The Thought:
- Columbus set out on a voyage to find it & ended up discovering, what is today the most developed country in the world
- The British came in search for it & ended up giving rise to our great nation eventually
- The aroma possibly gives you the highest kick which is even unmatched by the oldest wine.
- It has a successful history of over, 7000 years.
Indian Spices can never go wrong!
What if all those spices can be wrapped into a wonderfully delicious dish!
Chak De! ;)
The Ingredients:
15-16 Mushrooms
7-8 Soya Bean's (Granules would also be ideal)
3-4 Baby Corn produce
1 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2-3 Oregano Leaves
1/2 Capsicum
1 Tsp Bl.Pepper Powder
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Cumin Powder
Pounded Mixture of Cloves, Cardamom, Thyme & red Chilli
Light soy sauce to taste
Lemon to taste
Salt to taste
Extra oil for deep frying
Rice paper roll wrappers (Also Find the alternative recipe for making paper rolls at home)
How to Cook:
The Rice paper rolls
Rice paper rolls are usually found in popular super markets, but if you fail to find them, here's a quick recipe
1.Heat Water in a bowl
2. Add Rice flour to the boiling water
3. Add a small amount of salt
4. Allow the flour to absorb the water until it starts to form small lumps
5. Without allowing the mixture to form more lumps, mix the flour to a thick mixture.
6. Allow it to cool down
7. Take small portions to form neat balls
8. Roll them using a ladle to round neat shapes
The Filling
1. Finely dice the mushrooms, Soyabean, Baby corn & Bell peppers (Capsicum).
(Soyabean must be allowed to soak in hot water for a couple of minutes before dicing them)
2. Heat oil in a small pan. Add ginger & garlic paste & saute
3. Add the mushrooms, soyabean, corn, peppers & allow it to cook. Look out for the oil to be absorbed well
4. Season with the spices mentioned above in the right quality as suited to your taste buds.
5. Add salt and pepper, soy sauce, squeeze of lemon and mix together - taste for seasoning.
Presentation
1. Place a teaspoon of mixture in centre of rice paper roll wrapper that has been pre-softened in hot water.
2. Fold the paper roll to form a purse. Press the ends to tighten up the mushroom filling to form a pouch.
3. Heat oil in saucepan until hot. Drop pouches into hot oil and flash fry until wrapper puffs up and turns golden, making sure that bags do not stick together.
4. Drain the packet on absorbent paper. Garnish with slithers of red chilli for colour.
To be served best with
1. Love ;)
2. Soy Sauce, Lemon & Chilli Sauce to taste
Enjoy the true taste of Indian Spices! To get best results, Be Indian, buy Indian Spices :)
Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.in
The Thought:
Well! It took a lot of time to reach our next destination & frankly speaking, i blame the distance from our last dish to the one I present today
In many ways, Indian cuisine & the French cuisine do not have a lot of things in common. The taste's, texture & presentation are to name a few
Today! I present a dish that's inspired by a show based in Australia, cooked by an amazing french chef (Philippe Mouchel) of PM24 fame.
The job I have tried is to possibly try to re create it, INDIAN STYLE
So without further adeau!
Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup ( "Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly." )
PAIN PERDU (With Citrus Salad topped with Butterscotch & Honey ice cream)
The Ingredients
There are 4 parts to this dish
1. The citrus salad
2. The Ice Cream
3. The Base bread
4. The Caramel Topping
For the Citrus salad, you will need
a. Orange Peel (Minus the Pith)
b. Sugar
c. Water
For the Ice Cream
a. I chose to buy the Butterscotch ice cream & top it with loads of honey before allowing it to reset in the freezer
For the Base Bread
a. Bread, not cut. Full. Atleast 3-4 days old (Fresh made bread can break up easily)
b. Eggs, a couple
c. Milk
For the Caramel Topping
a. Sugar
b. Orange juice
c. Peeled & Sliced Orange & Grapefruits if you have any
How to make
1. Prepare the Caramel topping first considering it needs atleast a couple of hours in the fridge. To make the caramel & oranges. Pour around a cup of sugar into a small pan & allow it to liquidify
The best way to prepare the best form of caramel is not to add the entire cup at one shot but to add smaller portions slowly. Once thats done, add a bowl of Orange juice and stir continuously.
