is my latest hot favourite short cut in the kitchen and Mom got me about 10 packets when she came from Kolkata last month. It's also available here and there in Mumbai including at the amazingly well stocked Bong speciality Pooja Bhandar outside the Chembur market. It packs a reasonable mustard-y punch but is not so strong that those not genetically programmed to feel absolute delight with mustard can also enjoy it.

Take a large flat cooking vessel and heat the mustard oil. Add the fresh green chillies (snap into two or three pieces) and the kalonji seeds. Add in the fish pieces and fry gently. Keep the flame on simmer or just a little more. You only want to gently sear the fish, not fry it hard.

After a few minutes add in the chopped tomato if you're using them. Stir gently and cook covered for a couple of minutes. Once the tomatoes are mushy but not completely disintegrated, pour in the mustard paste/solution.  If you're not using tomatoes just pour the mustard in and proceed. Stir to coat all the fish properly. Add water according to the consistency of gravy you prefer but make sure there's enough to cook the fish.

Once the fish is cooked through switch off flame and take the pan off the hob. Sprinkle liberally with fresh chopped coriander and pour a tablespoon of mustard oil over the surface to finish.

I didn't  have coriander so I skipped that bit.

Serve with hot rice.

Done and dusted in barely 20 minutes - a simple meal, few flavours but sheer poetry! Enjoy :)

Black Eyed Peas - As fresh as Fergie

The hubby had gone off on another jaunt to Chandore near Mangaon (on the Mumbai - Goa route) and apart from his archaeology related work he also was on the lookout for fresh produce to pick up from the farmers that set up stalls on the highway. This time he came back with a big bag of beans. Really. What he picked up was a kilo of fresh black eyed peas in the pod.

I hadn't a clue what they were or how to cook them, having seen black eyed peas only in their usual dried form. I view most 'sabut' or 'kada dhanya' or dried beans/peas with a healthy hatred if I have to cook them. I can never get them soft, the flavours never seem to permeate into the beans themselves and so I avoid cooking them. I love the stuff, just can't seem to cook them. Confronted with the fresh variety was a like a leap into the extreme unknown for me. I didn't know these were eaten fresh. Ignorant me.

So we set out on a little adventure in the kitchen as we broadened my culinary horizons yet again and cooked the black eyed peas as fresh as Fergie from the pods. No pop was involved in the cooking of these babies apart from the mustard that couldn't be restrained.

I have a healthy fear of the unknown and this extends to cooking too. I don't take to new and unfamiliar ingredients easily and have no confidence dealing with them. Fortunately the hubby is more courageous (and patient) and he said he'd give me directions all the way. So we sat down and peeled the lot. Hubby, me and the maid. Soon we had a decent pile of pretty pale green and white 'beans'.

Then the cooking began. It's a fairly simple recipe with very few flavours. We let the black eyed peas do the talking.

Here's how -

Heat oil in a pan and throw in some mustard seeds. Once they pop and crackle add a couple of green chillies and a sprig of curry leaves. Throw in a chopped onion and sauté the lot till the onions begin to get pink. You can also add some garlic here if you like.

Now's the time to chuck in diced potatoes. I used 1 large potato. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and let the potatoes cook for a bit. Chop up one largeish tomato and add it in. Stir everyone around nicely and put in a teaspoon of dhaniya (coriander) powder and one of jeera (cumin) powder. Mix well, cook covered for another couple of minutes.

I automatically reached for the turmeric but the hubby said no. So once again, unfamiliar territory for me - I mean, how many Indian style vegetable/ vegetarian preparations are there without turmeric? Actually, don't answer that. There are probably quite a few around, it's just me who's blissfully unaware!

So, back to the black eyed peas. Once the potatoes are about nearly done add the shelled babies.

Stir and mix everything really well, add half a cup of water at the most, cover and let it cook. Leave it alone. Every time you open it to see what's going on in there you're letting all the steam escape and thereby wasting gas and time. So leave it alone and remember to turn down the flame too. After about 15 minutes you're going to be home free.

