Recipe Index - Travels for Taste

Spiced Pomegranate cocktail recipe

October 21, 2014 by manjirichitnis 49 Comments

Pomegranates – have always been tempted to buy them off the wooden fruit vendor handcarts at street markets in Mumbai. Growing up my mum would keep me engaged in her kitchen by assigning me the important job of peeling the fruit and collecting the shiny ruby red juicy insides in a clean bowl – waiting to be sprinkled over her many creations.

In supermarkets shelves here in London, it reminds me of home and I cannot resist buying the peeled ones for salads but making pomeo juice at home has always resulted in a rather messy end result.

Now highly coveted as a highly nutritious super food, packed with antioxidant vitamins C and K, minerals, antioxidants, and other unique plant phytochemicals – pomegranates are firmly a delicious part of our modern day diet.

POM Wonderful sent me a cute cocktail kit and I came up with this recipe for a warming cocktail with a kick of chilli :). My complimentary kit contains a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, ice-cube maker and bag of Wonderful pistachios.

POM Wonderful warming cocktail recipe

Serves :1 – Double up measurements for 2

Ingredients

250ml or 1 cup freshly squeezed pomegranate juice* or

Preparation

Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and add a few of the chilli seeds from the split green chilli.
Place a slit green chilli on the side of the glass and add a long stem sprig of mint inside the glass for garnish and style
Serve chilled.

TOP TIP from me: Chill the washed and dried cocktail glasses in the freezer for about 20 minutes before serving – the frozen glaze on the glass will look beautiful and the cocktail will stay cooler for longer allowing you to sip and enjoy your drink longer.

POM Wonderful COCKTAIL X 3 Giveaway

POM Wonderful have agreed to give 3 of my lucky readers one POM Wonderful Cocktail Kit each. Each kit will contain a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, a cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, an ice-cube maker, and a bag of Wonderful pistachios.

How to enter the giveaway:

STEP 1: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which is your favourite cocktail
STEP 2: Like my Facebook page – travelsfortaste and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
STEP 3: Follow me on Instagram (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) and leave your Instagram handle as part of your comment
STEP 4: Follow me on Twitter (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) AND Tweet out the following (simply copy and paste !) #Win a #COCKTAILKIT from @pomwondeful enter at #sliceoffme blog http://bit.ly/1CStoJ9 #giveaway #sliceoffmelovesPOM

(I will find you on twitter via the hashtag #sliceoffmelovesPOM , so it’s not required for you to mention your Twitter id in the comments)

I will be verifying entries ,please ensure that you follow all of the of the above 4 steps , any step missed and you will be disqualified. All the steps are mandatory!

Please have a read through the T&C’s – will take just a teeny weeny minute !

Terms and Conditions:

Deadline for entering this contest is 30th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
Entry is open only to residents of the U.K and all entrants must be 18’s old and above.
THREE lucky winners will be chosen using random number generator.
The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post and will be sent directly as a free delivery to the winner by POM Wonderful and I, Manjiri, accept no responsibility for any disputes.
Please allow a minimum of 28 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later and is the sole responsibility of POM.
The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who do not complete all the 4 steps mentioned above.
The winner will be notified within 15 days of the closing date via the email id provided by the entrant .Winners names will be announced on this blog post and by me via Twitter. If you are declared as the winner you agree and allow me to pass on your email id to POM , and agree and allow POM and me to contact you to notify you in case you win.
If the THREE winners fail to respond within 15 days then other winners will be chosen.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS WHO HAVE WON THEMSELVES A FABULOUS COCKTAIL KIT FROM POM Wonderful

@kerryroberts84

@Gilla01

@angiehoggett

*With thanks to POM for sending me a complimentary POM wonderful Cocktail kit and vouchers to buy POM wonderful juice. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. All images courtesy POM except one watermarked ‘travelsfortaste’.

Stuffed Marrow Bake

September 28, 2014 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

It was on a sunny summer Sunday morning that I finally went to the local car boot sale to look for any treasures that I may find to use as food props and found this beauty.

