Kitchen Confidential

Coconut & Almond Banana Bread

Early mornings are always a hazardous affair at my household. Both me and Hubby Dear love to hold on strongly to our last few minutes of sleep. The alarm goes off and the snooze button is banged on a few times in a row, until it’s the absolute final second. Weekends however, are a whole other story altogether. We wake up not with the shrill tone of the ringing bed-side clock, but with brightness breaking  into the room through the drapes. No one fights to be the last to remain in bed. We each take our time in dragging our sleepy bodies out if it. What we do fight over though, is the weekend paper. You know, the ones so thick with all those different sections that would take you almost all day, had you the slightest will to read it all. To be precise, the comics section is what gets our undivided, unforgiving attention.

Growing up in a family where my Dad didn’t know how to start his day without his cup of tea and the morning national headline news; a Mom who didn’t care too much about politics but try as she might, found it hard to resist a good gossip in the entertainment section; and siblings who couldn’t care less about what was happening around them except for things that involved them personally; I was all too happy to have the likes of Garfield and Peanuts discarded my way! Aah, good times.

As I grew up and moved away from home, my weekend morning ritual continued. No matter how much of a frugal college student I was, I always saved up enough to get the Sunday paper to devour over with my morning cup. But now, with Hubby Dear and his swift hand, I can only but enjoy my coffee while I wait for him to get done before I am able to get hold of my morning laughs. And if there’s banana bread to keep me company while I eye him scornfully, then even better. Aah, good times!

COCONUT & ALMOND BANANA BREAD
Prep time: 15 min | Cooking time: 35 min | Serves: 4

1 cup 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 2 1/2 cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1/2 cup

all-purpose flour sugar butter, melted ripe bananas shredded dried coconut baking powder baking soda pure vanilla extract sliced almonds

MIX in flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar with melted butter. Mash the bananas to a smooth pulp and add to the flour mixture to form a smooth batter.

ADD in almonds, coconut, and vanilla extract, and fill a greased loaf pan three-fourths full.

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bread is done and brown on top. To test for done, simply prick at different areas with a tooth-pick. If it comes out clean, then it’s done.

Coconut Chicken Curry

The year I turned 15, my Mom decided it was time I learnt the basics of cooking. If nothing else, she figured I could at least make myself breakfast without having to yell for her when I’m hungry. Starting with the classic rule to making the perfect hard boiled egg - where the yolk is firm, yet still melts at the touch of your tongue, I gradually moved on to more complicated things, like making perfect plain boiled rice - not mushy, not hard, but just right.During the years since, I’ve played around with many of Mom’s classic favourites. Food she would only let us indulge in on special occasions, or when she was feeling slightly more generous. Everytime I experimented with one of her classics, trying my best to add my own touch to it, I would keep note of the alterations I made. The next time we spoke, I would tell her of my experiments, only to get more tips on what else could have been altered and in what way. I would then go back into my kitchen and play around some more until I had it perfect to my taste. It would taste nothing like hers, but it wouldn’t be bad either. If I like it enough, I make it a part of my own collection - a stash of my tried and tested favourites that I always turn to when I want to please those I intend to feed.

Over the years, many of these recipes have featured over and over again at my dinner parties. Some, for the same group of people who always request it when they come over. With time, I’ve shared many of these with close friends, who succeeded in bribing me enough to persuade me to part with my secrets. Likewise, they never fail to let me know when they try it out, and especially when they’ve experimented and made changes to it, only to come up with something better suited to their tastes. As the recipes move around, being part of many alterations and tests, one thing always remains the same. It’s the circle we share, a cult of kinds, membered by those who love nothing more than a plate of good food and won’t stop till they get it. And so, the sisterhood grows.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 30 min | Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

2 large 1 medium 2-3 1 tbsp 1 cup 5-6 1-2 1 tbsp 1 tsp 1/4 tsp 2-3 tbsp

boneless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes onion, finely chopped green chillies, slit in the middle garlic, finely chopped coconut milk curry leaves dried red chillies coriander seeds cumin seeds turmeric powder light cooking oil salt, to taste water, as needed

TOAST dried red chilies, cumin seeds and coriander seeds till fragrant. Grind in a food processor to fine powder and set aside.

HEAT oil and saute garlic and curry leaves till fragrant. Add onions and fry for a few minutes till tender and pink.

ADD Ground spices and turmeric, and fry for a few seconds before adding coconut milk. Allow it to come to a boil, and then add chicken pieces along with slit green chillies.

SEASON with salt and cook covered for 10-12 minutes till chicken is done, adding water if necessary.

Jeera Alu

I am forever on a quest to dismiss the myth that Indian cooking is not for the faint hearted and try to help spread my knowledge on cooking some simple and traditional Indian food.

