Garlic Herb Butter

Garlic Herb Butter

After The Never-Fail Blender Mayonnaise recipe for newbie's of the culinary world, I bring you a recipe that is simple and yet extremely versatile in its use. From the humble Garlic Bread  to an exotic dish like Chicken Kiev, Garlic Herb Butter is a 'mix' you can incorporate in various dishes. Once again, it’s time to impress your friends and family with your culinary skills and watch them go “ummmm”. ;-)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

½ -1 tablespoon lemon juice, adjust to your preference 

2 clove garlic, chopped to a fine mince

2 green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped

2 fresh red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Method:

1. Beat butter until soft and smooth.
2. Stir in parsley, red chilies, green chilies, pepper powder and garlic.
3. Add lemon juice to taste.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to three days. You can also freeze it up to a week.
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. This recipe can be prepared ahead in time.
2. You can also shape the butter into logs/rolls; wrap them individually in plastic cling film and freeze them for up to a week. (Posting a pic of the herb butter logs i had made for Chicken Kiev )
   
   
   
   
3. I chose parsley as my primary herb but feel free to go with any herb of your choice.
4. This recipe makes one cup of herb butter.
5. Please do not butcher the parsley when you chop it. That also goes for mint, coriander and various other herbs that you chop, as and when required for other dishes. 
6. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   

Cheesy Murtabak served with a Tangy Twist

Cheesy Murtabak served with a Tangy Twist

I was invited to a cookery workshop by Chef Amit Chand of Hotel Novotel and that is where I learned to make Murtabak. Murtabak is considered breakfast and street food in places like Yemen, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. People also claim, Murtabak originated in Kerala but i have absolutely no confirmation on this. "Murtabbaq" in Arabic means "folded" and that's exactly what this dish is all about. It is a stuffed, folded roti. You can try lots of variations in regard to the stuffing, so go with whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!!

Ingredients for the Roti:

225 grams refined flour/maida

1½  teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon clarified butter/ghee

150 -175 mils lukewarm water

50 - 75 mils oil

100 -150 grams wheat flour, to dust

Method for the Roti:

1. Place flour and salt in a large bowl and rub in 1 tablespoon clarified butter.
2. Add water, as needed and knead to dough.
3. Add approximately 50 – 75 mils oil, little by little and knead it to a soft dough. Knead the dough for ten minutes.
   
   
   
   
4. Make 6 equal balls of the dough. Drizzle remaining oil on the dough. Cover the dough with a lid and keep aside for an hour.
   
   
5. After an hour, dredge one of the flour balls in wheat flour and roll out into a square or a round shape. The square or the circle should be 7-8 inches in diameter.
   
   
6. Heat a griddle/tawa. Semi-roast the roti.
   
   
7. Remove to a plate and cover it loosely with a cloth to keep it fresh. Repeat with the remaining five rotis. 

Ingredients for the Filling:

500 grams minced chicken or minced mutton or minced beef

1 small onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed

1- 1½ teaspoon ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1½ teaspoon coriander leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

2 - 4 fresh red chilies, chopped

3 tablespoons clarified butter/ghee

Salt, to taste

Method for the Filling:

1. Heat three tablespoons clarified butter in a pan and fry the onion till soft.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to fry till the onions are golden brown.
3. Add the turmeric powder, red chilies, salt and sauté for minute.
4. Add the mince, sauté and cook the mince in its own juices, do not add any water.
5. Once the mince is cooked ensure that it is dry and has no moisture. If it isn't dry, sauté it for a minute or two until the moisture evaporates. Keep aside. 

Extra Ingredients:

6 large eggs

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

2 - 3 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 limes, cut into wedges

100 grams + 150 grams cheese (I used the Britannia block), grated

Method for Murtabak: 

1. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add 100 gms grated cheese and beat it to blend well.
3. Heat a non-stick pan. Add a wee bit of ghee.
4. Pour in approximately one beaten egg. Immediately put one roti over the egg and allow the egg to stick to the roti and cook.
   
   
5. Flip it and allow it to cook on the roti side for a few seconds to ensure the roti isn’t raw.
   
   
   
   
6. Remove the egg-roti to a plate; add some of the precooked chicken mince in the center of the roti.
   
   
7. Fold the roti from all four sides to enclose the mince. (As shown in the pics below)
   
   
   
   
   
8. Drizzle a teaspoon of beaten egg over the folds.

   

   This time Anita (Anu) holds the roti while i click the pic

   
   
9. Quickly put the roti back in the non-stick pan, folded side down so that the egg seals the folds of the roti.
   
   
   
   
10. Drizzle a teaspoon of clarified butter around the folded Murtabak.
11. Allow it to cook till the time the side changes to a golden brown color. 
12. Flip over the folded Murtabak and cook the other side to a golden brown.
    
