Capsicum Paruppusili

Last year, when my mom visited us, our garden was bursting with peppers, squash, eggplant and tomatoes. My mom was frantically trying to find different ways to cook up these veggies. That's how capsicum paruppusili came about.

And since this qualifies as the JFI ingredient this time around, I am dedicating this post to the same. JFI:Chilli Peppers event is hosted this month by my dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail

Capsicum is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to Mexico, and now cultivated worldwide. Some of the members of Capsicum are used as spices, vegetables, and medicines. The fruit of Capsicum plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. They are commonly called chili pepper, red or green pepper, or just pepper in Britain and the US; the large mild form is called bell pepper in the US, capsicum in Australian English and Indian English...
...
The chili pepper, or more simply just "chili", is the fruit of species of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae.
The name, which is spelled differently in many regions (chili, chile or chilli), comes from Nahuatl via the Spanish word chile. The term chili in most of the world refers exclusively to the smaller, hot types of capsicum. The mild larger types are called bell pepper in the USA, simply pepper in Britain and Ireland, capsicum in Australasia and paprika in many European countries. -- Wikipedia

Paruppusili is basically, red gram lentils soaked with some dry red chilies, ground into a paste, steam-cooked and then pan fried and added to vegetable of choice, which in this recipe happens to be Capsicum. The procedure is the same as my Kovakkai Paruppusili. The only difference is, instead of Tindora/Kovakkai, substitute your favorite chilli peppers - in this case, it happens to be mild and sweet green and yellow bell peppers.

chilli thokku

Chillies - green or red, fresh or dry - have always been an integral part of my mom's kitchen. And now, chillies have a special place in my kitchen as well.

When I was growing up, there was very rarely a period when we didn't have home-made pickles and chutneys handy. In addition to regular food, that is.

Thokku is a form of pickle where the main ingredients are ground into a paste and preserved in oil and spices. The most common ones at home are tomato thokku, ginger thokku and chilli thokku.

This chilli thokku recipe is a bit different from how my mom usually makes it. The primary ingredient is, of course, chillies - both green and red - plus, I decided to throw in some dry hibiscus flowers that I had handy as I like the color and the mild flavor it adds. Now, I love the deep rich color and the smoky flavor of dry ancho-pasilla chilies, so, I went with them here. But, if this is not readily available, substitute any favorite dry red chilies - adjust quantity based on heat.



I usually make fairly small batches and store it in the fridge. It lasts for about 2 weeks (if we don't eat it all up, that is). But, sometimes, I can them and put them away for later. It tastes even better when it has had time to age gracefully and develop deep flavors.

And this chilli thokku recipe is my post for JFI: Jihva For Ingredients, started by Indira of Mahanandi fame, hosted this month by a dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail
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Ingredients:
6-8 dry ancho-pasilla chilies
15-20 green chillies
a handful of dry hibiscus flowers
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plain white vinegar
brown sugar
salt
oil

Preparation

Soak the dry red chilies and hibiscus in some warm water for about 15 minutes.

Remove the stem and some of the seeds, if preferred, and coarsely chop the soaked chillies; in a blender or food processor, grind the three ingredients together.

Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a pan, add some mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the ground chilli paste. Add about ¼ cup plain white vinegar, about 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar, and some salt to taste.

Stir well, and keep stirring till the rawness of the chillies go away, all the liquid is evaporated, the oil starts separating and the thokku comes together. Taste and adjust flavors.

The tang from the vinegar and the sweetness of the brown sugar counter-balance the heat from the chillies and make this a wonderful condiment to have handy at home. The heat is not overpowering, killing the taste buds, so-to-speak...

How to use this chilli thokku?

1. mix a small amount with cream cheese and use it as a sandwich spread
2. spread a thin layer of this wonderful thokku on rotis or parathas (or even tortillas), roll them up and munch as a quick snack
3. mix a small amount with fresh hot rice and ghee and enjoy!

Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

This is one of my favorite Indo-Chinese adaptations. The dish is usually prepared fairly dry, with just a coating of sauce tossed together right before serving to prevent sogginess.

