Chicken Rogan Josh with a little help from across the seas

About a month ago I received a parcel by mail. It had dark red oil stains on it. Now, I had been expecting a parcel but it was supposed to contain shampoo. My friend Anshie was sending me a particular one that I really liked, all the way from the US of A. So what was this oily unfamiliar smelling packet hiding?

I ripped it open and what do you know, out fell these discs of spice! Veri Masala! Anshie sent me veri masala and had fibbed about shampoo to keep me off track! The things we do to make our friends happy, friends we've bonded with over discussions about food, friends we've never met, but friends all the same. 

It goes without saying that a Kashmiri dish using this wonderful gift simply had to be cooked. And finally after all these weeks, here it is. I made Chicken Rogan Josh using Anshie's recipe as my guide though I did have to tweak it a bit according to the ingredients I had.

Here's the Chicken Rogan Josh that I made -



1 chicken, on the bone, cut into pieces
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
1 generous tsp fennel, broiled and powdered
4 cloves, pounded in the mortar and pestle
1 generous tsp Everest garam masala
2 tsp crumbled veri masala
2 tsp sweet paprika powder
salt, turmeric, mustard oil

Lightly rinse the chicken pieces and drain in a colander.

Heat the mustard oil in a kadai and let it get nice and hot till the surface shimmers and you get the fumes. reduce the heat and chuck in the onions. Stir well and start adding the chicken pieces. Put in the legs first, these take longer to cook. Stir about and fry slowly till the chicken begins to get opaque and slightly browned.

Add the remaining pieces of chicken and mix well. Stir and lightly brown the newly added pieces. Remove the chicken pieces to a large plate and keep aside, leaving the onions and the oil in the kadai.

Crank up the heat just to get things bubbly and stir the onions nicely. reduce the flame again and add the paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder, whichever you are using. Do not burn the chilli, you want to infuse the oil and onions with it. Keep the heat down and stir. Add a splash of water if the oil is too hot to bring down the temperature immediately. This is quite important. I've limited the quantity of chilli but you go ahead and use more if you like and your family can handle the heat.

Once the paprika is infused well and your kitchen smells nice, add the crumbled veri masala. Once again, keep the heat down so nothing gets burned. Add a little water if required and blend the spices and onions nicely.

I took this stage really slowly and cooked the spices on the lowest flame at a leisurely pace allowing them to meld nicely. You might need to press down on the veri masala granules to break them down so they don't remain lumpy. 

Now add the remaining dry spices and the grated ginger.

Add some water and blend in the spices and grated ginger. Add your salt too. Blend it all in well and once it begins to bubble (crank up the heat a little) add the chicken pieces back to the kadai. Mix it really well and fry it for a few minutes till the chicken pieces are coated with the onion and spices. Add about half a cup of water, bring to a boil and then let it simmer, covered for about 10 mins.

Check the chicken pieces to see if they're done. Decant into a pretty dish and serve with rotis, naan, or even rice and daal, as Anshie suggests. 

Here's the Chicken Rogan Josh that I made with veri masala and loads of love that came all the way from across the seven seas.

Wrong Wrong - not Vong Wong

Mumbai is a city where, on a special occasion when you're in the mood to celebrate, there's no dearth of good restaurants. Most places offer special menus and deals and clients pour in.

Vong Wong at Express Towers enjoys a good reputation and the family decided to celebrate Navroze, or Parsi New Year here. Between the husband and the father in law, the table for 21 of us was booked, the menu was chosen, the rate was fixed, all was confirmed and we all looked forward to having a great evening together.

We were 21 of us including 6 children. Our table was booked for 10pm on Saturday 18th August. We all managed to be there on time. When it's 21 people and there are kids involved, trust me, that's an achievement! Amid exchanges of "Saal Mubarak" and much hugging, we were all ready to get to our table and let our evening begin.

The first surprise. We had no table. The manager told us "we're just clearing and readying your table, just give me 5 minutes." We waited, and waited. Around 15 minutes later we were invited into the restaurant and led, no, not to our table but to a waiting area. Some of us sat, the rest of us stood around and tried to keep the kids out of trouble. To cut a long story short we were there for another 30 minutes. My sis in law wanted some water and after many requests one hostess came to us carrying a tray with 2 glasses of water. We were 21 of us. Wow! Such hospitality.

