Curries & Stories: general

8 August

The last week ended on a little melancholous note, we bid a final adieu to a close friend who has now become a star in the sky. I didn't mention about this earlier as we were a all quite shaken from the suddenness of the news. A beautiful soul gone too soon but now in hindsight I feel, we will always cherish her as a wonderful person who really was elemental in bringing together some strangers and making us the best buddies before she went. She is now living in a much more peaceful zone and I wish her all the happiness. The day that followed also came with a glitch. I pulled a muscle along my rib line and it is not a very pleasant thing to live with the painful feeling from last couple of days. I direly needed something to sooth my nerves and feel a little better. The tisane I had recently got came to the rescue in a heroic manner I must say.

Herbal teas—less commonly but more properly called tisanes —are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. They are infusions made from leaves, bark, roots, berries, seeds, and spices. Common tisanes include mint, chamomile, verbena, and rooibos. White, green, oolong, black teas come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which has caffeine. Interestingly on the other hand, tisanes, steep parts of other plants in water to produce a flavored, hot drink, and most are caffeine-free.

Now Herbal tea is not something which has suddenly come into existence due to elevated sense of health consciousness now a days. It existed in several forms in old times as well. References of Herbal teas can be found in famous fictions as well. For an example, if you have read Agatha Christie’s novels then you will undoubtedly know the famous Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot is! He is a highly intelligent person with an amazing understanding of the criminal mind. As per the author, Hercule was not a lover of traditional tea, but preferred to drink the herbal variety. His favorite was chamomile based which allowed him to relax and would let his little grey cells work for him.

I think this is where I resonate with Hercule! No seriously. I have had the luxury of tasting different tea blends especially in the past few years, courtesy to one of my close friend. And I can undoubtedly say that Chamomile tea has been a constant favorite tisane after a rose tea blend. I love the soothing aroma. It has in real a nerve calming effect.

So when Glenberg Organics asked me to sample any tisane form their wonderful range I didn't take a while to decide my favorite pick - the Natures Classic. By the way this is not a sponsored post so I do mean every word of praise I am about to pen down. It has Chamomile, hibiscus, rose and lavender that has anti inflammatory characteristics and helps in having a healthy gut. It comes in a pretty 25 gm jar and will soon become your jar of happiness. When I got it first I was a little skeptic to be honest, as not all tisane experience has been good for me. But the first time I made it and took in the beautiful soothing aroma, I was happy with the product. After the taste test I can give it a good thumbs up for creating a light and lovely blend. It is a little pricy but every penny is worth the tea experience that you are going to have! The Glenberg Organics tisanes are easily available in Amazon. You can also checkout their Instagram page for more updates.

This is one of my most favorite shoots in recent time so this blog post is going to have a lot many photos than usual. Actually tea is something where only photos should speak and we should just sit back and enjoy each frame.

There are a lot of firsts in this shoot - first experience of shooting a floral frame, first professional photoshoot for a tea brand, first time did the moody editing in lightroom (and totally loved it), first time had a wonderful tisane and many more such small firsts. I have recently started maintaining a journal to pen down daily learnings. I call it "Lets upgrade myself" and the objective is that by the time the year ends I would make myself a better version of myself on many aspects than I was a year ago. Some of these firsts would definitely find a place in that journal. And all those who are reading my blog right now, believe me however lame it may sound to keep a journal, when you read back all your doings and achievements at the end of the year, it doesn't sound lame anymore, you can actually see how much you grew in a year. I really didn't have any faith in journaling before but during lockdown I started a random journal just to have some peace of mind and now when I read about all those snippets it makes me relive all those moments lost in time. Give it a try sometime and you wont regret.

There is really no elaborate process to this tea. But still I recommend a few ways to make it. The first process is with pure tisane steeped in water. And the second process is tisane with a mix of CTC tea to give it more body and a little tea-ness. The second way is my favorite. Do check out both and let me know which one you like better.

Standard Process

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Steeping Time : 4 - 5 minutes

Temperature : 90 Degrees

Ingredients :

Glenberg Organic Natures Classic - 1/4 tsp or 2 gm
Honey - as per taste
Water - 200 ml

Equipment:

Milk Pan
Strainer

Procedure:

1. Take a pan with 200 ml water and let it heat to 90 Degrees.

2. Now add 2 gm of Natures Classic tea

3. Let it steep for 4-5 minutes for the flavors to come out.

4. Pour honey in your tea cup. Now strain the steeped tea in the cup, give it a stir and enjoy!

Note: You can enjoy the tea without any sweetener as well.

