Vikas Khanna

Feasting with Master Chef Vikas Khanna

New York’s own rock star of an Indian chef, Vikas Khanna, is certainly going places. India, to be precise!

He is the new host and judge of Star Plus TV’s popular show MasterChef India Season 2 and is going to get a lot of eyeballs with the show which can be seen in India and the diaspora. The second season showcases different cooking styles and presentation of food, using Vikas Khanna’s food philosophy of fresh ingredients juxtaposed  in innovative ways.

A Look at the new MasterChef – Vikas Khanna

Vikas, who was voted New York’s hottest chef by Eater, is certainly on a roll. Junoon, the much-talked of restaurant where he creates the cuisine, received a Michelin Star recently. He’s also been featured on the cover of Manhattan Magazine as one of the Top chefs on New York City. And oh, yes, he’s also been awarded the 2011 New York Rising Star Chefs Award by Star Chefs:  “Every Rising Star has a quality that makes it clear to us that he or she is going to shape the future of the culinary industry. They are leaders in creativity, ambition, discipline, and, of course, cuisine. They don’t simply survive the rough and tumble New York restaurant scene—they thrive on it.”

For those who haven’t been able to get to Junoon for a Vikas Khanna feast, here are some unexpected and innovative snack recipes from his new book ‘Flavors First’ :

Flavors First by Vikas Khanna

Both recipes mix known and familiar ingredients with less-known ones, and sometimes it’s a marriage of unlikely ingredients which can be very successful! Mirch pakoras are a popular treat but here Vikas uses Jalapenos which are from the Mexican lexicon – interestingly Indian grocery stores are carrying Jalapenos in large quantities, which means they have the desi stamp of approval. In this recipe they are stuffed with cashews and coconut, which you don’t usually see in the traditional mirch pakoras.

In the other featured snack here, spinach pakoras or fritters are given a new twist by the addition of kela or plantains. Life is full of unexpected pleasures – and this may be one of them!

Jalapeños Stuffed with Cashews and Coconut

Jalapeños Stuffed with Cashews and Coconut

Kaju aur Nariyalwali Bhari Mirchi

Makes 24 peppers

Vegetable-Oil cooking spray

1 pound russet potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)

1/3 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 ½ teaspoon Salt

12 Jalapeño peppers (see note)

1/2 cup gram (chickpea) flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon carom seeds

¼ cup water

Vegetable oil for frying

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a baking sheet with oil and arrange the potatoes on top. Bake until a bit overcooked, about 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, peel and cut in half. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Place potatoes in a medium-mixing bowl.

Combine the potatoes, cashews, coconut, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut a short slit into each jalapeño pepper. Remove as many seeds as possible with a small spoon. Stuff the jalapeños with the potato mixture.

In a small bowl combine the flour, carom seeds, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and mix well. Slowly add water, about ¼ cup, to the flour mixture, whisking constantly, until the batter has a slightly thickened and very smooth consistency.

Line the baking sheet with paper towels. Heat a deep-fryer or a large saucepan filled with at least 2 inches of oil to about 350º F. Test the oil by putting a few drops of batter in the oil. The batter should begin to bubble and brown within 1 minute. Dip the jalapeños in the batter and carefully drop them into the hot oil, frying in batches of  6 to 8 at a time;  cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly.

Serve hot

Note: Wear latex gloves when removing the seeds or be careful not to touch the seeds with your bare fingers – the seeds can burn. Wash your hands well immediately after handling.

Plantain and Spinach Fritters

Plantain and Spinach Fritters

Kele-Palak ke Pakore

Serves 4

1 cup chickpea flour

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon Salt

1 medium egg

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground asafetida

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ cup water

2 yellow plantains, peeled and coarsely

grated (See Note)

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a

kitchen towel (See Note)

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, and salt. Add the egg, cayenne pepper, asafetida, turmeric, and water and whisk vigorously blending until smooth. Fold the grated plantains and spinach into the fritter batter and gently combine.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Heat a deep-fryer or a large saucepan filled with at least 2 inches of oil to about 350° F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a small piece of batter. The oil is ready if the batter bubbles immediately upon contact with oil and floats. Drop the fritter batter into the hot oil by the spoonful

( about 2 tablespoons each), 8 to 10 fritters at a time, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once to evenly brown. Remove the fritters from the oil, and drain on a lined sheet pan.

Serve warm

Notes: Be sure your plantains are yellow and haven’t started to turn black. As plantains ripen, they go from green (starchy) to yellow (sweet, like bananas) to black (mushy). Yellow plantains have the right taste and texture for this recipe.

Fresh spinach can also be used. Sauté 1 pound of fresh spinach, well washed, in

1 tablespoon olive oil until wilted. Let the spinach cool, squeeze dry and chop finely.

Related Articles:

Vikas Khanna’s Piri Piri Shrimp
Vikas Khanna- NY’s Hottest Chef
New York’s Hottest Chefs

Also check out this insightful piece about Vikas Khanna by Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn in The Huffington Post

Thanksgiving without the Gobble-Gobble

A Pardon for the Turkey at Thanksgiving

A no turkey Thanksgiving should make both vegetarians and the turkeys very happy! Actually vegetarians don’t have such a hard time at Thanksgiving even if turkey is the main course because there is such an abundance of vegetables and fruits served on this holiday.

Yet for those hankering for some Indian spice, we asked nutritionist Madhu Gadia for an Indian alternative to a big turkey dinner for Thanksgiving,  and she suggested an Indian menu which certainly brings in the spirit and flavor of a traditional Thanksgiving to the table.

While she does not have specific Thanksgiving recipes in her book, she suggests vegetarians and vegans can use the traditional holiday ingredients with an Indian twist: Soy Cutlets (Soy ki Tikki) can be served in place of turkey,  supplemented by Sweet and Sour Winter Squash (Kaddu), Coconut Green Beans (Sem-Nariyal), and Curried Potatoes (Sukhe Aloo)

As each successive wave of immigrants comes to America, they introduce their own well-loved foods to the Thanksgiving table and in the process create new traditions, new memories.

You could call it an Indian Vegan Thanksgiving. Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving continues to evolve - now Indians bring their own tastes

Turkey-less Tikkis

SOY KI TIKKI  (SOY CUTLETS)

Prep Time: 10 Minutes            Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Makes 6 servings. Serving Size – 2 patties.

Vegetable patties are great for snack or appetizer. Texturized vegetable protein blends well with the vegetables without changing the taste of the traditional cutlets. I like to make sandwiches with these leftover cultlets.