Eventually we were led to our table. We settled in.The kids were hungry, we were hungry and we expected to be served more or less immediately. We sat around for another 20 minutes till C finally asked what was going on. We had two waiters who came and took our orders. Why were they taking orders? Didn't we have a set menu, I wondered. Guess what? The waiters didn't know that.

The menu for the evening was -

(all items unlimited)

Starters

Pepper corn chicken
Roast pork chilly
Golden Fried prawns

Soup

Chicken Manchow soup

Mains

Basa in Lime Chilly Garlic
Chicken Thai green curry
Crispy Lamb in Sweet and Sour sauce
Chicken Lotus Leaf Rice

Dessert

Tub Tim Crob
Vanilla Icecream

All this @1,200 per head + taxes.

The starters began with the prawns. We all got 1 each and that's the last we saw of the prawns. The chicken starter arrived and was served to most of us. They hadn't sent out enough to serve everyone. We had arrived at 10pm and it was now past 11pm. We were hungry and getting more and more irritated by the minute. What was served disappeared in a matter of seconds and we waited again for another interminable amount of time.

The soup arrived in assorted bowls. Some of us got soup in what looked like miniature main course serving pots. Some of us got soup in soup bowls of a weird small size and some of us got soup in what looked like chutney bowls. I was horrified. It's this place one of the well known fancy joints in Mumbai? Why were they serving food in plastic crockery that a road side Chinese cart vendor would use? One bowl had gouged out bits where something hot had touched it and the plastic had melted.

More of the chicken starter arrived. We'd already asked for more prawns but there was no sign of them, nor of the pork starter that was on the menu. We waited as we snorkelled up the soup.

Eventually, after many requests and finally a few sharp words, the pork starter arrived. There were 3 or bowls of the stuff and there were 21 of us! We all got about a half tablespoon each, and some didn't get any. This starter never came back. After a heated complaint to the manager were served pork spare ribs! No explanation why spare ribs made an appearance at our table was given. When we questioned the waiter he dumped the bowls on our table and disappeared. We didn't know what to do. Do we serve ourselves, had these come to our table by mistake, what was going on? It turned out that the manager was trying to make amends but I think they had run out of the pork starter that we had ordered and that's why these were served.

What part of 'customised set menu' Vong Wong doesn't understand, I don't know.

I don't know why we stayed. We should have left. It was nearly midnight, we hadn't eaten much and where would we all go at that time? Even an anda pav on the roadside would have been better..but we stuck it out.

After another endless wait some more prawns arrived. We asked for the mains to be served and actually instructed them to first make sure it was all ready and only then to serve us. The Lotus rice arrived and it was closely followed by the Basa in Lime Chilly. The Thai curry arrived too! I think I was in shock. I recovered quickly - there was no sign of the crispy lamb in sweet and sour sauce. It appeared after we reminded them about it.

Then the dance with the dessert happened. Tub Tim Crob is water chestnuts stewed in coconut milk, to put it very simply. It was to be served with Vanilla ice cream, or so we had been told. Since none of us had ever had it before we accepted what they said. Once again an assortment of bowls arrived filled randomly with Tub Tim Crob. Once again, not every one got a serving. You had to be the chosen one at the table and if you were lucky, you got it. Vanilla ice cream arrived in long boat shaped serving dishes. Very pretty. Not a serving spoon to be seen or a dessert plate on the horizon. It was like a sick joke. And of course we waited...
Finally the Tub Tim Crob appeared in a huge tureen followed by another massive bowl piled high with ice cream. I don't know what Vong Wong thought about us but I have a feeling they just sent out the entire pot of TTC along with as much ice cream as could be scraped out as if to say "Here! Eat as much as you want now".

Eventually at 1am after demanding the bill (which took another 20 mins to arrive) and paying, we left.

I have never had a worse experience at a restaurant. We had 2 waiters struggling to serve us, clueless about their duties, the menu and everything else. These boys were also serving other tables.

The Manager, Bruce, was incredible. He would pop by whenever he was summoned, grin and laugh, try to look like some friendly indulgent uncle, fire a couple of instructions at this waiters and disappear. No, he did not stand there and make sure that we got good service, that the food arrived quickly and that there was enough food for everyone. We're professionals in the food industry ourselves. I am ashamed to think of Bruce as 'one of us'.

We were at Vong Wong  for 3 hours, from 10pm till 1am. Not one of us had a proper dinner , let alone a good time here.

