Hello Uncle Sam(osa)

One of the most popular desi snacks that I’m sure every Indian must have eaten at some time or the other is the ubiquitous samosa. From lending its name to a tie knot to satiating hunger pangs in a quick bite, this yummy delicacy is a study in versatility. I say this because there is no end to the fillings you can experiment with. The classic versions include peas and potatoes in the vegetarian option and a spicy minced meat concoction in the non-vegetarian one. Here is a detailed description of this delightful treat.

My friend K had been to Goa recently cos’ she’s getting a Portuguese citizenship on account of her ancestry. Lucky her, now she can travel to Europe on a whim without going through the pain of applying for a visa! But, I digress. While there, she got back for A and me, a bunch of mushroom samosas from Café Central in Panjim. They were absolutely divine and inspired me to try my own version of the same. Given A’s undying love for cheese, I divided the filling in half and made a mushroom-cheese adaptation as well.

Mushroom Samosas

(makes 15 pieces)

Ingredients

Mushrooms – 1 pkt (about 200 gms)

Onion – 2 nos

Ginger Garlic paste – 2 heaped tsp

Green chillies – 2 or 3 nos

Turmeric pd – ½ tsp

Red chilli pd – 1 tsp

Coriander Cumin pd – 2 tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – a handful

Samosa covering strips – 15 nos

Method

1. Wash and clean the mushrooms well. Mince into tiny itty-bitty pieces
2. Chop onions and green chillies very finely.
3. Heat oil and sprinkle asafetida
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Stir around a bit
5. Mix in chopped onions and continue to cook till soft
6. Add dry masala powders and salt. Mix well
7. Finally add in mushrooms and salt
8. Cover and cook on low fire till mushrooms are done
9. Sprinkle coriander leaves and keep aside to cool
10. Take a strip of the samosa covering.
11. Fold in a triangle and fill in some of the stuffing.
12. Seal edges with water.
13. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the samosas till golden and crisp
14. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.

I served these at a little do we had with friends over the weekend. They were absolutely melt-in-the-mouth and were walloped within seconds.

The samosas can be prepared in advance and stored in the freezer. You need to thaw them by keeping them out at room temperature for about 4 hours.

The samosa covering strips are easily available at most grocery stores.

Merrylicious Christmas!

The weekend was a blessed one. What is it about the year end, more than any other time, that makes one aware of one’s blessings? Well, whatever the reason I am taking this opportunity to give thanks to the powers that be for the innumerable blessings that have been showered on me over the years.

Thank you for giving me

· A husband who is a true soulmate
· Parents who have always tolerated, loved, accepted, supported, guided and done everything without judgment or condemnation
· A sister and brother-in-law who are my personal Rocks of Gibraltar
· An adorable niece who has brought a burst of sunshine into my life
· Friends who are always there to laugh and cry with me & for whom I would do anything (P, K, P, D and D you know that!!)
· In-laws who are accepting, undemanding and kind
· A job that is fulfilling and rewarding
· Health of body and mind, with occasional bouts of stress to keep me on my toes
· Time to enjoy creative pursuits
· Resources to travel and experience new lands
· Freedom to practice my religion and speak my mind
· The luxury of not having to worry where my next meal is coming from
· Knees that can bend and a head that can bow in gratitude

I hope all of you had a blessed and wonderful Christmas. Every time, I step into my home after a tiring day at work, my spirits get instantly uplifted by the sight of our Christmas tree, all decorated and lit up. Look at this picture and I’m sure you’ll agree :)

Since we got married, A and I have started a tradition of hosting an open house both for Diwali and Christmas. Just another excuse (not that we need any!) to bask in the company of friends, enjoy a glass of wine & a spread of festive goodies, and of course share in the love, laughter and goodwill that the season personifies.

My contribution, this year, to the party table was Marzipan. This recipe was generously shared by my colleague, C who also bore the brunt of my frantic calls to her when I was struggling to get the mixture to set at just the right texture :)

Marzipan (Cashew)

Ingredients

Cashewnuts - ½ kg
Sugar - 1 kg
Egg whites - 2 nos
Rose water - 1 glass
Vanilla essence - few drops
Food colour as per choice

Method

1. Grind the cashews and sugar separately to a fine powder
2. Add vanilla essence to egg whites and beat till stiff.
3. Mix all the ingredients well and cook on a slow fire, stirring constantly till a wax like consistency is formed.
4. Just before the mixture comes together in a ball, take off fire.
5. Divide into parts, add different colours to each part and knead well.
6. Sprinkle mould with icing sugar. Place small balls of dough into moulds to get desired shapes.
7. Leave under the fan to dry and store in an airtight container.

My tips

1. You may use powdered sugar. In case you do, be sure to sift the sugar before using, else the lumps will get in the way
2. If the mixture is too dry, use a little rosewater / regular water while kneading.
3. If you have used additional water to knead, then you will need to store in the fridge, else these will stay good even if stored at room temperature.


Have a wonderful 2010 everybody! Don’t ever stop loving, don’t ever stop believing, don’t ever stop being grateful!

