Kai Po Che...

I am sure you all are wondering why I chose to use this title...well I m not going to be talking about how wonderful the movie was or how awesome Sushant Singh Rajput is, we all know that. This line was used in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and remembers Salman Khan udaoing the patang over enthusiastically well that lead a lot of people to incorporate it into a very famous and kickass dance step.

Ever thought a dance step could get you to connect with someone...well I connected and instantly with none other than the fabulous Nidhi Kashyap. This lady is dynamite; if you are a dandia-garba fan you have to dance in her company and if you are not a fan you still need to dance in her company cause you’ll start falling in love with the season. A friend who personifies fun, strength, who’s beautiful, a person who’s courageous for she has embarked on a journey to pursue her passion, photography.

My food tastes and her photography speaks...

The last post was clicked by her and a few pictures to come will have been clicked by her, tell me she’s wonderful. The joy of cooking becomes tenfold when you do it for a person you love, you admire, you connect to. And through this post I want to thank Kashyap...for being a friend, for being such a sweetheart.

Out of a couple of dishes I cooked up for the shoot...I chose this one.

Chicken/Paneer Satay with a peanut dip

Ingredients:-

·         Paneer/chicken(boneless)- 8 pieces

·         Cherry Tomatoes-4

·         Bell pepper- 1

·         Onion-1

·         Ginger paste-1 tbsp

·         Garlic paste-1tbsp

·         Soy sauce-1 tsp

·         Brown sugar-1tsp

·         Honey-1 tsp

·         Juice of half a lemon

·         Paprika-1 tsp

·         Salt and pepper to taste

For the peanut dip

·         Peanuts- ½  a cup

·         Garlic finely chopped- 1 tsp

·         Onion finely chopped- 1tsp

·         Butter- one small cube

·         Soy sauce-1 tsp

·         Sugar- a pinch

·         Juice of half a lemon

·         Fresh red chillies or chilli flakes to taste

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Method:-

1.       Marinate the chicken or paneer in the ingredients mentioned above and refrigerate it for half an hour.

2.       Cut the onions and bell peppers in a triangular shape or anything chunky.

3.       Preheat the oven at 180 degree C.

4.       Put the pieces of chicken, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions into the satay sticks.

5.       Brush a little bit of oil. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

6.       For the peanut dip, roast the peanuts in a pan.

7.       Now get them off the burner and let them cool down.

8.       Puree the peanuts into a fine paste.

9.       Take a pan, add the butter, garlic once u get the aroma, add the onions and let them turn golden brown.

10.   Now add the peanut puree and let it cook.

11.   Add the other ingredients and some water and let it cook for some time.

Special Notes:-

·          The longer you marinate your meat the better.

·         Before you insert your ingredients in the satay sticks, soak them in some hot water. This helps in easy insertion of the food and also the sticks don’t burn while frying or when in the oven.

·         You can use any vegetable of your choice for the satay.

·         If must always check your food in the oven and use your own discretion with the time and temperatures.

·         If you don’t have an oven, you can also fry these satays on a griddle pan.

·         Roasting the peanuts give an added flavour to your dish.

·         Keep adding water to the peanut sauce, it tends to thicken. You can also add some coconut milk for added flavour.

·         Feel free to improvise and incorporate your ideas.

I hope you enjoy this dish.

Cheers!

Ye Dosti hum nahi todenge, todenge dum agar tera saath na chodenge....

Well the todenge dum agar part is thoda extra and of course Filmy…but how can "I" ever do anything NON-FILMY!!

This post is for a very special friend, my Punjabi dynamite, every parent’s favourite, the Haanji queen and most importantly a friend with whom I share a bond beyond the norms of conventional friendship. She is a food enthusiast, loves Chicken in every guise…hell yeah! Shez a Punjabi! :P She has a beautiful mother, the most loving aunty ever, Leena Aunty jinse in madam ne haath ka jaado paya hai. She bakes heavenly cakes and so here comes my challenging story.

These few months of 2013 have been hectic and grueling. Anisha and I had been on a lets study for CMAT spree and our mom’s were on a lets add some calories onto our daughters spree. So every time we went to each other’s houses a feast awaited us. But this one day I decided to make something for my lovely friend…but what do you make for a person who is a brilliant cook herself, a dessert lover, an excellent baker.  This question was soon answered, thanks to Joey Mathews and her show Love Bites with Joey! :P

I had seen Joey make panacottas with a strawberry coulis, but my friend here loves-likes-adores chocolate. I knew what had to be served. So here is a recipe that has been highly appreciated by my family and friends!

Chocolate flavoured Panacottas!

INGREDIENTS

·         Milk-1/4 cup

·         Cream-3/4 cup

·         Chocolate-1/4 cup grated

·         Sugar- 3 tbsps

·         Gelatin- 1 tsp

·         Chocolate shavings

·         Chocolate sticks

·         Chocolate syrup

METHOD

1.      Melt the chocolate on a double boiler.

2.      Gently mix in the milk and keep stirring.

3.      Take a saucepan and put it on medium heat. Add the chocolate and milk mixture. Slowly mix in the cream.

4.      Now add the sugar and let it simmer.

5.      Add the gelatin, mix well and get it off the heat.

6.      Now pour this mixture into moulds of your choice and let it cool down.

7.      Once it has cooled down, let it set in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

8.      Demould it and serve it with some beautiful garnish using the chocolate syrup, the chocolate shavings and the sticks.

SPECIAL NOTES-

1.      Be very precise with the measurements. A little increase in the quantity of milk will destroy the dish.

2.      Whenever you are handling chocolate, do not let it come in contact with water.

3.      Always use a double boiler to melt chocolate to prevent it from burning.

4.      Gelatin should be added carefully because less gelatin will not let the panacottas set and more gelatin will make it taste rubbery.

