Kitchen Confidential

Potato Parcels

Me and Hubby Dear are what some might call munchers. You know, the kinds that could live on finger foods alone. Yes, now that I think back a little, we most certainly are one of those kinds.

The first time we went out, ever, we unsuccesfully tried to share a plate of french fries. I say we tried, because truly, I was was the one trying my best to get my fork into the plate while Hubby Dear conviniently walked at a much faster pace covering it with his arms. (Walking, since unlike the tradional way of going out to dinner for a first date, we chose to spend a day at the CNE.) Yes, the guy does like his fries, sometimes, I believe, even more than his pretty little wife. We spent the rest of the day bouncing between samosas, popcorn and fiery wings.

When we’re not having friends over, our Friday nights usually turn out the same each week - a bunch of movies enjoyed over a platter of assorted mini treats. As much as our choice of movies may differ, the only variable constant to our evening would be the finger food. Constant, because they mostly always find themselves to be potato-based. And variable, because they almost never taste the same.

I love experimenting with different flavours, and what better way to try a new flavour than to toss it over a bowl of plain boiled and mashed potatoes. From chat masala to chipotle-lime, the list of flavourings is endless, and the combinations one can come up with is overwhelming. We made this a couple of weeks ago. We, because while I fried, Hubby Dear ate, much to the dismay of his burning tongue. The things men do for food, or should I say, potatoes!

POTATO PARCELS
Prep time: 30 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Makes: 24 bite-size parcels

2 large potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed
12 large spring rolls wrappers, cut in half to make 24 strips
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt, to taste
light cooking oil, for frying
water, as needed

MIX mashed potatoes with salt and spices, and set aside to cool.

PUT about a teaspoon of the potato filling on a cut-in-half spring-roll wrapper. Fold it up to form a tiny parcel. Seal the edges with water. Set aside on a platter covered with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out. Repeat for remaining strips.

HEAT oil in a non-stick frying pan and shallow-fry parcels a few at a time so as not to crowd the pan. Remove parcels when they turn crisp and golden on both sides. Drain excess oil by placing parcels on paper towels. Serve warm with ketchup or chutney of choice.

In the Kitchen with: Laura Calder

If you, like me, cannot go a day without turning on the Food Network, then you must’ve surely gotten a glimpse of the fabulously homely show, French Food at Home with Laura Calder. Like many I know, I always thought of French cuisine as one that oozes out elegance, which automatically went on to mean laborious planning and cooking techniques. Once I got taste of Laura’s show, I was forced to change my pre-concieved notion of fancy French food. She makes the most elegant dishes seem so comforting and so very doable.

I recently had a chance to catchup with her over an essay she wrote for ‘Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant‘, that I thoroughly enjoyed, and decided to quiz her on kitchen routine…

What did you eat today?

Well… not what I normally eat.  During a shoot, my eating habits change completely because I burn up so much energy.  I have a smoothie every morning + an egg on toast (whereas, normally, I just drink tea).  Then, all through the day as I cook my way through a show, I devour each of my recipes.  This is great when I do a menu show; but it is torture when I do, say, a chocolate show or a pastry-only show.  I get home quite late, so I don’t eat anything at night.  I go straight to bed.  In normal life, however, I always have an excellent dinner. It’s my favourite meal of the day.

What do most enjoy cooking?

There is no one thing that I most enjoy cooking.  I like being in the kitchen generally, so pretty much anything goes, although I don’t like things that demand too much perfection and finicky work.  I’m not detail-oriented enough for that kind of thing.

In your fridge, we can always find…

Milk, butter, cream, creme fraiche, cheese…  Capers, dijon mustard, eggs, cornichons….  a bottle of white wine, probably… And lots of vegetables.

Your most cherished kitchen tool?

I get asked this a lot…  I don’t have a lot of kitchen tools, because I am a basic cook, but those microplane graters are pretty indispensible. I also love my metal pastry scraper.

The last cookbook you enjoyed?

