Kitchen Confidential

Potato Bharta

While it snowned outside, and hubby dear napped his way through the afternoon, I needed something warm. Nothing to eat or drink, but warmth for the home. I know turnin on the heat always seems as the obvious option, but not for me! When I want heat, I turn to my trusty stove. And yesterday, it was my oven that did it for me!

Potato Bharta

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 mid-sized tomatoes, finely chopped 1-inch chunk of ginger, finely chopped 2-3 green chilles, finely chopped 1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/4 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cumin seeds salt, to taste 2 tbsp cooking oil fresh chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Boil potatoes till tender and cooked through. Set aside. Once cooled, grate finely.
2. Heat oil in a pan and saute cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies, till they begin to sizzle.
3. Add in onions and fry till brown. Mix in salt, red chili powder and turmeric and fry spices till fragrant.
4. Add tomatoes and cook till pulpy.
5. Add grated potatoes and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly to blend in well.
6. Sprinkle with garam masala and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with warm, fluffy rotis.

Spicy Garlic Chicken

I’ve always talked about my love and appreciation for Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine. While we craved for the spicy goodness that it offers on this rainy droopy day, we were in no mood to drive through the bad weather to get a bite. No matter how strong a craving, I always feel that there must be a solution to it. And on this day, I found it in my kitchen.

Spicy Garlic Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 medium-sized onion, sliced thin 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped 2 tbsp green onion, chopped 2 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water salt, to taste 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1 cup water 2 tbsp cooking oil

HEAT oil in a non-stick pan and saute chopped green chillies and garlic till fragrant. Add chopped onions and fry till lightly brown.

ADD chicken pieces, and stir-fry till chicken gets cooked.

ADD salt, pepper, chili powder and chilli sauce and cook for a minute. Add water and allow to come to a boil.

ADD corn starch mixture and stir till sauce thickens. Cover cook for 2-3 minutes, and garnish with chopped green onions.

Chilli Gobi

This has to be one of the most popular and tastiest dishes in the Indo-Chinese menu. You won’t find it in any of the authentic Chinese restaurants, maybe because it must be an Indo-fusion creation that has been perfected by the hawkers on any street in India!But you will surely find it in any Hakka place around Mississauga. Till your next trip there, put on your apron and dish this up. It’s as close to the real thing as it may get!

Chilli Gobi Cauliflower in a Spicy Sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized cauliflower broken into florets

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp green chili, finely chopped

• ½ tbsp corn flour mixed with 2 tbsp of water

• 1/4 tsp white pepper

• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce

• ½ cup of water

• fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped for garnish

• green onion, finely chopped for garnish

For the batter:

• ½ cup all-purpose Flour

• ¼ cup Corn Flour

• ¼ tsp red chili Powder

• Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Combine together all-purpose flour, corn flour, red chili powder, salt and a little bit of water to form a batter thick enough to coat each cauliflower floret.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry florets coated with batter, till golden brown. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Fry for a minute till fragrant and then add pepper, soy sauce and salt.

4. Cook for a minute and add the corn flour and water mixture. Add a little water and let simmer till the sauce becomes thick.

5. Add the fried cauliflower florets and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

6. Garnish with chopped spring onions and coriander leaves.

Egg Fried Rice

One of the fastest and fulfilling meals my Mom would make for me was Fried rice. Whenever we get together nowadays, we spend hours on end talking. The hours would wheez by and late into the night, we would get hungry. Fried rice is something we always come back to during times like these. It’s simple, splendid and hard to resist!

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked plain rice 1 cup mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen) 2 eggs, beaten 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp honey-garlic sauce

1 chicken buillion cube  1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper salt, to taste 2 tbsp cooking oil chopped spring onion for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions till transparent.
2. Add vegetables, bullion cube, salt, pepper and chili powder and fry till all the water from the vegetables evaporate.
3. Add rice and mix well. Splash soya sauce and honey-garlic sauce, and stir-fry rice till everything is mixed well.
4. Pour beaten eggs and mix well, stirring constantly till eggs cook through and blend with rice.
5. Garnish with spring onions and serve warm.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Spending a day surrounded by the freshest of produce can perk up any foodie’s droopy mood. And that’s exactly what it did to me! Three fabulous shopping hours later, I had a fridge full of beautiful veggies waiting to become a piece of art. But while I still had to plan out and decide how I would go about celebrating my week’s menu, I already knew what desert was going to be.