But it wasn’t just this beauty that we came home with. We found a beautiful marrow and I instantly knew what we would be having for dinner. sometimes things just come to you by some sort of divine alignment of separate incidents to become one. I had some Lactofree mature cheddar cheese which I was looking to experiment with and this was the perfect chance to use it in a bake. Had a packet of smoked bacon cubes and yes had some cute, tiny bottles of olive oil which had been sent to me. I normally would infuse my own oils and always have a big bottle of olive oil into which I stuff a few cloves of crushed garlic, some chill flakes and fresh herbs – the oil adds beautiful depths of flavour in whatever I use it for and because it is a lovely bottle, it looks pretty on my kitchen counter too – which reminds me I need to get around to doing this again soon – hummm

Also, I had these bright and colourful mini chilli plants now sitting on my window sill, looking all pretty and waiting to be used – yellow and deep aubergine coloured chillies – this was going to be one colourful bake!

So this beautiful marrow came home with us and just like that became part of our dinner plans…..

Stuffed Marrow Bake

Ingredients

1 beautiful marrow
3 heaped tbsp grated Lactofree mature cheddar
3 flakes of garlic chopped fine
500 gm smoked bacon cubes
4 tbsp sweet corn
2 medium-sized red onions
2 tbsp chilli infused Terra Rossa Olive Oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Sea salt to taste

Method

Chop the red onions lengthwise, set aside.
Cut the marrow into half and scoop out the insides and discard, I know I should have saved them for making something else …

In a saucepan heat 1 tbsp chilli Terra Rossa Olive Oil.

Sauté the chopped garlic first and when it begins to brown and the aroma explodes into the kitchen its time to add in the chopped red onions and toss them around till they begin to change colour. Then add the smoked bacon cubes and cook on a medium flame stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
Then add in the sweet corn and mix well for about a minute, season with sea salt and chilli flakes.

Remove the saucepan with this onion, bacon and sweet corn mixture off the flame and set aside.
Line a baking tray with parchment and brush some olive oil on the marrow inside out so that it has a bang of flavour when you bite into it.
Stuff both halves of the marrow with the mixture.

Wrap the stuffed marrow halves in foil and bake for half an hour at about 180°C – I have a fan oven, please adjust time accordingly to suit your oven.
Remove from foil and add the grated Lactofree mature cheddar cheese on the top.
Then bake again without foil till the cheese browns or for 10 minutes approximately.
Serve with a warm fresh baguette or a cheesy bread – simply so that you can scoop every single bit of juicy goodness as you eat

The Terra Rossa oils, I received a pack of 3 exquisite Jordanian infused extra virgin olive oils – chilli and lemon infused oils and an unfiltered, cold dripped Sinolea extra virgin olive oil. Not only is it good to have in the store cupboard, I think it makes for a lovely gift idea too! Yes, it isn’t too early to start planning your Xmas gift list is it?

It is incredible how much flavour this humble marrow packs in. I cannot wait to use it again in soups and stews. Yes, it’s autumn and we are going towards colder weather. So along with getting those woollies out we also need to get started with beautiful soups and stews hummm – the seasons they are a-changing! This easy recipe is perfect for busy weekend evenings ( or for a lazy Sunday evening when you want to spend some time watching telly sipping a glass of wine and chilling out rather than slaving in the kitchen!) when you do not want to compromise on flavour and want a wholesome meal too. For a meat-free option replace the bacon with a spicy potato and cauliflower mix. Whatever you choose to add as the stuffing, the result will always be satisfactory – that’s the nature of this beautiful marrow ….

*With thanks to Terra Rossa for the samples. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Vegetarian Sausage Satay

September 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 14 Comments

Wait a bit? Did you read that right? Absolutely yes! Vegetarian Sausages are exactly what I have used in this fab recipe sent by my sister who turned vegetarian a few years ago. She doesn’t even consume eggs. I am far from becoming a vegetarian but love to experiment with lighter options and so was delighted to receive some samples from Secret Sausages which I had sampled first at FBC 2014 a few months ago and I recollect really liking the flavours.

I was sent 3 different flavours to experiment with:

Rosemary & Garlic – Garlic, Green Beans, Mixed Peppers and Rosemary
Honey Bee – Sweet Corn, carrots, peas and honey
Chilli and Coriander – Chillies, coriander, onion, sweet corn and carrots

This recipe can be used with the sausages chopped and served as a starter or else as a main with sides like potato or sweet potato mash and green peas.