My Favorite Process

I like this process better because it gives the goodness of both a real tea and a tisane. And especially if you like a little color in your tea then this is the best way to go.

Preparation Time : 3 minutes

Steeping Time : 2 - 3 minutes

Temperature : 100 Degrees

Ingredients :

Glenberg Organic Natures Classic - 1/4 tsp or 2 gm
Any CTC Tea - 1 tsp ( I prefer Society Tea)
Honey - as per taste
Water - 200 ml

Equipment:

Milk Pan
Strainer

Procedure:

1. Heat 200 ml water in a pot till it comes to a boil.

2. Add CTC tea and let it boil for about a minute.

3. Add 2 gm of Natures Classic tea and switch off the flame.

4. Let it steep for about 3 minutes

5. Pour honey in your tea cup. Now strain the steeped tea in the cup, give it a stir and enjoy!

Note: You can enjoy the tea without any sweetener as well.

1 comments

February 20

I am a hardcore fishiterian..if that's a word. There has been hardly any occurrence where I have tasted a fish and not liked it ( apart form squid!). In fact I love trying out new fish variants and preparations all the time.

Recently there was a day when I purchased a fresh bunch of mint for the market to make Strawberry Ghol and still had more than half of the bunch remaining. Mom wasn't too excited about the idea of making mint chutney ( we are really not that great mint lovers, apart from having it incorporated into some summer drink), so it was up to me to utilize the remaining leaves.

I had a lovely fillet of Basa languishing in my freezer for some time because I had forgotten about it after pushing it to the back of my freezer! Finally I stumbled upon it again while rummaging through my freezer for prawns. I really felt sorry for the beautiful fillet which was practically frozen to death by that time. But nonetheless I was definitely not going to throw it away.

Now when you have a dated fish, you need to cook it with something which will instill a little life into the fish like strong masalas - usually an onion gravy is a surefire solution to this kind of problem. But it would be a sheer injustice to put a fillet in a normal onion based gravy when it can e made into something a little more interesting. That's when I thought lets do some experiment with the fresh mint. The flavor of mint definitely qualifies as strong, and which would help in bringing a good amount of flavors into the very frozen fish.

It was a working day and hence I didn't have much time in hand to cook a fancy fish preparation. Something quick and easy which would go with daal rice was what I was aiming at. Thus came into existence this quick fire tangy and sweet recipe. It tasted so unique and chatpata that I can recommend this as a starter as well (However I do suggest when you make this recipe, use a fresh fish to get the best taste).. This is somewhat similar to Fish Hariyali which is a well loved dish of the Northern India.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

Mint Fish, Fish hariyali, Green Fish, Pudina Fish

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Marination Time : 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Any White Fish (Basa/Haddock etc.) - 200 gm fillet/ pieces
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Garlic pods- 5-7 (small)
Lemon - 1/2
Green Chilli - 1
Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
Olive Oil/Refined Oil
Salt as per taste
Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Equipment:

Mixer/grinder
Non Stick pan & Spatula
Knife

Procedure:

1. Clean the fish fillet and cut into 2 inch square pieces. Marinate it with a pinch of salt, turmeric and 1 tsp of oil. Coat all the fishes and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. In a mixer grinder, take the mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilli, coconut pieces, garlic pods and a pinch of salt and blitz for 30 seconds to breakup the elements. Add a little water and pulse it for a couple of more minutes. Add the juice from half the lemon and pulse it to make a uniform thick paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the marinated fish pieces till a little golden on both sides.

4. Now add the mint paste to the pan and fold in the fish pieces. Adjust the salt and add the sugar. Add a little oil if required. Let it cook till the water dries up from the curry base.

Note: If you do not like sweet in the fish, then skip the sugar. But sweet will balance the tanginess, so it is recommended.

Serve hot with flatbreads or steamed rice.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

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January 29

If you are bored with the regular preparations with potato and your taste buds, yearn for something different then you can make this yummy and quick Khatte aloo ki Subzi . I am not a huge potato lover, but even I fell in love with this all-potato dish, because of its perkiness.