Add salt about 5 minutes before getting it off the flame. You can also sprinkle a nice bit of chopped fresh coriander at this stage. The fresh smell of coriander is such an upper! Cover again, cook for that last 5 minutes.

That's it. Beautiful fresh black eyed peas cooked to perfection. Just a few simple flavours meld together for a healthy and tasty dish that's ridiculously easy to make.

Bacon Whiskey Jam - What a wonderful idea!

The first time K told me about Bacon Whiskey Jam, I thought he was kidding. He showed me the recipe on this wonderful blog and I was hooked. As I read the recipe I was even more intrigued - this recipe also had coffee.

I spent a couple of weeks looking for streaky bacon (which the original recipe demanded) and eventually I had nailed down all the ingredients, bacon included. The first batch was made and a few basic lessons were learned. Don't crisp the bacon, leave it soft. That makes all the difference to the colour, texture and even taste of the final product. I also learned to be confident and substitute sensibly instead of obsessing about getting all the exact ingredients.

This morning I settled down to make the second attempt. Ever since I made it the first time my friends on the Mumbai Food Exchange group have been waiting to get their bottle of BWJ. Well, the jam is ready and here's a new blog post after a huge gap - two birds with one stone :)

 This is my adaptation of the original recipe that you can read here.

Bacon Whiskey Jam with a bit of tweaking -

500gms Streaky Bacon
5 red onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 or 3 green chillies, finely chopped
50gms dark brown sugar
50ml Golden Syrup (instead of Maple syrup)
150ml fresh brewed coffee
100ml whiskey
50ml cider vinegar
50ml red wine

If you compare the ingredients to those in the original recipe you will notice some differences. I've increased the quantity of onions. I also used Golden Syrup because I had a bottle already and didn't want to spend a packet on maple syrup. I've also used red wine instead of rw vinegar. Actually, that was an unintentional change. The first time I made this jam I used red wine by mistake thinking it was vinegar. It worked beautifully so I decided to stick with it :) I might use Kolah's sugarcane vinegar instead of Cider vinegar the next time because the sc vinegar has a much more full bodied flavour that I think will work very well in this recipe.

To get on with the recipe -

Cut the bacon into small bits. Fry it lightly till it releases some of its fat. Do this on a slow flame and let the bacon cook slowly. DO NOT let it crisp. I took about 15 minutes to cook the bacon leisurely over a medium flame.

Stir it often and keep an eye on it. Tilt pan and let the fat collect on one side. If there's a lot, drain off some. Reserve the bacon in a plate.

Heat the fat and throw in the onions. Pink the onions, don't let them get brown. Once again, do it doucement. Patience will be rewarded. I promise. Let the onions sweat it out gently for about 15 minutes in the bacon fat.

Throw in the chopped garlic and give it all a good stir and follow it up with the fried bacon. Now here's the time to resist the temptation to throw in some eggs and make the best scrambled eggs on God's Earth. Resist!

While the bacon and subsequently the onions have cooked slowly, get the other ingredients together in a bowl. Measure and pour into your bowl so you only have to dunk the whole lot in when it's required. Just leave the red wine out. It makes its entry at the end.

So, the onions, garlic and the bacon are all mixed together and you have managed to stay away from the eggs.  Grab that bowl of brown sugar, golden syrup, coffee, vinegar, and whiskey and pour it into your pot. Stir and sprinkle in the chopped green chillies. Add a bit of water if needed and let it all simmer for an hour. Check every 20 minutes and add water only if required.

Add the red wine and give it another 15 minutes to simmer. Cool the jam and run it in your food processor to give it a nice texture.

The bacon pieces might be big and a run in the food processor will break it down nicely. Don't liquidise it, leave it slightly coarse.

You're in for a treat. Grab a slice of toast, slather on some BWJ and get ready for a heavenly burst of flavour. Remember the coffee? It works fabulously! In fact, I think it's the coffee that binds the flavours together and gives you a mouthful of nirvana.

This is one jam I'm going to be making quite often. 