    
    
    
13. Allow it to cook some more and when the roti is cooked and quite crisp, remove from fire.
14. Cut it diagonally and serve it with a tangy roast tomato dip, sliced onions, lime wedges and extra 150 grams grated cheese.
    
    

Tangy Twist (Dip)

Ingredients:

4 red firm red tomatoes, halved

1 onion, cut into one inch cubes

1 green bell pepper, cut into one inch cubes

A pinch, or two, sea salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground

10-12 garlic cloves, peeled, leave whole

Oil or cooking spray to grease the baking tray

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

4 large fat rings pickled Jalapenos

¼ teaspoon red Deghi Mirch chili powder

Method:

1. Grease the baking tray with oil or cooking spray.
2. Arrange the tomatoes, skin side up, in the middle of the baking tray.
3. Scatter the chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic cloves all around it.
4. Season with sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
   
   
   
   
5. Place under a hot grill to roast until the skin of the tomatoes char (as shown in the pic below).
   
   
   
   
6. Remove the tray from under the grill and carefully remove the crinkled charred skin from the tomatoes.
   
   
   
   
7. Empty out the roasted vegetables in a grinder. Add the extra virgin olive oil, chili powder and the jalapeno rings.
8. Use the short pulse method to semi-blitz the roasted veggies. Do not blitz it to a smooth pulp. Check salt and add if needed.
   
   
   
   
9. Empty out into a bowl and refrigerate till serving time. 

Chef Notes:

1. The mince and the Tangy Twist Dip can be prepared a day in advance. This helps save on time when you need to get this ready at breakfast time or when you are serving this as a snack for evening tea and parties.
2. You can use grated paneer/cottage cheese if you so desire.
3. Chicken mince cooks in a jiffy hence I just cooked the mince in its own juices without adding any water. I’d advise you to do the same.
4. The roti when rolled out is extremely thin and delicate hence please handle with great care.
5. I am fanatical in my love for cheese hence added it to the beaten egg; feel free to cook this with plain egg, without cheese, if you wish to save up on added calories.
6. I served this with thinly sliced onions, lime wedges and grated cheese. Again, to serve it with added cheese is your choice to make.
7. I always like to give recipes my own tweak, hence instead of opting for the thick dollop of yogurt or the curry-gravy that Murtabak is usually served with, i chose to serve it with a spicy tangy dip. 
8. I’m not very fond of tart food which is why I usually avoid squeezing lime over my food. The mince is beautifully spiced but just this once, take my advice and squeeze away. That additional squeeze of lime takes the Murtabak to a new high.
9. When I use cheese for cooking purposes, I prefer to use inexpensive cheese like Britannia and would advise you to do the same. It makes no sense to use expensive cheese when cooking unless the recipe specifically demands it. Save that Brie, Camembert and Gouda for your wine and crackers… and if you have cheese in your fridge but aren't a cheese lover, please courier it to me. ;-) :D 
10. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    

Mango Mania – A Twist of Taste

Mango Mania – A Twist of Taste

My friend, Dipta Maitra, drew my attention to this recipe made and posted by him at a food forum, at Facebook. He mentioned that he wasn't really sure whether he would consider this to be a salad or a dessert. When I finally re-created the recipe on my plate and had a bite of the mangoes and cashews, I decided l would definitely go with dessert. Please, don't take my word for it. Make it and decide for yourself, and when you do, please do let me know ;-) It is the season of delicious, luscious mangoes so be it a salad or a dessert, I'll take them any way I get them. Go ahead, give this recipe a try and enjoy the mango season while it lasts.