This tangy and spicy particular preparation pairs very well with any Indian flatbread (Chapati, Paratha etc. ) and also with sweet flatbreads like this Til Gud Paratha. This preparation typically is done with baby potatoes but if you don't happen to have them like me, then you can also use normal sized potatoes and cube them into required size.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Marination Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 7 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

For the Spice Mix

Amchur Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp * (vary as per heat tolerance)
Anardana Powder / Pomegranate seed powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per taste

For Khatte Aloo

Boiled Potato - 2 medium , cubed
Curd/ Yoghurt- 1/2 cup
Bay Leaf- 1
Hing/ Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tsp
Spice Mix -
Refined Oil - 1 tsp + as required for cooking
Coriander Leaves Paste (Optional) - 1 tsp

For Garnish:

Dry Roasted White Sesame - 1/2 tsp
Bird's Eye Chilli (Optional) - 3-4, chopped

Equipment:

Mixing Bowl
Skillet & Spatula
Knife

Procedure

1. Warm a skillet and add the Sesame to it. Roast it till it starts turning golden. Keep aside the roasted sesame in a bowl.

2. Boil the potatoes with skin on. With the help of a fork pierce the surface at few places, it will help the potatoes cook properly. Once boiled take off the skin and cube them. Let the potatoes cool down to room temperature.

3. While the potatoes cool down, make the spice mix. In a bowl take all the ingredients mentioned under spice mix and mix well.

Note: If you do not have anardana powder, then go ahead with the rest of the ingredients for the spice mix.

4. Take a skillet and 1 tsp oil. Once the oil is heated, fry the cubed potatoes for 2 minutes.

Note: The potatoes will soft at this point, so take care when you turn them in the skillet.

5. Now take the potatoes out in a mixing bowl. Add the spice mix to the potatoes and 1 tsp of oil. Toss the potatoes and shake making sure potatoes are nicely dredged with the spice mix and oil. Let this rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

6. Prepare the yoghurt mixture now. Take the yoghurt in a bowl and whisk it uniformly. To that add the coriander leaves paste.

Tip: You can also use a spoonful of coriander chutney instead of coriander paste.

Note: It is optional to add coriander paste, but it adds a nice flavor to the dish. Just grind a cup of coriander leaves with green chilies and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to prepare the paste.

7. Take a skillet and add oil + ghee to it. Once oil is hot, toss in the the bay leaf and the hing. Let it be fragrant.

8. Now switch off the heat and add the yoghurt mixture prepared in step 6. Fold in.

Tip: To prevent the yoghurt from curdling always add it after switching off the heat. Also adding a pinch of cornflour powder to the yoghurt, prevents curdling.

9. Switch on the heat to medium, and cook the yoghurt mixture for a minute. Now add the spice coated potatoes to the skillet and fold in.

10. Cook for 1- 2 minutes, adjust the salt level and then switch off the flame. Put the lid on, and let the potatoes soak up the heat inside the skillet.

Tip: If you want a tangy-sweet taste, you can add some sugar also at this stage and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Garnish with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, they will add some nuttiness to the dish. Serve it with your choice of Indian flatbreads.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

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8th November

I already feel the winter! Bright sunny days, chilled evenings, fresh winter vegetables in the produce market, the compulsory addition of ginger in the teas...finally this year feels good.

The weekend has just whizzed past and now while I write this on a Sunday night I feel like I need another weekend immediately to offset these two days. It has been a mad crazy weekend due to ten thousand things that had to be done before the Diwali week. Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Gawd where does this much dust come from on 10th floor!! I will never be able to fathom that. Then there was shopping to do for the pujas - both from the local market and from amazon and flipkart. You never can let go crazy deals na, even if you are on the edge of being bankrupt, sniff. As much as I resent spending so much, I really was tempted for a few things.

Finally I am beginning to reap some benefit from the social media after all these years! Brands have been reaching out to me more frequently now for collaboration and even though it might be very small scale right now, but I was super excited when I received my first collaboration product. So that also adds to my already tall list of work. It is exhausting but it is rewarding as well. It feels good when someone appreciates what you do.

Then there was another person on Instagram who one day out of the blue told me that they were gonna try out one of my recipes from the blog. that was a pleasant surprise but I felt so humbled. People actually saw value in the contents I create. Its not that I am talking to the wall most of the times. This makes me motivated to push harder, make better contents and do more experiments in the kitchen.

Something nice is coming up in Instagram this week. I am going to announce a contest there. So all those who have an Instagram account check it out. It has lovely prizes for the winners and also special prizes for some of the special mentions.

Now coming to the recipe. Busy week means I end up spending a lot less time in the kitchen, especially for making lunch. This weekend I just wanted to clear my fridge and also make something real quick for lunch. I would have just made Maggi with vegetables as I do many a times when I don't have time. But I remembered a Ramen recipe I had recently seen and wanted to try. I scanned my pantry for the necessary stuffs. Coconut milk check, spring onions check. Surprised? yes that's about what you need to make this amazing recipe. I did an egg check also as I wanted to add a sunny side up egg. And yes I had a few paneer cubes ready for some other subzi, so I thought to throw them in as well. But the last two things are totally optional.

