Love and its various forms!

“Pyar dosti hai” How many of you guys remember this dialogue from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai by the one and only, charismatic Shah Rukh Khan? Well, I do, because I can spell out the dialogues of this movie even in my sleep, because its SRK, come on all you girls, let me hear you shout. Anyway not getting too carried away with SRK and KJo, what I want to say is, love is an emotion we all have experienced, love for our parents, love for our siblings, for our friends, for our partners, for our pets and even inanimate stuff.

Here, I want to share with you guys the love for my brothers. I always wanted a brother because I am the eldest child in my entire family and my mom says I prayed day and night for a brother like Krishna kanhaiya and should I have to say that God has been so kind, I have not one, not two but so many beautiful brothers.

One is a naughty but loving dude staying with me, torturing me, sharing my room, my house, my parents’ love. Tonnes of maternal and paternal cousin brothers, one who has always been an inspiration, always makes me feel optimistic about life, one who is a mad guy like me, the dude of Bhubaneshwar studying engineering and many more.

But these are relationships I got through my parents. There is one person who I met as a friend and eventually got into a beautiful bond of rakhi and there began a journey of love, affection, care and fun. We don’t talk too much because I talk and he listens, a star of a person, a brilliant sportsman, and gear up to see the next star cricketer it’s going to be Ankur Tiwari. It was his birthday on the 22^nd of December and I tried to impress Tiwari bhaiya with a cake. He and his friends loved it and my day was made.

This post is dedicated to each and every person I love, to all my lovely gabru jawan brothers and especially to my star brother- Ankur Tiwari.

So the cake I made was a COCONUT AND LEMON SYRUP CAKE.

this is how the veteran  Chef Donna Hay's cake looks like!

don't worry if your cake looks like mine, it'll still taste amazing!

INGREDIENTS

(8-10 portions)

For the cake batter

·         Butter-150g

·         Caster sugar-1 cup

·         Lemon rind-1 tbsps

·         Eggs-3

·         Desiccated coconut-1 ½ cups

·         Maida or all purpose flour-1 ½ cup

·         Milk- ¾ cup        

·         Baking powder-1 tsp

For the lemon syrup

·         Caster sugar-1 cup

·         Water-3/4 cup

·         Lemon juice-2 tbsps

METHOD

1.       Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2.       Beat the butter, sugar and lemon rind until light and creamy.

3.       Add the eggs and beat well.

4.       Mix through the coconut, flour, baking powder and milk with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth.

5.       Pour into a cake tin lined with baking paper or lined with butter and dusted with flour.

6.       Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.

7.       For the lemon syrup, combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until dissolved.

8.       Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly.

9.       Pour over the cake.

SPECIAL NOTES

·         Its always great to have an electric mixer to beat the ingredients but just in case you don’t have one use good energy and use a whisk, its perfectly alright.

·         Whisking or beating makes the batter light and airy which helps make the cake nice and spongy.

·         Always sieve the flour, baking powder and caster sugar, it helps avoid lumps.

·         If you don’t wish to add baking powder, your cake will still turn out amazing but you’ll have to bake it for 40 minutes.

·         Don’t cook the syrup too much it might turn bitter, keep stirring and keep checking. When it becomes sticky its done.

·         Serve it with tonnes of love and share it with your loved ones.

Cheers to every brother-sister relationship!

Panic Attack...!

So this fine Sunday morning  I rose to a bright sunshine, nice and chilly…I wanted to get buried inside my soft quilt and there came the zor ka jhatka jo dheere se nahi zor se hi laga!

So jhatka no. 1- Uma Aunty is coming to Bombay. Yeah yeah I know Atithi devo bhavah and all that but hello! She is a food connoisseur, owns a mallu restaurant in Trichi. And jhatka is not over yet, she wants to eat mere haath ka authentic mallu khana. Brrr…!! The only word that comes my mind is Khalaas!

Jhatka no. 2- She is reaching by 12 noon and is going to have lunch with us. Now what comes to mind is “Waat lagli!”

The clock started ticking, it was 10 and I had to get ready and get my food also ready. But what do I make…? Big Question Boss…!! Perfect honeko mangta…! So dimaag ki ghanti baji and I rushed to the sea food store, picked up fresh prawns and the dish I decided to make was Iggaru Royya, a classic mallu prawn dish.

The bell rang and I was garnishing my casserole. Uma Aunty’s first step in the house and she shouts out…wow that’s iggaru royya…now that’s a veteran talking!

Lunch happened, I got my share of compliments…but now you guys hurry up catch the recipe and invite me for a gourmet meal!!

IGGARU ROYYA

INGREDIENTS

(4 portions)

Prawns-36 medium

Black peppercorns-10-12

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2tsp

Dried red chilies, broken-8

Coconut scraped-1 cup

Oil-5tbsps

Onions, chopped-2 medium

Curry leaves-10-12

Ginger paste- 2tsp

Garlic paste-2tsp

Tomatoes, chopped-2 medium

Salt, to taste

Fresh coriander, chopped-2 tbsp

METHOD

1.       Dry roast peppercorns, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chilies, scrapped coconut till its golden brown. Make a paste out of this mixture.

