Right-Away Romantic Cholocate Mousse

Add some pzzazz to your weekend dinner

Last Friday was just another day and we were going to have some supper, catch some TV and hit the sack. But that afternoon I was talking to a friend and we were talking about my induction to cooking. I was one of those spoiled kids who was never let into the kitchen..and I mean EVER! My dad was worried that his darling daughter may burn/cut her fingers (and now he complains that the vegetables are diced too big! 😦 )

Anyhoo, one fine day, my would-be in-laws visited us with my future husband(who happens to be a long time friend too). It was a general visit and my mom who knew about my cooking skills(I was petrified of the cooker and lighting the stove with matches!) asked me to make tea for them!!That would be their first impression of me and I knew I was going to blow it BIG TIME!

But thankfully, my friend(now my friend and hubby) saw the look on my face and came in to ‘help me’. How he helped me was-he made tea for everyone while I stood beside and watched. Here I was with no sense of measurement and there was this guy who was brewing some amazing chai for everyone in the drawing room. And that’s when I decided I was going to learn to cook, if not well at least edible enough. Of course, when his dad(my father-in-law) complimented me on how good ‘my’ tea was, all I did was graciously accept the compliment darting a silent ‘you-better-not-spill-the beans-now’ look at my friend.

After getting reminded of how he saved my first impression on my in-laws(sounds like one of those little columns from Women’s era, doesn’t it!), I decided to make something special for him. He has a huge sweet-tooth and what better to make than a dessert…and with chocolate..RRRomantic, isn’t it! The easiest and quickest dessert to whip up would be a chocolate mousse.

For 4 servings:

whipping cream-3.5 cups

Hershey’s chocolate syrup-1/2 cup

Vanilla-1 tsp

Unflavored gelatin-2 tsps

cold water-2 tbsp

boiling water-4 tbsps

Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water. Allow it to stand for a minute and then add the boiling water. Stir till the gelatin is dissolved. Let it cool down. Beat the whipping cream, chocolate syrup and vanilla together till they form stiff peaks. Add the gelatin and mix till combined. Pour mixture into serving cups and let it chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with some fresh berries and don’t be surprised to be greeted with a bouquet of roses next morning! 😉

A Gujarati Tea Party in a Tamilian Home

Like I had mentioned in an earlier post, chats are a huge family favorite. So are gujarati snacks. In fact, the first “north Indian” snacks to ever enter our husehold when I was a kid, were Gujarati dishes-thanks to my wonderful Gujju neighbors. While we sent over idlis, sambaar(lentil soup with tamarind) and vada(lentil donuts), they sent over dhoklas(steamed semolina/chickpea cakes), pakora khadis(yogurt based curry with chickpea fritters) and undhiyu(mix of vegetables cooked in spices). And by the time chat shops started selling dhoklas and khandvis and my Gujju neighbors mastered the art of making sambaar and idlis(Oh yes…that is an art), I had fallen for these dishes hook, line and sinker! Till recently, I never tried making dhoklas at home due to a disastrous attempt years ago at home(when my mom was away 🙂 ) . But recently when my parents visited us and we had friends over, I mustered up my courage and tried my hand at sooji dhokla for tea. Of course, I did have a back up plan! But the dhoklas came out NEAT!! So then on, sooji and khaman dhoklas are a regular at home. Last evening I was craving for some khandvi and decided to try it out.  They weren’t bad either.

At my in-laws’ and parents’, tea is a tradition. At the strike of the clock, tea is served at both homes.  Since my husband and I aren’t too particular about evening tea except over the weekends, I try to make some snack to go with it to make it special.

Here goes the sooji dhokla  recipe:

semolina-1 cup

yogurt-1 cup

water-1 cup

turmeric-1/4 tsp

salt-3/4 tsp

Eno fruit salt-1 tsp

To garnish:

Oil-2 tsps

mustard seeds-1.5 tsps

green chillies(finely chopped)-2 nos

curry leaves-6-7 nos.

hing-1/4 tsp

cilantro-5 sprigs

fresh grated coconut/desiccated coconut-2-3 tsps

lemon juice – 2-3 tsps

sugar-2 tsps

water-2 tbsp

Mix the sooji with yogurt, water, salt and turmeric. Leave it to rest for 30-45 mins. Oil a flat bottomed dish. Fill adequate amount of water in a cooker or pan in which you want to steam the dhokla. Add the Eno fruit salt that allows the dhokla to rise and makes it spongy. Make sure you add this just before you pour the mixture into the dish to be steamed. If done earlier, the crust gets very hard. Steam the dhokla for 15 mins on medium flame. In the meantime, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seed, green chillies, hing and curry leaves.  Mix water with lemon juice and sugar.