I use my Larousse Gastronomique constantly, and I can’t wait for Anne Willan’s new book to hit the stands:  The Country Cooking of France.  It is excellent.

Where does your love for food come from?

I’ll have to ask a shrink that some day.

When was the last time you cooked for a loved one? What did you make?

I cook for people I love all the time, but the shoot has been in my way all summer, so I can’t remember…  I do recall a recent strawberry galette which I made about 15 times trying to perfect.  It’s in season two so watch for it!

What is your guilty food pleasure?

I have no guilt when it comes to food, just pleasure.

What according to you is the one dish that everyone should try at least once?

You can’t dictate this kind of thing:  appetites differ and I respect that. What I do think everyone should be forced to try, however, is a proper carrot straight from a garden, corn straight off the stalks and thrown into a pot, an excellent butter croissant straight out of a wood oven…  The best of whatever it is we like, in other words, so that we raise our standards.

* Photograph courtesy LauraCalder.com

Kitchen Essentials, Part 1

Over the past couple of months, I’ve recieved a slew of emails from readers asking me share with them all the tools, equipment and staples in my kitchen. So instead of replying individually to each and every one of them, I thought it would be better to share it here on my blog with all of you. I’ve decided to break up this list into installments, each time concentrating on a few particular components. The following list is one that I’ve designed based on my preferences and what I actually use on a regular basis. Most of them, if not all, can easily be found in regular kitchen stores or kitchen sections of any deparmental store.

What I list here are items that I mostly can’t imagine cooking without, but that doesn’t mean that you have to go all out and grab each of them for yourself. Think of what will work for you and what simply won’t fit into your cooking ritual. We all have our own style of cooking and there’s nothing worse than trying to imitate one that just isn’t cut out for you. As an enthusiastic cook, I love sharing kitchen and cooking ideas with like-minded folks, so don’t hesitate to leave a note on your kitchen staples in the comments section. The kitchen Gods surely know how much I would enjoy reading them!

Cooking Utensils

• Two deep pans, with lids, and preferably one of them non-stick. It’s always best to get two different sizes, one small (1 litre/quart) and one large (3 litres/quarts). When selecting, I would go with a smaller non-stick one and large regular pot.
• One heavy bottom pot, 6 to 8 litres/quarts, for all those wonderful slow cooking soups, stews and curries that we seem to fill ourselves with during the colder months. Also perfect for thet big pot of Biryani you’re planning for your next dinner party.
• One pressure cooker, 3 to 6 litres/quarts in capacity. I love my pressure cooker and don’t know what I’d do without it. It’s amazing in cooking lentils, dried beans and meat in considerably lesser time. If you need to avoid this purchase, I’d suggest investing in a good heavy bottom pot to enable the long, slow cooking process for these ingredients.
• Two round skillets, or frying pans, preferably one non-stick. I would go with one medium and one large size, both with lids.
• One non-stick flat skillet, or tawa: perfect for flipping rotis, as well as frying parathas. If you need to improvise, you can definitely go with the non-stick frying when making rotis and parathas, but in that case try and get one that’s flat at the bottom as opposed to a more rounder one.
• Two deep kadhais, or the Indian wok, one preferably non-stick with lids. These are perfect for deep frying as well as stir frying. Classic dishes like Kadhai Chicken got its name due to the cooking method that explicitly requires it being cooked in a kadhai. For deep frying, I personally love thick aluminium ones, that give out perfectly crisp puris, kachoris and samosas. If you have to choose between the two, I would definitely stick with the aluminium one since it is the more traditional option.
• One small saute pan, perfect for tadka or tempering.

Other utensils in my kitchen that are not essential, but definitely nice to have, include,

• A cast iron skillet, perfect to sear meat on a high heat and shoving it into the oven for a slow cook wonderful flavour.
• A steamer. Before I bought one for myself, I easily did with placing a round baking dish on a small grill stand inside a large pot, tightly covered with a lid. Worked perfectly!