If you’ve never cooked Indian food before, and the only spice even remotely connected to Indian cooking ever to step into your spice collecetion is curry powder, then don’t fret. Start with the basics. Here is a list of the most standard spices that would help you cook many delicious Indian meals without making you go all out and splurge on many exotic flavours that you may be clueless about.

- Cumin Seeds
- Mustard seeds
- Turmeric powder
- Red Chili powder/Cayenne
- Coriander Powder
- Garam Masala

Once you have these staples and are confident about playing with them, then go a step further and try out a few more new to you. Slowly, but surely, you’ll have your own collection of spices that you’re fond of and those that you know would enable you to cook meals that you like.

While certain dishes require certain traditionally designed equipment, a good start would be to invest in a few simple utensils that you already may or may not have.

- a non-stick wide pan
- a deep heavy-bottomed pot
- a kadhai, or wok, preferably non-stick or aluminium

When it comes to cooking simple Indian food, one would only need to be familiar with a few spices and the flavours that go with them. As a self-starter, it’s very easy to lose oneself in the wide selection of spices. True, they may seem intimidating at first, but then as you go along and acquaint yourself with the robust flavours they have to offer, you can’t help but get excited at the prospect of shopping and stocking your spice racks with some of your favourites.

As a first in this series, I thought I’d start with a recipe so simple, yet so flavourful, that would help you identify its distict taste and aroma. Most Indian cooking would begin with a tempering, simply put, it’s just a process where spices like cumin or mustard seeds are added to hot oil and allowed to sizzle. Doing so adds plenty of flavour to the oil, which then helps in penetrating through the dish during the cooking process. Tempering, or tadka, is also a common way of adding a burst of flavour to a subtly spiced dal.

The one thing I like about this dish is how the cumin dominates in taste. Another reason for adding it to the menu today, is to allow you to experiment and play around with some of the flavours you already love, or some that you wish to try. Potatoes are a wonderful vegetable to use when you need to experiment with a certain spice. Since they lack in much flavour themselves and carry out others with ease, I’d suggest you use not more than a combination of 2-3 spices to begin with. This would help you identify the flavours and also enable you to decide whether or not you like the mingling of them together.

JEERA ALU
POTATOES FRIED WITH CUMIN
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 2

2-3 1 tbsp 1/2 tsp 1/4 tsp 2 tbsp

potatoes, cut into cubes cumin seeds red chilli powder turmeric powder light cooking oil salt, to taste

HEAT oil in a non-stick pan and saute cumin seeds till they begin to sizzle. Add potatoes and stir-fry for 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat till tender.

STIR in red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt, and cook covered for a few minutes till done.

Some other alterations to try with this recipe would be:

• Decrease the amount of cumin seeds in half, substituting the other half denomination with corainder seeds. Sprinkle a pinch of dried fenugreek leaves a few minutes before the potatoes are done.
• Add about a cup and a half of bite-size cauliflower florets along with the potatoes to make Alu Gobi.
• Add a cup of frozen peas and cook covered for an extra 5 minutes once potatoes are tender to made delicious Alu Matar.
• Add a small onion, finely diced, before adding the spices. Follow the remaining method and add a chopped tomato towards the end of the cooking process. Allow to cook covered till tomatoes soften and pulp.

Coconut Fish Curry

Even though I would like to think of myself as a highly organized person, the fact doesn’t seem to hold true in every aspect of my life. No matter how many times I update my to-do list, or how many post-its I leave around every unexpected corner in my home, I still have to deal with unpaid bills, unanswered emails, and missed deadlines. However, one area where I always seem to excel as someone who would have ‘organization’ as their middle name, would be in making sure my fridge, freezer and pantry are well stocked. This would surely have something to do with the fact that I may be a compulsive list maker. Yes, I love making lists. In fact, I make so many lists within the span of one day that I sometimes even have to make a list of the lists I’ve made. Confusing? Tell me about it!

Though I may not seem to be most successful in crossing out everything on my day’s schedule, my grocery list is one that can be easily counted on. I always have a freezer stocked with a few pounds of chicken, a huge bag of fries and a couple of packets of frozen veggies. My fridge never runs out of eggs, bread and milk, and not mention the staples like veggies and fruits. And my pantry, oh what can I tell you about my pantry, except that if ever we were locked in our house with no way to getting out whatsoever, I could easily survive with three other people for an entire week, with a couple more days added to it! Yes, my husband does comment on the size of my pantry, but hardly ever do I see him complain when I dish out a perfect meal after he refuses to head to the grocery store in the midst of a huge snow storm!