Remove the dhokla from the cooker and let it cool for a few minutes. Cover the dish with the plate on which you want to serve and turn it over. Cut it up into smaller piece. Pour the lemon juice mixture followed by the tadka over the dhokla. Garnish with the coconut and curry leaves. And there you have it a warm summery yellow semolina cake topped with the lovely white coconut and some beautiful green cilantro.

Serve with some hot mint chutney.

The summery Sooji dhokla basking in the Spring Sun!

The left over ENO comes handy after you have had a spicy, heavy meal too! 😉

Khandvi

Drool-worthy Khandvi

To make these yummy khandvis, you need:

Besan(chickpea flour)-1 cup

yogurt-1 cup

water-1 cup

turmeric-1/4 tsp

hing(asafoetida)-1 pinch

salt to taste

Aluminum foil

For the tadka:

Oil-1 tsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

chopped green chillies-1 no

curry leaves-5-6 nos.

powdered/grated coconut-2 tbsps

cilantro-4 sprigs

In a heavy bottomed pan, mix the besan, turmeric, hing, salt, yogurt and water. Cook on medium heat till the mixture coagulates and it gets hard to stir. Roll out the aluminum foil. Spread the besan mixture thinly with a spatula or a flat edged knife on the foil. Cut it across in long strips. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and hing.

Now lift up one edge on the besan mixture from the foil and start rolling it. Repeat it for the rest of the mixture.(Note: Spread the mixture when hot). Put the tadka and garnish with coconut and cilantro. Sit down and savor the moment of true પ્રસન્નતા(that’s happiness for you)

From God’s own Country comes the Ulli Curry

Chennai being the cosmopolitan city that it is allows one to mingle, mix and explore different traditions and cuisines without having to forgo one’s own. My growing up years were mostly spent in a Malayalee household where the aroma of coconut oil and freshly grated coconut was perpetual. And then there was the Vishu Kani(a tradition of seeing one’s self in a mirror-decked with flowers, fruits and money/gold and a lit lamp,as the  first thing in the morning) followed by a simple sadya(feast) and the heavy and sumptuous Onam sadya.  Vishu(New Year in Malayalam calendar) especially was favorite among us kids as it is on this day that every elder from who you seek blessings should give you money. There used to be a competition as to who gets the most “collection” at the end of the day!!Onam on the other hand was when my mom helped the aunty next door(who I called “amma”, my mom was “mummy”!)  and dad and the uncle the next door(who I referred to as  ‘acha’, my dad was “daddy” to me!) used to make parippu payasam(a dessert made of lentils in coconut cream) in a huge uruli(cooking pot).  The Onam sadya used to be REALLY heavy…I don’t remember even one Onam when anyone could get up easily(the meal was served on a banana leaf on the floor!) after the meal and walk around…And no, it wasn’t because of knee joint aches or arthritis. We mostly rolled around the entire day!! 😀

At my mom’s, we didn’t have the custom of Vishu kani and I missed it so dearly. But as luck would have it, my in-laws have this custom and BOY, was I delighted or what!!

When my neighbours moved away to a different city, my way of savoring those good ‘ol memories was cajoling my mom into making the dishes I grew up on(other than the regular tamilian fare). Yeah..I know..what a way to stay connected!

This year I was determined to bring back those lovely memories of Vishu with a simple but amazingly tasty dish that featured on both sadyas-the Ulli(Onion) curry. This dish tastes the best when prepared with cheriya ulli(shallots) …a little goes a long way with this dish.

An utterly Ummazing Ulli Curry

shallots-10 nos.

mustard seeds-1 tsp

curry leaves-3-4 nos.

red chillies-1

tamarind juice-2 tbsps(if using paste-1/2 tbsp)

coconut pieces-1 tbsp

oil-2 tsps

water-3 tbsps

Jaggery-2 tsps

salt to taste

To grind:

cumin seeds-1.5 tsps

fenugreek(vendhayam) seeds- 4-5 nos.

red chillies-2-3 nos.

garlic-1 pod

curry leaves-5 nos.

dessicated coconut(powdered)-1 tbsp

turmeric powder-1tsp

Fry the ingredients to be ground in a little oil. Cool and grind with no water.