1/2 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP or soy granules)

1 cup water

3/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1 medium (4 ounces) potato, boiled

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 to 2 teaspoon green chili, finely chopped

1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 cup bread crumbs

canola oil for frying

1. In a small skilled boil 1 cup water. Add TVP, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, drain in a strainer. Let cool. Place cooled TVP in the center of kitchen towel and squeeze out excess water. Place in a medium bowl.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small fry pan over medium high heat. Add the scallions and fry for one minute. Add the grated carrots, ginger and green chilies. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Open lid and cool completely.
3. Peel and mash the boiled potato.  Set aside.
4. Add the carrot mixture, and mashed potato to the TVP. Add salt, black pepper, garam masala, cilantro and cornstarch. Mix well with hands. The mixture should come together as soft dough. Divide in to 12 portions.
5. Place breadcrumbs in a plate. Make 12 patties, 2-inch round or oval and 1-inch thick. Roll in breadcrumbs. Set aside.

1. Heat oil, about 3-inches deep, in a karhai/wok or skillet on high heat. Oil is ready when a little bit of dough dropped in the oil rises to the top right away (about 400ºF).

1. Add 4 to 6 patties at a time. Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown on one side, turn it over, fry the other side. Drain on paper towels.
2. Serve hot with your favorite chutney or ketchup.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 141; Total Fat: 6 (Saturated Fat: 0.5); Carbohydrate: 18; Protein 5; Fiber: 3; Sodium: 278

(Recipe from The Indian Vegan Kitchen (Perigee Books/Penguin Group) by Madhu Gadia, MS, RD)

Immigrants bring changing traditions to the Thanksgiving meal

Spicy Pumpkin

SWEET AND SOUR WINTER SQUASH (Kaddu)

“In my house this dish was made during festivals and served with puri or kachori (fried breads). Kaddu cooked in this style is my personal favorite vegetable. In India we always used the pumpkin to make this recipe, but a good cooking pumpkin is not always available here. So I find butternut squash is an excellent substitution. The fenugreek seeds give this recipe a unique flavor.” – Madhu Gadia

1 small butternut squash (2 pounds)[1]

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Peel and cut butternut squash in half. Scoop out and discard the inside seeds and threads. Cut into about 1-inch pieces. Rinse, drain and set aside.
2. In a frying pan heat oil on medium high heat. Add cumin and fenugreek seeds and cook for a few seconds until seeds are golden brown.
3. Add the chopped squash, turmeric, salt, coriander powder, cayenne pepper and water. Stir to mix. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15–18 minutes until the squash is soft to the touch. Stir occasionally.
4. Add lemon juice and sugar. Mash the squash with a potato masher or large spoon. Simmer for 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

Makes  4 servings (2 cups), Serving size: 1/2 cup

Nutrition Per Serving: Calories: 80, Carbohydrate:17 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 2 g (Sat Fat: 0), Chol: 0, Dietary fiber: 1.8 g, Sodium: 403 mg

(Recipe from New Indian Home Cooking (Penguin Putnam Inc.) by Madhu Gadia MS, RD)

Immigrants tweak the Thanksgiving meal to include their own tradition

Thanksgiving Side – Beans with Mustard Seeds

COCONUT GREEN BEANS

Prep Time: 10 Minutes            Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Makes 6 servings.  Serving size: 1/2 cup

Black mustard seeds and coconut add a nutty taste to these finely chopped green beans. Enjoy them as a side dish or salad. For best result use fresh green beans, although frozen can be used.

3 cups (1 pound) fresh green beans

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

2 to 3 dried red chilies

6 to 8 curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup frozen or fresh coconut, finely grated

1. Cut about 1/4 inch off of both ends of the green beans. Chop green beans into about 1/4 inch pieces. You can line several green beans together and chop them at the same time.
2. Heat oil in a nonstick fry pan on medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover with lid, and cook for a few seconds until the mustard seeds stop popping. Add red chilies and curry leaves, cook for a few seconds. Cover loosely with lid to contain the popping seeds.
3. Add the green beans, salt and water. Stir to mix. Cover with lid, reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the green beans are cooked.
4. Transfer to a serving container and add the grated coconut. Toss lightly.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 50; Total Fat: 4 (Saturated Fat: 1); Carbohydrate: 4; Protein 1; Fiber: 2; Sodium: 198

(Recipe from The Indian Vegan Kitchen (Perigee Books/Penguin Group) by Madhu Gadia, MS, RD)

Related Article: Here comes the Bride -er-Turkey
Related Article: Indian Cuisine Adds Spice to Thanksgiving

Hari Nayak

Chef Hari Nayak, author of ‘My Indian Kitchen’ shares three delicacies from his book – two of them can be complete meals in themselves – one for the non-vegetarians – Goan Shrimp Biryani (Coconut Shrimp Biryani)  The other is a rice dish much beloved by vegetarians – Black Eyed Peas and Rice or Lobiya Pullao.  And what better ending to a meal than to top this satisfying meal with Pista Aam Kulfi  (Pistachio Mango Ice Cream)? Delicious in either language!

Goan Shrimp Biryani from Hari Nayak's 'My Indian Kitchen'

Coconut Shrimp Biriyani

Goan Jhinga Biryani

Biriyanis are flavorful one-pot meals loved by all Indians. Created by layering rice and meat or vegetables, they are usually elaborate dishes full of enticing flavors, and a huge part of Indian festivities such as weddings and religious occasions, especially in Muslim communities. Since they are complete meals, they are considered a great traveling food, and are typically served for dinner on trains. Though seafood or fish is not typically used to make biriyanis, here I was inspired to create my own biriyani using shrimp—a sort of Indian paella. If you have the patience to peel shrimp, buy them with the shell on. The shells can be used to make a stock for cooking the rice, creating a richer flavor. I find this delicious and hearty rice dish satisfying eaten on its own or with either a simple green salad on the side or with raitas such as Cucumber and Yogurt Raita or Avocado and Roasted Cumin Raita
Prep time: 10 minutes plus 40 minutes for soaking rice
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 6
1 lb (500 g) fresh, medium-size shrimp (30 to 35), preferably with shells on, peeled, deveined and cleaned (reserve shells)
2 cups (420 g) basmati rice
2 tablespoons oil
Two 1-in (2.5-cm) cinnamon sticks
4 green cardamom pods
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 large onion (about ½ lb/250 g), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 small fresh green chili peppers, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
1 small tomato (about 3 oz/85 g), chopped
½ cup (125 ml) coconut milk, warmed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), for garnish

1. If using shrimp with the shells on, place the shrimp shells and 2 cups (500 ml) of cold water in small pot. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for about 40 minutes. Strain the stock and set aside.

2. Soak the rice for 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully pour out the soaking water and wash the rice in several changes of water, until the water runs clear. Leave it to drain in a fine-meshed strainer for about 15 minutes.

3. In a large nonstick saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods and black peppercorns, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Mix in the ginger, garlic, green chili peppers, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until the ginger and garlic is cooked, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomato and cook for another minute.

4. Add the shrimp and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and stir-fry over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until the shrimp change color. If using shrimp stock, reheat the stock.