When it comes to wanting a wholesome, no-fuss, quick and easy meal, I always turn to my pantry for comfort. Like the long lost friend who always brings a smile to your face and warm joy to your heart even after seeing them after what seems like ages, my pantry serves me well. I always make sure I have enough of rice, flour, and a few different kinds of pasta to serve me when I call for them. I also stock on various sauces, lentils and beans. And it’s in times like these where I can happily fall back on my tried and tested stack of recipes. Most of them can be made within a few minutes with ingredients entirely coming from pantry staples, while a few may need a little help form something fresh or something frozen.

Speaking of frozen, I like to have a pack or two of some of my favourite seafood always on hand, and fish is definitely one of them. I like buying them pre-cleaned and pre-cut, which then only leaves them the need to defrost and cooked to my liking. Take for example this curry. It’s simple and quick, with only a handful of ingredients. And if that’s not good enough, it’s all made in one pot. Now what could be better than a one-pot meal left to simmer by itself while you tend to a few emails?

COCONUT FISH CURRY
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 4

2-3 1 small 8-10 1 tbsp 4-5 2 cups 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/4 tsp 1 tsp 1 tbsp

fish fillets, cubed onion, finely sliced cherry tomatoes garlic, finely chopped curry leaves coconut milk curry powder turmeric powder red chilli powder coriander powder black pepper powder dried fenugreek leaves light cooking oil salt, to taste

SAUTE curry leaves, garlic and onions in hot oil till fragrant and tender. Add curry powder, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and black pepper and fry for a few seconds.

ADD coconut milk and stir till spices blend well. Allow it to come to a boil, and then add fish pieces, cherry tomatoes and dried fenugreek leaves. Season with salt and allow to cook covered for 8-10 minutes till fish is done.

SERVE warm over a bed of rice.

Ginger Chilli Shrimp

I have a morning ritual of sorts - I wake up, freshen up, set up my fresh pot of coffee, check my emails, and then research. Not research on boring topics like the increasing cost of living, crime rates or even on Britney Spears’ declining popularity. No. What I spend the next few hours diligently pouring over, are pages and pages of recipes. Recipes I’ve gathered over time, some that are intriguing, many that I simply love, and a few that I think are worth a try. What I do look for between the lines however, are the flavour combinations, specific cooking methods and inspiration to create.

When it comes to cooking, I hardly ever follow a recipe. I often give it a quick read, making a mental note of the spices, and then just play by instinct. But baking, now that’s a whole different post altogether! Coming back to cooking, apart from my daily ritual of pouring through endless mounds of paper scattered all over my floor, I also make time to decide what would be on the day’s menu. Some days, I plan in advance, like say the night before, while most other days, I go by my mood.

Take today for instance, I woke up craving for shrimp. While I don’t often cook seafood, I do however, have tons of recipe ideas for them. And today was just the day to try one out, I thought. As I sipped my morning cuppa and went through my regular rounds of email, I heard a little voice in my head - “Ginger… Chili… Shrimp…”! As I read an email from a fabulous lady requesting me to review her latest cookbook, I heard it again - “Ginger… Chili… Shrimp…”! Half an hour later, drooling over an episode of Ina’s where she made the most delicious looking lemon loaf, there it was again - “Ginger… Chili… Shrimp…”! By the time it was mid-morning, I could take it no longer and set off to cook myself some lunch - “Ginger… Chili… Shrimp…”! There it was again!

GINGER-CHILI SHRIMP
Prep time: 20 min | Cooking time: 10 min | Serves: 2

15-20 large 1 medium 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 2 tbsp 1 tbsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1 tsp 2-3 tbsp

shrimp, peeled and deviened onion, finely sliced ginger, finely chopped tomato paste soy sauce lime juice turmeric powder red chili powder crushed red chili flakes light cooking oil salt, to taste chopped green onions, for garnish

MARINATE shrimp with turmeric, chili powder and lime juice for 20 minutes. Fry in a bit of oil till crisp on both sides. Set aside.

HEAT remaining oil and saute ginger till fragrant. Add onions and fry for a few minutes till tender and pink.

ADD chili flakes, salt, tomato paste and soy sauce, and stir-fry for a few minutes till it starts to give out oil from the sides. Add shrimp, and stir fry for a minute or two blending spices well.

GARNISH with chopped green onions and serve alongside plain rice and a large pitcher of ice-cold water.

Dahi Bhindi

Growing up in a household where vegetables were always given high preference over it’s non-vegetarian counterparts, I wasn’t too happy. Like any rebellious 12 year old, I despised anything green and considered “healthy” in my Mom’s dictionary. As a spunky 17 year old starting fresh at college and living in a hostel miles away from the caring tender fingers that caressed Mom’s cooking, I had grudgingly succumbed myself to the meals catered at the campus. To my added disappointment, not only did the food lack in flavour and eye appeal, it also somehow failed in providing me with the limited array of greens that I actually thought were edible, to say the least.