Baharat Pork with Red Wine

Sometimes reconnecting with an old friend is the best thing that could happen, gastronomically speaking. Kurush and his friend Jubal met again after many years and I have found great joy in their reunion. Jubal has a twinkle of mischief that lurks in his eyes all the time and he is one of those male freaks of nature that cleans up after he cooks! We love having him over at our place for obvious reasons ;)

Jubal shares not only our love for good food but he's also happy to share his recipes. He floored us with this amazing pork preparation that made me fall in love with Baharat masala. It is my top favourite pork preparation at the moment and when a pot luck dinner gave me the opportunity to show off my skills with pork, I chose to cook what I call Baharat Pork with Red Wine.

Here's my version -

1kg boneless lean pork with a few chunks of fat
8 largeish onions, sliced
olive oil to cook
sunflower or peanut oil
2 star anise
6" cinnamon stick
salt to taste

For the marinade:
4 teaspoons Baharat masala
juice of 4 sour limes
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp garlic paste
A generous slug of olive oil

Clean the pork pieces and make sure they are small. This dish is cooked slowly in a heavy based pan for a couple of hours. Big chunks result in unevenly cooked pieces so be safe and make smaller pieces.

In a bowl whisk together the marinade and pour over the pork pieces. Use a clean large glass bowl to marinate the meat. Cover and let it marinate for a minimum 1 hour and as long as you can if you're not rushed for time.

When you're ready to cook the pork, slice a mountain of onions. More specifically, use 8. Take a heavy based cooking vessel ( I used a classic biryani degh) and heat about half a cup of olive oil with some peanut or sunflower oil thrown in. Let it heat up nicely and then chuck in the star anise and the cinnamon. Let the onions in and shake everyone around. After the initial sizzle the onions will settle.

 Stir it all well and let the onions fry slowly for about 15 minutes. Supervise it so it doesn't burn. Add a teaspoon or two of Baharat masala at this stage and blend it into the onions nicely.

Now add the pork and stir it all well. Braise the pork nicely and once all the pieces are sealed in, lower the flame and let it cook covered for half an hour. Mostly ignore it but take care that it doesn't burn. Don't add any water. There will be plenty from the onions, the marinade and from the pork itself. Add salt and a splash of some more red wine.

Cover and let it cook for another 30 to 45mins. Be patient and leave it alone. Check after the first 30 minutes, give it a stir, taste it and see. The pork will be silky, soft and will just melt in your mouth. Cook it further only if required.

This dish is ridiculously easy to make but it takes time. More than anything else, cook it with patience.

Serve it with bread, pav, parathas, rice...whatever you like!

Baharat masala, from what I've gathered from my readings, is a north African blend of spices, much like our garam masala. It is used across the Persian Gulf region and just like with our garam masala, there are regional variations in the blend. Some blends have mint or dried lime, but most contain peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and even cumin and corainder.

On why I blog and where I'm going with it

After the furore that resulted after this blog post and this, and the brouhaha on the Mumbai Food Bloggers' Facebook Group page, the PR agency and the restaurant have offered Kurush unconditional apologies and have both assured us that they have taken the matter very seriously and will look into why what happened, happened.  The apologies have been accepted.

However, this entire episode raised many questions in my mind, foremost among them being how am I perceived by the food industry and by PR agencies. And the feeling I get is that I'm looked at as some amateur cook/wannabe writer who's always up for a freebie.

Even I felt like that that evening and it was only the unconditional and across the board support that fellow bloggers showed us that got me my confidence back. I calmed down, got less emotional about the whole thing and thought about it. Why did I start blogging and where am I going with this blog? That's my main question.

The blogging began as an extension of my love for food, the English language and of course, the Internet. I love discovering new things to do on the net, I love social networking and for the last few years I even work online. I love writing. As I blogged I enjoyed the thrill of seeing my writings online. Every time someone posted a comment I was over the moon. I read other people's blogs, learned a lot about food and about blogging too. I started making friends.It just got better and better.

I have blogged on and off for the last four odd years and of late I have become more active thanks to my interactions with the loads of new friends I have made through Mumbai Food Bloggers group. I haven't even met all of them and yet I look forward to their next blog post, banter with them on Facebook and now on Twitter too, and look forward to occasions where I can meet them, one by one.