To be continued…

Spicy Curry Fried Rice

I consider curries to be comfort food. There’s something about the curry flavour that just calms my senses and relaxes my nerves. It begins this whole new healing process.

I made this dish for dinner last night when I was tired after work and wanted something soothing and comforting which wouldn’t take me a whole lot of time to cook. I call this curry fried rice, since it has that familiar wonderful curry flavour binded together with spices and veggies.

Spicy Curry Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (allow them to cool in the fridge for sometime since it is much easier to fry cold unclumpy rice)
1 cup chopped veggies of choice
1 medium onions chopped
2 eggs
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 cube chicken bullion
salt, to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Beat eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Scramble eggs in a pan and set aside.

Add sesame oil to the remaining oil in the pan and fry oinions till transparent. Add vegetables and cook for a minute or two. Add salt, pepper, curry powder, chili powder and bullion cube and cook till spices are nicely integrated.

Add scramble eggs and rice and stir till rice is nicely mixed in with eggs and veggies. Add soya sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and freshly ground pepper for added heat.

Chicken & Mushrooms

I woke up this morning with a deep longing for some good comfort food. So after a quick breakfast of coffee and toast (yes, I know, how boring!), I decided to head out and see what I could find of fresh produce. As I strolled down the aisles of fresh fruits and greens, ideas kept popping into my head. One look at the abundance of fresh mushrooms reminded me of a sinfully delicious chicken and mushroom stew I had recently. It was warm and comforting, a treat for a lonely week night. The short flashback was all I needed to add it to my basket. Once the mushrooms were in, my hands just moved to pick up the rest of the ingredients. The pot was already simmering in my head, and by the time I got home, I could already taste it.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS
Prep time: 30 min | Cooking time: 30 min | Serves: 2

4 chicken drumsticks
12-15 baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp crushed black pepper
2 tbsp light cooking oil
salt to taste
fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnish
water, as required

MARINATE chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder, and set aside for half an hour.

HEAT oil, and saute onions and garlic till fragrant. Add in mushrooms and fry till lose moisture and turn brown.

ADD chicken, cumin powder and crushed black pepper, and mix well to incorporate spices. Let chicken fry for 5-10 minutes, turning once, till it starts to brown. Add about a cup of water, cover, and let simmer till chicken is cooked through. Add more water if it begins to dry up.

GARNISH with fresh coriander, and serve with warm bread and a light salad.

Cookbook Review: Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, and Jenni Ferrari-Adler

One of the most common questions I am often asked is, “What do I cook for myself when I’m home alone?”With my husband away on regular business trips that takes him across the ocean, it’s not surprising to note that I spend a good chunk of the year eating my meals in solitude. What does surprise most my friends, however, is how well I eat during those times. Sometimes, even better that when I’m entertaining a large group of people. The main reason behind this being that when I’m on my own, I tend to experiment and play around more. I can afford to spend that extra hour in the kitchen examining the curves of a gingerroot, or taking in the aroma of lemon grass, and even, horror to most, make my own fresh blend of spices. I know that I have only myself to please, and without another pair of longing eyes peering at me to set dinner on the table, it makes the ordeal quite bearable.

When I first heard of Jenni Ferrari-Adler’s new book, ‘Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant’, I was intrigued. The second I found out it contained essays from a bunch of food writers on the topic of cooking for oneself and dining alone, I knew I had to immediately get myself a copy. And boy, am I glad I did. 

With some of my personal favourite writers like M. K. Fisher, Ann Patchett and Haruki Murakami, this treasure trove of food essays is a welcome relief from the usual array of cookbook tomes we seem to have been flooded with lately. Most stories comprise of the writer’s need to eat simple, comforting food when they’re by themselves, which only proves that no matter how much of a foodie you may be considered, when it comes to choosing your favourites, it’s always the simple that’s most enticing.