Somehow, between the humdrum of a busy schedule and an even busier college life, one could easily manage chugging down meals without a moments notice. That is, until one gets the same dish - mind you, same tasteless flavour and all, for five consecutive meals. Yes, five! And that was where I decided to draw the line and gift myself with a pan or two, and some basic starters to a home cooked meal. The dreaded dish if you wish to know, was okra.

It’s not hard to believe that I graduated through cooking for myself for the next few years without so much as a slight glance at the okra. Never was there a shopping spree through the fresh produce section where I stopped and smelt the darned vegetable. And never had it, for as long as I can remember, ever taken a place in my cart. That is, of course, until I met the then would-be Hubby Dear. Like a sudden twist of fate in any classic crime story (the crime here was of course committed against the okra, damn you okra!), on one of our first food conversations, Hubby Dear had candidly confessed to having a secret love affair with the dreaded pod.

Now what was a poor little girl like me supposed to do! I’d heard endless tales of how a man’s heart could easily be won through the deeds done for his stomach. Seeing that I had promised to cook him his favourite meal didn’t make my case any easier. So there I was trudging through the fresh produce section, not only smelling, but also picking my first pound of okra, and giving it a place in my cart. And like anyone gifted with an unwanted pet that’s impossible to give away, you accept your kismet and just get used to it. And hopefully eventually, but surely, you’ll learn to love it.

DAHI BHINDI
OKRA COOKED IN YOGHURT
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 2 

15-20 1 medium 1/2 cup 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/4 tsp a pinch 1/4 tsp 2 tbsp

fresh okra, diced into 1/2-inch slices onion, thinly sliced plain yoghurt, beaten cumin seeds red chilli powder turmeric powder dried ginger powder garam masala powder light cooking oil salt, to taste

HEAT oil in a non-stick pan and saute cumin seeds till they begin to sizzle. Add onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat till transparent. Add in okra and cover cook for a few minutes till done, tossing occasionally.

ADD red chilli powder, turmeric, ginger powder and salt, and stir-fry for a few minutes. Slowly stir in beaten curd forming a smooth gravy base.

SPRINKLE garam masala and cook covered for another minute or two. Serve warm with a side of Dal and Rotis.

Quick Egg Masala

If I told you that I whip up amazingly gourmet meals at the drop of a hat for my everyday dinners, that I’d have to be lying. Truth be told, I seldom ever cook something that would have me whisking away for hours on end. Except of course, when I have company coming! Now that’s a whole different story altogether. Even then, I’m not spending all those hours on one single dish, but instead, I’m actually going nuts fussing over a minimum of five main courses. Yes, I get like that while entertaining. But the diligent licking of everyone’s fingertips and perplexed weight-watching souls worrying over whether to go in for seconds (thirds, actually) more than makes up for all the effort.

When it comes to feeding family, I like to go more easy on myself. It’s not that I don’t enjoy feeding loved ones with rich palate pleasing favourites, but I’d rather spend my time with them enjoying simple, yet equally delightful food made in minutes. A recent email from one of my readers posed a question I have been subjected to many a times. This compelled me to come all out talk about my regular at-home meals. She writes,

All your recipes appear as if they leaped out of glossy magazines. While many them are quite easy to follow, it’s hard to imagine myself cooking lavish meals every night. Do you really cook all these wonderful looking food on a daily basis?

Well, dear reader, all I can say is yes. Well almost. You see, most of my recipes, no matter how elegantly sounding, are actually very simple and wholesome; and ones that I turn to on a weekly basis. While it may seem daunting to someone not so in tune with Indian cuisine, it’s not at all that hard. Most dishes can be made in a matter of minutes, whereas others, that seem to call for bucketfuls of spices, may just take a tad bit more time. But yes, sometimes even an adventurous cook like myself, wants to take a break and reach out to the nearest pack of instant noodles. And it’s often in times like these that I faithfully turn to my repertoire of quick fixes. And these, I assure you dear reader, can be whipped up real quick. Literally in minutes!

QUICK EGG MASALA
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 10 min | Serves: 2 

2 large 1 medium 1 medium-sized 1-2 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 2 tbsp

eggs, hardboiled onion, finely sliced tomato, roughly chopped green chillies, chopped ginger-garlic paste mustard seeds red chilli powder turmeric powder coriander powder light cooking oil salt, to taste

HEAT oil and saute mustard seeds till it starts to pop. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few seconds before adding onions. Cook till onions turn tender and pink.

ADD red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder, and fry for a few seconds before adding tomatoes. Season with salt, and add water if necessary. Add boiled eggs, sliced in half, and let cook for another two minutes till eggs evenly coat with the gravy.

SERVE warm with rice or rotis.