This would make a delicious and comforting meal when you’re craving something warm, light yet satisfying. The toppings and noodles are extremely versatile, so everyone can pick and choose how to style their bowls and add on practically anything you want.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 1 bowl

Ingredients:

Maggi Noodle / Ramen - 1 Packet
Full fat Coconut Milk - 1 and a 1/2 cup
Spring onion - 1/2 cup chopped
Cracked Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Equipment:

Skillet

Procedure:

1. Cook the noodles as per instruction in water without adding the spice mix/ flavoring oil. Usually I bring the water in the pan to a rolling boil, add a pinch of salt and then drop in the noodles. With a fork I separate out the noodles and let them boil for about 5 minutes on high. Boil till the noodles are 3/4th cooked.

Tip: Do not cook the noodles till the end, else it will turn mushy. 3/4th cooked is what we are doing in this step because in next step we are again going to cook it.

Note: You can basically use any brand's instant noodles for this recipe. So no stress there!

Note 1: We will add the spice mix/flavouring oils at a later stage.

2. Now drain the water from the noodles using a strainer. Put it under running water to stop further cooking. Drizzle about 1 tsp of oil and toss the noodles. Let the water drain totally.

3. Now in a skillet on medium heat, warm the coconut milk. It will slowly start bubbling a bit. add the sugar and stir in. At this stage add the 3/4th cooked noodles. Keep the flame low to medium as it might stick to the pan. Fold everything in gently and let the noodles cook the remaining 1/4th. Which will roughly take 2-3 minutes.

Tip: This recipe tastes nicer with a little sweetness. But if you are not a fan of it then you can skip it. The coconut milk will impart a little sweetness on its own.

Tip 2: If you do not have coconut milk, you can use coconut milk powder and mix it with warm full fat milk and it will give you similar outcome

Note: You can vary the amount of the coconut milk based on whether you want a normal noodles texture or a soupy noodles texture. For soupy noodles add more coconut milk and vise versa.

Note 2: Please don't ruin this recipe with skim milk. Full fat coconut milk is what you need for that super creamy texture.

4. Add the spice mix of the ramen/noodles and fold in while the noodles is still cooking.

5. Now add the chopped spring onions and fold in. Do not skip this step. This is what makes the recipe come together.

6. Add cracked pepper, a pinch of salt and stir in. Once done top it off with more spring onion.

Serve warm with your favorite toppings - sunny side eggs, poached eggs, tofu, paneer cubes, more spring onions, chilli flakes, sprouts, mushroom, purple cabbage etc...the choices are infinite.

No comments

October 20

"Chefs don't make mistakes; they make new dishes" - Elizabeth Briggs

Happy International Chef's Day to all the lovely chefs (professional and home chefs), you all are just awesome!

I mean seriously, if there is one thing the lockdown has done to most of us, is that it has brought to life the inner chef within us. Cooking was always a therapeutic thing for me. When I am upset, cooking made me happy. When I am happy cooking made me exuberant. The romance of the colors and flavors in the wok is like the best ever romance series for me, even better than the Hallmark Romances! The excitement of creating something new, serving it to loved ones and the final accolades - even if it is hard work it is all worth it at the end!

With no or limited access to restaurants, we all have started making things we never thought we could. Or never thought we needed to make, because it was always there at the tap of a food delivery app. After mastering the staples, now people are exploring and stretching their limits. I have been doing that a lot and enjoying every bit of it. Even if there had been a couple of hiccups, and recipes gone wrong here and there, one thing I noticed, the more I cooked and explored the more stronger my sense of flavors became. I could easily visualize many of the tastes of the final dish even without tasting them just by the ingredient combinations. And then adding the touch of experimentation on top of the recipe to tweak it at times and give it a nice personal twist. Never felt so happy pushing my thought limits as I feel while making something new.

All this experimentation streak has really made me see beyond my favorite cuisines - Indian and South East Asian. I explored American, European, Arabic, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and even planning on some African cuisine soon. In the process of exploring food, I also started reading a lot about food. It was not always physical books but I found good content even on Instagram and facebook. There is this lady who had found an ancient diary when she bought an almirah and has taken up a project to create every dish of the diary throughout the year. Then there is another lady who is doing a series of feature on cricketers who have started on the food business, their food stories. Even some homestay pages talk about local cuisines and how to make them. In a nutshell, there is so much to know about food and cuisines that 24 hours just feel inadequate. The more you see, the more Google keeps suggesting you. Reading has always been a love for me, and I really enjoy knowing and exploring so many facets of food. It almost feels like I am in the wrong profession, I should have definitely my heart set on food domain.

