Thursday 29 October 2015

Saffron Mix Vegetable Quaker Oats Palau


Saffron Mix Vegetable Quaker Oats Palau
INgredients
2 cups Quaker Oats
2 florets of Cauliflower
4 French Beans
1/2 Carrot
1 small Piece of Ginger
1 Green chilli chopped
2 tbsp Boiled Corn
Few stands of Saffron (kesar)
Salt   to taste
1/4 tsp Garam masala powder  
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Fennel powder
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Bay Leaf
2 Peppercorn
1 Cardomom
1 small piece Cinnamon
2 Cloves
1 tbsp Broken Cashewnuts
1/2 tbsp Raisins
2 tbsp Curd beaten
1/4 cup Milk
1 tbsp Ghee
Few drops of Rose essence
Few Rose petals and Almond flakes for garnishing

Method
Take a chopper and add ginger, chilli, carrot, French beans and cauliflower. Finely chop the vegetables. Take hot milk, add the saffron, Rose essence and 1/2 tbsp ghee in the milk. Keep it aside. Take a wok, add remaining ghee. Add bayleaf and  cumin seeds. Let the cumin seeds crackle. Add peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir it for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, sauté it for 2 minutes on medium flame, add cumin powder, fennel powder, salt, garam masala powder, raisins and Cashewnuts. Stir it and add the curd. Stir it again and add 1/2 cup water.
Cover and half cook the vegetables. Add the Quaker oats and stir quickly Sprinkle water and keep stirring on low flame. The oats should be moist. Pour in the saffron milk and stir. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Garnish it with rose petals and almond flakes. Serve hot.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Spinach and Corn Delight

Spinach and Corn Delight
I have adapted this recipe from the book "The Landour Cookbook". The recipes in this book are over 100 years old. This recipes are taken from families residing along the hillsides. The intermingling of European, American and Indian flavours created a unique Anglo - Indian aroma which spread all over the hillsides.The missionary movement did not confined to schools.  In 1920s Mrs. Lucas, wife of the Pastor of Kellogg Church in Landour joined Mrs. Irene Parkar, the wife of Mr. Allen Parker, Principal of Woodstock School to form a Reading Club. They would meet every week. Soon in 1928 they compiled the recipes into a cook book.
Information source : The Landour Cookbook
Edited and Introduced by Ruskin Bond and Ganesh Saili

I have changed few ingredients from the original recipe Corn Delight. I have omitted potatoes and becon used in the recipe and added spinach, whole wheat flour, fresh cream, eggs, garlic and green chillies in the recipe.
Original recipe
Ingredients
2 cup Potatoes boiled and mashed
1 cup Corn
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1 slice Becon
4 cup Milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
Mix all the ingredients well and cook. Flour can be add to thickened. Serve on toast.

My recreated recipe
Ingredients
2 cups Spinach chopped
1 cup boiled Corn
1 chopped Onion
4 Garlic cloves minced
1 Green chilli minced
1 cup Fresh cream
2 cups Milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp Whole wheat Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
In a mixing bowl, add cream, milk, salt, pepper, eggs and flour. Beat the ingredients. Take a pan, add onion, garlic,chilli, spinach and corn. Sauté it for 4 to  5 minutes on low flame. Add the liquid ingredients and on low flame whisk and stir it till all the ingredients combines well and thickens up. Toast English muffins or bread slices and top it up with Spinach and Corn Delight.

