Chorizo Pulao

I invariably bring back Chorizo packets on my return from Goa. They keep beautifully in the freezer. This time instead of making the regular chorizo gravy, I decided to make a pulao. I messaged the one person in Pune who I believe with all my heart to be a ‘food maestro’, Uday Potdar. I requested him to share a simple recipe. He immediately sent one over. I tweaked the recipe a teeny-weeny bit, but the base recipe credit definitely goes to Uday. 

Uday, heartfelt thanks for the help and knowledge you so gracefully and selflessly impart.

Ingredients:

400 grams Smoked Chorizo (Goan Sausages)

6 large onions, finely sliced

3 large potatoes, diced into 1-centimeter cubes

2 cups basmati rice, wash until the water runs clear

½ tablespoon oil

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the strings with the chorizos are tied.
   
   
   
2. Snip open the wrappers and remove the chorizo meat from within. Discard the wrappers. Keep the chorizo meat aside.
   
   
   
3. Put a large vessel on low heat. Add the oil and the sliced onions.
   
   
   
4. Cover and cook (low heat) to sweat the onions until soft. Give the onions a gentle mix intermittently.
   
   
   
5. Add the chorizos. Give the onions and chorizos a mix, cover and cook (low heat); allow the chorizos to soften and blend with the onions.
   
   
   
6. When the chorizos have softened and melded with the onions, add the cubed potatoes, cover and cook (low heat) for another 5 to 7 minutes.
7. Add the washed rice and 4.5 cups warm water and cook (high heat). 
8. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame and continue cooking. 
9. Check for seasoning (salt) and add as required.
10. Continue cooking the rice (low flame).
    
    
    

When the level of the water in the vessel reaches the level of rice, cover the vessel and continue cooking (low heat) until the rice, chorizo and potatoes are cooked. Serve piping hot.

Chef’s Notes:

1. I used smoked chorizos but in case you have a packet of regular chorizos, those will work just fine. 
2. I do not soak the basmati rice; I suggest you don’t either as the water quantity and cooking time process will go for a toss. 
3. While chorizos contain salt, you will require extra salt because of the added onions, potatoes and rice. 
4. With regard to Method-Point No 6, allow the chorizos, onions and potatoes to blend well. This will (usually), at the end stage of cooking, ensure that the chorizos, potatoes and rice get done at same time. 
5. In case, the water evaporates but the chorizo, or the rice, or the potatoes need a few extra minutes on the stove, add a wee bit of water (quarter to half cup) and continue cooking until done. When you add the extra water do not stir the rice roughly. Use a fork and give it a gentle mix. 
6. Do not keep stirring the rice with a spoon while it is cooking, be patient and allow it to cook in its own time. It’s always better to handle rice with a fork. 
7. If the rice turns a tad softer than what it should be like for a pulao, do not worry. Merely change the name of the dish from Chorizo Pulao and pass it off as Chorizo Khichdee. I promise, it will not alter the taste. 😉 
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.

Corned Beef Sandwich

There are days in summer when I simply do not want to enter the kitchen; not even to scramble an egg, but, when something as yum as Corned Beef beckons, how can I resist the lure. I was not planning to pen this recipe, but a friend, Jim, messaged at Instagram saying he’s never found a recipe simple yet yum enough and would like to give mine a try. If you try this simple recipe and it turns out well, remember, you have Jim to thank for getting me to publish this. 😁

Does this pic feel like a promo? That's coz it is, and it's because they so deserve the coverage for the utterly fabulous stuff they bake.

I’m more of a white bread person but just this once I decided to go with Artisan Whole Wheat bread and Multigrain bread from my favourite café, Le Flamington. It was a decision I did not regret at all. In fact, if the breads are from LeF, I’ll happily opt for the healthier option. *cheeky grin* Yes, they turned out to be ‘that’ good!

Ingredients:

12 slices bread ( I used 6 slices of whole wheat and 6 slices multigrain)

1 tin (425 grams) Corned Beef, sliced as thinly or thickly - as preferred

Garlic & Pesto Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced

Butter, as desired

Mayonnaise, as desired

4 onions, sliced

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1½ tablespoon Barbeque Sauce (optional)

2 tablespoons oil

Prep In Advance:

1. Add oil to a nonstick pan and heat for merely 15 to 20 seconds. Lower heat. 
2. Add the sliced onions, salt and pepper, give the onions a mix, cover the pan with a lid and allow the onions to sweat.
   