This is my space - I write what I like and I choose what I want to write about. Sometimes months pass by because I don't really have anything to write. I love food. I love reading about it, learning about it, shopping for it, cooking it, exploring it for new tastes and flavours, making friends with fellow gluttons and gourmets, and this blog is an expression of all that and more.

Where is this blog going? Nowhere. It's not meant to go anywhere. It's here already. A window into my world. Peep in if you like, walk past if you prefer.

Bagelicious!

So there we were at a loose end, in Bandra on Monday evening. After the original plans for the evening went awry, we contemplated our options and I called up a good friend we hadn't seen in ages in spite of many attempts to meet up. Sue was free to meet us and asked us to come on over to The Bagel Shop, in Pali Hill, Bandra. We hopped into our darling Nano and zipped off.

We arrived to see a lovely little cottage painted a cheerful colour, full of comfy cane chairs and squashy sofas. This was The Bagel Shop. After much hugging, Sue, Kurush and I went in and settled down in a cosy corner. As we chatted and caught up, I looked at the extensive menu and pondered what to choose. This was the first time I was going to come face to face with a real live bagel! The decision was important.

Given that I was upset over the events earlier in the evening I was looking for some comfort. That means pork. I chose a simple Pork Ham and Cheese Bagel. Sue opted for a Garlic Bagel while Kurush went for the Roast Beef and Onions Bagel.

The bagel arrived in due time and it was much larger than I had expected. YUM! That was my first thought as  I sank my teeth into it. Plenty of ham, lots of creamy cheese, crisp lettuce all lovingly held together within the bagel. My world was a good place to be in again.

 Perfection in a plate. A few simple ingredients, fresh and delicious.

This is what Kurush's Beef Bonanza looked like...please forgive the fuzzy picture!

Kurush was still hungry and so he ordered an Elvis Bagel. This had Nutella, sliced bananas and chunky Peanut Butter and came in two parts. It was a gooey sticky messy delight and Kurush was in heaven :)

We also had the cold coffee here which I found surprisingly not sweet. Being diabetic I rarely treat myself to the simple delights like cold coffee. At The Bagel Shop I did.

The view into the cafe from where we were seated.

Find a place you like and get comfy...

The menu board. They have an extensive printed menu too. This board carries the highlights.

The Bagel Shop is one place I'd be happy to go back to soon. Friendly and attentive service, superb ambience and bagels. Delicious bagels. 

Bungalow 9, a lesson in hospitality. Not.

A few days ago the husband received an invitation from Bungalow 9, an upmarket restaurant in fashionable Bandra, to come and dine and then of course, write about them on his blog. A bemused hubby told me about it and we decided, what the hell, let's go.

Phone calls from their PR agency Percept followed and we confirmed that we would be there on Monday evening. Priyanka, their representative made all the requisite correct noises, assuring us that Monday would be good because the chef would be there (his day off is Tuesday, not Monday), inquiring whether we would like to sit inside the bungalow or outside where the ambience was quite lovely and the weather very pleasant too.

We set out as planned and got there on Monday evening, at 8.30pm as per our reservation. Both of us were a little unsure as this was a first and we were not sure of this scenario of being hosted by them so we could write about them. Anyway, we were there and so we went in.

The place is lovely, set in what used to be a quiet lane in Bandra. Now of course there are huge flashy cars and thin flashy people every where. There was a pretty young receptionist and as she looked at her bookings list, we were no where on it. The husband introduced himself, presented his visiting card and explained that we had been invited. Embarrassed and feeling very awkward, I stood by and waited. Another receptionist joined this young girl and he was as clueless as she was. We looked at the bookings for the evening and there was no sign of our name anywhere. We were not expected.

So we explained how their PR people had got in touch with us and set up this dinner invitation. Blank looks was all we got. We tried to access the email on our cell phones but there was no connectivity and we therefore couldn't show them the email invite. After about 10 minutes of this very awkward interaction we were finally offered a seat. Not at the dining tables but in the waiting area which is one tiny sofa tucked in a corner. I was slowly and surely losing my temper.