The recipe here is sort of made-up, so, adjust to taste as you like. And, usually, I vary the proportions a bit each time to see if it can get any better, and also because I may not have all the ingredients handy, so I improvise. I happen to like all the variations I have made so far. But, this recipe is fairly standard when I make Gobi Manchurian and thought I'll share it here.

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup rice flour
salt to taste
1 cup oil for shallow frying

for the sauce:
2-3 green chilies, sliced thin
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp plain white vinegar
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
¼ cup water
corn starch as needed for thickening

Preparation

par-cook the cauliflower florets in the microwave, pat dry, sprinkle some salt and keep handy

heat oil in a medium shallow pan for shallow frying the cauliflower florets

add some salt to the rice flour, dredge the cauliflower florets with the flour and shallow fry in batches till golden brown on the outside; remove with slotted spoon and place in a paper-towel lined plate

sauce: heat a few tablespoon of oil in a large sauce pan, sauté the onions and garlic, add the bell peppers, then all the sauce ingredients and let them simmer till flavors combine and sauce thickens

combine the shallow-fried cauliflower with the sauce, stir well, garnish with some slit chilies

Serve hot with hot rice.

mini bagels

Warm, fresh savory bagels (onion, garlic, herb) with some fluffy roasted garlic and vegetables cream cheese is one of my favorite breakfast items. When I am in the mood for it, that is.

I don't bake bagels and breads often as the good breads take a lot of TLC and time, plus, they are readily available baked fresh daily at the bakeries all across town.

However, every once in a while, I decide to whip up a batch just for fun. That's how this batch of mini bagels came into existence. And, I managed to take step-by-step photos (more or less)!

The bagel recipe I used here came with the bread machine. Rather than rolling the dough into a rope and shape it into a ring, as I was making mini bagels, I did what I usually do for "vada", an Indian fried snack: roll the dough into a 2"-3" diameter ball, flatten it like a patty, and make a largish hole in the center by poking with the back of a wooden spoon or just the finger. The trick is to make this hole fairly large, or it will close up on boiling, as I found out the hard way.

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 Tbsp honey
1 cup wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp rapid rise dry yeast

Preparation

Combine the ingredients and knead to a smooth elastic dough. If preferred, activate the yeast in lukewarm water first before adding it to the dry ingredients. Cover and let it rise till doubled in size.

Divide into approximately 16-20 little balls - the size of the mini bagel is up to you - so, the number of bagels you end up with can vary depending on the size of each bagel. Flatten each ball a little and make a large hole in the center. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let it rise for another 15-20 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°F. Also, heat about 2 quarts of water to boiling in a pan. Keep a second cookie sheet handy for baking - line it with parchment paper if preferred.

Gently place 3 or 4 bagels into the boiling water. They will sink to the bottom, and then gradually rise to the top within a minute or so. Turn them once when they are in the water. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon when they float to the top, and place them on the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, or poppy seeds or both, or even minced garlic, or dry garlic chunks, anything you like.

Bake in the 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking half way through to see if they are done. The "skin" should be golden brown and inside should be cooked through. Usually, I "sacrifice" one of the bagels to be sure they are done: I remove one from the oven and dissect it - depending on how doughy the inside looks, I adjust the baking time - just trial and error...

Small is cute :-) Mini bagel sandwich, while not necessarily a complete meal, makes a filling breakfast: a slice of onion, a slice of cucumber, a slice of tomato, a slice of swiss cheese, maybe a couple of pickled jalapeños, some roasted red bell pepper if handy... Mmmmm... If only I could fit the stack in my mouth to get a yummy bite... However, D did eat this sandwich in about 2 bites, while I meticulously disassembled mine and ate the parts :-)

chicken mewn saws oren-mwstard

You are probably thinking either I fell asleep on the keyboard, or, am stuck with a keyboard with more w's than normal, right?