5. Add the drained rice and sauté for 1 minute. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of the hot stock or hot water and warmed coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until all of the water has been absorbed and the rice is done, 10 to 15 minutes. Top it with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Lobhiya Pulao from Hari Nayak's 'My Indian Kitchen'

Black-Eyed Peas Rice

Lobhiya Pulao

This delicious rice dish is a very nutritious combination of protein and carbohydrates, making it a complete meal if served with a fresh green salad and any raita. This rice also makes a good partner for Madras Chicken or a vegetable dish, such as Cauliflower with Ginger and Cumin
Prep time: 20 minutes plus 5 hours for soaking beans and 40 minutes for rice
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
1 cup (150 g) black-eyed peas (lobhiya)
1¼ cups (260 g) basmati rice
3 tablespoons oil
2 onions (about ¾ lb/350 g), thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
One 1-in (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper
1 tomato (about 1/3 lb/150 g), chopped
1 teaspoon
4 cups (1 liter) water
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or oil
2 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
One 1-in (2.5-cm) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon Home-Style Garam Masala

1. Soak the beans in cold water for at least 5 hours or overnight.

2. Soak the rice for 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully pour out the soaking water and wash the rice in several changes of water, until the water runs clear. Leave it to drain in a fine-meshed strainer for about 15 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When hot, add the sliced onions and fry until brown and crisp, stirring frequently. Remove them with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible, and spread them out on a paper towel to drain. Set aside for garnish.

4. To the same pan that you fried the onions, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds over medium heat. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper and tomato and cook until the oil separates from the masala, about 1 minute. Add the drained beans, salt, and water and cook, covered, until the beans are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Set aside. Do not drain the water.

5. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the ghee or oil over medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stick and cook for a few seconds. Add the drained rice and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring gently so as not to break the rice grains.

6. Add the beans and their cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Add the Home-Style Garam Masala and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, until the water is evaporated and the rice is cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir once and garnish with the fried onions.

Pista Aam kulfi - Mango Pistachio Ice- cream

Pistachio Mango Ice Cream

Pista Aaam Ki Kulfi

Kulfi, literally “Indian ice cream,” can be made with any flavor of your choice, and is easier to make than American ice cream. In India, street vendors sell kulfi on a stick—like a Popsicle. Since good fresh mangoes are not available year-round, I recommend using the canned Alfonzo mango purée available in Indian grocery stores. The purée is refreshingly and tasty. Some purees are sweetened, so adjust the sugar according to your taste. I prefer to use rice flour as a thickening agent in this recipe because the resulting texture is creamier as compared to when cornstarch is used.
Prep time:  10 minutes plus 8 hours for cooling
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 8
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
6 cups (1.5 liters) whole milk
1 tablespoon white rice flour or corn starch
5 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground green cardamom seeds (from about 6 green cardamom pods)
1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened, canned mango pulp or purée (or puréed flesh of 2 ripe, preferably Alfonzo, mangos)
½ cup (55 g) pistachios, chopped

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine cream, milk and rice flour with a whisk until smooth. Bring it to a slow boil on medium low heat, stirring continuously to avoid scorching the milk. (Scorched milk adds an unpleasant taste and unattractive color to kulfi.) Once the milk has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Stir regularly, scraping the sides of the pot and not the bottom to avoid mixing any scorched bits into the milk.

2. Turn off the heat. Stir in the sugar and cardamom. The consistency should resemble that of whipped cream. Set aside and cool for 20 minutes. Stir in the mango pulp and pistachios.

3. Evenly pour the mixture into eight 4 to 6-ounce (250 to 350-ml) individual serving containers or ramekins. Cover each of them tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove the kulfi from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving. If you are serving the kulfi out of the molds, place each one under warm running water for 15 to 20 seconds. Hold the containers from underneath so that if the kulfi starts slip you can catch it. You might need to give the mould a firm tap on the top or sides if to release a stubborn one. Transfer the kulfi to individual dessert plates and serve.

Related Article:
With Hari Nayak in ‘My Indian kitchen’

All about good eats on the Foodiesphere!

Indian Food, Spices & Recipes in the Foodiesphere

Indian cooking fans! Welcome to Lassi with Lavina’s brand new blog which flies you to quite another universe – Foodiesphere! The Internet has unleashed thousands and thousands of  food blogs,  all dedicated to good eats and good cooks. Each has a different agenda and different strengths so we thought we’d scout out the best ones for our readers  and share some very special, personalized recipes with you. Each week a new blog  - and a new passionate food blogger! Meet Alka Keswani of Sindhi Rasoi

Alka shares some very authentic, typical home recipes for vegetarian Sindhi food which have been made by grandmas and mothers for decades.  Sindh is the lost homeland of hundreds of thousands of  Hindu Sindhis who had to flee as refugees in the Partition of 1947, and their food, culture and language are the anchors they hold on to.

Alka of Sindhi Rasoi with the littlest chef

“My father was just a few years old when the partition happened, so he has very faint memories of that era,” says Alka. “Hence all I can say is that it was a traumatic period for Hindu Sindhis, and though we all have moved on, the nostalgic memories of the past still remain in the hearts of our elders, especially my husband’s grandparents. And we know how painful the memories are…their misty eyes say it all when they talk about the sweet, simple life of Sindh.”

Most of the recipes Alka shares are from her mother who made sure that all her children learned to cook food the correct way, guiding them every step of the way.  The dishes we’ve selected are typical vegetarian Sindhi fare which you will not find in any other ethnic cuisine in India or in any restaurant. Do try out these recipes and visit Alka’s Sindhi Rasoi for very special dishes from appetizers to dessert. It will be like stepping into the kitchen of a Sindhi family and sharing an intimate meal.

For Alka, blogging has had an added bonus – it’s brought the family closer together. Her husband, Deepak, a technical architect, is savvy with computers and runs several websites dedicated to the Sindhi community on music, books, movie and even online Sindhi radio. She says, “It was Deepak who created the website for me, who taught me how to post and publish, how to click pictures…everything…everything I owe to my rock-solid supportive husband!”

Well, looks like the way to a man’s heart and technical wizardry is surely through his stomach!

On the Menu: Recipes For Mirchi Pakora Chaat, Seyal Bhee and Macaroni Phoolpatasha on pages 2, 3, 4.

7 Questions for Alka of Sindhi Rasoi

Mirchi Chaat - Recipe on Page 2

1. Why did you decide to start a food blog and how long has it been on?

Well to begin with, although I started cooking when I was still in school, managing a full fledged kitchen after marriage, cooking all the meals on my own was very intimidating. So while searching for fool-proof recipes online, one thing that bothered me was that there was no dedicated website to learn Sindhi cooking.

In the ocean of recipes on cuisines of the world, Sindhi recipes were nowhere in sight in the virtual world. That prompted me to come up with SindhiRasoi.com, a website dedicated to Sindhi Cuisine. It has been three and half years since then. After nearly 175 exclusively Sindhi  recipes published, food blogging still remains a passion for me.