Of Food And Friends

A couple of Sundays ago, A and I had a few friends over for a small do at our place. The guest list was an eclectic mix of people from varied walks of life. There was D, who works for a human rights organization and her husband E, who runs one of the oldest and most popular bakeries in Mumbai city. D and E are expecting their first baby real soon, and are quite expectedly counting the days till the wee one makes its grand entry. Then, there was B and her husband R, both in the field of journalism; she as a features writer for a travel publication and he as a graphic designer for a leading newspaper. And, rounding off our guest list were two lovely ladies, RS and S; the former a theatre enthusiast and patron of the arts, and the latter, visiting from Germany and currently occupied with a project studying contemporary writing on Mumbai. This short but diverse guest list certainly made for an interesting evening, replete with stimulating conversation and enjoyable banter.

The menu was a joint effort by A and me with him doing the salad and entrée and moi, the starter, soup and dessert. Here’s what we dished up that night:

Appetizer : Roasted Bell Pepper Dip with Chips
Soup : Cauliflower and Carrot Soup
Salad : Tossed Corn Salad
Entrée : Fusilli in Cheese Sauce, Mushrooms in Coconut Gravy and Pasta with Zucchini tossed in Italian Herbs
Dessert : Chocolate Mousse

The recipe I’m sharing in this post is the one I used for Chocolate Mousse. Inspired by Baking Bites, it makes short work of what seems an elaborate effort :)

Chocolate Mousse
(serves eight)

Ingredients

Water – 1 cup (boiling)
Gelatin – 2 ½ tsp (powdered)
Cocoa powder – 2 ½ tbsp
Eggs – 5 nos (separated and at room temperature)
Sugar – ½ cup
Chocolate flakes for garnish

Method

1. Combine water and gelatin in a small bowl and whisk till the gelatin has completely dissolved
2. Whisk in cocoa powder and set aside to cool
3. Place the egg whites in a bowl and beat briskly till soft peaks appear
4. Add sugar gradually, working with 1-2 tbsp at a time, while you beat the egg whites
5. Once the egg whites and sugar are well mixed, beat in the egg yolks one at a time
6. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and mix until uniform in colour and well combined
7. Evenly distribute the mousse into individual serving cups and refrigerate until set
8. Grate chocolate over the top of each mousse before serving

An earlier post had talked about my recipe for the dip. I pretty much followed this recipe to the T for the soup, except that I pureed the mixture in a blender for a smooth consistency. The rest of the meal, I need to prevail upon A to write out the recipes for me. Hopefully, my blog will play host to a guest columnist real soon :)

Amazing Grace ...

She was full of it. My beloved aunt, Valerine who passed away last week embodied the grace and patience that we come to cherish only to realize that the person is no more in our midst. Aunty Vallie as she was fondly called by all those who knew her, came to Mumbai from Mangalore in 1948. She lived with her neighbour from Mangalore who had come to the big city a few years earlier, and helped her bring up her 6 children. When she got a job and settled a bit, she sent for her younger sister (my mom) and her mother. The three ladies stayed together in a rented place in Mumbai, till my mom met my Dad and they got married in 1967. From then on, they were all a family. My sister and I came along, and with both parents working, Aunty was the one who brought us up.

My sister and I are doubly blessed to have had two mothers. It is difficult to put into words the memories that we are left with. But when I think of Aunty, the images that dance across my mind’s eye include:

· Her ready smile
· Going to school, holding Aunty’s hand
· Her endless patience in teaching me spellings – I still remember stumbling over the spelling of “pieces” and aunty patiently spelling it out to me at least 50 times
· A whiz at math – she always won prizes in school for top marks – she unraveled the mysteries of profit and loss so simply for me
· The fresh snacks she got for us in school during break time, along with a cool flask filled with her refreshingly delicious sweet lime juice (till date, this remains my all time favourite fruit juice)
· The amazing curries she created and dished up
· The goodies that she made at Christmas
· Her exquisite embroidery and crochet creations – she could just look at a design and figure out the pattern of stitches used
· Her penchant for cleanliness – she would painstakingly wipe off furniture surfaces free of dust
· The caring eye she kept on the building kids whose parents were also working
· She might not have had kids of her own, but her generous heart embraced all the children in our building as her own – and their emails cry to us with their loss as much as our own
· Her stoicism and courage in bearing the pain and suffering that came her way, without a murmur. Only when the pain got unbearable, did she allow a silent tear to slip by
· The grace and peace that she conveyed at the time of that final goodbye

Aunty Vallie … pillar of strength … epitome of a giving spirit … you will be fondly remembered … always and forever

Cauliflower Calling

My feelings about cauliflower are rather ambivalent. On the one hand, I think it is a very versatile veggie that lends itself marvelously to both Continental as well as Indian preparations, not to forget the ubiquitous Gobi Manchurian that you will find at virtually every Indian Chinese restaurant worth its MSG. On the other hand, I also find it quite a challenge to retain its delicate flavour and yet mask its strong (though not unpleasant) smell. Tough call indeed! This recipe that I’m sharing here calls for parboiling the cauliflower beforehand and mixing it into the final dish at the very end.