Well, the name is D's creation. I made this dish for him, going purely by what he was in the mood for (even though I wasn't), and since I didn't really have a name for it as I wasn't following any particular recipe, I let D name this dish. Which, as you can see, was not such a smart idea, as he chose to name it in Welsh :-)

Simply put, the name of this dish translates to chicken with a sauce orange-mustard.

Which says it all, basically. D had this beer-mustard sauce he wanted to try, and was in the mood for chicken with citrus/orange flavor, and that's how this dish came about.

Basically, D thawed a few frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, and brined them overnight, then chopped them to bite-size pieces. I had chopped up some green chilies, garlic, capers finely and let D embed this in the chicken pieces, and let them sit while oil was heating up.



Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp small capers, finely chopped
1 cup fine rice flour (more or less)
1 cup oil for shallow-frying (more or less)

For the sauce:
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1-2 serrano chilies, sliced thin
¼ cup beer-mustard sauce (or, dijon mustard)
1 medium orange, juiced fully, (save some orange zest for garnish)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (optional)
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
2-4 Tbsp tomato sauce (adjust to taste)

Preparation

encrust the chicken pieces with the capers, chilies, garlic mixture

heat the oil in a medium shallow pan

dredge the chicken pieces with some rice flour, just enough to counter the moisture - just sprinkle the flour and toss gently

heat the oven to 250°F and keep a sheet pan handy

shallow fry the chicken pieces in small batches, turn them around so they get browned and cooked evenly; drain and transfer to sheet pan and leave it in the oven till all the chicken pieces are fried, and the sauce is ready — I usually have a small meat thermometer handy and pull the largest piece out of the oil and check its temperature - if it is about 165-170°F I am happy :-)

sauce: once the chicken are all fried, in the same pan (remove any excess oil), add the onion, tomatoes and chilies, sauté a bit, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients, adjust to taste and let it thicken

transfer a portion of the sauce to a serving bowl - to ensure that chicken doesn't get too soggy; add the chicken pieces to the rest of the sauce in the pan and stir well to coat; if it feels too dry, add more sauce as needed

Serve warm with jasmine rice, with the extra sauce on the side.

ciabatta olive bread

The smell of fresh warm bread, just finishing baking, especially in the lazy weekends, feels like heaven, doesn't it?

I love artisan breads - the ones where all ingredients are recognizable - like flour, water, maybe yeast, some milk, herbs, nuts perhaps...(no added chemicals), and usually not mass produced, where flavor comes from "proper control of the fermentation and the action of natural bacteria leading to anything from a light delicate flavor to a deep, strong, rustic flavor".

Artisan bread is best described by thinking about the person who makes the bread. An artisan baker is a craftsperson who is trained to the highest ability to mix, ferment, shape and bake a hand crafted loaf of bread. They understand the science behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and know how to provide the best environment for the bread to develop.
-- from http://www.artisanbakers.com/

Just like it takes years of practice to be a successful carpenter or jeweler, it takes a lot of practice to bake good artisan breads.

But, I was curious about trying a good hearty artisan bread recipe so, I borrowed my mum-in-law's book, Artisan Baking by Maggie Glezer, to try out this ciabatta recipe which brings out the rustic and hearty flavors of artisan breads.

The recipe in the book, of course, is plain and simple, but, following my mum-in-law's suggestion, I added some kalamata olives and it turned out to be a superb ciabatta olive bread, if I may say so myself :-)

The catch of course is that one cannot rush these things. So, the total time it took from getting the Biga ready and baking the bread was about 31 hours. Yep, you read it right, 31 hours! Most of which is waiting, folding, rising... not a lot of work, really.

So, sort of like sourdough breads, we start with what is called Biga, except, we use yeast to help out (whereas sourdough grabs the natural yeast from the environment): activate the yeast in warm water, then mix a specified amount of it with some flour, stir well, and leave it overnight or up to 12 hours.

Then, add the measured amounts of flour, water etc. (listed below) and make a sticky, runny dough. Knead well, let it sit. Every 20 mins or so, for the first hour, take it out and fold it and put it back in the oiled bowl. Then, let it rise, and every hour or so, take it out fold it and put it back. And so on... this develops lots of air pockets (try not to punch the dough down) which when baked gives the nice holes and texture.