2. What’s the special something about your food blog?

The fact that it’s the only food blog that features typical, traditional, authentic and homestyle Sindhi recipes does make it special, at least for those who now have a home away from home. Their craving for Sindhi food  can be satisfied by turning to my blog. I  share fairly simple recipes, with no exotic ingredient list, simple to follow cooking instructions, helpful tips, and the food pictures to give an idea about the texture and look of the final dish.

3. What are the kind of recipes you feature?

The blog strictly features Vegetarian recipes from Sindhi cuisine, ranging from simple snacks  like  Dal sandwich to popular ones like Ragda Pattise;  from the pride of Sindhi cuisine, the traditional Sindhi Kadhi, koki, Saibhaji, to the innovative Vegetarian fish (Made from Arbi). Be it authentic Aur Jo ras or Seyal bhee, or traditional sweet Varo and Khus khus jo seero, Sindhi Rasoi is the only website where you can find all Sindhi recipes at one place.

4. What have you gained from having this blog?

When I decided to start this blog, I never thought, even in my wildest dreams, that my passion will bring along so much of adulation, recognition and happiness!  In the past three years or so, I have made so many friends in the blogging community, and found so many well-wishers.

There are people who send me mails with blessings. I’ve come across so many newly-weds as well as bachelors who are away from their families and who vouch for Sindhi Rasoi.  Apart from petty financial gains through ads, the love, respect and appreciation from fellow Sindhis and the media recognition thrills me and my family.

Macaroni and Phoolpatasha - Page 3

5. Do you plan to take Sindhi Rasoi commercial?

Yes, in a way. Publishing a Sindhi cookbook is the next thing that’s on our minds.  So we are looking around for a good publishing house and working on the minute details to come up with perfect Sindhi recipes for the Cookbook. Keeping our fingers crossed!

6. Any fun anecdote about the blogging and cooking life?

Yes, many small incidents that bring a smile to our faces, such as  people asking where is our restaurant, and people assuming that I am a chef ! Then there are housewives seeking ‘admission’ to my ‘cooking classes’ which they assume I might be running.

People also call, hoping to ‘place orders’ for Sindhi Buffet/ lunch for their family get together or ceremonies. They even go to the extent of demanding that the food must look the way it is shown in pictures!  Also, I once received an e-mail from a person in Geneva who was hell bent on opening a Sindhi  restaurant there, in association with SindhiRasoi.

Seyal Bhee - Recipe page 4

7. What you do in ‘real’ life, away from the foodiesphere?

Honestly speaking, I am a not a go-getter type. I like it when life moves on without deadlines. My family is my top most priority and I hardly socialize in person. Like a typical mother, my life revolves around my child. My mornings kick start with packing tiffin for my son, and sending him off to school, and the day ends with putting him to sleep.

In between, amidst the mundane daily chores, I love to blog about the food, rant about anything and everything on Facebook, hop around other food blogs and connect online with hundreds of dear readers of my blog, replying their queries, gaining knowledge about their homestyle food, sharing tips, and clearing doubts.
I am neither a party person, nor a travel freak, so among the few fun things that we as a family do, the best  are cooking, baking and enjoying good food together. My son shows keen interest in baking, and happily joins me in the baking adventures. He can also bake a fairly decent chocolate cake, provided, I line up all the ingredients required!

Let me share some good old Sindhi Recipes here. I hope you all will like these.       (Recipes on Pages 2, 3 and 4)

Piri Piri Shrimp from Vikas Khanna, a favorite starter at Junoon

Piri  Piri Shrimp from Chef Vikas Khanna

A Quickie Dish to whip up this summer….

“This dish is one of the favorites on our appetizer list at Junoon. Its origins are in Goan cooking which evolved with considerable influence from the Portuguese who used Goa as a trading port for many years. People request this dish often for catering. If served as an appetizer it will serve four to six people. We pair it with avocado chaat masala and raita in the restaurant.”

- Vikas Khanna

Piri Piri Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound 16 – 20 count shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ t. black mustard seeds

½ medium red onion, finely chopped, about one cup

½ teaspoon red hot chile flakes, or more to taste

2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

¼ teaspoon ground clove

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

pinch of sugar

½ cup tomato purée

½ cup apple cider vinegar

3 – 4 fresh curry leaves cut into a chiffonade of fine strips

Make the sauce: Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to pan and when oil is hot fry mustard seeds stirring constantly until they begin to crackle, about one minute.

Add the onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently.

When onion is softened slightly add the garlic and the hot chile flakes and continue to cook, stirring frequently until garlic is cooked, about five minutes.

Add the cumin, turmeric, garam masala, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, salt and sugar to the pan along with the vinegar and tomato purée.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.  Let the piri piri sauce simmer, uncovered, for 15 – 20 minutes.

For a refined texture, remove pan from heat and let cool for fifteen minutes before processing in a blender until smooth.

Return sauce to heat and let simmer gently while cooking the shrimp.

Cook the Shrimp: heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat.

When oil is hot but not smoking, add the curry leaves and shrimp to the pan and sauté, stirring and shaking the pan for two to three minutes until the shrimp is no longer transparent.

Add the sauce to the shrimp, reduce the heat to low and let simmer until shrimp is cooked through, about three more minutes. Taste for salt and then serve immediately accompanied avocado, raita and fresh baked naan.

Vikas Khanna

(Vikas Khanna is one of New York’s most popular chefs and heads the restaurant Junoon in Manhattan)

Related Articles:
Cooking with Master Chef Vikas Khanna
Vikas Khanna- NY’s Hottest Chef
New York’s Hottest Chefs

Co Co Sala is a chocolate lounge and boutique in Washington DC

Co Co Sala’s Chocolate Saga

This is the tale of The Three Chocolatiers. Once upon a time there was a hotshot financial wiz, a smart biochemist who loved to bake, and a savvy chef who had sailed the high seas on the Q E 2, each going their own way.

A steamy passion for chocolate brought the three together to create Co Co Sala, a foodie kingdom dripping in high-end chocolate, coffee and cocktails. This attracted legions of chocoholics, made the fortunes of the Three Chocolatiers, and they all lived happily ever after.

Now isn’t that a sweet ending?

The story, however, is fact and not fiction. Co Co Sala is a hot and happening chocolate lounge, bar, restaurant, pastry shop and boutique on F Street in Washington DC, and three young Indian-American entrepreneurs are behind its big success – Bharet Malhotra, Nisha Sidhu  and Santosh Tiptur.

Co Co Sala chocolate restaurant and bar

Co Co Sala’s Chocolate Tale

Bharet, who is co-owner with Nisha Sidhu, started out in a world very far from gourmet chocolate, spending the first two years of his life at sea as his father was a captain on a merchant marine ship. The family lived in New Delhi and Nigeria, where his father started an oil trading business. Schooling brought Bharet and his sister to the US, and for a while he even had a brief career as a tennis player.