2. Add this mixture to peeled oranges and grapefruit. Allow it to cool off in the fridge for sometime. Not freezer
3. For the Citrus salad, blanche the peel twice or thrice to lose the bitterness & then soak it in a mixture of sugar syrup
4. For the base bread, first create a mixture of Milk, couple of eggs and sugar & whisk it & leave it aside
5. Cut the full bread into tinier pieces of around 3 cms each. Soak the bread in ur mixture & toss it up on a pan & allow it to caramelize on all sides
Plating
1. Place the base bread once its done its share of caramelization
2. Toss it up with a couple of spoons of your caramel topping & oranges
3. Add the ice cream on the top
4. Top it up with some citrus salad
Tada!
Seems so simple. Try it on! & trust me, you ll lose a lot more weight than gaining courtesy of all that calories
Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
Ideas for Food
ideasforfood.blogspot.in
The Thought
The Tiny Vegetable of our ancestors! From the Greeks of the 1st Century to the English of the 17th. From the French Kings who distributed it to avoid famine to Indian Modern Dhaba's. The little pea has saved millions of lives. But it's credit has been lost by the prejudice of its size.
Today we honor the tiny teeny vegetable by Mashing it up! Exactly the way it wanted to be sacrificed!
Unearth your culinary skills by merely using that "pea" sized brain of yours in the form of a delicious Indian Bread
PEAS PARATHA
Ingredients
-Green peas
-Green chilies 4 finely chopped
-Garam Masala
-Coriander Powder
-Cumin Powder
-Salt to taste
-Wheat flour
-Ghee
-Water
How to Cook
Mashed Peas
1. Boil the peas in water, when completely soft, mash them to a smooth paste using a bowl and a ladle
2. Then in a separate pan heat two tablespoons of the ghee, add all the spices and the paste of peas.
3. Stir on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, remove from the heat.
4. Make up tiny portions of the pea mixture for convinience
Wheat Bread / Chapati's & The Process
1. Put the flour and salt in a bow and mix together, gradually adding water and bind the mixture into soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into smaller equal portions, shape each portion into a small ball.
3. On a floured surface roll out the ball
4. Place a little bit of green pea mixture on the dough and spread it evenly.
5. Then place another portion of dough on it and press the edges together firmly.
6. On a floured surface roll out the dough to a sizable measure
7. Carefully place the round of dough on a tava, turning it over with a longer ladle. Ensure not to burn any part of the measure.
Serve
Best Add-on's
- Sauce
- Any Indian Curry
- Curd's
Peas"ce" Out \m/
Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.co.in
The Thought
This week we celebrate the inception of the concept of "Pot Luck" at my work place. The place happens to be full of foodie's like myself. It came to me as a surprise that they actually wanted to start cooking without the help of their parents & spouses!
And for the recipe's, few of them have turned to me & few of them continue to read through my blog for ideas! The vision of ideasforfood blog might finally be catching up!
First of those recipe's happens to be celebrate the "Indo-Chini, Bhai Bhai" relationship. Its a cross cultural recipe of Chinese with the Indian touch to it!
Aloo Manchurian
Ingredients
Large Potatoes (Aaloo)(Chop into wedges shape)
Capsicum - sliced
Salt to taste
1 Chopped green chili
11/2 tbsp Garlic Paste
11/2 tbsp Ginger Paste
1 cup thin sliced Chopped Onions
Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
1/4th tsp Ajinomoto
1/2 tbsp Soya Sauce. Add water to it if the mixture is too thick. It should be like your sambhar for you to add it to the dish
2-3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsp Oil
2 Sprigs of Spring Onions finally chopped
How to Cook
Method:
1.Cut potatotes into finer pieces. For Example, each potato should not be cut to more than 10-12 Pieces
2.Dip the Potato slices deep fry till light golden brown.
3.Keep aside on a tissue paper.
4.Heat oil in another pan and add the ginger and garlic paste, let it saute for two minutes till light reddish brown.
5. Add thin (Very thin) sliced chopped onions and green chilis to it and saute for some more time. Add the capsicum and saute
6. Mix ajinomoto, soya sauce and tomato sauce to it.You can also add green chilli sauce and thai sweet and chilli sauce to taste it even better.
7.Add fried Potato Wedges kept aside and mix well.
8. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes and the Garnish it with coriander leaves and spring onions.
Tada!
Warm Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.co.in
The Thought
Known as the meat of the vegetable world. Mushroom is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin C.
The chewy character of this dish is one of its kind. According to my knowledge, this might be the healtiest form of Fungi that you would ever love
Indian cuisine has always been facinated by this veg-meat. Like the third world, its always been considered a alternative to the regular paneer and baby corn. Together these three form the trimurthi in any Indian restaurant menu surrounding which all dishes are prepared
Today, I bring you a spicy & facinating recipe from the Indian cuisine books, ideally enjoyed with Indian bread.