Bake in a really hot oven (400°F), on a pizza stone for about 20-30 mins till outside is really brown and crusty, while inside is moist, chewy and cooked through.

Biga: ¼tsp yeast in 1 cup warm water, activate first; then, take ½ tsp of this yeast+water mixture (throw out the rest), mix it with about ½ cup flour, cover and leave in a warm place overnight.

Bread: 1 Tbsp gluten flour, 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 cup all-purpose four, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2¼ tsp salt, 1½ cup water, chopped kalamata olives (optional, say about a cup chopped) plus the Biga from above.

When all the rising, folding, rising is done, divide the dough roughly into two portions and shape into flat-ish, rectangular loaves.

Overall, this was a fun bread to bake. I have made it twice since and it came out quite fine. But, am not sure I will be making this every day... I'd rather leave it to the masters.

Not too far from where I live there is a Grand Central Bakery store, and not too far from my work, there is a Great Harvest Breads store as well, so, I feel spoilt:-)

gooseberry pickle

I remember two varieties of gooseberries from my childhood - one was about the size of regular playing marbles, bright green, smooth skin, soft flesh and incredibly sour, the other was bigger about the size of chestnut, not as sour, firm flesh, with stripes on the skin (like the picture here) and sort of dull sage green. I used to like the latter more.

The only form in which I have relished gooseberries is as a spicy Indian pickle. I've had some raw gooseberries straight off the tree spiced with some salt and chili powder when I was little. My mom used to brine and sun-dry the larger variety firm green mildly sour gooseberries that was abundant in summers.

For about two decades now I have not had gooseberries as it was not available in any of the stores near where I lived. Imagine my thrill when I spied boxes and boxes of crisp, bright green, tempting little gooseberries at New Seasons Market! I love shopping at the New Seasons, even if it is a bit pricey, as I love their philosophy and service (any store that says, "if you spill or drop or break something, oh well, accidents happens, we'll clean it up, you go on shopping", has my business).

These were not quite the same variety I remember from India - the flesh was not as firm and sour - must be a nicer hybrid... so, right away I got down and pickled a batch.

Recipe for this pickle is very simple: heat some oil, pop some mustard seeds, add the gooseberries and spices*, some brown sugar and some salt, cook a bit, adjust to taste, and can immediately; or, allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

*spices: I dry roasted and ground some fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, coriander seeds, brown mustard seeds and khus-khus (white poppy seeds)

Tortellini with fresh herbs

This year, just like last year, we have some perennials and some nice annuals in our garden, as usual. The strawberries and raspberries are yielding moderately (they are only one year old), the currants are alright, the veggies are just starting to flower, and the herbs are doing fine.

The fresh herbs are a treat - just to be able to walk into the garden and pick some fresh mint leaves, cilantro, basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, even lavender is such a blessing. I marvel at Mother Nature and never want to take all of this for granted.

Fresh herbs always inspire me to make a simple pasta. And, to dedicate a special post for WHB: Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen fame, hosted this week by Susan from Food Blogga (her lobster post is quite informative and funny, lots of pictures and video too).

This pasta recipe here is very simple. Some tortellini, andouille (mock) chicken sausage, tofurkey kielbasa, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, spring onions and fresh herbs is all that is needed. Of course, feel free to substitute real meat instead of soy-based mock-meats that I usually prefer ;-)

Preparation: Cook pasta per package directions. Chop up the fresh herbs, spring onions, sausages and anything else you'd like to toss in the dish. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the sausage chunks and sauté a bit. Then throw in the herbs and the rest of the ingredients, adjust salt to taste, maybe a few turns of the pepper mill for some bite and there you have it.

The fresh herbs I used for this dish are pictured at the top - rosemary, oregano, chives and basil - picked fresh from the garden. They really bring out this dish, nothing fancy is needed. And, I used a whopping 2 cups of loosely packed chopped herbs for 2 cups of dry pasta.