We were given a 40% discount. Supposedly that makes this disastrous evening all right. Oh, and we paid 10% service charge too!

I haven't commented about the food. I know. It must have been nice but I was too angry to notice.

Vong Wong was an experience in how wrong you can be in the hospitality industry. A textbook case of everything you shouldn't do if you want to succeed in the food and hospitality industry. We don't treat our own family like this at our tables at home let alone guests. Imagine treating paying customers this way.
  

Oaler Kofta - Elephant's Foot Yam Koftas

The hubby and I recently discovered the Nerul vegetable market and we have started frequenting it quite devotedly. Not only do you get a huge variety of produce that would make any Indian housewife clap with joy, there's a significant variety of 'foreign' or videshi vegetables also available quite regularly. Seeing this abundance I was inspired to shop for more vegetables than the usual cabbage, cauliflower, beans, etc.
The last time we went there I bought some elephant's foot yam, or suran as it is locally known. We Bengalis call it 'oal' and it is a huge favourite with us.

Oal is not the most attractive looking vegetable but it is surprisingly versatile and can be turned into delicious fare - not that I had any clue how to cook it other than a vague idea that it causes an itchy throat of not prepped properly.  However in this day of Facebook and the myriad special interest groups that abound there, help was just a post away. I logged in to Chef at Large on Facebook and asked for recipes and instructions on cooking this ugly but interesting vegetable.

Many recipes were suggested and I chose to make Oaler Kofta. There are a few reasons why. First of all, it was a Bengali recipe. Then it wasn't a basic recipe but one that was a little more involved and therefore challenging. I had never made koftas of any sort before. This recipe challenged me on many levels so I set forth to make Oaler kofta. I have adjusted the recipe and tweaked it to my convenience and taste so I can't claim it is a traditional Bengali version, but it tasted great anyway :)

Oaler Kofta

For the koftas

250gms Oal, peeled, cubed and boiled with turmeric and lime juice.
1 small green chilli minced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 an onion, minced
salt
jeera pwd
garam masala pwd
Besan/ maida
mustard oil for frying

For the gravy

2 tomatoes, pureed
1 or 2 green chillies
2 medium potatoes, cubed
11/2 large onion, minced
1 tsp whole jeera
2 bay leaves
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp jeera/lasun/red chilli paste
turmeric
chilli pwd
salt

To make the koftas-

Mash the boiled oal in a plate or bowl with the kofta ingredients.

 Add besan or maida as required to get a consistency where the koftas will retain their shape.

Heat mustard oil in a kadai. Form koftas by hand or use two spoons (I find that less messy). Once the oil has heated up nicely fry the koftas till they are lightly crisp on the outside. This will help them stay whole in the gravy.

Here are my fried koftas.

Now to make the gravy -

Fry the cubed potatoes and keep aside.

In the hot oil drop in the bay leaves, green chillies and jeera. Stir a bit and then add the chopped onions. Stir nicely and once the onions begin to pink add the pureed tomatoes. Mash it up as well as you can and let it cook for a minute or two. Then add the pastes and the dry spice powders and salt. Mix well and cook covered on a low flame. Let the flavours meld. Stir once in a way and let it cook for about 5 - 6 minutes.

Put in the fried potatoes and mix well. Cover and let it cook for a few minutes again so the potatoes can absorb the spices and flavours.

Add water and stir. Cover and cook till the potatoes are completely done. Slide in the koftas and simmer for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle some garam masala powder and put the lid back on. Simmer for a minute and you're done.

Decant very carefully into a pretty serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander if you have it.

Not bad for a first attempt, don't you agree? :)

Pork with East Indian Bottle Masala and a few other conveniences

It's always on days that are really busy that I feel the urge to cook. Not only did I want to cook, I wanted an appreciative audience too. So I cajoled friends to drive down for dinner (from Pune!) and proceeded to raid the freezer and the store cupboards for inspiration. I took out the pork we had bought from a recently discovered pork shop nearby and waited for it to thaw while I finished my writing assignments for the day. I had a date with the kitchen to look forward to so I was inspired and the work was done sooner than I expected.

In the meantime I also badgered friends online for some ideas for the pork. I got some great suggestions but didn't quite have all that was required for the recipes. So I dug around my cupboards to see what I had. I found a packet of East Indian Bottle Masala that I had bought a few months ago at the Versova Koli Festival. It looked a nice fiery red and smelled awesome! I had it - a spicy pork curry was on the menu!