Why brief? “Well, let’s just say, the ATP Tour has some pretty darn good players and I lost a lot more than I won,” says Bharet. “Also, if I had told my family when I was 10 that I wanted to own a Chocolate Restaurant/Lounge & Boutique, they would have looked at me in a somewhat odd manner, right?  Ultimately I ended up getting a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical/Electrical Engineering and Economics from Duke University.”

Bharet Malhotra of Co Co Sala

Bharet was an investment banker with Salomon Smith Barney and later worked with WorldCom, which is now MCI, in mergers and acquisitions. He is currently a vice president of sales at Cvent, Inc in McLean Virginia, a software company. Yet at heart, he’s always been a diehard foodie, having eaten his way through 70 countries.

So when his longtime friend Nisha Sidhu came up with the idea of a chocolate haven in DC, it was a given that Bharet, an ace in marketing, would get involved. Nisha had found her way to chocolate in a roundabout way. She earned her Bachelor’s from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Master’s from Johns Hopkins University in Engineering & Applied Physics in Biomedicine, and became a bona fide biomedical engineer working for the Naval Medical Logistics Command.

At the same time, she continued to pursue her childhood passion for baking. She says, “Working with pastry and chocolate is chemistry and I love science so it was fascinating to me. I also love art and how aesthetic pastry can be.”

Nisha Sidhu of Co Co Sala

Nisha continued to pursue engineering until the birth of her children when she decided to enroll in the professional Pastry Arts Program at L’Academie de Cuisine. Graduating at the top of her class, she worked in 2941 Restaurant in Virginia as the chocolatier, creating elaborate pastry buffets, wedding cakes and sculptures. She then started her own company The Sugar Gallery by Nisha before collaborating with Bharet on Co Co Sala.

“I always wanted to open something but was smart enough to know that I needed a hook, something edgy and Nisha had the substance,” says Bharet. “She dreamed big and our team set out to put the thoughts to brick and mortar.” The idea was to have chocolate not only in the patisserie and boutique menus but also in the savory dishes.

And that brings us to the third angle of the Co Co Sala triangle – Chef Santosh Tiptur, who brought his culinary experience to concocting unusual brunches, dinners and lunches, with a touch of chocolate.

“While growing up, I always helped my mom as she cooked – that is where the inspiration started,” he says. “However my inner goal was to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force.  There was no way my parents were going to let me go to the Air Force, so I had to opt for something else.” And that something else turned out to be baking, which he had experienced in a family friend’s bakery.

Chef Santosh Tiptur of Co Co Sala

“I came to understand pasty is more an art than just cooking and that is where the love affair began,” he says. After earning a degree in Bakery and Confectionery Technology from the University of Agriculture Sciences in Bangalore, he went abroad to hone his skills at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

Since then, Santosh has worked as the executive pastry chef at the Ritz Carlton Hotel San Juan Spa and Casino, and also participated in new hotel openings for South Beach Ritz Carlton in Miami and Grand Cayman Island. He has consulted for the Ritz Carltons in the West Indies, and was on the Pastry Advisory board.

He then took all this experience to sea, cooking for several upscale shipping lines, including the Q E 2. “The people I met and places I traveled gave me the most important ingredient and a lifelong lesson – an open mind to different ideas, creations and being adventurous,” says Santosh who also cooked on the Food Network this year.

Co Co Sala serves food, drink and desserts revolving around chocolate

Co Co Sala’s Chocolate Nation

So at Co Co Sala, he serves global cuisine, juggling sweet and savory flavors. “I am able to leverage my pastry background and incorporate a variety of flavors that include chocolate and infuse them in many of the savory dishes,” he says. “When it comes to chocolates and desserts, I think of what is bold and what will evoke emotion – perhaps a spicy dessert or the recreation of American childhood favorites, like the Strawberry Cheesecake Lollipop with Pop rocks.”

Using no artificial flavors or preservatives, Nisha and Santosh strive to create offbeat flavor combinations while using the best quality chocolate. “It comes at a cost but the patrons can see and taste the difference,” he says. “I like to incorporate chocolate with most of the dishes – that’s a monumental challenge but one I love taking on. For example, who would mix chocolate and bacon? Well, I tried and it worked! We have apple wood smoked bacon enrobed with dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt — this is served as a garnish on top of bacon mac and cheese, one of our most popular dishes.

A popular dish, a lobster salad on a bed of crushed avocados, is served with passion fruit and chocolate vinaigrette. Yet another dish has four cheese fritters served with tomato, chocolate and chipotle pepper dip.  There’s also a dessert you won’t forget in a hurry – fiery Chipotle Chocolate Soufflé.

Co Co Sala, which opened in 2008, has received critical acclaim including ‘hottest bar scene of the year’ by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, and reviews from The Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine.

Besides dinner, chocoholics can also stop by the 200 square foot boutique to try chocolate bars and artisanal chocolates created by Santosh and Nisha, including the famous chocolate-enrobed bacon, cognac truffles and hot Co Co Pops.  The chocolate flavors include Banana Ginger and Mango Lassi, and on festive occasions there’s also Champagne-infused Chocolate Ganache or Om chocolate bars.

While the chocolate devotees come in every size and shape, Nisha says women are big on Co Co Sala. “It’s very fulfilling for me as a woman entrepreneur to know it’s a haven for women to indulge in their favorite food group – chocolate! The best part is the five course dessert tasting in the evening.”

Co Co Sala chocolate boutique is also restaurant, bar and lounge in Washington DC

Passion for bringing people together through chocolate keeps the three going. “Nothing is more exciting and rewarding than seeing the expressions, the emotions, the thoughts, the reviews, the chatter that people share with each other,” says Bharet.

“In most cases we are the source of laughter and getting relationships tighter and closer.  I think if there is any other reason you get into the business, you got into it for the wrong reasons.  If you make these things happen, the rest will fall in place.”  At Co Co Sala, sinfully rich chocolate becomes not a vice but a virtue, a heavenly treat.

© Lavina Melwani

(This first appeared in Hi Blitz)

Co Co Sala chocolates

Chocolate Related Articles:

Chocolate Sutra
Camelot or Camelicious
Wisdom from the Chocolate Gurus
Diwali Truffles
Chocolate Orgy

Green Mango sandwiches

Indian Cooking with Leftovers: Green Mango Sandwiches

In a bad economy such as here and now, it helps to have always been creative with very little.
Every day at lunch break at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Delhi, India, hordes of ink-stained white-uniformed schoolgirls would surround me, salivating for a taste of my home-made lunch: aam ke achaar ke sandwiches.