The book opens with an introductory chapter from Jenni herself, who co-ordinated and edited the book, and talks about her journey as a student trying to battle the solitude that came with living on her own. She reminded me of the time when I was in college, living far from the comfort and warmth of my mom’s home cooking. Till the time I decided to finally shop for fresh vegetables and try and cook some of it, I mostly survived on toast and scrambled eggs. Not because I didn’t know how to cook, but because, like many of us, I thought cooking a normal meal for myself took too much of an effort, and didn’t quite make sense.

Some of my favourite stories in this book include Laurie Colwin’s love for the eggplant when dining alone, and Laura Dave’s take on how to cook in a tiny New York apartment. I also truly enjoyed the simple writing of Haruki Murakami, who narrates the funny story of a lonely man making spaghetti for one whole year. And of course, being a big fan, how could I not enjoy M. K. Fisher’s essay on how being a food writer results in her not being invited to most dinner parties.

It’s funny to note that many of the writers, have sometime in their lives detested spending time to cook for them selves. Whether we like it or not, most of us have found ourselves eating, if not cooking a meal alone. You may not enjoy it, but find yourself having to do it. And this book is definitely something I’d recommend if you’re one of those who find it hard to pick up a skillet and turn on the stove. If, however, you do enjoy the solitary meal, I would still encourage you get yourself a copy. If nothing else, it would prove a great read over coffee after dinner.

Bok Choy in Coconut Milk

Every once in a while I like to take a vacation. Correction: I need a vacation. But a busy schedule make it an almost impossible desire. Instead, I take time to “zone out.” I take these mini-holidays on any particular day and when I think I most deserve it. I leave everything behind and pretend I’m on an adventure. Anything to spice up my routine lifestyle.I wear my favourite pair of comfortable pants, put on my comfy walking shoes, and armed with a camera and a few bare necessities, I set out on an exploration.

With food, I often feel the same way too. Sometimes, you just want something different. It doesn’t have to be exotic or even back-breakingly elegant. Just different enough to take your palate on a holiday. I try and keep atleast one day of the week where I try out something different. I create or recreate a recipe from my fancy. Sometimes, it’s the ingredients that are new to me, and most times, the flavours that follow along. This dish is one such feat. With an open mind to create vegetable dishes that I would enjoy and always come back to, I decided to play around with a bunch of fresh Bok Choy I picked up a few days ago. It resulted in what has now become one of my favourite comfort dishes. Yes, it really is that good that I promise you won’t even know that NO oil was use in its creation.

BOK CHOY IN COCONUT MILK
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 15 min | Serves: 2

1 big bunch bok choy, leaves and stems roughly chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp Sambal Olek/red chilli paste
2 cups coconut milk
salt, to taste

ADD onions, bok choy stems, garlic and chilli paste to coconut milk in a deep pan, and let it come to a boil over medium-heat. Stir ocassionally to allow garlic and chilli paste to blend well with the coconut milk.

ADD bok choy leaves, season with salt, and turn off the heat. Cover the pan and let it sit for a few minutes till the leaves begin to wilt.

Tandoori Chicken Pops

Growing up, I seldom remember a weekend where we had the house to ourselves. While few weekends were spent hosting visiting family and friends from far off places, most of our Saturday nights was spent amidst mighty morsels of succulent bites of food. My parents, like most true-blood Indians, love to shower people with their hospitality and feed them till they’re almost ready to burst. We Indians are known for our need to treat our guests with the utmost care and generosity, and one common way we all seem to achieve in doing so is through our food. Food holds a very special place in any Indian household. No festivity is complete without a table laden with colourful dishes end to end, enough to please a king.It’s no wonder that out of all the rooms in a home, many Indians take the most pride in showing you their kitchens. Truly, we love food, and our life surrounds it. Our conversations, no matter how they begin always seem to divert to the food related with the topic in question. A simple wedding announcement would automatically lead to the designing of the menu. Even meeting up with a long lost friend would be done over lunch or dinner, over food they could reminisce about.