Serves: 2 as a main with a side of mash and peas

Ingredients – Enough for 2 packets with 6 sausages each

groundnut powder – 5 heaped tbsp
Garlic purée
Green Chillies – 3
A small bunch of fresh coriander or one large packet from the supermarket
Oil 3 tbsp
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste
Red onions – 2 large
Tomato – 1 medium-sized

Method

In a dry sauce on a low flame heat 1 tbsp oil and add the chopped green chillies and garlic purée.
Then add the groundnuts powder and roast this mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously ensuring it does not burn.
Turn off the flame and add freshly, finely chopped coriander leaves, salt, sugar and lemon juice.

Allow this mixture to cool down and then coat the sausage with skin with the mixture thoroughly.

Refrigerate the marinated sausages for an hour.
Before you remove the marinated sausages from the refrigerator make the onion and tomato mixture.
Chop the onion into long thin strips.
Heat 2 heaped tbsp oil in the same saucepan and sauté till they caramelise.
Add the chopped tomato and sauté for another minute.
Then remove the marinated sausages from the refrigerator and saute on a griddle pan with very little oil sprinkled onto it.

Mix the sausages in the onion-tomato mixture.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green peas as sides.

Why not try my recipe for a fabulous Meatless Monday meal?

*With thanks to Secret Sausages for the samples. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Creamy Oat Cream Pasta with crunchy green Salad

August 17, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

I remember tasting Oatly for the first time at FBC earlier this year, it was a very pleasant taste, the chocolate one even better. All of us at Food Blogger connect this year got a generous bag of Oatly products to take home. The ‘milk’ went used up pretty quickly so I went and got us some more but the Organic Creamy Oat, basically a single cream, I was waiting to experiment with. Since the product is bursting with the goodness of all things organic and is dairy-free I thought why not keep everything about this pasta gluten and dairy-free. So I got some Lactofree mature cheddar cheese and also some pasta which is made from Italian rice and corn, therefore, making it dairy and gluten-free. Oatly cream uses organic rapeseed oil so my cooking medium is …you guessed that right organic rapeseed oil! And since the cream also contains sea salt as one of the ingredients I have used my trusty smoked Maldon sea salt in here too 🙂

This pasta dish can’t get any better, can it? Ok, wait till you hear what OatLy Creamy Oat is all about…It’s made in Sweden using entirely organic ingredients. The fat content is absurdly low 3% over 9.6% in regular cream. Besides, it tastes like cream made from cow’s milk and is packed with fibres.

Ingredients – For the pasta

Dairy and Gluten-free fusilli Pasta 150 gm
Smoked Bacon 200gm
1/2 of a 250 ml tetra pack OatLy cream
a bunch of spring onions
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 cloves of garlic with their skins on
Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs 1 each
a pinch red chilli flakes
Maldon sea salt to taste

Method – For the pasta

Boil the pasta in a saucepan with some rapeseed oil and allow it to cook completely. Sprinkle some sea salt into the water while it is boiling.
While the pasta is boiling get started with preparing the sauce. Chop the spring onion into bite-size pieces.
In another saucepan add 1 tbsp olive oil and place on a medium heat, when the oil is hot, crush the garlic with the skin on and add into the hot oil.
Allow the garlic to brown and then add the spring onion when the onion begins to change colour add the bacon pieces and reduce the flame.

Let the bacon cook for about 5 minutes until it turns crisp and yummy while stirring occasionally till ensuring it doesn’t get burnt.

Reduce the flame and then pour the Oatly oat cream into the bacon mixture and add a sprig each of thyme and rosemary.
Cover the saucepan and allow to cook for about 2 – 3 minutes.
Add freshly crushed black pepper and sea salt to taste and some chilli flakes.
In a plate add the cooked pasta after draining excess water and pour the bacon and cream mixture over the top.

