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Mango mania

Come January and one starts to notice little white flowers, peeping out from the dense foliage of mango trees. They seemed to reassure the departure of frost and welcome the spring which would later wither into a great Indian summer. These little flowers also hold promises of greater pleasures sweet or sour. Not too long ago, most yards around Indian homes would shelter at least one if not more mango trees. We grew up accepting this tree and its fruit as a granted aspect of everyday living. The canopy that threw a blanket of shade under which children could play in the sunniest of afternoons, strong branches that supported swings, dense greenery of the leaves where parrots played hide and seek, and the sweet anticipation of the fruit, once the blossoms begin to show. These days, I point out a mango tree to my four year old, for her to comprehend that her favourite fruit is born to this beautifully green tree. Yet I wouldn’t be surprised, if anyone asks her “where do you ge
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Shrimps, pumpkin and all you can find!

A quarter of a large brinjal, a 5 inch triangle of yellow pumpkin, handful of spinach leaves on the verge of wilting, a peeled potato, half a large tomato and a cup of defrosted shrimps. There was nothing I could do with them alone and I had no idea what to do with them together. If I dumped them back in the chiller, I did not have anything else, to churn out a decent dinner for three of us at home. Well as they say 'necessity is the mother of all inventions' and in this case the creator of something nice and new!! Cut the Brinjal into large cubes, smear with oil and lay on a pan on slow fire to brown them well on each side....keep aside Saute the shrimps with some chilli powder, salt and turmeric....keep aside The pumpkin, potato and tomato cut into similar cubes but no grilling done Heat half a teaspoon of oil, toss in some onion seeds (black jeera/ kalonji), break a chilli and add to it. Wait for the smoky smell and put together the potato, pumpkin and tomatoes
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Step by Step....Chicken Dahi Dhania

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I am the owner of a new camera and armed with this weapon, last Saturday as I cooked, I snapped. So! today I can proudly post my blog with ample pictures. Chicken is the easiest available meat..white meat, to cook, to serve and to eat especially when impromptu dinner with guests happen. Well my last Saturday was a more planned entertaining spree but this chicken dish is easy enough if your gathering is a la minute. Just ensure that there is enough curd/yoghurt in the fridge before you venture out. Clean and rub medium size pieces of chicken with salt and allow to stand Saute chopped onions in oil until golden Add two tablespoons of finely crushed ginger and garlic When the onions, ginger and garlic are browned well add the salt marinated chicken Continue to stir the chicken till all the mixture is evenly coated and at this point add a teaspoon of chilly powder, three tablespoons of coriander powder and two teaspoon of turmeric powder, salt to taste and stir. A
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Ma Cher Chef! & his Asian Magic!!

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Wishing all my followers and readers an exciting and positive 2012 ahead. I know this is a little late, considering that we have already crossed the half mark on the first month on the calendar. But nevertheless wishes, warm from the heart always abundant!! My new year eve had everything to do with food, wine and happiness. A barbecue evening with close family, chill in the air that needed lots of wine to warm up, a 12 year old chef wanting to go all the way from marinating meat, lighting the coals to barbecuing the meat, and just feeling happy about everything was an awesome prelude to a new year. The 12 year old chef being none other than my son, did this really cool asian drumsticks over the coals which really stole the show. I have swapped the recipe with him for something I really do not want to reveal and here it is all Marinate 12 chicken drumsticks with the given marinade Two tablespoons of honey Two tablespoons of dark soy sauce Two teaspoons of ginger and garlic
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Falling in love again...a vegetable affair!

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I grew up loving my fish!....please, don't get me wrong; I still favor my mom's spicy fish curry above all else. But like I started to say...I grew up loving my fish and couldn't savor my lunch or dinner without it. Vegetables were tolerated as second cousins to the fish but if the hero itself was missing I'd rather starve than put myself through the torture of a boring mealtime. Then something changed in my life. I lived in Calcutta for a while, met my husband and learnt that vegetables may be not so boring or in fact very interesting. The moringa ..... or drumstick as I have always called it suddenly became very appetizing. When mom in law made it in a mustard gravy it no longer stood shyly behind but suddenly took centre stage at the dining table. Then recently my mom made it her way and I loved it!, just that and steaming rice. Talk about changes! Wash and scrape about two thick and fleshy drumsticks and cut them into three inch length pieces.... ( if the drumsti
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My tryst with the Momo

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After a number of trials I have finally mastered the art of making momos. These aren't really as perfect as the ones you would find made by the deft hands of ladies from tibet or nepal, but they were passable and did have quite the zing of the standard street fare. The recipe is quite simple and does not require learning much technicalities, but the route to perfection definitely lies in the precision and care taken while preparing each element. The kneading of the dough, its rest and the mixing of the filling all have a purpose to it which finally adds to the end product. Knead a cup of all purpose flour with cold water to a soft, smooth and pliable dough Leave the dough to rest under a wet napkin.....(the wet napkin is to make sure that the dough doesn't dry out) Mix about two cups of mince chicken along with two cups of minced onions, and a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves......(substitute the chicken with mince of mushrooms, bean sprouts/ cabbage and carrots an
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Egg n Coconut Concoction

The title of this blog was born out a telephone call between me and my aunt a couple of weeks ago. I have been wanting to put it down since then but the though kind of shifted to back of my mind only to resurface today. She wanted to know if she could do something with eggs for an eggetarian lunch party. I kept rolling out a couple of standard egg dishes but she kept ruling them out. Finally out of sheer desperation to get ahead in our telecon I blurted out "how about that egg n coconut concoction" and she was thrilled. Thankfully the call ended and I got on with my life. But my 10 year old suddenly pounced on me and demanded that I make the egg n coconut concoction for him. I wondered why and soon was rewarded with an answer..."you never make different desserts"...this is not a dessert,..it is as spicy as you want to make it. Boil four eggs to perfection....( perfection is indicated by a clear white and a well formed but soft yolk) Grind to a coarse paste four
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