Indian Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Travels for Taste

Indian Masala Egg Omelette

November 22, 2014 by manjirichitnis 18 Comments

Weekend mornings demand a good breakfast, especially if you have had a tad too much wine on Friday evening 😉

I love making a simple Indian omelette and my dinner guests who stayed with us for the night, last Friday, had to be fed a hearty breakfast before they set out to go home. Like my aai I am obsessed with feeding people and cannot imagine sending off guests on an empty stomach.

Luckily, now that I am part of the Happy Eggs Taste 100 Blogger network a #happyeggtastemakers, I had 2 boxes of these lovely Happy eggs at home, red onion or the Mumbai pink onion which I buy from my fav Indian-Pakistani grocery store and loads of frozen coriander.

This is a very basic recipe for the Indian masala omelette- with a bit of twist , added in my me . I also love adding in cheese and bulking it up with ham or sausages which I did for my guests, but hubster is a purist of sorts when it comes to the masala omelettes (read fussy hehehe) and so made 2 huge omelettes , one using the recipe that follows and another with the cheese, sausages and Parma Ham – so… so… so… good !!

Indian Masala Omelette

Serves:2

Ingredients:

1 medium sized red onion or pink Mumbai onion chopped fine
3 Happy eggs
1 green chillies chopped into fairly large chunky pieces- easy to pick out for the faint hearted!
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 /4th tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 large tbsp butter
Salt to taste

Additional Ingredients to bulk up the omlette:

1 cheese single
2 sausages
2 thin slices of Parma Ham
1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
1.5 medium sized red onion.

Adding the garam masala is something I like to do as it gives the omelette a fabulous amped up flavour but feel free to leave that out if you aren’t a fan.

Method:

Finely chop the red onion.
Chop the green chilli into fairly big pieces so they can be picked out by those that don’t want to chew on them.
Crack the happy eggs into the bowl.
Add in the chopped onions, green chilli chopped, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Whisk with a fork till the mixture foams and is well aerated , this will give you a beautifully ‘fluffy’ omelette .
Then add the chopped coriander and mix again.

Masala Anda Omelette recipe by Travelsfortaste

I add in the turmeric as it has loads of health benefits – it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant, and our guest who do not consume turmeric on a regular basis loved the idea.
Now add in the cheese – torn roughly if it using a cheese single or crushed if using a soft cheese or crumbly cheese, sausages and Parma Ham.Lightly beat the egg mixture once more with a fork to mix well.
Place a big pan on medium heat and when it begins to heat up melt the butter.
See the photo below – when the butter begins to sizzle and pan resembles what you see in the image then it’s the right time to add the egg mixture.

Move the pan around so that the mixture spreads evenly and cook on a low flame for about 2 minutes .
When the omelette leaves the sides of the pan ,slightly lift it with a wooden spatula and check , if it has browned it’s time to FLIP , you can tell by the aroma wafting around too.
With a big wooden spatula gently flip over and cook on the other side, I place a lid over my pan at this stage to trap the steam and it also gives me a really fluffy omelette, of course it will fall flat if you don’t serve immediately.
Once done, turn off the heat and cut in half using a wooden spatula. Fold and place in between hot buttered toast for a fabulous breakfast.

An Indian masala omelette, served at breakfast with hot buttered toast and hot cups of masala chai, I think is a breakfast fit for a king – Made better with Happy Eggs I say!

I am so egg-cited to be part Happy Eggs Taste 100 Blogger network, they sent me this beautifully packaged cute box with a massive chocolate cookie made using Happy Eggs and a lovely picture of the latest campaign – Top of The Flocks – where Happy Eggs produced an original album of classical music following a study by the University of Bristol looking at the positive benefits of music on hens.The results showed that Happy Hens prefer Bach to Beyonce – they have refined taste these hens! Happy Hens produced 6% more eggs in nest boxes playing classical music compared to pop! Awesome or what?! – always good to know where your eggs are coming from isn’t it?!

Ahem… as you can that by the time I actually got around to taking a photo of the welcome kit , hubster and me had managed to devour most of the cookie …well , don’t blame us – it was soo yum!

Well a new year and a new beginning and with tomorrow being the first day for getting back to work, I will be making us egg omlettes and devouring them with freshly ground coffee and buttery toast – after all Monday mornings are never kind especially in the winter and more so after a long break!

Make Ahead – perfect for a make ahead style breakfast, this mixture can store in the fridge very easily.

Linking my savoury Indian Masala egg omelette recipe with the monthly link up at Belleau Kitchen for the Simply Eggcellent recipe link-up – love the name!

Also linking up with #BrilliantBreakfasts at Made with Pink blog by Andrea, for I think without a doubt a masala omelette makes a darned good breakfast!

*With thanks to Happy Eggs for taking me on as part of their Exclusive Blogger Network and for a complimentary voucher sent with their cute welcome pack . No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely 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 parents place. As 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 me 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.

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 onto 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.