TANDOORI CHICKEN POPS
Prep time: 1 hr | Cooking time: 15-20 min | Makes: 8-10 pops

2 large chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
light cooking oil
salt, to taste
light cooking oil, for deep frying
bamboo skewers

MARINATE chicken strips yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, spices and salt. Allow it to sit in the fridge for at least an hour or so. For best results, marinate over night.

HEAT oil in a deep pan, large enough to fry 3-4 strips at a time. Dip each strip into plain flour, coating well on all sides, before adding them to hot oil.

FRY till crisp and golden on all sides. Drain on paper towels, poke through with skewers and serve with Coriander/Mint Chutney.

ALTERNATIVELY, you can avoid deep frying by simply grilling the marinated chicken on a hot grill till tender and done.

Red Chilli Chicken

For someone who writes and manages a food blog felicitously named, Hooked on Heat, it comes as a surprise to many when I confess that until very recently, say a couple of years ago, I belonged to the clan of folks who shied away from all things spicy. Ironically, it always petrified my Mom how her first-born could ever be averesed to eating spicy food. Being one who can’t swallow a meal that lacks in the redness that can only be born out of the addition of hand-ground chillies, not once did she smile while separating my portion of the daily meal before spicing it up for the rest of the family.

As the years passed, I began to discover my taste preferance and my spice level tolerance grew along with it. So much so, that it surprised my Mom a few days ago, how much heat I can actually tolerate when it comes to my favourite foods. Malay food, obviously being one of them. AYAM MASAK MERAH
RED CHILLI CHICKEN
Prep time: 25 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

2 large chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion
1 medium-sized tomato
2 lemon grass stalks, discarding the rough green tops
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp sambal olek / chili paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp light cooking oil
salt, to taste
water, as needed

MARINATE chicken in salt and turmeric, and set aside for 20-25 minutes.

BLEND onion, tomato and lemon grass to a smooth fine paste, adding a little water if necessary.

SAUTE the marinated chicken in hot oil till lightly browned, and set aside. In the same pan, fry ginger-garlic paste, Sambal Olek and onion-tomato-lemon grass paste, stirring continuously till sit tarts to give out oil from the sides.

ADD in chicken, salt and water if necessary, and stir fry till chicken in cooked through and the flavours absorbed. Serve piping hot with coconut rice and tall glass of iced lemonade.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Growing up, I remember spending most of my vacation time in the summers pouring over mouth-wateringly tempting photographs of intricately designed cakes, cookies and other baked goodies. My mom had (or must I say, still does) this tendency to pick up wonderfully photographed cookbooks cramped with an even more delicious assortment of recipes. It’s no wonder where I’ve caught the bug from.

One look at the many overstocked shelves throughout my home will give you a slight idea of my fixation to them. Heck, who am I kidding! I have cookbooks peeping out from my pantry shelves, kitchen cabinets, on top of the fridge, and not to mention a few prized possessions that I deem only fit to snuggle on my bedside table. Yes, it’s shameful I know. I’m addicted. Hi, I’m Meena, and I’m a cookbook addict. There, I said it. Now hopefully, we can all get on with our very normal or some not-so-normal lives!

Coming back to my Mom. I must say her favourites to collect included books on baking. And unlike me, who mostly drool over pages and pages of food talk, she actually dons her apron and puts those words into action. It’s no surprise then to point out that she bakes some of the best cakes I know. RAINBOW CUPCAKES
Prep time: 15 min | Baking time: 20-25 min | Makes: 24 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
3-4 drops food colouring, each for red, green and yellow

BEAT butter and sugar till well incorporated. Add in eggs one at a time while continuing to beat mixture lightly.

FOLD in flour a little at a time, on a low mixing speed till the mixture is well blended. Add in baking powder, condensed milk and vanilla essence.

DIVIDE the batter into three separate bowls of equal measure. Add a different food colouring to each bowl.

LAYER the cake batters one colour at a time on greased muffin cups. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-25 mins or till done.