Heat oil in the pan again. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Follow this with the curry leaves, red chilly, shallots and coconut pieces. Once the shallots get cooked, add the ground paste, the tamarind juice and water. Season with salt. Keep it covered for 3-4 minutes allowing the flavors to infuse. Finally add the jaggery. Serve hot with rice and vegetable stew.

Pre-Vishu meal of Rice, vegetable stew, Ulli curry and beans poriyal/thoran

Thank You “amma” for parting with this wonderful recipe.I hope to hand it down to generations to come.

East meets West in the Samosa Pie

Fusion cooking has been quite a popular trend for a long time. The first fusion dish I tasted was macaroni upma..you heard it right! I remember my aunt cooking macaroni pasta with onion, tomatoes, green chilles, turmeric, saunf and garam masala. Although one might cringe on hearing the ingredients, it was quite tasty. I was delighted seeing Kunal Kapoor cooking pasta the Indian way in Laga chunari mein daag. I was reminded of my aunt’s famous fusion dishes. She was a well-travelled woman who tried to introduce the different flavors and ingredients into our pallets in their Indianised avtaar. She was an adventurous cook who inspired my mom into making these dishes. But after a while, my mom gave up as my dad’s reaction to these dishes were…let’s just say he wasn’t necessarily enthusiastic!;)

Now coming to me and my histoire d’amour with chat. Madras has some amazing chat shops like Gangotri and Shree Mithai and of course the little ones around the street corner. Sadly, we don’t have as many chat shops here-oh, did I say as many..well, its actually ANY!The only chat we can get is Haldiraam’s and that isn’t often(read Expiry date!!). So I try to make them at home whenever my chat craving is overwhelming. Rachel Ray once showed how to make samosas using pie crust and I thought it was a great idea if you want a phataphat(quick) samosa.

One day when I was craving for samosa chat, I realised I only had about 1/2 of the pie crust at home which would have made 3 little samosas at most. So I decided I would have to invent something using ingredients in the pantry that would make a filling and tasty dinner. And thus was born THE SAMOSA PIE! It is a mix of the amazing samosa chat and a veggie pie.

Samosa Chat in the skin of a pie(Pun intended!)

To make a 8″x8″ samosa pie:

Onion(finely chopped)-1/2 no

ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp

boiled mashed potato-1 cup

garbanzo beans/chick peas-1 can

sliced tomato(big)-1 no.

garam masala-1 tsp

mint chutney-3 tsps

Maggi Pudina Imli Sauce/tamarind chutney-3 tsps

chilli powder-2 tsps

refrigerated pie crust-1/2 sheet

grated mozzarella cheese-1/2 cup

cilantro(finely chopped)-3 tsps/6-7 sprigs

salt to taste

Oil-2 tsps

Heat 1tsp oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions and a little salt to extract the moisture off the onions(which as you know, would let it cook faster).Follow this with the ginger-garlic paste. Saute the mixture till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste fades. Add the mashed potato and the garbanzo beans. Mix well. Add the chilli powder, garam masala, salt, both the chutneys and cilantro. Cover the pan and cook for 5-7 mins.

Follow the instructions for thawing the pie crust. Roll it out using a rolling pin so that it covers the baking dish completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease the 8″x8″ baking dish. Line the sliced tomatoes at the bottom of the dish. Layer the cooked mixture atop the tomatoes. Drizzle a little of the chutneys and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat the same process starting with the sliced tomatoes. Cover with the dish the pie crust. Brush the top of the crust with the remaining oil.

Bake at 350 degree F for 45 minutes or till the crust turns golden brown. Serve hot and appease your chat cravings!

Rava Idli-The cheaper cousin of Idli

I read somewhere that because of the rice shortage during world war II, the illustrious Mavalli Tiffin Room started making idlis(steamed rice cake) with rava(semolina) giving birth to the delicious Rava idli(semolina cakes). At home, rava idlis were a rarity as my mom strongly believed semolina was not good for health. The upmas(almost like a very thick and dry porridge) we had were usually rice upmas. But once I started cooking by myself, I realised one of the easiest tiffins(we use it for an evening snack/breakfast/dinner… talk about over using a word!) to make after a long, hard day-especially when you long for pukka south indian saapad, was Rava Idli.

The taste of a soft, delicious, ghee-laden rava idlis I once had at Mavalli Tiffin Room (when I was about 8-well, I tend to hold on to any memories about food longer than other things) still lingers in my memory. I had to make do with the Saravana Bhavan Rava idlis after that as we never went back to the amazing MTR again(although we made a few trips to B’lore a few times after that). For me nothing could beat the taste of MTR’s…its simply superb.