Kadai Cauliflower
(serves 6)

Ingredients

Cauliflower – 350 gms
Onions – 2 nos (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 2 heaped tbsp
Tomato – 1 no (finely chopped)
Red chilli – 1 no
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Hing – 2 pinches
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander – for garnish

Mix to a thick paste (using water)
Turmeric pd – ¼ tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Red chilli pd – 1 tsp
Dhania jeera pd – 1 tsp
Sambhar pd– 1 tsp

Method
1. Cut cauliflower into medium sized florets
2. Sprinkle a little salt and turmeric and boil cauliflower till semi cooked
3. Drain and keep aside. Retain water to adjust consistency of gravy
4. Heat oil, add mustard and jeera seeds
5. When they splutter, add hing and curry leaves
6. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 mins
7. Put in onions & red chilli and continue to cook till the raw smell disappears
8. Add the masala powder paste and cook till well mixed
9. Finally add tomatoes and salt
10. Add more water, if necessary, to get a thick gravy
11. Add cauliflower and cook till done
12. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

A Toast To Toffee

I have been meaning, for a long while, to write a piece on what a disaster my attempt at making sweets during Diwali turned out to be. While I will still leave that saga for another day, today’s post features condensed milk as the key ingredient. The reason for this is that I had bought a tin in the hope of making some kind of a barfi * (I don’t even remember which one now) for the festive season. Yesterday, while I was browsing in the fridge, I came across this tin and decided to use it up making milk toffee. This recipe is one of the most common ones to grace the platter of sweets in the vast majority of Indian Catholic homes at Christmas. I remember my mom making these toffees by the dozen and them being wolfed down by the kids in our apartment building. Of course, hers were much prettier to look at as they were moulded into these cute shapes that made them eye candy :) in addition to being a delicious treat!

* The Indian equivalent of fudge

P.S. The title for this piece was inspired by A, who added a touch of whimsy to the picture with the Bailey’s Irish Cream. Maybe the next time around, I’ll try flavouring these sweets with this delightful liqueur.

Condensed Milk Toffee
(makes 25 – 30 pieces)

Ingredients

Butter – 7 tbsp
Sugar – 15 tbsp
Condensed Milk – 1 tin

Method

1. Heat the butter and sugar together on a low flame and stir till melted and well mixed.
2. Pour in the condensed milk and cook on a slow fire, stirring occasionally.
3. Cook till the mixture turns light brown and begins to leave the sides of the pan.
4. Turn onto a greased tray, and mark into squares.
5. Cool till it reaches room temperature and then cut into squares.
6. Store in the refrigerator, wrapped in foil.

Free Wheeling

When I started blogging in January this year, my new year’s resolution was that I will be a serious blogger who regularly posts experiences – both successes and otherwise. I also set myself a lofty standard of 10 posts a month, which sadly, I have not managed to achieve in any month so far. In fact, this month I have come precariously close to having not a single piece posted … ohmigod … that is so not done!!! But in my own defense, I must say that March has been an absolutely crazy month, work wise … loads of meetings and a packed travel schedule. So, now that I have just one day to go, this is my last chance get that post in before March marches away from me.

The other day, when A and I were browsing in a bookstore I wandered over to my favourite section (no prizes for guessing this one) – the Food & Drinks shelves and came across this book by Nita Mehta called Tasty Snacks. One of the recipes that caught my eye was for Bread Pinwheels – reason being – this is something that I make once this a while, but I call them bread rolls. The recipe for the filling is my own version, and this can vary depending on the imagination and creativity of the cook. The method of flattening the bread slices is the same that I use, but I loved Nita’s way of presenting the ultimate result – they looked so deliciously attractive. So here they are

Potato Bread Pinwheels
(makes 06 pieces)

Ingredients

Potatoes – 1 no
Onions – 1 no
Garlic – 2 cloves
Green chilli – 1 no
Lemon juice – 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Coriander (aka cilantro) – a few sprigs
Bread – 4 slices
All purpose flour – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – for deep frying

Method

1. Boil, peel and mash potato
2. Chop onions, chilli and garlic finely
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté onions, chilli and garlic till onions are tender
4. Add mashed potato, tomato ketchup and cook for 2-3 minutes
5. Check salt, add lemon juice and sprinkle coriander leaves
6. Keep the mixture aside for cooling
7. Make a thin paste using flour and water
8. Cut off the sides of the bread slices
9. Flatten the slices using a rolling pin, applying pressure so that the slices are stretched thin
10. Take 2 of the bread slices and lay them together letting them overlap by ¼ inch, to get a single long slice. Use a little of the flour paste to seal the joint
11. Spread the potato mixture evenly on the bread slice
12. Roll carefully from end to end, sealing with the flour paste
13. Refrigerate till required
14. Just before serving, heat oil and deep fry the rolls till golden and done
15. Cut each roll into 3 pieces and serve with sauce / chutney