Mushy-Minty Peas

Mushy-Minty Peas

The base recipe is courtesy a very sexy chef who wields a mean (mean: as in great) knife in the kitchen ~ Gordon Ramsey. I've adjusted the spice proportions to my liking and to suit the Indian palate. Actually, I have to shamelessly admit I'm so busy drooling over him that I always check out the recipes on the net after the show. This one goes beautifully with batter fried fish so I promise the next recipe on the blog will be batter fried fish. Now you don’t have an excuse to not make this. ;-)

Ingredients:

200 grams frozen peas

2 shallots, roughly chopped

2 red chili, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

15 -20 mint leaves, adjust the mint flavor to your liking

½ teaspoon finely crushed black pepper

Salt to taste

1½ tablespoon butter

Method:

1. Blanch peas in rapidly boiling hot water for 3 minutes. Drain. Retain the cooking liquid.
2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, red chili, garlic cloves and sauté till the shallot turn translucent.
3. Add the drained peas, mint leaves, sauté for a few seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss well for a minute.
4. Mash the peas with a masher or in a grinder using the pulse mode. Use the cooking liquid as required to attain desired mushy consistency. (The mushy peas should remain slightly coarse). Serve with batter fried fish.
   
   

Chef Notes: 

1. This recipe makes about one cup of mushy peas.
2. Feel free to use fresh peas instead of frozen ones if you so wish. Please increase the time for blanching by a minute or two if using fresh ones.
3. Adjust the proportion of chilies and mint to suit your taste.
4. I have not used any color to brighten the color of the peas. The trick is to not over-blanch the peas. Over-blanching darkens the peas and lends a murky grey-green color to the peas.
5. I used a grinder in pulse mode to mash the peas instead of a manual masher.
6. Mushy peas are always ground to thick consistency. When you pick it with a spoon and set it on a plate it has to be a semi-smooth blob.
7. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own.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.
   
   

Triple Cooked Chips

Triple Cooked Chips

I have, time and again, seen Heston cooking his signature dish ‘Triple Cooked Chips’ on his television shows. Every time I saw him cook it, I would tell myself, ‘Gosh! He sure goes through a lot of trouble for a dish as simple as chips.’ Little did I know what I was missing! You are going to need tons of patience to make these crisp, golden batons, but trust lazy ol’ me when I say, it was so worth the time and effort. I have amended the recipe a wee bit because not everyone has a food thermometer or a deep fryer at home, but if you follow the recipe I guarantee perfect chips. Also, as Heston says, and I quote, “Don’t be tempted to fry the chips only once, the key to a deliciously crispy and golden chip is in cooking them in three stages.” Go for it, guys!

Ingredients:

1 kilo Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into thick chips

Oil for deep frying

Salt, to season

Pepper, to season

Method: 

1. Place the chips in a colander and wash them under running water for 5 minutes to wash off all the starch.
2. Place 2 liters of water to boil in a large vessel. Add the cut chips and allow the water to simmer over medium heat till the chips are almost falling apart. (Please note, ‘almost falling apart’ is NOT to be construed as ‘allow them to break'.)
   
   
3. Carefully remove the chips and place them on a rack to dry out.
4. Place them in the freezer for a minimum of one hour to further remove moisture from the chips.
5. Heat oil, for deep frying, in a large wok/kadhai (or a deep pan). Ensure that the wok/deep pan is half filled with oil.
6. When the oil is hot (but, not smoking hot), remove the chips from the freezer and add them to the hot oil. Do NOT crowd the wok/deep pan because the chips may break. If need be fry the chips in batches.
7. Fry the chips till a light crust forms on them. When the crust forms, remove the chips from the oil and drain on a thick kitchen paper.
   
   
   
   
8. Put the potatoes on a rack and again place them in the freezer for a minimum of one hour.
9. After an hour, reheat the oil in the wok/deep pan. (This time the oil should be a tad hotter than what it was the first time.)
10. Add the chips to the hot oil and fry till they are crisp and golden. (Again, please remember NOT to crowd the wok/deep pan and fry the chips in batches if need be.)
11. Remove the golden chips on a kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper. (I'm not going to bother to write ‘Serve immediately’ because rest assured with the aroma emitting from the kitchen, the entire family will be going around you in circles, waiting for you to bring these golden babies to the table.) Enjoy!
    
    

Chef Notes: 

1. Maris Piper potatoes aren't available in India so I went with regular large sized potatoes and they worked just fine. I promise, unless you have Heston Blumenthal or Matt Preston coming for dinner, you need not fret.
2. In case you own a food thermometer, the first time the oil is heated to 130 degrees Centigrade. When you reheat oil the second time, bring it to 180 degrees Centigrade. I simply went by sight and instinct and that worked just fine.
3. Point number 2 of the recipe mentions the words, ‘almost falling apart’. Please note, ‘almost falling apart’ is NOT to be construed as ‘allow them to break’. That will be extremely disrespectful to these gorgeous babies. 
4. After frying the chips the first time, if you aren't planning to serve the chips immediately, you can leave them in the freezer for more than an hour and bring them out for the final frying process just before serving.
5. The base recipe belongs to Heston (the hottie) Blumenthal but the photographs at this blog-site and the tweaks mentioned are mine.
6. The approximate size of each chip was 1½ x 1½ x 6 centimeter. (Stop shaking your head as if to say, this is one crazy Bawi. :D )
7. 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.
   
   

Tartar Sauce

Tartar Sauce

Yes, this is yet another basic recipe for those of you who are newbie’s in the kitchen. Knowledge of basic recipes is quite essential which is why I intermittently post them. To people who cook regularly and are familiar with the basics, this is child’s play, but for people taking baby steps in the kitchen arena, such recipes can seem quite daunting. It is my agenda to address that fear by posting simple, basic recipes and assuring you they're extremely doable and easy. Once you have mastered the basics, cooking will feel like a walk in the park. This time I'm sharing the recipe for Tartar Sauce, a classic, that goes with lots of food but it goes best with crisp batter fried fish. Go on give the recipe a try and the next time you make batter fried fish serve it with a bowl of tartar sauce, made to perfection!

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise (get the recipe here)

4 teaspoons baby gherkins, finely chopped

4 teaspoons red onions, finely chopped

2 teaspoons capers drained, and finely chopped

½ teaspoon black pepper powder
2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped

Squeeze of lime juice, to taste

3 teaspoons cream, smoothened

Salt, to taste

 Method:

1. Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl except lime juice and cream.
2. Check for flavor balance and add lemon juice as required.
3. Add the smoothened cream, mix well.
4. Remove to a serving bowl and chill in the fridge for 6 hours before serving.
   
   

Chef Notes: 

1. If you don't have access to capers you can substitute them by adding chopped green olives.
2. If the capers you use are soaked in vinegar, lightly rinse them in water before use.
3. If you prefer to use a wee bit more onions, gherkins and capers, feel free to do that.
4. You may use the sauce immediately if you wish but the flavors of the added ingredients blend better when the sauce is allowed to rest in the fridge for a few hours.
5. I usually make mayonnaise with whole egg but if you have a tried and tested mayonnaise recipe or would prefer to make it only with egg yolks, feel free to go with the recipe preferred by you.
6. If red onions aren't available use regular onions available in the market.
7. This sauce keeps in the fridge for 3 days.
8. 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.