Ingredients:

2 mangoes

2 star anise

2 sticks cinnamon, each two inches long

4 heaped teaspoons powdered sugar

150 mils water

1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

12 cashew nuts

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 fresh red chili, deseeded and cut very fine 

2-3 leaves mint, finely chopped

A pinch of sea salt

Preparation:

1. Toast the white and the black sesame seeds on a griddle/tava. Keep aside.
2. Roast the cashews on a low flame without burning them. Keep aside.
3. Mix the EVOO and the apple cider vinegar with the mint and red chilies. Keep aside.
4. Add sugar, cinnamon and star anise to water and boil till the sugar attains a one string consistency. It will boil down to about 20 to 25 mils. (The consistency of the sugar syrup should be such that when you pour half a teaspoon of syrup on a plate it should not be runny.)
5. When the sugar attains the desired consistency, retain the syrup and discard the cinnamon and the star anise.
6. Cut a large thick slice from the large flat side of the mango, right through till your knife touches the seed. Repeat from the other side of the mango. Also, repeat the same for the second mango.
7. Cut the large slices with crisscross cuts. Press the skin upwards to open up the cuts and voila! You have a decorative slice of mango in your hand. (to learn the mango cutting procedure, click on Basic Decorating Mango Cutting )
   
   

Plating:

1. Dip the cashews in the sugar syrup and remove. Ensure that they are not dripping with too much syrup.
2. Place three cashews on each plate.
3. Pour some sugar syrup reduction over the cashews and sprinkle some toasted black and white sesame seeds over it.
4. Place the cut mango next to it and drizzle some EVOO-Apple Cider Vinegar mixture over it.
5. Sprinkle it with a tiny pinch of sea salt.
6. Pour a few drops of the sugar reduction here and there on the plate and scatter some sesame seeds too. Serve!
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. This quantity will make four individual servings.
2. Deseed the red chilies and preferably use a sharp kitchen scissor to cut the chilies really fine. It should be cut fine as it should occasionally give a spicy hit to the mouth. It shouldn't be allowed to cower nor should it overpower the sweetness of the mangoes. 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism. 
   
   

Kashmiri Gushtaba

Kashmiri Gushtaba

I read the Kashmiri Gushtaba recipe a few months ago and was petrified of trying it because there were various facets to making it. When I connected to Aman Kahlon on a food forum at Facebook, he knew I liked to cook non-vegetarian recipes hence asked me if I would like to make Gushtaba. Did I want to try it?? Oh no!! (kiddin’ - of course I wanted to try my hand at it) Did I try it?? Oh yessss!! :D I was petrified, I won't lie, of course i was. I'm only human, but, I’m bull-headed too. Challenging and complicated work does not deter me. In fact, I go all out to prove that it can be done. Competently!! Well, last Friday, Gushtaba was served for dinner. 

When I decided to take on the recipe, I had plenty of questions buzzing madly through my mind. Aman patiently answered all my queries. That was an added boost to my confidence level, therefore, Aman Kahlon, a BIG ‘thank you’ to you for all your help and patience. Truly, thank you!! :)

Ingredients for Gushtaba:

½ kilo boneless mutton - shoulder/front leg (fat removed), cut into 1'x2' cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
¾ tablespoon salt

Method: 

1. Pound the meat on a smooth stone with a wooden mallet. While pounding, keep removing any tough, white fiber that may appear.
   
   
2. Keep pounding until the meat changes color. When the meat is lighter in color, add the unsalted butter and the green cardamom powder.
   
   
3. Continue to pound the meat until it is very light in color and has a soft and paste-like texture.
4. Add salt and continue to pound until well mixed.
   
   
5. Make balls with the meat paste, and keep aside for use later. Please ensure that the meatballs are bound tight.
   
   

Cooked Yogurt:

Ingredients:

5 cups yogurt
1¼ cup water

Method:

1. Whisk the yogurt till smooth.
2. Add water and blend well.
3. Pour this mixture into a thick-bottomed pan and cook on high heat, stirring constantly till the mixture comes to a boil.
   
   
4. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, stir constantly until the mixture is reduced to nearly half its quantity. The cooked yogurt should change to a creamy off-white color.
   
   
5. This will yield 3 cups of cooked yogurt.

Garlic Water:

Ingredients:

1½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup water

Method:

1. Mix the minced garlic in quarter cup water.
2. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. Rub the garlic with your fingers in the water, then strain and collect the extract through a fine muslin cloth.
   
   
4. Retain the extract.
   
   

Ingredients for final cooking:

8-9 ghushtaba (meatballs)
3 cups cooked yogurt
1/3rd cup desi ghee/clarified butter
4 cups clear meat bone stock (+ 1 cup extra if needed)
7 green cardamoms
5 black cardamoms
6 cloves
3 teaspoons fennel/saunf powder
3 teaspoons dry ginger/soonth powder
¼ cup garlic water
1 medium onion, fried crisp and ground to a paste
Salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon dry mint
A pinch of saffron strands, steep in 25 mils hot water

Method:

1. Heat 2 cups of water and bring it to a rapid boil.
2. Add one Gushtaba and continue boiling to check if it will hold shape. After about 7-9 minutes, if the Gushtaba is intact, take the vessel off the hob. Remove the Gushtaba and it keep aside. Discard the boiled water.
3. In a large pan add the cooked yogurt, ghee and 4 cups of stock. Bring to a rapid boil.
4. Add all the Gushtaba, including the one you had tested in the boiling water.
5. Add cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves, fennel powder and dry ginger powder.
   