A simple 5 step dish!
Mushroom Gravy
Indgredients
10 large mushrooms
1 Capsicum
2 Chillies (Green)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp onion paste
1 tsp tomato puree
1/4 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp curds (dahi) / 1 tsp Cornflour (To add thickness to your gravy)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
For garnish
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania) / Kasuri Methi
How to Cook
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add 2 chillies, the ginger-garlic paste and the onion paste and saute for some time. Add the capsicum & saute
2. Add the tomato puree and chilli powder and stir for some time.
3. Add the mushrooms and saute till they are tender.
4. Finally, add the curds / cornflour mixed with a little water, garam masala, coriander powder, jeera powder and salt and mix well. Consider adding a small dose of "Orange Red" color if you enjoy good bright vibrant colored dishes (No intention of being racist! :) )
5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Roti's, Parota or any other form of Indian bread
Enjoy
Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.in
The Thought
Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people's cuisine. Most of it is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food! Simple to Make
In our journey across international cuisines, today I present to you the most simple dishes to make amongst the Spanish Cuisine
delicioso! :)
Ingredients:
6-7 medium potatoes, peel em off
1 whole Onion
1 Chilli, green & cut
5-6 large eggs
2-3 cups of Oil for pan frying
Salt to taste
Oregano (The pack from Dominoes pizza would be best, if you have them)
How to Cook :
1. Peel the potatoes and slice them julianne or infact into finer bits (Be careful not to shred them )
2. Cut the onion in a similar fashion
3. Crack the eggs into a whisking tumbler and keep them aside for later whisk & pour
4. In a large, heavy, non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the potato, chilli and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes
Check regularly. The potatoes should be able to break when pressurized through the spatula. Add salt to taste
5. Whisk the eggs using a fork or spoon. Add the heated potatoes chilli and onion mixture. You may have to add a pinch of salt if necessary. Add the oregano as well and whisk
6. Pur 1-2 tsp of oil to a frying pan. Let it simmer for a few seconds. When hot, stir the potato onion mixture once more and “pour” into the pan and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. Then you can carefully lift up one side of the omelet to check if the egg has slightly “browned.” The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny.
7. Turn it over and allow it to cook the other side.
8. Serve it on a plate. Cut it into pizza style pieces before service
Side Add-on's
- Sofrito Sauce (My next recipe)
Enjoy
Warm Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.in
The Thought:
Chinese cuisine happens to be the most sought after and is starting to become the most popular forms of cuisine.
Today we take you to the land of 10 odd surnames in search of the perfect Cheese patties with Mexican rice.
Mexican! Chinese! Indian writer! Sounds confusing? Well.. Our lands may be governed by borders but the taste of our food knows no borders!
Ingredients:
1. Rice
2 1/2 cups Steamed (Cooker) Rice
1 onion
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup boiled mixed vegetables (I choose soft peas, cabbage, carrots & spring onions)
Oil
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
salt to taste
A few Mushrooms
2. Cheese Patties
2 Potatoes
100 Gram Cottage Cheese
Coriander - Smashed
Maida
Green Chillies to suit your spice buds
Oil
Salt
3. Tomato Gravy
3 large tomatoes
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic (lehsun)
a pinch of Carom seeds
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
How to Cook
1. With the rice
Heat the oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes.
Add the paste and fry again for 1 minute.
Add the chilli powder and vegetables & mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the rice and salt and mix thoroughly.
2. For the cheese patties
Mix the potatoes, paneer, coriander, flour, green chillies and salt and shape like patties.
Cook on a tawa with the help of a little oil. (Refer to my earlier recipe for a detailed description)
3. For the tomato gravy
Heat the oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry again for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes, carom seeds, chilli powder, sugar and salt and cook until soft.
Blend in a mixer. Do not strain. If the gravy is too thick, add a little water.
4. How to proceed
Spread the hot rice in a dish
Put the cheese patties over the rice.
Cover with the tomato gravy and sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Bake if necessary for 10-15 minutes (I havent had the opportunity to try that considering my kitchen equipment is limited to a microwave)
Serve hot.
Disfrutar!! (Enjoy)
Warm Regards
Karthik "Foodie" GB
www.ideasforfood.blogspot.com
Photo Courtesy : Tarla Dalal