The oat cream will give you a thick creamy sauce and the smoked bacon adds deep, rich flavours to this pasta dish. It is great for those who are lactose intolerant or those simply looking for a switch. Add some grated lacto-free cheese for a truly cheesy and deliciously satisfying pasta carbonara. I know this dish isn’t vegan because of the bacon so if you want to make a vegan version using smoked paprika breadcrumbs for the texture and smoky taste, also to replace eggs and go vegan use soft tofu puree. I have skipped using eggs and honestly, I didn’t miss them at all in the sauce. So it is not really a carbonara but yes it’s just as silky and creamy and smoky and yummalicious ! 🙂

Ingredients – For the salad

1 medium-sized white onion
8 juicy cherry tomatoes
8 chestnut mushrooms
1/2 a bag of crunchy mixed salad leaves
8 stems of tender purple asparagus
8 stems of tender purple broccoli
Cranberry flavoured vinegar
1 tsp rapeseed oil
Freshly cracked black pepper
Maldon smoked sea salt to taste

Method – For the salad

Chop the tender stem purple asparagus roughly into bite-size pieces keeping the spearhead intact, do the same with tender stem purple broccoli. I loved the colour so I picked purple, its absolutely fine to go with the regular green stuff but the colours in this finished salad are so vibrant! Set aside and move onto the mushrooms and onion now.
Chop the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, then chop the onion in half and then slice it fine lengthwise
In a saucepan heat the olive oil.
Saute the garlic with skin on in the hot oil and when it turns brown add the mushrooms in. Let them cook for about 1/2 a minute.
Add the onion, asparagus and broccoli into the saucepan and stir for about 1 minute on a low flame we don’t want the greens and the onion to cook and loose the crunch and bite, just give them a bit of flavour so they sit well with the leaves.
Take the saucepan off the bowl and allow to cool.

In a salad bowl was and add the salad leaves, give them a good slosh of cranberry vinegar, sea salt and cracked black pepper and give them a good old’ shake so that the vinegar coats the leaves well.
Place the green and onion over the salad leaves and throw in some juicy red cherry tomatoes on a vine or salad tomatoes into the salad. Give another sprinkling of Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
If you want to bulk up this salad add 2 boiled eggs halved on top and serve with a cheesy bread or focaccia as a side with a creamy mushroom or chicken soup for a wholesome but light and healthy meal option! Keep the bulked-up version of this salad vegan, again by replacing boiled eggs with fresh large chunks of tofu.
This salad is bursting with goodness and packs in a great punch of flavour with the cranberry flavoured vinegar and the meaty mushrooms and crunchy tender stem asparagus and broccoli feel so lush together when you bite into them ummmmm

I am quite happy with the end result of this pasta and have another 250 ml tetra pack of Oatly Creamy Oat to experiment …wonder what will come out of that lovely little pack, now where is my thinking cap ?!

Smoked Spanish Peppers and Zingy Mushrooms in a creamy sauce

June 24, 2014 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

My love for using smoked sweet red peppers is taking over my recipes for now , I made these zingy mushrooms for a friend who popped in for brunch about 2 months ago but I have been very lazy and this recipe is finally seeing daylight. I guess the electric atmosphere of the yellow jersey clad stadium full of Brazil fans and the super tight match going on with Camroon is giving me a much needed rush of happy hormones ,add to that the frenzy of the Wimbledon matches , the air in Wimbledon is heavy with anticipation, huge posters , fluorescent tennis ball props in all windows , the traditional colours of the Wimbledon ribbons and balloons galore, the bus service from the station to the venue with hyperexcited people , everything is screaming tennis here!

Lamuyo Peppers are great for roasting as they are bigger and sweeter than their cousins the hot variety. They are juicy and crunchy and go well with garlic,basil,oregano,taste fab with cheese , think stuffed peppers grilled , just perfect for summer !

The recipe was given to me by P aunty , shes a fab cook as I have mentioned in my past posts too and her recipes are innovative, delicious and easy to make, I love pestering her to keep sending me more recipes everytime we talk 😉 .So I decided to amp up this recipe with some madness my style and use up the handsome red pepper staring at me from my fridge 😉

Ingredients:

1 large pack Chestnut Mushrooms sliced
1 large red Lamuyo sweet pepper
8 cloves Garlic- bash and chop fine
1/2 red onionchopped very fine
2 chillies- (more or less acc to your taste) – chop fine
3 heaped tbs flavoured soft cheese, I love using the herby Philadelphia
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt to taste
Parsley- a handful -chopped finely

Method:

Roast the pepper on gas flame till the skin chars and begins to peel off, I use tongs to hold it by the stem so it can char even at the top.
While the pepper cools just enough to allow you to peel and reveal the smoked juicy flesh, you can use the time to wash and slice the chestnut mushrooms
While taking off the charred skin off the smoked pepper remember to place a dish below as it will release lots of juice which we don’t want to loose as it is one powerhouse of smoky peppery sweet flavour!
Heat oil in a sauce pan and saute the garlic till it turns brown and the familiar aroma of fabulous garlic begins to waft and assault your nostrils.
Then add the very finely chopped red onion and cook on a low flame stirring regularly till the onion is thoroughly crispy and reduces in quantity, do not let it burn.
Then toss in the mushrooms and the chopped smoked pepper and cook for about 2 minutes on a low flame ,stirring and making sure it does not stick to the pan or overcook
Then add the soft cheese ,sea salt and finely chopped parsley,mix well and cook with lid for about 1 to 1 1/2 minute.
Serve with garlic bread smothered in butter – eat guilt free;)

What I love about this dish , its creamy , its a bit sweet a bit more zingy and has an underlying deep smoked flavour that is robust without being overpowering ,I’d say its a new comfort food for me , what with all the moorish soft cheese in there!

Smoky and Spicy Lamb Burgers

June 16, 2014 by manjirichitnis 27 Comments

Come Summer and I am one happy bunny,more so because I really miss the omnipresent sunshine from back home in Mumbai city! But the one thing I love the most about the British Summer is the amazing BBQ’s we have ! Last years most fun barbie was at our friends place , we OD’ed on grilled seafood and Pimms – hoping to have a repeat of that this year !

Some friends have a BBQ planned for later this month but I couldn’t wait so got myself some lamb mince and decided to use some fresh mushrooms and add my own twist to the burgers with a bright red smoked sweet red pepper! My trusty old griddle pan at hand , I turned my tiny urban open plan kitchen into a tiny BBQ party venue!

Perfect time to use up some of the wonderful La Chinata smoked paprika powder.

Ingredients:

500 gm Lamb Mince
1 bunch of spring onion
1 big sweet red pepper
250 gm button mushrooms
150 gm cherry tomatoes
3 tsp sweet paprika powder La Chinata
1 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp garlic paste
4 tsp coriander powder
a large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tbsp chilli oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Flame roast the sweet red pepper on a gas flame, if you’re doing a BBQ ,first rub some oil and garlic paste onto it.
After it has been roasted and cooled down a bit,peel off the skin and chop fine
Chop the mushrooms to tiny bite sized pieces
Finely chop the spring onions and cherry tomatoes
Wash the lamb mince under a running tap by placing it inside a sieve.
Mix the chopped smoked sweet red pepper, mushrooms,spring onions ,cherry tomatoes,rosemary,chilli flakes,sweet smoked paprika powder from La Chinata and coriander powder,paprika and salt.

Knead all the ingredients into the mixture.
Make mini burger patties by taking palm sized portions of this mixture and ty and pat them into roughly round shape.
On a griddle pan add some chilli oil and place a few burgers on it. Cook them for a few minutes on one side and them flip and repeat.
Serve the cooked lamb burgers inside wholegrain soft burger buns generously lined with butter , a thick slice of cheese, pickles,crunchy salad leaves and doused with ketchup. Or if you’d rather not then eat them plain – I did , served with some grilled button mushrooms and tender shoots of asparagus on which I slathered generous amounts of smoked paprika sweet chilli powder mixed with some oil and garlic paste – pure heaven!

The sweet smoked paprika powder gives the lamb burgers a definite sweet hot flavour and the others spices combine well with the vegetables.Its also a great way to get fussy eaters to eat veggies hidden in layers of delicious meat and spices. I would have loved to add some boiled green peas too, they would add more bulk and taste too.

*With thanks to La Chinata for sending samples for review.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

CKP style King Fish fish curry

June 16, 2014 by manjirichitnis 16 Comments

CKP style King Fish fish curry

Leaving your home country and more importantly leaving behind your near and dear ones is never easy. I sorely miss a lot of things about my life back home and one of the things I miss most is lazy Sunday afternoons at my parent’s place. Like any typical teenager if you do move out from home during college years you would be better off dealing with moving out your parents after you get married but I never lived away from my parents and it was only after I was married that hubster and I moved into our own place, which happened to be very close to my mum’s!