   
6. Cover the pan and continue to boil for 10-12 minutes.
7. Add the garlic water and boil for 10-12 minutes. Pour in some stock to maintain a soup-like consistency if the gravy begins to thicken.
8. Add the fried onion paste and salt to taste.
9. Cook till the Ghushtaba is white in colour and tender and bouncy to touch.
10. Add the saffron threads, saffron water, (retain four or five strands for garnish) and simmer for a minute.
11. Sprinkle dry mint leaves. Serve with plain steamed rice or Kashmiri naan.
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. Ideally, Gushtaba (meatballs) are about 100 grams each but I found those to be too huge hence I weigh them down to 60-70 grams each. If you wish to follow the 100 gram measure feel free to do so and the quantity mentioned will yield five Gushtabas instead of eight or nine.
2. I did not have a smooth stone hence used my flat ‘sil-batta’ stone and beat the mutton on that. 
3. The beating of the mutton takes approx. one and a half to two hours. Can you get the mince done by your butcher or mince the mutton in a mincer? I don't see why not. You have to be really crazy in the head to want to do it the authentic way, as I did. I never said I wasn't crazy. :D
4. I tried to procure a wooden mallet but I could not find one (in Pune) hence I made do with my regular metal mallet. 
5. After you pound the mutton to a paste-like texture, when you make individual Gushtaba (meat balls), dip your hands in ice water if the mince keeps sticking to your hands. 
6. Bind the meatballs real tight to ensure they don't split. If the Gushtaba that you are checking, splits in the boiling water, take each of the other Gushtabas in your hand and bind them tighter and smoother. (as shown in the picture)
7. When you are boiling the curd/yogurt, please stir it constantly or it is sure to split. What prevents the curd from splitting is the constant stirring, which ensures that the heat is distributed evenly at all times. 
8. You can dry the mint in the microwave. Nuke it for a series of 10 seconds, until it is dry. Then powder it with your fingers. I usually keep dry herbs like coriander, mint, fenugreek leaves, and parsley ready by leaving fresh herbs, washed and wrapped, in a kitchen paper towel on one of the door shelves of the fridge. Two to three weeks later they are bone dry and crisp.
9. When you steep the saffron strands in hot water, always keep the bowl covered to ensure the aroma remains intact.
10. The flavor of this gravy is tart, hence if you feel the need to balance the flavor, add in a teaspoon or two of sugar. I did! *I request the gourmet cooks and the gourmands to please stop scowling at me* :P 
11. If the gravy begins to thicken while the meatballs are cooking, just add in a wee bit of meat stock to balance the consistency. 
12. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    

Basic Decorative Mango Cutting

Basic Decorative Mango Cutting

Ever since i posted the Kesari Aam Ras with Puri recipe on the blog, many people have requested that I show them the technique of decoratively cutting mangoes as shown in the blog post. So, for all those of you who made that request, this one’s for you.

They say the best way to learn is not just by words but by doing, or then the next best, as is the case here, by seeing. I am therefore going to show you the process through pictures. 

You will need a sharp knife and a mango. 

Method: 

1. Do NOT peel the mango.
2. Cut a large thick slice from the flat side of the mango, right through till your knife touches the seed.
   
   
3. Carefully cut two lines (or three) vertically, through the flesh. The tip of the knife may touch the skin when you cut make the cuts, but it should not cut through into skin at all.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Now make cuts in three (or four) horizontal lines through the flesh in the same way.
   
   
5. Put down the knife.
6. Hold the mango slice in both your hands and gentle overturn the mango slice from the skin side. (I've especially placed the overturned mango on this plate to show you how it would look like from the back when you overturn the mango.)
   
   
7. The cuts will open up and you have a decoratively cut mango slice in your hands. QED!!
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. I have made picture collages to show the mango slice cut in two lines and in three. The ones cut in two lines will give you bigger pieces on the skin and the three line cuts will give you smaller ones. Go with whatever you fancy.
2. Follow the procedure as shown in the pictures and the next time you serve Aam Ras, cut the mangoes in this decorative way. Go on, impress your family and friends. ;-) 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.