This is what I did-

500gms pork chunks with some fat
1 large onion, sliced
2 large potatoes cut into large cubes
4 slim carrots, in chunks

star anise
cinnamon
oil
coconut Milk
red wine
sugar or jaggery

Marinade-

2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 2sp garlic/cumin/red chilly paste

2 tbsp EIB masala
vinegar

Method -

Wash the pork and drain it well. Marinate the meat for a hour or so in the ingredients listed above. If you're okay with a bit of heat add some red chilli powder to your marinade or some minced green chillies.

In a pressure cooker heat a tablespoon or two of any neutral oil. Don't waste your olive oil here, just use sunflower or peanut oil. This is a strong flavoured curry so the olive oil will be completely smothered. Fry the potatoes and let them turn slightly red/brown. Remove and put aside.

In the same oil add a couple of star anise and a 2" stick of cinnamon or cassia bark. Keep the heat down so you don't burn the spices. In a minute add the sliced onions and fry them slowly.

Let them start to brown and then add the marinated pork. Increase the heat and sear the meat well. Reduce the heat and let it braise nicely for a while. Give it a good 10 minutes and stir once in a way. Don't add any more oil even if you don't see any at the bottom of your cooker.

Just stir patiently and let it all cook slowly. Add the potatoes and the carrots and give it all a good mixing.

Pour in enough water till you can just see the water. Add 200ml coconut milk. You can extract fresh coconut milk out of the coconut or you can, like me, cut open a tetrapak. Your choice entirely!

Stir nicely and bring it to al boil. Add a very generous slug of red wine now and a sprinkling of sugar. If you have jaggery at hand use that instead. Just a little knob of it to give the curry a nicely rounded flavour - not an overt sweetness but enough to balance the flavours. Shut the cooker and once it has whistled/let off steam reduce the flame and let it cook for 15 minutes. Switch off and let it cool on it's own.

Voila! We're done!

Serve this with bread, steamed rice, or sannas.

While you might easily make this without the potatoes, don't. Heaven is in those potatoes, trust me. If you don't have carrots at hand that will be sad but can be lived with. You must have the potatoes.

The East Indian Bottle Masala that I used contained 24 different spices that included the usual turmeric, chillies (3 types), mustard seed, fenugreek, coriander seed, sesame and cumin. It also had cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, asafoetida, mace, nutmeg, all spice, star anise and other interesting spices like triphala and dagad phool.

Traditionally stored in long nosed glass bottles, that's where the masala gets its whimsical name. the masala is filled into the bottle and then tamped down firmly with a stick removing all the air in between the grains making it practically airtight. This allowed the spice to remain fresh over long periods of storage in the humid climes along the Indian coast. A little at a time is scraped out as required.

EIB Masala is available at most 'cold storage' shops in Mumbai. These are usually made by an enterprising lady in her own kitchen though some have built successful businesses selling this traditional spice mix.

Botticino - Ravioli and a Ravishing Lunch

A couple of weeks ago I was at The Trident at BKC for a ravioli making demonstration and lunch thereafter. Many people, like me, are unaware that The Trident has a gorgeous property right here in the suburbs. And here  is where you will find one of the finest Italian restaurants in the city - Botticino. This restaurant boasts a menu that goes way beyond pastas and pizzas and the much flogged Tiramisu. The menu covers the distinct cuisines from across Italy going from Lombardy to Tuscany, Piedmont and beyond.  


Drive confidently into BKC, down the main road and you will see big signs pointing you in the right direction. Once you're at the hotel, come up to the first floor and straight into Botticino. My first impression was of space and of light, lots of light. There are few things that put me off  more than an ill lit eating space and Botticino was bright and cheerful, with natural light streaming in from the glass sides of the building. There's a lounge area as you enter and the main restaurant is just beyond. 


We joined the other guests for the lunch in this lounge and chatted over some gorgeous Prosecco. I'm no wine expert or connoisseur but Prosecco is a word I recognise and love :) Once all the invitees had arrived we were taken on a short tour of the restaurant and then we trooped into the kitchen, ready for our very own Master Class in ravioli making. 


Ravioli has always piqued my interest the most among all the pastas...the mystery of a secret stuffing ensconced in the folds of fresh velvety perfectly cooked pasta..what's not to love?! A little mystery, a little excitement and then the amazing (we hope) burst of flavours in your mouth as you bite into the pasta and discover what lies hidden. Here was a chance to see how it was made and I wasn't going to miss it. 

Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

Chef Vikas Vichare gave us a very patient and informative demonstration beginning with how to make the dough, then how to roll it in the pasta machine, making the filling, putting the ravioli together, cooking the ravioli and finally, plating it beautifully. We also had a look in the chef's pasta freezer where he keeps racks and racks of fresh pasta that is made in-house in his kitchen. Though quite large the freezer has to be restocked every two days, such is the demand for the pastas that they make here. 

Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

                                         In the Botticino kitchen, geared up for class. 


By the time the demo was done I was ravenous for ravioli and the other goodies that were going to make up lunch. 


We were led to our 'flying' table which is a huge 10 seater set upon a platform that seems to float in mid air, discreetly supported by thin metal poles going to the ceiling. 

Photo credit: Megha Goyal of http://i2cook.wordpress.com/

Lunch was an orgy of Italian good food. A tomato and mozzarella amuse bouche did it's job and set us off on our journey into a delicious flavourful Italian meal accompanied by a lovely Chianti that went really well with what we ate. I liked the fact that we didn't have different wines with every course. As I said, I'm not that much into wine and for people like me, it can get quite intimidating if wine after wine is paraded in front of you. I could sit back and pay attention to what I was drinking and actually appreciate it. 


I chose the Foie Gras for my appetizer and went for the Chilli and Fennel crusted Snapper for my main course. Both turned out to be excellent choices. The food world is in the midst of much debate and discussion regarding foie gras and there is a very serious campaign on to ban it. Chef Vikas urged us to enjoy it while we still could. Every morsel was piece of heaven. Go over to Botticino and enjoy the Foie Gras while it's still available. Seriously. and not just because you might not get it anywhere in the near future, but because Chef does a fabulous job with it. Even the best ingredients need a master to cook it perfectly. Chef Vikas certainly has the Foie Gras mastered. 

                                                  Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

Photo credit: Saee Koranne Khandekar of http://www.myjhola.in/

Fish is another ingredient that needs to be handled with love and respect. While Indian palates prefer lots of spices and flavours in their food, fish can be poetry on a plate even when done delicately. This was proved by the Snapper that Chef served at this lunch.  Chili and fennel crusted snapper in orange sauce.  I could have eaten another entire serving and died happy!


All this was accompanied by fresh home baked ciabatta that I couldn't have enough of. A dash of olive oil with a bit of balsamic and it was perfect. Good bread makes a world of difference to a meal and the fact that the Botticino bakes its own is good to know. 


Italian desserts! Makes your mouth water instantly and a peep into the menu card had told me there were ice creams to look forward to - three of them! Being diabetic I usually skip dessert and stuff myself on the main course and appetizers. This time I didn't. Coming up were Stracciatella, Lemon Cheesecake  and a Salted Caramel ice cream. 

                                          Photo credit: Megha Goyal of http://i2cook.wordpress.com/


The Stracciatella, nice though it was, didn't stand a chance against the lemon cheesecake or the  Satled Caramel gelatos which were both simply divine. You have to eat it to understand just how divine. 


Botticino has a very well stocked wine library and they also have Grappa on offer. Have it in a cocktail, in your coffee or on it's own.
 
I might not end up making ravioli in my own kitchen - I don't have all the toys. But then Botticino is there whenever I'm in the mood for a bit of mystery, not to mention that salted caramel gelato...

Peanut Butter Brownies with chocolate chips

One of the most fun things about reading a blog is hopping from that blog to another following a recipe or a photograph. I was looking for a recipe for cup cakes and after Googling and not finding anything appealing I decided to check Saee's site My Jhola; I was sure I'd find something there. I did.

I found this most amazing blog with easy to do recipes that had me drooling. And I had soon forgotten about the cup cakes and was checking the pantry cupboard to see if I have everything required to make these. I did!

So I gathered everything together and threw together a batch of what looked like something I'd be making again and again. Peanut Butter brownies, and with chocolate chips too!

Here we are ready to be popped into the oven.

I followed the recipe exactly and here's what the final product looks like.

Now it might not look like brownies, I agree - it doesn't, but it tastes fabulous. Though the original instructions say use an 8x8 tin, she does mention that the brownies tend to remain under cooked in the middle and a larger tin might be a better idea. Silly me, I should have listened. I will, the next time :P

If you're going to try out this recipe, USE A LARGER TIN! That's the only thing I'd tweak in this otherwise perfect recipe.