Palong Saag Macher Matha Diye Chorchori (Spinach Leaves and Fish head cooked with Mix Vegetables)

Palong Saag Macher Matha Diye Chorchori (Spinach Leaves and Fish head cooked with Mix Vegetables)
Chorchori is a tradition Bengali preparation made with green vegetables like Spinach or Malabar Spinach mixed with any different types of mix vegetables. It can be made either in vegetarian or non vegetarian manner. Any vegetables like Radish, Pumpkin, Potatoes, Flat beans, French beans Carrot, Raw Banana, Cabbage can be used. For non vegetarian Chorchori Rrahu, Kathla, Ilish or Bhetki fish head can be  used... Even the Macher / Fish (Potka / Tel) Oil / Fat is used. Chorchori will taste better if cooked few hours serving.
Ingredients
Big Hilsa or Rahu or Kathla Fish Head and Fats
1 Bunch of Spinach Leaves with Stem and Roots if Possible cleaned, cut into pieces and soaked in water
1 Big Potatoe with peel cut into medium cubes
1 cup Yellow Pumpkin with peel cut into medium cubes
1 Raw Banana with peel cut into medium cubes
6 to 8 Flat beans cut into half
6 to 8 French beans cut into half
2 Green or Red Chillies
1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds powder
Salt to taste
2 Bay leaves
1 Dry Red Chilli
1 tsp Panch Phoran
1 tbsp Mustard oil
1/4 cup Mustard Oil for frying the fish head
Method
Take the fish head and the fats, marinate it with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt. Keep it aside. Take a wok, add 1 tbsp of mustard oil, heat it till the smoking point. Reduce the flame, add Panch Phoran, bay leaves and dry chillies. Let the Panch Phoran crackle. Add the vegetables. Stir it, add salt, remaining turmeric powder and cumin powder. Stir and sauté  for 2 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and mix the vegetables. Cover and low flame cook the vegetable for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and stir. Cook till the vegetables are almost cooked. Take it off the gas. Keep it aside. Take another wok, add 1/4 cup oil, heat the oil and fry the fish head and fats till brown, take the fried fish head and fats and mix it with the vegetables. Take a tbsp of mustard oil used for the frying the fish. Add the mustard oil in the vegetable. Put the vegetables along with the fish back on the flame, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately with hot steaming rice or keep it and have it with hot steaming rice after few hours after cooking to enhance the flavour and the taste of the Chorchori.

Healthy Grilled Tuna Su Style

Healthy Grilled Tuna Su Style
Ingredients
1 medium size Tuna cleaned and slited on both the sides.
Few Curry leaves
1 Lemon grass leaf
2 Lime leaves
Few Coriander leaves including the stem
1 small piece Galangal or Ginger
4 to 6 Garlic cloves
1 fresh Red or Green chillies
1/2 tsp Lime zest
1/2 tbsp Lime juice
1 medium piece of pickled Mango Or Fresh Raw Mango ( Mango soaked in Salt water and pickled)
1 tbsp Mango pickle water
1 tbsp Curd
Salt to sprinkle
1/2 tbsp Oil
For Garnishing
Any Tangy Fruits Sliced like Pineapple, Red Grapes, Strawberry, Kiwi, Sweet Lime, Water Melon or Apple slices
Onion sliced
Lime sliced

Method
Add all the above ingredients in a blender except salt and Tuna. Coarsely mince all the above ingredients. Apply the minced ingredients on the fish and stuff some in between the cuts in the fish. Sprinkle some salt on the fish. Marinate for an hour or more.  Grill the fish on a gas grill skillet from both the sides till brown and cooked or grill it on a charcoal.... Enjoy it with sliced Fruits, sliced Onion and lime.

P. S. If using fresh mango adjust the salt accordingly. As pickled mango has salt, I have sprinkled the salt.

Tuesday 27 October 2015

Broccoli and Almond Soup

Broccoli and Almond Soup
Ingredients
1 Broccoli cut into small pieces
1/4 cup  Almonds blanched
1 small Onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves minced
3 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Skimmed Milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp Butter

Method
In a large pot, add the butter, melt it. Add the onion and garlic and sauté it for a 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for  5 minutes more. Add the stock and 1/2 cup skimmed milk, bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer until the broccoli  becomes  tender. Add the almonds leaving few for garnishing the soup. Puree the soup in a blender. Add salt and pepper. Add the remaining milk and simmer it for 2 minutes. Chop the remaining almonds and garnish it before serving the soup.