Another slightly senior person came out, asked us again who we were, etc. I had had enough and decided to leave. The husband was completely embarrassed, insulted and didn't know what to think. There had been no communication from the PR agency about us being invited but, he assured us that they were not fully booked and we were welcome to stay for dinner. Thanks, but no thanks.

We left of course.

The PR lady did call later in the evening to find out what happened and what I gathered from hubby's conversation with her is that there was a 'human error' somewhere. It definitely took a genius to figure that one out! She also said they would 'make it up to us'. How? At most they can offer us another 'free meal'. Do we want that after this experience?

There are somethings about hospitality that are absolute no-nos. You do not invite a guest and then forget to inform the relevant people. You do not leave an invited guest standing around trying to prove he was invited. You do not invite a guest and then let them leave feeling embarrassed and insulted.

I have no idea what the food at Bungalow 9 is like. Frankly my dears, I don't give a damn.

The Triumph of the Toasted Sandwich

The Toasted Sandwich is such an integral part of Mumbai life. Right from school when one begins to discover the forbidden delights of street food, the toasted sandwich has been one of the star attractions.

Since I work from home there's not much street food that I get to eat. What better solution than to bring the street home? Granted, one can never quite replicate those street flavours in a sanitised home kitchen but there are magical flavours to be found at home too.

While the classic road side sandwich is replete with sliced veggies,cheese and spiced potatoes, the home version is more 'gourmet' and can be just as fulfilling.

Bored with the usual oatmeal/ fried eggs and toast/ muesli breakfasts Kurush decided to make something different for breakfast this morning. Of course overcoming the morning inertia took a while and we had brunch instead.

Whole wheat bread with Apple Smoked Mozzarella and slices of Spanish chorizo sandwiched and then toasted in the sandwich toasting contraption that used to be a part of every kitchen in Mumbai. It's not that common these days but it's not that rare either. After all, with the local sandwich wala dishing them out why would you bother making them yourself? But then, he won't be serving these yummy babies that we had for brunch today!

My love affair with the toasted sandwich grew in the years spent in the hostel in Pune. We didn't have the toaster but we were never short of toasted sandwiches. Get the makings together, pull out your trusty clothes iron and a roll of aluminium foil and you're in business. Assemble the sandwich, slather on the butter outside, wrap tightly in foil. Heat the iron up nicely and press down on the sandwich. The heavy irons of our parents' generation would be ideal as you don't have to put on much effort then. Toast both sides nicely, unwrap and take a bite of sheer heaven!

We used slices of salami, boiled potatoes, capsicums, cheese slices, tomatoes, whatever was available and suited our tastes.

Get yourself a simple sandwich toaster and treat yourself today. Simple pleasures in the simple things of life...

A simple chorchori - mixed vegetables tempered with paanch phoron

Since K has started working at the University of Mumbai as Assistant Professor, I suddenly find myself having to  make him packed lunches. Since he shares the lunch with his colleagues (of course he devours their goodies too) I try to make vegetarian food as often as possible so no one is left out.

Now vegetarian food is a challenge indeed and after a couple of weeks of paapri/ gwaar/ french beans with potatoes, cabbage, bhindi bhaaji or cauliflower with green peas, K protested that more variety was required. Sigh...these are veggies we're talking about! What do I know about variety??!!

Well, being a Bengali, I should have known quite a bit. Bengalis have a huge and rich tradition of vegetarian cuisine and it's mind boggling just how delicious some of the dishes are. So I duly called up my mother and demanded a recipe. Something simple that didn't involve grinding masalas or making pastes, just something I could throw together on a busy working day.

Keeping in  mind the vegetables I had bought, this is what she told me to make.

Sim, begun, kumro ar alu chorchori

Paapri, eggplant, red pumpkin and potato cooked with paanch phoron

Here's how-

Cut the vegetables into smallish equal sized pieces.