What, you’ve never heard of green mango pickle sandwiches? Well, then you didn’t know my mother who was the queen of improvised meals. No cheese or tomatoes in the house – then how about raiding the tall earthen jar of homemade mango pickle marinated in mustard oil, redolent with anise and spice? The hard core of the mango pickle was discarded and the plump slices were placed on buttered bread, and turned into succulent sandwiches which left you weeping with spice-induced joy. Not something you’d find in your neighborhood deli!

I had never eaten this gourmet concoction before nor have I eaten it since – it was a creation of my mother who was both frugal and innovative in wasting nothing and conjuring up meals out of unlikely ingredients.

Sindhi Spinach Tikkis

Leftover cooked white rice was turned into nasi goring – Indonesian fried rice (mom had a sister in Djakarta who had taught her this) or crunchy rice croquettes. Left over Sindhi spinach (cooked with veggies and chana dal) was transformed into pan-fried flat cakes with the addition of a magical binding agent like besan or chickpea flour. A leftover chapatti would be heated, then torn up and mixed with sugar to become Kutti – a sweet treat for a crabby, tearful child.

Any leftover cooked vegetables like cauliflower or peas and potato curry were always pushed into new and unlikely roles. Aloo tikis or potato croquettes would have interesting mixtures of reserved dal or veggies; sometimes these were pan-fried, and sometimes dipped in egg and breadcrumbs to be transformed into crispy vegetable cutlets.

Another reborn treat was sayal mani, a Sindhi delicacy, which was always concocted out of leftover chapattis. Dipped and cooked in a rich mint and coriander sauce or in a tomato sauce fired with garlic and black mustard seeds, it was like getting a star crowd pleaser out of nothing. Who would have thought a day-old chapatti could be a treat?

But the one snack we loved the most was ‘jaffals’ or toasted sandwiches cooked in a jaffal maker over an open fire – the result was a crisp golden grilled sandwich which when cut into 2 triangles revealed the spicy filling of minced keema or the paneer-peas sabzi left over from last night’s dinner.

Indian Leftovers Cake

My mother’s showpiece, however, was made out of things which by themselves would have been regarded as quite boring and blah: leftover dal, a few spoonfuls of chutney, leftover vegetables and some mashed potatoes. Each was smeared on a slice of bread and the slices were carefully tied together with thread – the makeshift cake was covered with spiced mashed potato and then deep fried. When cut into slices, the golden cake had many colors and flavors and tasted great with ketchup.

I guess I inherited my mother’s frugal way of saving the earth (and moolah!) long before it became fashionable and even now take pleasure in fashioning cutlets, pullaos and sandwiches out of whatever I have left over from the last meal.

Whether it was due to her Hindu belief in ‘andata’, her experiences surviving the hardships of the Partition or just her frugal nature, food as a sustainer of life always received a lot of respect from my mother. Before we ate, she always said a silent prayer and took out a portion for the birds and the cows; and of course, the leftovers from a meal were never discarded. The next day they were always reincarnated and reborn as a fabulous new meal!

Vikas Khanna of Junoon Restaurant has been chosen as New York's hottest chef by Eater

Vikas Khanna is New York’s Hottest Chef

Ah, foodies! When we’re not eating or cooking or fantasizing about food, we’re shopping for eats, obscure and exotic spices,  and the latest cooking contraptions. And when we are not doing all of that, we’re watching cooking shows on The Food Network or salivating over cooking blogs on the Internet.  And forget about casting our votes for the president, we can now actually have a say in who becomes America’s hottest chef! Now that’s powerful – and universe changing!

Eater, the popular foodie website, has anointed Vikas Khanna of Junoon the Hottest Chef in New York, based on voting by its readers. That’s really a delicious choice because Vikas is a creative chef with some wonderful dishes to his credit.

Now he’s in the battle for Hottest Chef in America against contenders from other states. According to Eater, after weeks of voting on the seven Eater city sites, they’ve officially crowned the hottest chef in their respective cities. The winners:

· Chicago: Merlin Verrier, exec chef of Graham Elliot
· Los Angeles: Jen Green, chef of the NomNom Truck
· Austin: Taff Mayberry, pastry chef at Olivia
· Miami: Ana Quincoces, cookbook author
· New York: Vikas Khanna, executive chef at Junoon
· San Francisco: David Bazirgan, executive chef at Fifth Floor
· Portland: Wes Hannah, chef at Blossoming Lotus

Writes Eater about Vikas: “The polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and New York has its newest hottest chef: Junoon’s Vikas Khanna. This dark, handsome, tall drink of water beat out runner up Paul Corsentino of The National and 28 other chefs for the title. He’ll now go on to face the other chef hotties from San Francisco, LA, Portland, Miami, Austin and Chicago for the title of Hottest Chef in the Country. We can’t lose this one, New York. Imagine the shame of losing to Austin. Voting will commence on Eater National today.”

So Vikas-obsessed foodies, this is a call to arms! Get to your computers and flex your tip-tapping  fingers and show your keyboard prowess. For all of Vikas’ fans and fans of the hot new restaurant Junoon, there’s a chance to make him the Hottest Chef in America by voting at the link below till Friday morning. Now how hot is that?

This will probably be the first time an Indian chef is getting this degree of hotness so Vikas-o-philes and Indophiles can make this happen by clicking on the link below – and possibly make Vikas the hottest chef in America!  Jai Ho Indian food!

(In a few weeks we’ll share a more detailed interview with Vikas Khanna and a tour of Junoon.)

http://eater.com/archives/2011/02/16/vote-in-eaters-hottest-chef-in-america-2011-competition.php

Update: Who’s America’s Hottest chef?

The Official Results

1. San Francisco: David Bazirgan
2. Miami: Ana Quincoces
3. New York: Vikas Khanna
4. Los Angeles: Jen Green
5. Chicago: Merlin Verrier
6. Portland: Wes Hannah
7. Austin: Taff Mayberry

Junoon, the hot new Indian restaurant in New York where Vikas Khanna is executive chef

Kolkata in India offers many street foods and regional Bengali cuisine. Illustration: Dipanjan Bose

Bengali-Americans and Kolkata’s Food Delights

For those who’ve lived in and loved Calcutta – or Kolkata as it’s now known – feasting is an important part of life. Here four Bengali-Americans share their best memories of the city’s innumerable, incomparable eats: Partha Banerjee, NY activist, talks of his favorite haunts in his favorite city; Mukti Banerjee, home cook, shares some delicious Bengali food through her meetup group in Brooklyn; Kriti Mukherjee, foodie and consultant reflects on the importance of food in a Bengali’s life,  and businesswoman  Priyashmita Guha shares a tale about eating street foods with her father in Maddox Square.

Kolkata Street Foods:

Street food in Kolkata, India Photo: Partha Banerjee

Partha Banerjee, NY activist and writer: On the Street foods of Calcutta which he and his wife Mukti relished during college days when the appetites were big and the budget was little.