Vegetable Tempura

Tempura is a wonderful snack on a lazy weekend afternoon. With a few simple dipping sauces, and served with some tea, they make a filling meal. I like to fry up green beans, carrots, squash, eggplant, zucchini, tofu and onions usually.

While I do like the packaged tempura batter, when I try to make tempura these days, I meddle around with the batter to see if I can get a light and crispy batter from scratch. This tempura batter here was all right, not too bad - easy to make, light, not lumpy. The oil temperature needs to be quite high so it crisps up right away.

Ingredients
Tempura Batter:
½ cup fine rice flour
¼ cup cornstarch (plus some more, separately to dredge the tofu)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp soy sauce
½ cup water (more or less)

plus, oil for frying

Vegetables for frying: carrots, green beans, squash, onion, eggplant, zucchini, tofu

Preparation

cut the vegetables into slices or cubes as desired, keep handy

heat canola oil, or peanut oil (peanut oil gets to a higher temperature than canola) in a pan for frying; keep some paper towel-lined plate handy

mix the batter just before ready to fry: combine the dry batter ingredients and add a little water at a time, beat lightly till the batter is fairly thin and runny, no lumps; keep a plate with some cornstarch handy to dredge the tofu before coating with batter - this helps remove excess moisture that tofu usually has

deep fry till golden brown and transfer to the paper towel lined plate

Serve warm with sweet chili sauce, or soy sauce or a few spicy dipping sauces.

The Seven Wonders

Ha! I wish!

City Palace, Jaipur

No, you are right, the picture has nothing to do with food or the theme of this post...

Fellow foodie and pal Sig figures there might be a whopping seven random things about me worth recording, and memed (sure it's a word) me, no pressure. So, here's to you, Sig The Optimist:

1. While not really a neat freak or a compulsive organizer, I have always insisted on things being in their allotted spot around the house. For instance, the orange-handled kitchen scissors has to be stowed away in the kitchen drawer by the microwave; the green-handled utility scissors needs to be stowed (with the other utility tools like Phillips screwdriver, Utility Knives, Candles, Matchbox and such) in the drawer by the dining area; the blue-handled sewing scissors better not be touched by anyone but me...

And they better all get back in their respective abode right after use... God-forbid, if D accidentally switches them and I find the orange-handled kitchen scissors in the dining area drawer, there is some really juicy talking-to on the works.

Having said that, I am sure you'll understand if I recorded the seven random facts about me(me) at my other blog (rarelythere).

(See, the thing is, this is not really a food related post and the neurons are firing away in my head telling me that the proper drawer where this post should reside is where I collect non-Baby, non-Recipe stuff about my Life).

mac and cheese

Mac and Cheese has never been my favorite until I tried the ATK's (America's Test Kitchen) version, with my own little modifications.

I had Mac and Cheese for the first time in my life only around my late teens, my mom never made it, and I didn't really care for it.

This is a nice & easy mid-week dinner as Baby and D love it. And, I like it as this is not out of a box with powdered processed cheese, and it does not have much cheese either. Besides, it takes about 15 minutes to put together (roughly the time it takes pasta to cook).

Ingredients: flour, oil, butter, herbs, salt, milk, low fat cheddar (use the freshly grated chunk of cheddar, the pre-grated ones from the store have additives to keep them from sticking)

Boil your favorite pasta, (i use macaroni or small shells), in salted water and drain, keep handy.

Make a simple roux of sorts with 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour: simply melt the butter a bit, add the oil and the flour and sauté till the flour loses the raw smell

Make the cheese sauce with the roux started above: add 1 cup freshly grated low fat cheddar, 1 cup milk, some salt and spices/herbs (I like fresh rosemary or chives from my garden, but, this is optional), bring it to a gentle simmer till cheese melts and the sauce thickens.

Add the cooked pasta a little at a time till the mac-and-cheese acquires the desired thickness. I like the cheese sauce flowing & silky, not runny, and not lumped tight either... picky, picky, I know ;-)

If preferred, pour the pasta-in-cheese-sauce made above into an over-proof dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake in a 350°F oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Serve warm.