And for now, I have some awesome peanut butter brownies with chocolate chips to look forward to. Where's my mug of coffee?

Kaancha Aamer Chatney - A Bengali summer recipe

Mango season has begun and as is always the case when the raw mangoes hit the markets, the pickling and preserving recipes are put to use and practically every household is busy making something or the other with raw mangoes. I too have joined the mass of mango maniacs and I made one of the most simple raw mango preparations across the board. Aamer Chatney is a thin sweet stew of raw mangoes, sugar, mustard and ground cumin. The more sour the mangoes the more delicious this simple preparation turns out.

1 medium sized raw mango, de-seeded and sliced thick
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp mustard oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup or so water

Wash the mango and slice it thick. Discard the seed.

Heat the mustard oil in a saucepan or kadai. Once it's nice and hot throw in the mustard seeds.

Once the exuberance of the spluttering seeds has quietened, add in the sliced mango pieces. Lower the heat and fry gently for a good 5 minutes. The mango will begin to soften and will also darken around the edges. Add a pinch of salt too. 

Pour in the water and let the mango cook for a bit. You can let it completely turn to mush or you can leave it still intact with a bit of bite, like I prefer. Once the water has come to a boil sprinkle in the sugar and give it a gentle stir. Let it simmer.

In the mean time broil a teaspoon of jeera or Cumin seeds and pound them in a mortar and pestle.

Pour the chatney into a pretty bowl and sprinkle the pounded jeera on top. Enjoy this hot or cold at the end of your meal. It's especially divine after a rice/daal/subzi lunch on a hot afternoon.

There are many variations to this recipe, each different in each household. My Mum's recipe (from her mum) is frugally simple, letting the mango be the star of the show with the pounded fresh jeera giving it a nice punch of extra flavour. 

Brinjal Capsicum Salan - Parsi vegetarian preparation

Believe it or not, Parsis do have quite a few vegetarian dishes that are quite traditional. Recently friends of mine attended a Parsi dinner in Delhi and the vegetarian menu described to me left me quite disappointed. That's when I decided to explore the vegetarian fare that is regularly cooked in many Parsi households, quite defying the general perception that Parsis have no clue about vegetarian food.

Brinjal Capsicum salan is a lightly spiced medley of just brinjals and capsicums. This combination of vegetables quite surprised me when I first encountered it, but it actually works very well and is one of my favourite Parsi vegetarian preparations. It's easy to put together and is perfect for a light summer meal with rotis.

The simplicity makes this ideal for the hot months. There is no ginger- garlic paste and there are no whole spices either. In fact, it is a lot like the Bengali vegetarian everyday preparations where the vegetables get to do the talking without being smothered under spices and heavy flavours.

1 medium sized brinjal, cubed
2 large green capsicums, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
salt
turmeric
cumin powder
coriander powder
garam masala powder
oil to cook

Heat oil in a wok or kadai and fry the brinjal pieces. When they are nearly done add the capsicums and let it fry for another 3 or 4 minutes. Don't let the capsicums get soft. Remove into a bowl or a plate.

In the same kadai heat a little more oil and fry the onions. Once they turn pink dunk in the chopped tomato. Cook this till the tomatoes and onions are completely soft.

Add the spice powders and a couple of teaspoons of water.

Traditionally spices were ground to a paste but in modern kitchens we use powdered spices. These often get burned in a hot wok so adding a bit of water saves them from burning and also helps the flavours meld. Cook covered for about 5 minutes.

Add the fried brinjal and capsicum pieces and stir the whole lot nicely. Another 2 or 3 minutes of cooking covered and you're done. Serve with hot rotis, parathas or bread. I enjoy this with rice and daal too, though traditionally it is paired with breads.

Cajun Spiced Chicken with Vegetables

Chicken is a great favourite with me because it's easy to cook and can shine on it's own without too much dressing up. I'm a great fan of the short cut and if there are products that can make life in the kitchen easier and with splendid results, I'm happy.

This Cajun spiced chicken is something I make very often. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's quite healthy too.