   
3. Intermittently, stir the onions, re-cover and continue cooking until the onions go limp and translucent.
   
   
4. Add the Barbeque Sauce and mix well; cover and cook for a minute more.
   
   
5. Take the onions off the heat and remove into a bowl. Keep aside until needed for the sandwiches.
   
   

Layering The Sandwiches: 

1. Apply a thin layer of mayonnaise to one slice of bread.
2. Arrange the slices of corned beef over the mayo’d slice.
3. Top with cheese slices and over the cheese slices arrange the prepped BBQ onions.
   
   
4. Cover with a second slice of plain bread (this one had no mayo). Keep the sandwich aside on a plate and repeat the 'sandwich-layering' process until all Corned Beef and 12 bread slices are used up.
   
   
5. When all the sandwiches are layered and ready, heat the grill. When it beeps to ‘ready mode’, apply butter to the outer sides of the bread (i.e: both slices) and place the sandwich on the grill. (Remember to repeat the buttering process with each sandwich)
6. Grill until done to desired colour - I prefer a deep golden hue.
   
   
7. Continue the 'buttering and grilling' process until all sandwiches are done.
   
   

Chef’s Notes:

1. This quantity made 6 sandwiches. 
2. Please note, the process of sweating onions is always done on very low flame. The intent is to sweat the onions until they go limp without allowing them to fry or turn colour; they thereby retain their sweetness. Having said that do note that the added black pepper will give the onions a warm hue, as will the BBQ sauce. 
3. If you do not have BBQ sauce merely salt and pepper will suffice. 
4. I used Delmonte mayo; it’s one mayo in the market that does not have a ‘sour-mayo’ flavour. (I hate ‘sour mayo’) 
5. Yes of course, you may use any bread but if you can lay your paws on a good whole wheat or multigrain, trust me, the results are fabulous. 
6. I used Monterey Jack cheese but feel free to go with any cheese that melts well. 
7. The amount of butter you apply on the outside of each slice of bread, before grilling, will determine how ‘golden’ your grilled sandwich turns out. While I urge you not to be stingy with the butter, don’t overdo it either or you’re going to spend an awful lot of time cleaning the grease off the grill at the end of the cook. 
8. I’m an owl, I sleep pretty late which is why I chomped on a cold sandwich in the middle of the night. If you’re a ‘middle of the night cold pizza eater’, then you simply must try this one cold. It was amazeballs! 🙈😁 
9. 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.
   
   

The Quintessential Parsi Mori Dar - Dhan Dar

I, at times, pen very basic recipes. At my blog Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner, they’re based under the heading ‘Back To The Basics’. While many of us have been cooking for eons, there are quite a many newbies to the culinary world, cautiously dipping their toes in culinary waters around them, trying to gauge how safe the water feels to their tingling toes. Isn’t it up to us, the ones who have been cooking for ever so long, to ensure their first culinary attempts turn into feats? The ‘Back To The Basics’ series is my small way of repaying my debt to those grand old ladies (my grand moms, my grand aunts and my aunts) who so patiently taught me the nitty-gritty basics when I, as a very curious teenager of thirteen, insisted on entering the kitchen. 

Dal (lentils) is staple food across many cultures in India. It’s no different for us Parsis. When and how the simple Mori Dar attained an esteemed status for us Bawas, I do not know. All I know is Mori Dar is always eaten for lunch on auspicious days. Be it a wedding lunch, an engagement day, birthdays or the afternoon navjote (thread ceremony) meal; this humble dar (dal) always graces the occasion. Sagan ni Mori Dar, is the term used. ‘Sagan’ in this context, is loosely translated as ‘good-luck’. Of course, a rich, scrumptious fish or prawn patio and many other non-vegetarian dishes always accompany the Mori Dar to ensure none of the Parsi’s experience ‘non-veg withdrawal symptoms. 😀 Serving no non-veg on auspicious-joyous occasions would be considered sacrilege as most Bawas are carnivores and cannot do without non-veg food.