CKP style Seer Fish Curry recipe

So most Sunday afternoons we would make our way to mum’s and Baba would be helping Aai cook our favourite Sunday meal of chicken curry and rice, or sometimes when he was in a mood for seafood he would go Supekar’s fish market and queue up for fresh Surmai (Marathi Surmai /सुरमई चे कालवण, Indo-Pacific king mackerel or popularly spotted seer fish-Scomberomorus guttatus), Pomfret and my fav fresh prawns Ummm!

Fresh Fish Market – Pune, Maharashtra, India

CKP Surmai Kalvan Recipe

This recipe for Surmai/Kingfish /Mackerel curry is his favourite and I love how Aai (means mother in Marathi my mother tongue)makes it so very delicious using a traditional hand me down recipe typical to the CKP community (Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP), is an ethnoreligious community of South Asia). We call it Surmaiche Kalvan (सुरमई चे कालवण) – Kalvan means curry in Marathi. If we were in Pune today I would most certainly have surprised Baba by cooking up a feast for him and Aai. Baba this post is for you and for Aai thank you for being the most parents anyone could ever ask for, the best childhood ever and for believing in us, for being the strong presence every girl wants her father to be. I love you more than words can say Baba and I miss you heaps and tons!

सुरमई चे कालवण

CKP Style King Fish curry Recipe

C.K.P Style King Fish curry Recipe

Manjiri Chitnis

Heirloom reipe for an authentic recipe from Maharashtra, India from the C.K.P community – King Fish curry Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

4 medium-sized Surmai ( King Fish/ Seer Fish) fillets
3 tbsp Coriander and Green chilli paste
2 tsp Ginger – Garlic paste
2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp Turmeric
4 cloves Garlic cloves with skin on
3 tbsp Grated Coconut
1 small pinch Asafoetida/Hing
2 tbsp Refined Oil
1/4 Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander a tiny palmful washed and finely chopped for garnishing

Instructions

Wash the Surmai/Kingfish /Mackerel steaks/ fillets
Marinate fillets with red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, ginger-garlic paste, coriander – green chilli paste and set aside for at least 40 minutes
Heat oil in a saucepan, add a pinch of asafoetida and then add the crushed garlic cloves with their skins on and as they start to brown
Add the marinated fish and toss around in the hot oil for 30 seconds
Add the finely grated fresh coconut, stir in enough water to ensure that the curry is the right consistency, not too thick and cook on a low flame with lid for about under 5 minutes.
Fresh fish cooks very quickly, do take care not to over cook the fillets
Add salt as required bearing in mind that when the fish was marinated salt was used
Squeeze the lime juice into the curry
Garnish with finely chopped fresh green coriander (cilantro) leaves
Serve with steaming hot boiled rice and allow yourself to enjoy this simple yet classic fish curry

Keyword Surmai Curry

Washed fresh fillets of King Fish or Surmai or Seer Fish

This is another fabulous recipe that originates from the western coast of India, the Konkan coastline, dotted by beautiful coconut trees, the coastline is abundantly blessed with fresh seafood and natural scenic beauty read beautiful beaches with soft sands and plenty of sunshine. A lot of people would also add tamarind paste to the curry but we do not. Tamarind trees are also found in abundance

If you are looking for fresh Kingfish in London the best place to find it is at supermarkets like H-Mart. The Kingfish that you will get here is from the North Atlantic waters. You can also buy Wahoo steaks from Wing Yip but the taste is not as pronounced and the flesh is not as tender, besides wahoo steaks are bigger and need more seasoning and should be consumed on the same day to enjoy flavours which are at their best in a freshly made fish curry. I’d say they taste better in a curry than fried and if you do fry them do add a large squeeze of lime after you have fired them. Since the Kingfish belongs to the Mackerel family, the mackerel will take all these marinade flavours beautifully and works well both fried and in a curry Konkani style.

My traditional CKP Surmai kalvan/curry recipe works well with pomfret too.