Heat mustard oil in a wok or kadai and let the oil heat up nicely. When the surface of the oil shivers reduce the heat and put in about half a teaspoon of paanch phoron. My mix contains kalonji, methi, rai, saunf and radhuni. That's nigella, fenugreek, mustard, fennel and wild celery seeds (also known as ajmoda in Hindi). Add one or two dried red chillies. Kashmiri or Bedki, whichever you have.

Once the spices sizzle add in the potatoes and the pumpkin pieces. Stir everything nicely and fry the vegetables well.

After about 8 to 10 minutes add in the cut eggplant pieces and the strung and cut paapri. Stir everything and continue to cook. Lower the heat and let the vegetables cook slowly. Cover the wok and stir once in a way just to see that it doesn't burn at the bottom.

Add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well and sprinkle a little water to generate some steam to cook the vegetables through. Cover. This preparation must not have any gravy so be sure to add not more than a tablespoon or so of water.

Serve hot once the veggies are done. The pumpkins should practically disintegrate, the potatoes should be soft and buttery.

You can use a variety of vegetables including radish, leafy greens, the favourite of Bengalis - the potol, plantain, green peas, etc.


The beauty of this dish is really its simplicity. A simple paanch phoron and dried chilli tempering and just turmeric and salt. The flavours of the vegetables themselves come through and you have a delicious and healthy dish to lap up!

And thus starts my exploration of Bengali vegetarian cuisine...

Cafreal Chicken goes Red!

My love affair with Chicken Cafreal started with my mother's hunt for easy recipes which she could cook with minimum fuss and delicious results. At some point she discovered the ready made green flavourful masala paste that was one of the greatest gifts to the cook who is simply too tired to cook from scratch. We tried various brands and voted the Goana Foods green cafreal masala as our favourite. This magic paste was available at the local cold storage shop and we bought it in vast quantities and even order it online today. Here's the recipe for green cafreal chicken.

It was many years later that I made it to the magical place that is Goa - and there I discovered red cafreal masala  made by another company called Marcarfly. Here was a revelation in a plastic packet! I didn't know a red variation even existed and since then my kitchen is always well stocked with plenty of packets of both varieties. You can buy this at Kitchenette at Margao or at the other similar shop just next to it.

Nothing is easier than making Red Cafreal Chicken. All you do is marinate the chicken with a little salt. Slap on a generous bit of the masala paste and let it sit for an hour. Then all that's left to be done is for the chicken to be slowly fried. If you're in a hurry, don't wait. Cook it immediately.

Here are a few pics of what this absolutely delicious dish in a jiffy looks like..

The paste is thick and oily and has a deep red colour Be careful! The colour gets on to everything!

Coat the pieces nicely with a generous amount of the paste. Let is sit for an hour.

Fry slowly in a neutral oil and let it cook properly inside and then let the outside get nice and crisp. Cook the leg pieces and the breast pieces separately. The breast pieces need a shorter cooking time and will get overcooked if you dunk in all the pieces together. A little care goes a long way.

Serve hot off the pan with bread or rotis.

This works well with prawns too. And you can also do just a big pile of chicken wings and serve them up as a starter. Be sure to have plenty of napkins handy!

A Food Bloggers' Pot Luck - an inspiration for Payesh

Sometimes my Bengali genes give out a loud shout and I am compelled to cook something essentially Bengali. No fusion, no inspired creative moments allowed, for once I have to follow the rules. Coincidentally while my genes were shouting the Mumbai Bloggers Pot Luck diner was announced and voila! I had an audience too. I decided to make Payesh.

Payesh is an auspicious milk preparation made on birthdays in nearly all Bengali households. All communities across India probably have their own version of sweetened reduced milk cooked with rice/sooji/vermicelli, etc. Us Bongs, we make Payesh.

I have always had an aversion to sweets and milk products and defiantly refused to have any Payesh all through my childhood. Not that I would eat it today. I don't like milk and now I am also diabetic but that's a different matter entirely...

Anyway, since the rest of the world does appreciate the simple poetry of a well made Payesh, I decided to make it for the dinner.

First I called my Mom and quickly went through the procedure and then I got on with it.