While the cooking process for the dal remains the same in all Parsi homes, there are many variations to seasoning-tempering of the dal. Another constant in the making of this dal is the use of pure ghee (clarified butter). I shall write down the list of variations at the end of the recipe. For now, this is the recipe as made at home. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups toor dal (split pigeon peas)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons salt (adjust later if need be)

4¼ cups water

1 teaspoon (slightly heaped) cumin seeds

20-24 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into thin roundels (see photograph)

10 green chilies (long - light green variety), cut into 1-inch pieces

7 to 10 tablespoons clarified butter (pure ghee)

Method:

1. Soak toor dal in warm water for 45 minutes. 
2. Drain the water in which the dal is soaked and wash the dal 3 to 4 times or until the water runs clean and clear.
   
   
3. Put the dal in a pressure cooker; add turmeric powder, salt and water.
   
   
4. Pressure cook the dal for three whistles. Shut off the stove and allow the pressure in the cooker to release gradually by itself. 
5. Open the cooker when the pressure is released and run an electric hand mixer through it to smoothen the dal. (Alternately, a manual hand mixer would work just as well, - just more tedious, though). Empty the smoothened dal in a vessel.
   
   
6. In a wok-kadai, heat clarified butter. Add the cumin seeds, green chili pieces and chopped garlic.
   
   
7. Lower the flame and fry until the garlic turns golden and the green chilies lose their bright green colour and darken.
   
   
8. Press the green chilies gently into the sides of the wok so as to allow them to release their spiciness into the clarified butter.
   
   
9. When done, carefully pour the seasoning into the dal and give it a stir.
   
   
10. Put the dal back on the stove and simmer for a few minutes so as to allow the flavours to meld. (Alternately, you can serve the clarified butter tempering separately. It can be drizzled over each individual bowl of dal at meal time. The plus point of doing this: the garlic and cumin seeds retain their crispness). 
11. Check seasoning and add if needed and simmer for a few more minutes.
    
    

Accompaniments:

This Dal is usually served with:

• Plain White Rice or Jeera Rice (my choice is Jeera Rice) 
• Masala or Rawa Fried Fish/Prawns 
• Fish or Prawn Patio 
• Crisp fried fresh Bombay Ducks 
• Crisp fried Levti (Mudskipper – a fresh water variety of fish found on muddy shores - seasonal) 
• All kinds of pickles - We Bawas prefer Prawn or Dry Bombay Duck or Roe pickle (seasonal). 
• Coconut-Coriander-Mint-Green Chilies Chutney (mum loves this combo).
  

  

  Mori Dar served with soft Indrayani Jeera Rice, Tarapori Patio (Dry Bombay Duck Pickle) and Gharab nu Aachar (Fish Roe Pickle)

  

  Mori Dar served with Plain Basmati Rice, Gharab nu Aachar (Fish Roe Pickle) and Surmai Rava Fry

  

  While I will do all the fancy-schmancy stuff  to click pics of dal-rice in a bowl for the blog, this is how we usually eat it at home. Typical Bawa style (Call me snooty, but I need a fork and spoon to eat this 😝)

Variations with Clarified Butter: 

• Plain Clarified Butter (when I’m hard pressed for time)
• Cumin Seeds, Garlic, Green Chilies (omit or add as suited to what’s in your pantry or as suited to your mood and palate) 
• Instead of large green chili pieces you can also use finely chopped green chilies. If you decide to chop them finely please reduce the quantity of chilies. Many Parsi’s do not prefer that light hit of spiciness which is why they avoid using green chilies altogether. We use ‘em coz we love it! 
• Fried Crisp Onions (Brista) – Add it to the dal or serve it separately during the meal. 

Please note: 

• We never use curry leaves, mustard seeds or asafetida for tempering the Parsi dal. That would be sneaking over to the Maharashtrain style Varan Bhaat.
• We never use anything other than clarified butter or regular oil (kinda urghh) for the seasoning-tempering process.

Chef’s Notes:

1. The Sagan ni Mori Dar is also known as Dhan Dar. Dhan basically means rice (signifying prosperity and wealth in many cultures) and Dar of course means dal (lentils). 
2. It’s such a simple recipe, I cannot think of anything more that needs to be said. 
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.