EXPLORE MORE RECIPES FROM MAHARASHTRA, INDIA:

Valache Birdhe – C.K.P style recipe -वालाचे बिरडे
Konkani Pompfret Fish Curry पापलेटचं कलवण
Prawn Khichadi – कोळंबीची खिचडी
C.K.P Style Prawn Curry
Masoorachi Aamti – Whole Red Lentils with brown skin on – Traditional Maharashtrian Curry Recipe

Gujarati Kadhi

May 12, 2014 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

Having grown up in Mumbai and always having had very friendly Gujarati neighbours , I have a long love affair with Gujarati cuisine and especially love the Gujarati Kadhi which was quite the star attraction in traditional Gujarati wedding feasts, always a sweet and welcome addition to a plate full of steaming hot khichdi, the large red chillies added into for more the effect than the punch.

If you don’t have access to buttermilk then simply use curd/ yoghurt.

Serves:4 Preparation Time:10 minutes Cooking Time:15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups buttermilk or 1 and 1/2 cup thick-set curd /yoghurt
2 tbsp besan or chickpea flour
1tsp freshly grated ginger and green chilli paste
Hing/ Asafoetioda – at iny pinch
Puree ghee/clarified butter – 1 tbsp
Few fresh green curry leaves
1/2 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds
1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
2 large dry red chillies broken and de-seeded
Suhar 1 and 1/2 tbsp or Jaggery 1 heaped tbsp
a handful of fresh green coriander/cilantro chopped fine
Salt as per taste
Water

Method:

If using butter milk 3 cups this step is not required. Otherwise combine the yoghurt ,chickpea flour and 2 and 1/2 cup water till it becomes a smooth mixture. Use a fork or a whisk and if lumps are still visible just use your fingers to break the lumps.
Grate a small piece of fresh ginger and crush a green chilli into it.
On a medium flame heat the clarified butter in a large saucepan and add the asafoetida, mustard seeds , red chillies,cumin,ginger and green chilli and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds begin to pop and cumin begins to change colour, reduce the flame to a minimum , tilt the saucepan with one hand and pour the yoghurt and chickpea mixture into this tempering/tadka mixture.
Add the sugar or jaggery now.
Cook with lid on a low flame for about 6-8 minutes , do not boil as the yoghurt will curdle.
Add salt and garnish with finely chopped coriander. Serve hot with khichdi or soft rotis.

Gujarati kadhi differs from Punjabi kadhi in that it is sweeter and does not include fried pakoras, I have a fusion recipe for Punjabi Kadi which I tried long ago, if you want something a little different why not try my Punjabi Kadhi with a twist.

LEARN HOW TO MAKE INDIAN FOOD FROM SCRATCH WITH MY EASY TO FOLLOW RECIPES

Spicy Chorizo Pasta with loads of veggie goodness!

April 29, 2014 by manjirichitnis 13 Comments

I often struggle to get the hubster to consume hero veggies like Broccoli and Mushrooms ,both which I quite frankly love .. always have ! So what started off as a veg pasta was met with a grunt and audible grumbling and had to be re-engineered to create something fabulous ! I am therefore grateful for the grumbling – totally depends on the end result right? 😉 Its also a very good recipe to use all the veggies lying around in your fridge and many some store cupboard excesses to start that spring clean you have been itching to do ( yes I love cleaning – am quite certain I have a mild OCD too)

Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time:40 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500 gm Penne
300 gm Chorizo chopped bite size
Broccoli a handful
Button Mushrooms – half a small packet – std supermarket size-chopped bite size
200 gm Sweet Corn and Red Peppers canned
Grated parmesan Cheese – generous amount;)
1/2 of a large Red Onion
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 large tomatoes pureed
Sea salt
2 large tablespoons Olive Oil
Chilli flakes as per taste
2 large Spring onion finely chopped
1/4th cup low fat cream
Dried italian herb mix for pasta 2 teaspoons

Method:

For the creamy sauce

In a saucepan heat one and a half large tablespoon of oil and saute the finely chopped garlic and when it begins to brown add 2 cloves of garlic chopped spring onion and saute for about 1 min
Then added the finely chopped broccoli
Now add the chopped button mushrooms and the sweet corn and red pepper mixture.
Add the cream and cook on a low flame for 2 – 3 minutes,season with salt and then add generous amounts of cheese.
This sauce should have a balance between creamy and chewy with the mushrooms on the broccoli can retain a bit of its crunch so if you use a lid it may overcook

Before starting on the spicy sauce boil the past in a large saucepan and add sea salt and olive a generous splash I use flavoured oil – the bottle had a large sprig of rosemary some crushed garlic and chilli flakes tossed inside to give it a deep rich flavour- so , so good!