Best treats for the locals: Aloo-Kabli (potato with chickpea mixed with various salts and tamarind paste); puri kachori; samosa; Phuchka (pani puri) on a hot summer day; Pakora (fritters) made of eggplant, onions, cauliflower, etc. with besan (chana powder) and hot chutney; Papad on a rainy evening, like the Rath Yatra evening; Mutton roll from small dhabas , Mughlai Paratha at Esplanade’s Anadi Cabin
And then there are so many small, roadside restaurants that we often visited — like Lahore Restaurant for roti and chicken curry, or maybe, occasionally, Madras Dosa. On sizzling summer days, kulfi with rice noodles and rose syrup at Rally Singh in Esplanade next to the Metro Cinema.
Rally Singh is still there, and so is Anadi Cabin. Lahore Restaurant on S. N. Banerjee Road next to Elite Cinema is gone.

'Phucka' is a popular street food in Kolkata. (Partha Banerjee)

Best treats for the tourists: They must try the fish dishes and Bengali sweets – these are the two things Bengali cuisine is perhaps the most famous for. Nowadays, the small places in Kolkata are not doing very well. Instead, there are many new fancy places, such as 36 Ballygunge Place, for a Bengali full-course dinner, Oh Calcutta, Bhaja Hari Manna. The first one in my opinion is perhaps the best of all, for the quality of food and the environment.

Calcutta Memories:

Once, during our university days, Mukti and I decided to eat Mughlai Paratha at the dingy but always-crowded Anadi Cabin. By the time we finished, we realized we had no money to pay for it. Yes, that’s how those days were for us: penniless, no jobs, yet a lot of dreams and fun. Anyway, Mukti was nervous  – you can also call it sanity and common sense, but I wouldn’t be so easily put down. I remembered I knew somebody who worked at the USIS library at the American Center right across from the restaurant. She was luckily there and saved us from who knows what…

Priyashmita Guha , Businesswoman, Calcutta native now in Bangalore. She blogs at worldasisee.wordpress.com

Best Treats: Muitha, Ilish macher paturi, Chingi macher malaikari, Tel koi, Doi mach

Best restaurants : 6 Ballygunge Place, O Calcutta, Bhojohori Manna

Street foods at Maddox Square with Priyashmita Guha

Calcutta Food Memory:

The one thing I remember about street food was the food available during Durga Puja…we were brought up in Maddox square which is like the ‘in place’ for Durga Puja celebration and Durga Puja is not complete without the various street food available at each of these puja pandals…..

My memories are mostly with my dad – he used to believe that street food is not worthy of its name unless it guarantees you falling sick! so as a kid I remember going with him to each of the stalls in Maddox Square – during those days Maddox Square Pujas we all knew each other including even the street food vendors -  and our question to them was, “So what spoilt food have you made today and what illness will I have post eating this?”

Of course those vendors would state that their food was the freshest and would never make us fall sick…but if that was the answer they gave, my dad would refuse to buy the food. So to get their buyer those poor vendors would guarantee my dad that the food was bad and stale and we would have at least a stomach upset if not jaundice…and only then would we eat that food !

Kriti Mukherjee, foodie and independent consultant, New York, blogs at kriti-howaboutthis.blogspot.com

She writes about the power of food in families in Bengal, how it brings them together and also causes some colorful arguments…

The Ritual of Bengali Food (with a pinch of salt)

By Kriti Mukherjee

“But why do I have to eat in stages?” I asked. Everybody looked at me with the kind of disbelief that is created at the slip of a profanity, in the presence of elders. No one spoke for the rest of the meal. Later each member of my family took turns in trying to put sense into me. What my grand mom said amounted to aping the apes, literally. She maintained, “In the pre-historic ages our primate-ancestors, with their innate but intimate feeling of the vegetation around them, always ate in stages. First the bitter berries, then the leaves and fruits and finally the sweet berries. How can you question their wisdom?” My mother asked me how else is one supposed to taste the different preparations? “I mean”, she said, “I might as well then just put everything together while making it, if you don’t want the taste of each individual dish. ” Someone else said it helped the digestion process. But the reasoning centering the tradition appealed to me the most. It not only just came down the ages and established itself as an unquestioned rule but has also survived the vagaries of evolution. No wonder then that a traditional Bengali menu starts with ‘Sukto’ (bitter) followed by ‘Shagvaja’ (fried leaves) and culminates in sweets. The space between bitter and sweets has been filled by Bengal’s own evolution, and the contribution left by invading Turk, Afghan, Mughal and British rulers. This was when I was pregnant, we have a ceremony called "Shaad" during the 8th - 9th month of pregnancy. The pregnant woman is given her favorite things to eat on that day. That's my mom directing how I should go about the stages of finishing the food . Like this unwritten rule, there are hundreds more. It could have been the history, tradition, habit, influence or anything really that gives you the feeling of the on flow of time. Food is the primary factor around which every Bengali’s life revolves. Ma likes to discuss the menu of the next course while she is serving the present meal! My father in law wants to know what he should get from the market the next day even while he is putting his bags down from his present trip to the market! Food is in fact one of the most engrossing topics of serious discussions in which, politics, literature, oil prices, current affairs is also dealt with. One can never let that go. Calcutta a land of lawyers, doctors, poets, artists, engineers and scholars is also the haven of the food lover. The demands of the palate have given birth to a myriad of dishes at every nook and corner of every street. We find an excuse, of the use of food even over and above just consuming it. I have found myself at a loss more than once, when I have had to explain the fish adorned with ‘sindoor’ and nose ring at Bengali marriages. Because it’s pure, is all I could say, more to plunge into an escape route before the next inevitable question popped up. My father put my agony to rest one day, while casually discussing the history of different recipes. All along the stages of evolution, Bengalis had an abundance of land and water along with matching weather conditions perfectly conducive to growing rice in plentiful. So rice and fish naturally became a source of sustenance. This eventually proved so profitable that growing wheat for many became an agrarian responsibility much below their dignity! Hence even at present and for many years to come fish will remain the symbol of prosperity, sustainability and health. The presence of fish will mean a full life and Bengalis will believe this forever. There are other confusing habits of course, which one can ponder about at length! My brother in law, a Bengali to the bone, will cancel his appointment for the day if he hears the mention of a banana on his way out. My mother will never fail to make “payesh” on my birthday. My Bengali friend will end all his meal with “mishti doi’. And all of them will mark fish as the most important part of their meal. Bengali Must-Haves – Fish and Rice The entire world knows that Bengalis and fish go together. But it is amazing how Bengali fish and spices can go together. Bengalis cook fish with poppy seeds or mustard seeds or just mustard oil and ‘kala jeera’, with ginger, onions and tomatoes or spices one may never imagine. My favorite is the fish steamed with mustard seeds (‘Bhapa Maach’). That with rice gives me the satisfaction that I never feel with any other combination. It takes just about 15 minutes of swirling in the microwave. The ingredients that go in this dish of relish for zillions of Bengalis is below: Bhapa Maach 1. ½ pound Hilsa /Prawn/Cat Fish 2. 2 ½ table spoons of Mustard seeds 3. 8 (take in as much as you can take)Green Chillies 4. 2 table spoons of Yogurt 5. 2 table spoons of Mustard Oil 6. Salt to taste 7. 1 tea spoon of Turmeric powder Procedure: 1. Marinate the fish with ½ teaspoon turmeric and salt for 5-10 minutes 2. Grind mustard seeds and green chillies together to a fine paste 3. Mix thoroughly yogurt, salt, mustard oil and turmeric powder to the paste 4. Gently add the mix to the fish 5. Slit green chillies length wise and sprinkle it on top 6. Microwave the concoction for 10-12 minutes. 7. Serve hot with rice