But when there is no immediate chance of switching the work domain do what you can do best - make things you never tried before, taste things which are not in your usual list of items, read more about the story around a particular recipe and so on. Its not just enough to create a recipe. You need to feel the food, its elements, why you need to add certain aromatics or spices, what happens when you change a few things here and there. Food is as much as a science as any other sciences.

Coming to today's recipe. I am not at all a sweet loving person. And I was completely opposite as a kid. I used to gorge on sweets. But I think once I hit the teenage, the love for sweets was replaced by love for savory things and its still the same. But having said that, I do love to east sweets occasionally. Especially during the festivals or just a random afternoon craving on a hot day. Only thing is I do not life sweets which are overtly sweet. Mild sweet stuffs are more my forte. This recipe was the outcome of a blueberry frozen dessert I had read about once. A couple of days ago it felt really hot in the afternoon and I wanted to have something cold and nice. Since I didn't have ice cream on me, I thought of whipping up a small batch of frozen yoghurt cups. Fortunately I had granola in the pantry. So wanted to add a nice crunchy layer below the creamy yoghurt layer. A little butter an honey mixed with the granola tasted so divine that I almost felt like gorging on the entire base I had prepared as is. I had to really fight the urge! For the yoghurt part I was wondering what flavor to add. I didn't have any fruits at that time so the next best option that came to my mind was rose. Rose flavor beautifully compliments any sweet dish, thus incorporating the same into a frozen dessert form was a risk worth taking. And the risk taking did payoff. Apart from looking super pretty, it tasted so lovely and refreshing too. I added ample amount of rose petals to add to the aromatics as well as the overall look of the cups. See for yourself if you like them or not.

This recipe is perfect for the hot summer days. But since it is festive time, sweet little things to munch on is never a bad idea. This recipe would be loved by both the young and old alike. So don't wait, go ahead and give it a shot. Psst...it event tastes divine when it melts!

October is also marked as the Breast Cancer Awareness month to help increase attention and awareness for this disease. It is also called the pink month. Hence this pink themed recipe as a small step towards spreading the awareness and removing any taboo talking about it. Cancer is a reality which I have seen closely even in my family. Both the person who is going though this and the family needs all the empathy we can extend at their hour of need. This post is dedicated to all the brave folks who are putting up against this with a smile and to all those women who need to be cautious about even the slightest change in their bodies. We are all in this together.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Freezing Time : 2-3 hours (minimum)

Serving : 4 cupcake cups

Ingredients for Yoghurt:

Yoghurt (Dairy or non dairy) - 250 gm
Rose Syrup - 2 tbsp
Pink food color - 1 drop / Beet root powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried rose petals (optional) - 2 tsp
Castor sugar / powdered sugar - 3 tsp * (adjust as per taste)

Ingredients for Base:

Granola - 4 to 5 tbsp
Honey - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

Ingredients for Garnish:

Dried Rose petals
Honey

Equipment:

Muffin mold - 4 cups

Method:

1. Start by melting the butter in a microwave safe bowl. I usually put it in microwave mode for 30 seconds if I am using butter directly from the refrigerator.

2. To the melted butter add the honey and mix well.

3. Now add the granola to this honey-butter mixture. Fold in.

Tip: Adding honey and butter gives it a yummy taste to the granola.

Note 1: I used Kellogs cranberry granola. You can use anything of your choice.

4. Now prep up the yoghurt. In a bowl add the yoghurt, rose syrup, food coloring and rose petals. Mix it well.

Pro Tip: If you do not have yoghurt you can make this with any dahi as well - homemade or store bought. Just convert it into hung curd by pacing it into a strainer or muslin cloth and letting it hang for about 30 minutes till the water is drained and it becomes nice and thick. Converting it into hung curd will result in a thicker and more creamy outcome whereas if you do not remove the water it will end up being a little glassy.

5. Now take the cupcake molds. I used silicon ones. Brush the base and sides with butter. Now spoon in a layer of granola mix evenly on the base of each cup. Press the granola mix firmly to the bottom. They should occupy about 1/3rd of the cups. Now transfer this to the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden the base.

6. Take out the mold. Arrange a few petals along the sides of the mold ( they will be visible once you demold the cups). Then top each off with the yoghurt mix. Sprinkle a few rose petals on top. Transfer the cups back to the freezer and let it set for minimum 2-3 hours.