After trying out rava idli based on so many recipes I found online(I didn’t ask my mom as I knew what was going to follow her recipe–ADVISE!!). I finally perfected it recently and it was almost as good as the one at MTR(I know we can get the mix from the store-but with most foods sold past their expiry date at the Indian stores, making it from the scratch makes it nicer, don’t you think?!). At least from my memory thats how it tasted and it is delicious.

Its cheaper in terms of the preparation time-after all time is money, rt?!

To make 12 rava idlis:

rava-1 cup

yogurt+water-2 cups

finely diced/grated carrots-1/2 cup

finely chopped green chillies-1 no

cilantro-5 springs(chop it/just tear it by hand:)..works well for me!)

broken cashews-5-6 nos

salt-3/4 tsps

mustard seeds-1 tsp

hing(asofetida)-a pinch(if you are using the solid one), 1/8 tsp

ghee-1 tbsp

curry leaves-6-7

grated/ powdered coconut-3 tbsps

baking soda-1/4 tsp(optional)

Heat ghee in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to crakle. Add the hing, green chillies, curry leaves and the cashews. Saute till the cashews turn golden brown. Add the coconut and carrots and let it cook for a little. Now add the rava and saute till a wonderful aroma arises from it(or just as it turns color to a beautiful mild brown). Let the mixture cool down a little and add the yogurt+water along with the cilantro and salt. Let this mixture sit for 30-45 minutes. Dissolve the baking soda in a few drops of water and add it to the rava mixture. Stir well and pour it into idli plates. Steam the idlis(15 mins on stove top and 6 minutes in microwave-in most cases) and serve hot with coriander/cilantro chutney and a generous tablespoon of ghee….Mmmmmm!

And be ready to take a bow ladies ;)!

Gingernut cookies

My earliest memory of baking cookies was when I was 8. My mom had just bought a new oven. It was this little thing that looked like a sandwich maker but had a grilling tray, a baking tray and a waffle tray. Although I never saw my mom making waffles or grilling anything on it, she had a fair share of baking cookies and cakes. I guess my love ishtory with baking started then. When I could lay my hands on my own oven, I knew it was time to reopen my saga with baking. Throw in some of Giada’s baked treats and Ina Garten’s great baked stuff into my fascination with baking, I was busy baking cookies and bars every weekend.

My first few attempts left some of my friends puzzled (well, they didn’t know what they were tasting but couldn’t ask me either!). But I was in no mood to give up. Now I can proudly say that not only do my cookies look like cookies(I had an unfortunate incident when my dad asked me if they were Pakoras..boohoo!), they also taste so! Whoohoo (I just love hearing Homer Simpson say that)!

The past weekend, my husband and I were enjoying a quiet and lazy weekend at home when he suddenly started talking about the little cookies he once tasted in Chennai at a little bakery in Mylapore. He said they were still warm and had a strong ginger flavor and that he had never tasted anything like that again. With nothing left at home (read norukku theeni-snacks) to eat and my stomach starting to rumble on hearing about warm cookies, I decided to open my little “Baking” book and find something similar. I stumbled upon the gingernuts recipe and modified it as per the ingredients available in the pantry. They turned out to be quite good and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the patio with a cup of hot tea and some warm gingernut cookie. Now, thats what I call Purrrfect!

To make 30 delicious cookies:

Maida/ All purpose flour-2 cups

Baking soda-1/2 tsp

Fresh ground ginger-2 tbsps or ginger powder/sukku podi-1 tbsp

Pumpkin pie spice-1/2 tsp or Nutmeg powder+cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp

Soft unsalted butter-1/2 cup

Powdered sugar-1.25 cups

Boiling water-a little less than 1/4 cup

Honey-1 tbsp

Sift the dry ingredients(flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and ginger-if using powdered ginger) together. Add the sugar and rub in the butter into the mixtures till it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Dissolve the honey in the boiling water. Add this syrup to the flours and make a smooth dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. Place small heaps of the mixture on the sheet using two teaspoons (I just used a little kuzhi karandi) and flatten using the teaspoon. Bake for 20 minutes. Repeat the procedure.

They taste great upto 4 days if stored in an airtight container. I think they make good digestives too because of the ginger in them.

After a heavy Indian (read SPPICYY) lunch, these cookies will help the poor little stomachs.