For the Spicy Sauce

In a saucepan heat half a tablespoon of oil and fry the red onion chopped lengthwise and 2 garlic cloves finely chopped.
Then add the bite sized pieces of Chorizo and reduce the flame to low.
Let the chorizo almost start to get crispy and then added the pureed tomatoes,dried herb mixture,chilli flakes and salt as per taste.

In a clean bowl add a generous portion of the creamy sauce, top it with cooked pasta and then add the spicy chorizo sauce.Sprinkle with as much cheese as you want and watch it melt into the steaming hot pasta.If you want just a bit of guilty pleasure drizzle some chilli olive oil on the pasta before mixing the whole thing together!

Zingy Turkish Poached Eggs

April 2, 2014 by manjirichitnis 30 Comments

I am a fan of eggs in any form and when I chanced upon this delightful Turkish recipe for combining eggs with thick and fulfilling greek yoghurt I just had to go ahead and experiment! Total Greek Yogurt 0% is fat-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and pregnant women – all good, no nasties! Besides these virtues its consistency is great and I have in the past few days consumed one of the smaller pots per day part in smoothies and just a dollop with my rice and curry dinner. There are so many versatile combinations that are possible with this yoghurt. From smoothies and shakes to use in cooking as a marinade or cooling dip with chopped goodies like fresh chives, garlic, chilli flakes etc.The thick and creamy consistency is a bonus if you’re trying to watch your weight too!

I made these poached eggs for brunch and served them with wholemeal pitta toasted in the same pan where I made my chilli butter – fabulous!

Traditionally this dish is called Cilbir (pronounced as chillburrr, roll the r’s!) is a Turkish dish of poached eggs with yoghurt (often with garlic mixed in). There are records of Cilbir being eaten by Ottoman sultans as far back as the 15th century. It is now common to serve the dish topped with melted butter infused with Aleppo pepper, for which paprika can be substituted. (Source: Wiki)

Serves :2

Ingredients:

4 large eggs – 2 per person
a handful of fresh mint roughly chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped fine
500gm Total Greek Yogurt 0%
Butter 50gm
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Plenty of freshly cracked black pepper
Sea Salt as per taste
a pinch of chilli powder – as per your tolerance levels

Method:

Boil water in a large saucepan (my time-saving trick -boil water in the kettle and add to the saucepan), then cover with the lid and allow to simmer on a medium flame for a while
When the water is absolutely boiling hot, take off the lid and reduce the flame to a very low simmer. Then, carefully crack the eggs into the water one by one. They seem to sort of go ‘freeze frame’ once dropped into the boiling water. Give them about 30 seconds and when it seems like they have been poached carefully remove them one by one using a slotted spoon. If you suspect that the yolk will just burst open it means it needs some more time inside. Don’t worry if this process isn’t perfect the first time around , its a learning curve and you will get it right in a few tries – in case of disaster scoop out as much of the egg as you can and after you are done with all the eggs use a sieve to save the remaining egg 🙂
Use two bowls or plates to serve. First, scoop some yogurt into each of the serving bowls. Season with sea salt, a generous sprinkling of cracked black pepper and a pinch of chilli powder. Mix well
Create a bit of shallow space in the middle of the yoghurt mix and place the poached eggs on top
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium flame, reduce flame to a simmer. Melt the butter and before it starts to brown add the finely chopped garlic and smoked paprika. Then add some sea salt
Quickly pour this delicious golden spiced butter over the eggs and yoghurt
Garnish by sprinkling some fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped for a burst of fresh flavour
Toast the mini wholemeal pitta bread portions in the same pan that was used to melt and spice the butter and it will give your pitta that extra kick of flavour!
Scoop the flavoured poached egg and the cooling yogurt with the pitta bread. It’s a beautiful sensation on your palate as the cold yogurt and smoked paprika work their magic on your taste buds.