Here's what you need for Payesh for 10 to 15 people

3 litres full fat milk
5 tablespoons sugar (use more if you prefer)
2 tablespoons Gobindo Bhog rice
10 green cardamoms
4 bay leaves
a pinch of salt
raisins
LOTS of patience

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. De-stalk the raisins and soak them separately.

Bring the milk to a boil in a large heavy bottomed vessel. I used a copper 'kalai' vessel that my Mom in law used to make biriyani. The thick bottom prevents the milk from scorching at the base and using a large vessel helps in minimising the chances of the milk boiling over.

Once the milk is boiled reduce the heat and add the bay leaves and the cardamom pods. Split the pods so the flavours can blend easily.

Drain the rice on a small napkin so that the water is completely removed. Drop the rice into the simmering milk and let it cook as the milk reduces. Stir this occasionally and ensure that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the vessel and burn.

After an hour or so the milk would have reduced considerably and the rice grains should have literally 'exploded'. Just 2 tablespoons of rice will increase tremendously, trust me! If the milk needs to reduce some more, simmer longer.

Once the rice is cooked and the milk has reduced sufficiently add the sugar. Stir well and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Put in the raisins too.

The Payesh will thicken as it cools and a gorgeous creamy malai will form so decant it into your serving bowl while it is still hot. Decorate with flaked almonds or pistachios if you like.

A deceptively simple dish to make one thing a Payesh maker needs in abundance is patience. There isn't all that much to actively do. There's hardly any prep required. But you have to keep your eye on it. The milk burns and your Payesh is ruined. Reduce the milk too much and you get a thick porridge instead of a creamy rich Payesh which is in fact what happened. An extra litre of milk was boiled and reduced in a panic and the Payesh was 'repaired'.

The recipe and proportions above will work perfectly as long as you keep your eye on things :)

Photo Credit: Jyotika Purwar

Here's the Payesh that I made for the Mumbai Food Bloggers' Pot Luck on Saturday 30th July at Gostana

Momos on the mind

Momos were suddenly omnipresent in most of my conversations over the last couple of days and I thought to myself, it's high time I tried making them. I love momos. And I love pork momos the best. Chicken momos are a huge compromise and vegetable momos are an aberration. I had all the makings for pork momos in stock and I had finished the day's quota of work early. The omens were auspicious and my momo adventure began.

I first googled momo recipes just to get some basic concepts clear but nothing seemed to match with what I remembered from the momo parties in the Boys' Hostel at Deccan College all those years ago. I chanced upon some videos on Youtube which were a great help in figuring out the making of the momos themselves. 15 minutes of serious internet research and I was ready to rock and roll.

I put the pork mince out to thaw and chopped onions and grated some fresh ginger in the mean time. Once the pork was completely thawed I threw in the chopped onions, grated ginger and salt, mixed it all well and let it sit.

Flour, water and a good pinch of salt is all I used to make a soft pliable dough for the covering. Once kneaded thoroughly, it rested for about half an hour.

And then the real fun began.

I rolled out the requisite disc and then I proceeded to make the first momo. Here it is - 

not bad eh? 

As I made the rest of the momos they got easier as I got more confident. As soon as the first five were done I was ready to steam them and see how I had fared. 

I put them all in my quickly put together steamer which was a large pot with water on which I placed my stainless steel colander. I oiled this so the momos wouldn't stick. This I covered with a steel plate, bound the sides with a thick towel to minimise the steam that would escape. Once the water was boiling nicely I steamed the momos for about 25 minutes. Since I didn't have a proper steamer that shut tightly, I gave them some extra time. 

Here they are! My homemade pork momos..

With the first batch I realised that I needed to make the covering thinner and yes, the next batch did turn out even better with my newly gained knowledge. Fat juicy momos, mouthfuls of heaven, made by me. What a triumph!

I probably sound childishly thrilled but momos have so many memories attached that making them fairly successfully myself has been a special achievement indeed. A slice of the past visited me as I spent this evening making momos and reliving wonderful days at the Deccan College with our friends Aren and Chumbeno. Thanks guys, I could never have done this without you.