Happy New Year- Puthandu Nal Vaazhthukkal

You know how some foods evoke fond memories. To me, one such food/ snack is Poli. It was a favorite of all my cousins too. But when everyone else loved the Puran Poli/ Paruppu Poli (Sweet lentil Stuffed roti), I loved the thengai poli(with coconut). Puran Poli was made on Bhogi(The day before the Harvest Festival in TamilNadu). To make me happy, my ammamma (maternal grandmother) made sure she made thengai Poli for me on Tamil New Year. I can still hear her asking my cousins to stay away from the dabba(box) when they tried to sneak some polis out. When I first went back home from the U.S, although ammamma was quite sick, she made sure my mom made thengai polis for me under ammamma’s direct supervision!

So I thought let me make some thengai Polis and bring back some good ol’ memories of ammamma and her wonderfully soft Polis.  I should say I kinda surprised myself with the results. My husband who almost always compliments only on asking actually gave me one voluntarily. Boy oh boy, I couldn’t believe my ears. Such is the power of the mighty thengai Poli!!!

Neivedhyam of Thengai Polis for a joyous Ganesh...can't you see he is dancing with joy!

Here’s the recipe for it:

To make 10 polis

Maida/ all purpose flour – 1.25 cups

Rice flour – a handful

Rava/ semolina – a handful

Oil/ ghee(clarified butter) – 2.5 tbsps

salt – 1 tsp

water – a little more than 1/2 cup of water

Channa dal -1 cup

Jaggery – 1.25 cups

Coconut – 3/4th cup

Cardamom – 5-6 pods

Cook the channa dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker on 2 whistles. Once cooked, drain the water and dry it out on a kitchen towel or cloth.

Mix the flours, the semolina and salt with 1 tbsp oil. Add water and make a soft dough. Now add the rest of the oil/ ghee to the dough and knead. Leave it to rest for 30-45 minutes.

Grind the dried dal to a smooth powder in a mixer. To a heated pan, add the ground dal and jaggery (either in powder form or as small pieces) and coconut- Puran. Stir the mixture till it forms no lumps and coagulates into a thick mixture(the consistency should be such that it can form balls). Add the cardamom powder…and let the aroma take over your kitchen. Let the mixture cool down

Divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Form 10 balls of the puran such that the balls are 1.5 times the size of the maida dough ball – roti.

On a plastic sheet, add a few drops of oil and flatten the maida ball using your finger tips or a rolling pin to about 4 inches diameter. Place the puran in the center and pull the ends of the roti so that it covers the puran on all sides. Flatten this stuffed roti(rolling pin is a good option, but trust me there’s magic in your finger tips :)). Transfer the Poli to a heated tava (girddle) and cook till it forms golden spots on its surface. And voila, thengai poli is ready.

Enjoy with a dollop of ghee…Yumm-O (a la Rachel Ray)!

Happy Tamil New Year. Lets forget enemities and lead a peaceful existence in the Virodhi(believe it or not, thats what this year is called in the Tamil Panchangam) Year.

Newbie in the world of “Blogichen”

I sometimes wonder how young Indian men and women who went to places like the U.S or England managed to cook in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. With a phone call being so expensive and the rarity of Indian groceries available in these countries and more importantly NO INTERNET, how did these people do it (telepathy?!!). I know I couldn’t have managed expanding my limited knowledge of  ‘samayal’ (cooking) without the wonderful blogs out there. Everytime I longed for a dish my mom used to make, I know all I have to do is turn on the computer and lo and behold I am going to be tasting that wonderful delicacy in minutes (only if it seems easy!). Food is a big part of every tradition and culture, we Indians are no exception. Actually, with the umpteen number of festivals, our bond with our cuisine is a very strong one. I come from a family where food was considered a ‘sarvaroganivaaranam’(one cure for all). Depressed, upset, tired, sad, sick…no matter the issue, I could hear my mom say, “saapitey na, ellam seriya poyidum!” . Oh, I could sooo identify the girl’s family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding!! And interestingly enough, I got married into a family of foodies too. Now, thats what one can call a Khatha-Peetha Khandan 😉 !

Now, the reason I started this blog is DRUMROLL…….

to make a difference in this world….No, seriously, I just have a lot to say and I thought rather that bug my hubby with my incessant talk(which mostly centers on food) I could write about it and maybe some girl who wants to try her amma‘s dish can benefit from my blogichen (blog+kitchen). When everyone’s coining a term, why not moi!! And thus was born the Swaadishtsaapad blog.

I love to experiment with my dishes and different cuisines. So here I come blogichens…the new kid on the block..blog(eh?).