1 chicken
olive oil
Cajun spice powder
salt
pepper
2 large onions, sliced
chopped garlic
1 large potato, cut into large batons
2 carrots, cut into large batons


Take a large non stick pan and heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the potatoes and carrots and fry for a bit keeping the heat low. Once the edges begin to brown throw in the sliced onion and the chopped garlic. Stir nicely and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Start adding the chicken pieces. Put in the leg pieces first. Season well with the Cajun spice. Be generous! Cook covered for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the breast pieces and mix well. Add more seasoning only if required. Let it all cook covered for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the flame and make sure you don't burn the onions. Stir once in a way.

Cooking the legs and breasts separately ensures that you don't end up with chewy chunks of chicken. The breast pieces cook much faster and tend to become tough and inedible. So just cook them one after the other.

The chicken will release water and help the whole thing cook so you won't need to add any water. Add just a little if you think it's required. Add salt very conservatively as most spice mixes contain salt. Add pepper to heat up things a little!

Once the chicken and the potatoes are cooked through, boost up the heat and dry off any gravy. Let the chicken brown nicely. The onions will combine with the spice powder and become wonderfully flavourful.   Serve hot with bread or simply enjoy it as it is with a crisp salad.

You can add many other vegetables to this easy dish. Green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, capsicums, zuchini, whatever works for you.

You can buy Cajun spice mix at most supermarkets these days. Hyperciti, Spar, and even Godrej Nature's Basket carries this and many other interesting spice mixes.

Try this same simple preparation with any mix. It works really well!

1419 - A new year and a full on Bangali'r Bhuri Bhoj at Bangali Mashi's Kitchen

So there we were, back once again at Bangali Mashi's Litchen. It was the first day of the new year, 1419, and what better way to bring it in than with a full on Bengali feast or Bhuri Bhoj at BMK?

Usually BMK serves a variety of thalis, Bong snacks and a whole lot of main course options and desserts from the a la carte menu but it being a special occasion today, there were only two options, the veg thali and the non veg thali. K was in the mood to eat something light and I was eager to attack the full on non veg spread so we ordered a veg thali and a non veg thali.

What I forgot is that the non veg thali is basically the veg thali with added non veg items.

So here's what I attempted to eat while K smirked from across the table.

The shiny kansha (bell metal) plates had four batis (bowls) on them. These were duly filled with daal, aloo phulkopi chhana'r danla (potatoes cooked with cauliflower and paneer), Potoler dorma, and enchorer danla (raw jackfruit). The plate was quickly filled with a chicken chop, a fat slice of begun bhaja, aloo jhuribhaja and a delectable veg paturi made with spinach and broad beans (papri).

The piece de resistance was the posto'r bora - melt in the mouth with a sharp spike of chili and the crunch of onion, these were to die for.

Then came a huge serving of vegetable polao as bowls of more food arrived to be arranged around my plate - the fish (sorse diye tangra, and rui machher jhol) and the mutton made their entry. And alongside were placed the mixed fruit chatni, the rosogolla and the misti doi. All this in one thali?!

Unfortunately I hadn't carried my camera so I took this on my phone. As you can see there was an enormous amount of food in front of me. No, I couldn't eat it all and duly had a few things parcelled and brought them home.

Mangoes being in season this heavenly feast was washed down with a glass of the piquant aam panna, a cooling summer drink made with raw mangoes.

If you're looking for Bengali food, the real stuff, not the glammed up version that you can find at most Bengali restaurants, Bangali Mashi's Kitchen is where your search will end. Say hello to Sushmita and she will be more than happy to guide you through the menu if you're not sure what to order and how much to order.

Veg Thali - Rs.350/-

Non Veg Thali - Rs.500/-

Bangali Mashi's Kitchen. 

Gurgaon - Gluttony and Gender Issues

I spent a wonderful 10 odd days being spoiled silly by my sis in law and my cousin. They have a lovely new home in one of the innumerable towers that dot the Gurgaon landscape and I enjoyed a long overdue holiday with them. One thing that unites all three of us is our unending love for good food and our constant search for new places to eat, new flavours to try out. And Gurgaon is simply bursting at the seams with options for the die hard foodaholic.

From road side momo joints to swanky restaurants that serve endless lunch buffets that include cuisines from around the world, Gurgaon covers it all. Goan, Bengali, Korean, Udupi, classic American fast food, Italian, you name it, it's there somewhere! And if it hasn't got there yet, rest assured, it's coming soon.

Among the meals that really stood out were the Goan lunch at Bernardo's tucked away on the first floor of the Galleria shopping centre. Roast pork, prawns recheado, spicy Goan style fried liver, pork vindaloo, mutton Xacuti, we had it all, perfectly rounded off with a helping of that queen among desserts, the  deeply sensuous layered Bebinca.