2.       Heat some oil in a pan, sauté the onions along with some curry leaves. Add the ginger and garlic paste, fry for some time. Now add the tomatoes and cook for a while. Add the masala paste to this mixture and cook for a while.

3.       Add the prawns, some salt and let it cook in the masala.

4.       Finally garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Special Notes-

1.       The key to judge whether your masala is cooked enough is, it will release fat once cooked.

2.       You can add finely chopped tomatoes for a thick masala aur add tomato puree for a gravy.

3.       Chose your chili as per your pallet, you can use the chili with colour and less heat or you can mix tikha and lal to give colour as well as heat to your gravy.

4.       Keep adding little amounts of water if you feel the consistency is too thick as per your tastes.

5.       The moment the prawns turn white, it is an indication that they are cooked to perfection.

6.       Remember to clean sea food aptly, wrt prawns its essential to clear the vein that runs in the centre.

7.       Lastly, serve the dish piping hot with some plain rice and share it with your beautiful family and friends.

Cheers! Bon appetite!

An Apology!

Sorry for the late post guys but all I want to say is,

Cooking ka toh tha “Halla Bol”,

But CAT, NMAT aur SNAP mar rahe the de dana dan “Goal”,

Isiliye main nahi “Paa” rahi thi apne posts ka khata khol!

NOSTALGIA

How special is the word “DEBUT” for you guys? Well, I can guarantee it was super special for Sonam Kapoor in Sanwariya :P Are u a SANTI MANTAL whacko who is euphoric about everything first, well I am. I think everything starting from my 1^st LBD, my first pair of stilettos to my first friend in school and HELLO! My first dish!

I started out with all sorts of not so complicated FLAVOURS and dishes to arrive at my first main dish and it turned out to be cracker. Since then, there has been no looking back.

So have you started guessing what it must have been! I shall help you with a clue, it’s a Punjabi kitchen’s must have. I took to creating a cracker with a simple yet very complex protein, chicken.

Honey Sesame Chicken in a Tangy Vegetable Sauce served with Baked Potatoes and Cream of Spinach and Corn!

INGREDIENTS

(4 portions)

Chicken breast, boneless whole- 4 pieces

Potatoes, quartered-2 medium

Olive Oil- 1 tbsp

Sesame Seeds, roasted

MARINADE

·         Red vinegar-4 tablespoons

·         Ginger, finely chopped- 2 inch piece

·         Garlic, finely chopped- 8 big cloves

·         Fresh Coriander, finely chopped

·         Green Chilies, finely chopped-to taste

·         Lemon zest- 1 tsp

·         Honey-2 tablespoons

·         Rosemary- 1 tsp

·         Thyme-1tsp

·         Paprika/chili powder-to taste

·         Cracked black pepper- to taste

·         Salt- to taste

  TANGY VEGETABLE SAUCE

·         Olive Oil- 1 tablespoon

·         Shallots, thinly sliced-2 medium

·         Carrot, thinly sliced-1 medium

·         Bell peppers, julienned(Red, yellow, green)-1/2 each

·         Orange Juice, ½ an orange

·         White pepper, to taste

·         Chili flakes, to taste

·         Brown sugar-1 tsp

·         Salt, to taste

CREAM OF SPINACH AND CORN

·         Butter-2 tablespoons

·          Shallot, finely chopped-1 medium

·         Wheat Flour/All purpose Flour- 3 tablespoons

·         Milk- 2 cups
       Cream- 1/2 cup
·         Corn kernels-1 cup

·         Spinach, shredded-2 cups

·         Sugar-1 tsp

·         Grated Nutmeg, a pinch

·         Chili flakes, to taste

·         Salt and Pepper, to taste

METHOD

1.       Transfer all the ingredients into a bowl to prepare the marinade. Place the cleaned chicken breast and potatoes in a plate and pour the marinade and let it rest for about half an hour.

2.       Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, place the chicken and the potatoes on a greased tray, sprinkle the sesame seeds and let it bake for 10-15 minutes.

3.       For the sauce, heat a pan with olive oil. Add all the vegetables, sauté for half minute, add the orange juice to deglaze the pan, and then add the left over marinade. Add all the spices and the brown sugar. Cook for a minute and get it off the heat.

4.       Place the cooked chicken in the sauce, cook for half a minute.

5.        For the cream of spinach and corn, heat a pan, add the butter and a dash of olive oil. Add the shallots, sauté till slightly colored, add the flour slowly to incorporate it with the butter and avoid lumps. Then slowly add the milk, incorporate it with the other ingredients and whisk till smooth. Add the nutmeg, sugar, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Now add the corn cook for a minute and then add the spinach and cover the pan with a lid cook on a low flame for a minute. Give it a stir.

SPECIAL NOTES-

·         The dash of olive oil while melting butter is a special tip; it prevents the butter from burning due to the oil’s high boiling point.

·         The chicken breast dries out and gives a fibery taste, so it’s always better to serve it with a sauce which keeps it succulent and juicy.

·         Plate your dishes with a dash of creativity and make it a visual treat.

·         The key to a delicious dish is, keep tasting your food at every stage and you will never go wrong.

Hope you’ll relish this dish guys! Cheers!