Chapali Kebab Recipe

March 3, 2014 by manjirichitnis 26 Comments

Succulent, melt in your mouth meat that is a rich mix of flavours and a popular starter – Kebabs – I love sheekh kebabs the most, and close on their heels are Chapali Kebabs. I decided to do a taste experiment and used 500gm of lamb mince or kheema to make Chapali Kebabs using a packet shop bought ready to cook masala mixture and used the remaining 500gm of lamb mince to make the very same kebabs using a mixture of my own spices and homemade garam masala – oh yes I finally got around to making my own Garam Masala (recipe coming up this week with a huge surprise!)

But before I let you in on my easy peasy recipe, let us familiarise ourselves with a slice of history behind the dish (oh yes – every great recipe has a story!)

The word Chapli derives from the Pashto word Chaprikh which means flat. It is prepared as a flat and round mini pancake but fried like a fritter and is served with Naan.

Kebab (also kebap or kabab) is a Middle Eastern dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit originating in the Eastern Mediterranean and later adopted in Central Asia and by the regions of the former Mongol Empire and later Ottoman Empire, before spreading worldwide. Indian cuisine is widely influenced by the various rulers and dynasties that ruled and colonised India at various periods including the British Raj. The Mughal Empire has left a heavy influence on the food, culture, and tradition and is deeply woven into the fabric of society to create a new, beautiful, and modern-day cuisine that has been adapted, modified to the local taste, and is now our own.

In American English, kebab refers to shish kebab (Turkish: kebap) cooked on a skewer, whereas in Europe it refers to doner kebab, sliced meat served in a slice of pita bread. In the Middle East, however, kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. The traditional meat for kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and religious prohibitions, other meats may include beef, goat, chicken, pork, or fish. Like other ethnic foods brought by travellers, the kebab has remained a part of everyday cuisine in most of the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia.

Though traditionally these are kebabs are large and very flat – almost as large as the palm of your hand, I wanted to make a smaller patty , easy to fry and serve as a starter and easy to pop in the mouth while wielding a chilled glass of wine don’t you think?

Ingredients:

500gm of lamb mince or kheema
1 tsp of dried pomegranate seeds
2 tsp freshly crushed ginger
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 heaped tsp red chilli powder
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
1 heaped tsp Cumin powder
a handfull of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
1 small red onion finely chopped
1/2 a medium juicy red tomato finely chopped
2 small green chilli finely chopped
3 small eggs
Salt to taste
3 heaped tsps of rice flour or cornmeal

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs and beat lightly, add all the spices and mix with a fork.
Then work in the corn flour and then the meat.
Ensure any excess water is drained out and then add the finely chopped tomatoes and red onions.
Spread a large sheet of kitchen plastic foil on a flat table or kitchen platform and place the flatted patties on it,cover with another sheet and refrigerate.
If like me you like in a tiny but expensive urban flat with the an open plan kitchen – read tiny as a birds nest,then probably bets to leave the entire mixture in the bowl,cover and refrigerate for about half an hour.
In a kadhai or wok take enough oil for frying and fry them , serve hot with lots of chopped tomato and red onions.
Delicious with a fresh green coriander mint chutney or the life saving ketchup 🙂

References:Wikipedia

Am submitting this recipe to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior on his blog Cookinwluv

Tawa Chicken Frankie Roll

February 28, 2014 by manjirichitnis 20 Comments

Frankie – Popular Indian street food

Tawa Frankie Roll – How I decided to re-create this popular Indian street food at home. In 2014, global flavour leader McCormick, the parent company of leading herbs and spices brand Schwartz, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The yearlong celebration kicks off with the launch of the 125th Anniversary Edition of the Flavour Forecast (a new, annual prediction of what ‘flavours’ will be most popular in the cooking world) and the Flavour of Together programme, with the goal of connecting people around the world as they share 1.25 million stories about the special role food and flavour plays in our lives through.

To inspire people to share their flavour stories and tell the blogger community about Flavour Forecast, McCormick challenged me and a few other bloggers to come up with a new recipe that is based on the Flavour Forecast trends :

1. Chillies Obsession: Food lovers everywhere are seeking out their next big chilli thrill.

2. Modern Masala: Indian food is finally having its moment, breaking free of its traditional confines with modern interpretations.

3. Clever Compact Cooking: Proving that big flavours can come from small spaces, cooks in urban kitchens are making the most of what’s available.

4. Mexican World Tour: Mexican flavours are making their way around the globe, with people everywhere discovering new aspects of this bright, casual cuisine.

5. Charmed by Brazil: The world’s attraction to Brazilian cuisine is heating up, thanks to its seductive mix of global and native influences.

I decide to take up Modern Masala as a flavour trend. Coming from India, using a complex mix of spices as part of our daily diet has always been a part of my life. The beautiful large open fruit n vegetable markets even in major cities are a visual treat and there is a lot of passion involved in say getting the right type of chilli powder. So I think my recipe is an amalgamation of these two big flavour trends together – Chillies Obsession and Modern Masala and of course because I manage all my culinary experiments in my tiny urban kitchen which is the size of a postage stamp I am sure my recipe also covers the theme Clever Compact Cooking!