Then there was Love & Mustard - a brightly lit restaurant with a cheerful colour filled atmosphere and an extensive menu offering many traditional Bengali treats. It had been a long day and we were not at our 'eager to eat' best. However, the food was so good that we found ourselves revived and licking our plates. We ordered Alu'r dom with luchi, Polau with kosha mangsho, and chicken chaamp with triangle porota. All was perfect except that what they passed off as polau was, in fact, biryani rice. Not that it tasted bad, it just wasn't   what we'd ordered or expected.  Love & Mustard is also in the same Galleria mall.

Another memorable meal was Gung the Palace, a Korean restaurant in Gurgaon that also has a branch in Green Park, Delhi. This was one occasion where I wished I knew more about the cuisine so I could eat things in the correct combinations and sequence to do full justice to the meal and to appreciate it correctly too. However ignorance did not get in the way of enjoyment and we feasted on the best Barbecued Pork Belly I have ever eaten, accompanied by Spicy Calamari and a wonderful light Kimchi fried rice. This might not sound like a lot but with a Korean meal you get such a huge variety of little side dishes that include pickled vegetables, and a fabulous fish stock and greens soup, that you really eat like a king.

The portions are huge and are usually for four.You can ask the staff for help while you order and they will happily guide you through the unfamiliar sounding names of the dishes. The menu card has pictures and descriptions to help you along anyway. To really enjoy Gung, go in a group. And if you can't rustle up a group, go anyway.

The best food was at home. Classic Bengali home fare. Seasonal vegetables, daal cooked in different ways, and an endless variety of fish! The heart and soul were as sated as my rapidly expanding tummy. Ruti torkari for breakfast reminded me of summer holidays in Kolkata at my Father's house where Jethima (aunt) would make different vegetables every morning for breakfast, to be eaten with rotis or parathas or, sometimes, with hot fluffy luchis. Ah, the Bengalis do eat well!

We spent an incredible evening at the imposing Red Fort and also caught the Son et Lumière show there.

After wandering around the extensive grounds admiring the remains and imagining the grandeur that once was, we were ready to head out for a good meal. Karim's was legendary and so we set forth. It was unbelievably crowded and we ended up sharing a table with a group of young boys. The seating was cramped, we were tired and the meal was rushed. Somehow, you cannot enjoy the finer things of life with people breathing down your neck waiting to grab your table. Maybe some other day, but this time Karim's was not worth its legendary name.

This trip was also about catching up with friends - friends I knew in the real world and some who were from the virtual world and some from Mumbai who happened to be there in Gurgaon at the same time. I also made new friends on a foodie group on Facebook and it these new friends who told me where to eat, what to order and what I simply should not miss. Thanks everyone at Chef at Large on Facebook :)

Rushina invited me to dinner one evening where I met a wonderful mix of bloggers, architects, businessmen, and home stay owners. There I met Purba Ray, a blogger, who told me about her experience with the local police when she went to report her stolen purse. The Gurgaon mall rape cases were fresh in everyone's minds and the attitude that the police have towards victims is unbelievable, and Purba was unfortunate enough to find out for herself just how badly the police treat a woman who has come in to ask for help.

I met Manjula, my friend from college, over coffee one morning. She lives in Gurgaon too and we also talked about men, attitudes, how safe a woman can feel in Gurgaon even in the daytime, and a whole lot of frivolous things too. The next day I read this wonderful piece that she wrote about a new product for women.

It's not just Gurgaon that suffers this malaise. My friend is looking for a swimming pool that she can use daily. She went to the YMCA pool in Belapur to find out their timings, rates, etc., and she was confronted with a big board displaying "appropriate dress for women using the pool". Why is a woman seen as an amoral creature for whom the law has to be laid down? There was no board showing "appropriate dress for men using the pool" there. So if a man wants to wear very brief swimming trunks a la John Abraham in Dostana, that is fine, but a woman has to wear a one piece bathing suit with sleeves and, hold your breath, bicycling shorts underneath! I'm sure the pool authorities do not guarantee a woman safety if she comes dressed as prescribed. If anything untoward were to happen, they would blame it on her wet clothes, I'm sure.

Where does this incredible attitude come from? And what are we doing to change it? If you have a son teach him.  It's not the daughters we need to stifle, it's the sons we need to teach.