5.      Use lovely moulds; they make the panacottas look delicious.

6.      Use a dash of creativity to add an edge to your dish.

BON APPETIT!

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar!

Amir Khan’s cute smile and charm and of course “pehla nasha” is what comes to all our minds when we think of this phrase but let’s face it this phrase has more to it than just our evergreen teen flick. I’ll tell you what comes to my mind when I hear this phrase, it reminds me of competition. I participated in a competition a few days back and its called Masterchef India Season 3.

After hours of waiting in a huge queue with more than 2000 people, it wasn’t about how talented a cook you are, at that point it was about patience and enthusiasm. I was enthusiastic about meeting the man who rules every homemaker’s heart and kitchen, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I was honored and privileged to meet a man who is truly God sent, a person who serves goodness not food, the one and only Chef Vikas Khanna and the person who lends inspiration to a lot of people like me who’ve been inspired by family cooking, Chef Kunal Kapoor. I guess a lot of ladies and gents were star struck but a lot of them also came with a passion and I spent my valuable time interacting with my co-contestants. It comprised of a humble dadi ma who had a lovely Bengali accent and had made “kasundi chingdi” and “mishti doi”, a gorgeous Physiotherapist, full of life and charismatic, a beautiful Sindhi mother, who introduced me to “Dhingri”, a traditional Sindhi dish. By the end of level 1, my fellow contestants were uber confident id reach level 2 and what a cracker I did get through to level 2 with a loud cheer with Eshita, the physiotherapist and Jyotiji, the lovely mother of two. After a long and tiring day it was my mom’s comforting hug that came to my rescue and it was finally Home Sweet Home. Sunday evening was spent in anxiety and I was sure there was no level 3 happening for me. Next I woke up to Jyotiji’s cheerful voice and she congratulated me saying, “Oh! You got selected for level 3” when I hadn’t received any calls from the Masterchef crew. I was humbled to see her confidence in me.

Well I said to myself, life goes on and Monday was taking its own mundane course when my landline and cell phone rang at once. The landline had my dad on the line and the cell phone had the Masterchef organizers…well it was a level 3 shortlist call…can you take a guess what happened next…I was jumping and hooting with tears in my eyes. Level 3 at ITM IHM was a wonderful wonderful experience, I met some of the most passionate and beautiful people of this country; the bold and beautiful Minahil aka Yogita, our chemistry was a house on fire within seconds, the gorgeous Leena aunty, she’s going to teach me how to ace cheesecakes, the charismatic Aditya, a musician, a freaking machine…he made a prawn curry in 20 minutes, a lip smacking one mind you, and a travel and food junkie Veni, she has a Bong Connection! And last but not the least, the experience of facing a panel of 8 judges with Rajeev Lakshman being one of them and getting that feeling ki boss Todi Nakhio post the interview. FANTASTIC is the word!

All I’d like to say is it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about the experience. How amazing it is to meet people who are like minded, who have that drive and passion, people who are simple and who serve their goodness on a plate. I feel humbled and privileged to have met a few of the most genuine and talented amateur cooks of the country.

So guys I’d like to share with you my celebrity recipe Chicken Zaikedaar! It is something I tried to put together for the big daddy auditions.

Ingredients

(5 portions)

·         Chicken- 750gms

·         Khus khus- 1 tbsp

·         Cashew nuts-handful

·         Sesame-1 tbsp

·         Green chillies-3

·         Oil-2-3 tbsps

·         Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

·         Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

·         Onions, thinly sliced- 2 medium

·         Ginger paste-1 tbsp

·         Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

·         Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

·         Red chili powder- 1 tsp

·         Dried red chillies- 2-3

·         Curry leaves-8-10

·         Coriander powder-1tsp

·         Cumin powder-1tsp

·         Tomato, finally chopped- 1 medium

·         Curd-3-4 tbsp

·         Tandoori chicken masala- 2 tsps

·         Golden fried onions and fresh coriander, to garnish

Marinade

·         Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp

·         Turmeric powder- 1tsp

·         Red chili powder- 1tsp

·         Oil- 2tsp

·         Salt, to taste

Method

1.       Marinate the chicken with the ingredients for the marinade, massage well and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2.       Dry roast the khus khus and sesame and soak in some warm water for 2-3 minutes.

3.       Grind the khus khus and sesame soaked in water, the cashew nuts and the green chilies to a fine paste.

4.       Heat some oil in a pan. Add the cumin and the mustard seeds, once they begin to crackle, add the curry leaves and the dried red chilies.

5.       Add the onions and sauté till slightly brown.

6.       Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for some time.

7.       Now add all the dry spices and fry till the fat starts separating.

8.       Add the tomatoes and sauté the masala.

9.       Meanwhile, sear the chicken in some oil and transfer it to the masala and see that the masala gets coated on the chicken nicely. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

10.   Add the khus khus, sesame and cashew nut paste, some water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

11.   Now season the curry with some salt, add the curd, and stir well. Also add the tandoori chicken masala and cover and cook for 10 minutes.

12.   Serve it hot, garnished with the fried onions and fresh coriander.

Special notes

·         Roasting your whole spices or ingredients that you want to grind into a fine paste, always adds a distinct flavor to your dish.

·         The tandoori chicken masala can be replaced with some homemade aromatic garam masala.

·         Keep adding water as per your taste because the curry eventually reduces down to a thick masaledaar one.

·         The cooking time can be reduced to half if you want to serve it quickly, the long simmering only adds more flavor.

·         Keep an eye on your onions when you are frying them, you don’t want to burn them.

·         The golden fried onions are popularly known as birista in most muslim households.

Cheers to Masterchef India 3 and every person who was or is a part of it!

P.S- the organizers were so wonderful, they did a commendable job! J