Kolkata in Brooklyn with Mukti Banerjee

O Calcutta may be very far from America but the good news is you can get your Bengali food fix right here!  Actually you don’t have to even go to Kolkatta – you can get some Bengali treats in Brooklyn from Mukti Bannerjee’s catering service, along with many other Indian dishes.

Hankering for delicious tadka dal, egg curry and alu paratha? Take a walk to Mukti’s Kitchen in Brooklyn, and even learn how to cook the dishes in a meetup with other foodies.  Mukti Banerjee is a home cook who for years cooked for family and friends and finally decided to share her treats with the larger world.

There’s a regular meetup (http://www.meetup.com/MuktisKitchen/) where you can connect with like-minded folk, listen to Indian music, learn some authentic recipes and actually taste them over a glass of wine.

In these cooking classes you don’t just watch and take notes – you actually get to cook in an interactive atmosphere. “Mukti shared with us her passion for creating delectable gourmet Indian dishes from scratch and was very methodical about explaining each step of the process,” says JingLin Huang, one of the attendees. “And if you’re too busy to cook, you can also order takeout or cater for parties. The group has both Indian and non-Indian members, united by a common hunger for Indian food.

Q and A with Mukti Banerjee of Mukti’s Kitchen

Q: How did you learn cooking – from mother and grandma, or by trial and error in NY?
I  refined my Indian cooking mostly by trial and error in USA. However, my aunts from father’s side were really great cook. It runs in the family.

2. Which is your family’s favorite dish?

Small-fish curry, lentils and friend cauliflower over white rice would be one example. We all love it.

3. In Mukti’s Kitchen what are the dishes you teach your students?
I’ve taught dozens of North Indian dishes to my students: vegetarian, non-vegetarian, meat, fish, eggs…then you have roti, paratha, puri, biryani, fried rice…and appetizers such as samosa and pakora, and finally different varieties of Indian desserts. I’ve taught them how to make South Indian Dosa too.

4. What would be the authentic Bengali meal that you would make?

A typical, simple meal would be white rice, saag (greens such as spinach), lentils, a vegetable dish such as cauliflower, eggplant or okra preparation, and fish. A fancy meal on special occasions would add a meat curry, cutlets or rolls made of chicken or tuna fish, chutney and dessert such as the famous Bengali Rasa Golla or Sandesh. On birthdays, it would be Payesh (custard).

5. What dish do you miss the most, living in New York?

Perhaps an authentic Mughlai Paratha from the famous little Anadi Cabin or Rally Singh’s rice noodle kulfi would be great to have.

6.  If people want to cater, how much earlier do they have to place their order?

Normally, a couple of days’ advanced request is great. If it’s a really big order, I need a week perhaps.

Some virtual meals from Mukti’s Kitchen…

Koi Fish with Cauliflower and Potato

Koi Fish with Cauliflower and Potato

(Koi is a smaller but [perhaps] tastier Indian Tilapia)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 block Koi Fish (get it in Bangladeshi stores: comes in block)
1 whole cauliflower
1 large potato
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium red onions
1-inch fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1-teaspoon cumin powder
1/2-teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon three-spice mix (cumin, coriander and clove in equal quantity)
¼ teaspoon five-spice mix called “Panch Phoron” (cumin, coriander, black cumin, mustard, fenugreek in equal quantity)
1 Bay leaf
Handful of coriander leaves
½ tablespoon of tomato paste
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
Three green chilies (optional)
½ cup water

Directions:

1.    Thaw the fish overnight, drain the water, add one table spoon of salt and rub the fish; then wash it thoroughly to get rid of any fishy smell, add some salt and turmeric powder.
2.    In a big wok heat the oil, let it warm until you see some fumes, fry your fish, add 3-4 at a time and fry them until they are brownish on both sides. Keep them aside.
3.    In that same oil fry the cauliflower (in small florets) and potato (small cubes). Keep them aside.
4.     You have some oil left; in it add three spices, let the aroma come, add onions (chopped), let them fry until brownish
5.    In a blender add the onion, ginger, garlic tomato paste; coriander leaves (also called cilantro) with little water; blend them thoroughly.
6.    In that wok add little oil, add the bay leaf, add ¼ teaspoon of the five-spice mix, let the aroma come, add the blended masala in your oil, add cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Let it cook until your masala and oil separate.
7.    Add 1/2 cup water and add your fish, cauliflower and potato, and green chilies
8.    Let it cook for 5-6 minutes.
9.    Add salt and little sugar to taste.

Enjoy with white rice

Samosas - Indian street food and home treat

North Indian Samosa

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup all purpose flour
2 cups of vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon of three-spice mix (cumin, coriander and clove in equal quantity)
½ teaspoon of cumin powder
½ teaspoon of coriander powder
¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
Pinch of asafoetida
¼ cup of peas

Directions:

1.    Boil three whole potatoes in a pressure cooker with little salt and baking powder (it helps to boil faster); keep them aside.
2.    In a clean frying pan add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, let it warm, add pinch of asafoetida and ¼ teaspoon of three spice mix, let the aroma come.
3.    Add your boiled potato with their skin on and mash them.
4.  Add ½ teaspoon of cumin powder,½ teaspoon of coriander, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder add salt to taste, ¼ cup of peas
5.  Fry for 5-6 min and mix them together (this is your stuffing, you can make different stuffing as for example, cauliflower and potato
or with chicken etc) let it cool.
6. In a bowl take the all purpose flour, add 1 teaspoon of roasted cumin, coriander and clove mix, add pinch of baking powder and two  tablespoon of vegetable oil, make a dough by adding warm water slowly.
7. Roll your dough a big circle and cut in half, take half in your hand and make a cone shape, stuff your potato stuffing inside and seal the edges with water and flour (make a mixture which should look like a glue); make sure they are all sealed well before you put them in heated oil.
8. Deep fry them in moderate heat; it should look brown on the outside.

Drain extra oil on putting them on a paper towel.

Enjoy with mint coriander and tamarind chutney

(Illustration: Dipanjan Bose)

A Bengali food related short story: Ahididi’s Friends