We had picked up a basket of the freshest, reddest and plumpiest strawberries I had ever laid my eyes own. The best thing to do would have been to just enjoy these drops of heaven in the purest form, but a little chocolate on the side never hurt anyone. And I was not to be left behind!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients:

A bunch of fresh strawberries, washed and thoroughly wiped dry 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup cream 1 tsp instant coffee powder 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Heat cream till it is warm enough to melt the chocolate chips. Do not let it come to a boil.
2. Add chocolate chips, sugar, coffee powder and vanilla extract, and stir continuously till the chocolate starts to melt.
3. Remove the mixture from heat and keep stirring till chocolate melts nicely and forms a thick paste. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the chocolate has cooled completely, dip each strawberry half-way into the chocolate and aet on a sheet of parchment paper.
5. Allow to cool till choclate firms up around the strawberries.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

There’s always something good about having a big bowl of hot soup when your insides just don’t function as well as they should. The warmness from the hot liquid brings about a comfort like no other. Add to that a handful of special aromatic ingredients, and not only would you feel your life spring up again, but the aroma will make you drift to a faraway land.

You don’t have to be under the weather to enjoy this recipe. Just a need for some comfort will do! So bring out that pot and let the aromatic warmth fill up your home and you.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped 2 cup Chinese cabbage, finely sliced 2-3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced 2-3 stalks of green onion, chopped 1 tsp pure sesame oil 1 tsp light cooking oil

1 tbsp light soya sauce salt and pepper to taste lemon juice, required as per taste 1/2 pack vermicelli rice noodles 4 cups vegetable stock fresh parsley for garnish

Method:

1. In a large stock-pot, heat sesame and light oil and saute ginger and garlic till soft.
2. Mix in soya sauce and vegetables, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper, and let it come to a boil.
4. Throw in rice noodles, and let it simmer covered for 10-15 minutes.
5. Garnish with lemon juice and fresh parsley, and serve warm.

Puris

As with any Indian celebration, food is often the main focus. It is no surprise then that our world revolves around what we eat. The utmost care is taken while planning the lavish menu and needless to say, a great amount of time and effort is taken in its preparation. So without taking all your time, I offer you the most delicious bread in my world. Say, why does anything deep-fried taste sooo… good?!!!

Puris

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1tsp ajwain
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee
water, as needed
cooking oil, for deep frying
 

Method:

Mix flour, salt, ajwain, and ghee with water to form a dough.
Seperate dough into golf-sized balls, and roll out each ball into a circular disc.
Deep fry in hot oil till puris puff up and turn golden on both sides.

Mooli (Radish) Parathas

When it comes to wholesome winter comfort foods, I most often get inclined to curry-drowned rice dishes. Except when I’m craving for something with more bang! That’s when I dig deep into my kitchen resources and try and fix up a meal comprising of something in the form of rotis.

Dosas, Puris and Parathas all fit the bill well, and I just go with my inner craving to decide on my course of action. While I don’t tend too creative with my Dosas and Puris, Parathas are something I just love to play around with. Any leftovers could well serve the purpose of filling their pockets and turning into a wholesome and delicious addition to any meal.

Mooli (Radish) Parathas

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta) 1 cup grated mooli (long white raddish), excess water squeezed out 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp coriander seeds salt, to taste 3 tbsp ghee/oil water as needed

Method:

1. Mix flour (atta) with salt and one tbsp of ghee and form into a smooth dough with water.

2. Separate dough into golf-sized balls and set aside.

3. Make sure all the water is thoroughly squeezed out of the grated raddish and mix with salt, coriander seeds, chili powder and garam masala, and set aside.

4. For each dough ball, roll out the dough into a small circle and put around one tbsp of the raddish mixture in the centre. Bring the ends of the circle together and form into a ball.

5. Seal the edges completely so that the stuffing does not come out. Roll out these dough balls into a 6 inch circle.

6. Fry on a heated pan adding a bit of ghee around the edges to crisp it up.