My most vivid memory of spices being sold loose is of this huge wholesale and retail market in an area called Parel, Mumbai in India. There are many tiny shops and vendors which hand carts with huge piles of spices, bright red chillies in jute sacks, and mini yellow mountains of turmeric and ever imaginable spice being sold in the open. Of course, with our modern industries being so well developed we always used masalas out of a packet but the sheer variety available locally in any small town in India is mind-boggling.

Pune, India – spice market

In London, whenever I trudge to my local Indian shop and purchase Indian spices, I secretly wish that I could get an unlimited supply of aai’s homemade masalas. Her garam masala and red chilli powder where she carefully selects 2 types of chillies with varying degrees of heat and roasts them in a kadhai after they have been dried in the blistering hot afternoon sun! Then she takes it to a local mill where it is ground and packed into a large ceramic jar and then stored at home.

I have made a simplified version of Tibbs Frankie using boneless mutton and a variety of Schwartz spices which were sent to me. You could safely say that this fella ”Frankie” is a distant cousin of the Fajita and the Kathi Roll.

How this Frankie came into being is also a very interesting story which I shall share in a few lines here. These lines are from the Tibbs Frankie website

”The year 1967 Mr. Amarjit Tibb on returning back from England had a stopover in Beirut. During his brief stop there he stumbled upon a very ingenious Lebanese preparation, which was a pita bread wrap, with a variety of stuffing’s, this fascinated him. Upon his return the idea still lingered on and he kept innovating it to suit the Indian palate, after a year of research along with his wife they hit upon the perfect concoction. This Indianised wrap was soon tried among friends and family and after testing brilliantly it hit the markets. That was a new era to the term fast food in Mumbai, it caught on like fire in the Jungle, people accepted it and kept asking for more.Now came the problem of naming the product, again a number of brainstorming became the order of the day till a unanimous decision on the name was taken i.e. Frankie”

This explosion of flavours in a handy easy to eat roll which was given a modern food truck makeover is a gastronomic delight and is available in a large variety of stuffings both veg and non-veg.I have rather fond memories of my college days and spending my pocket money which was always in short supply on these spicy, tasty rolls with a bunch of friends giggling away and then gathering any loose change we had left amongst us to buy a bottle or two of some fizzy cola to quench our thirst. Alert : have been suddenly been hit by a huge wave of nostalgia 🙂

I have created what is my version of a tawa chicken roll (tawa meaning pan in Hindi), the original Tibbs frankie filling is a tangy spicy taste which they attribute to a secret ”Frankie Masala” – humm , well I think I got pretty close 😉 – evil laugh follows 🙂 You can go crazy and creative with the fillings and use this recipe idea to use up meat from your sunday roast, try various different veg and non veg patties with meat and masalas rolled into boiled potato casing and shallow fried. Great way to use a lot of colorful veggies and create a stir fry filling too – the possibilities are endless.

Tawa Chicken Frankie Roll

Tawa Frankie Roll

Manjiri Chitnis

Popular Indian street food, this was created in Mumbai and is a deliciously paratha stuffed with a variety of fillings and green chutney

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Fusion Indian

Servings 2 People

Equipment

Tawa – Flat frying pan
Saptula

Ingredients

Tawa Chicken Filling

50 Grams Chicken breast
1 pinch Asafoetida
2 tsp Garam Masala
Onion salt as per taste
1/2 tsp Garlic Minced
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
Red Chilli powder as per taste
1/2 thum-sized Fresh Ginger fresh peeled
2 medium Red onions finely chopped
1 tsp Turmeric
2 lage Jjuicy tomatoes chopped very fine
1 large Green chilli split lengthwise
1 Red pepper slit lengthwise
3 tbsp Cooking oil

Mint and Coriander Chutney

1 large bunch Fresh Coriander
1 small bunch Fresh Mint leaves
2 Green chillies
1/2 Lime – freshly squeezed
Salt to taste

For the Frankie filling

1 large Red onion chopped lengthwise

For the Paratha coating

2 small Eggs
Salt for seasoning

Instructions

To make the Chicken Filling

Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add the oil
Once the oil is hot, add the asafoetida
Then add split green chilli and crushed fresh ginger
Saute' and add the garlic granules
Saute' and add the garlic granules, when the garlic begins to give out a strong fried aroma its time to add the finely chopped red onion
Cook the onion till it reduces and turns a delicious brown, then add the coriander and cumin powder and garam masala and mix well
Then add the finely chopped tomato and add very little water and cook for 1 -2 minutes without lid
Stir frequently, so as to ensure the mixture does not stick to the saucepan
Now the spices have been thoroughly cooked along with the onion and tomato to make a thick gravy
Cut the chicken breasts and red peppers into lenghthwise strip and add to the gravy
Add onion salt to the mixture, red chilli powder and turmeric
Cover and cook until done

To make the Mint and Coriander Chutney

Wash the coriander and mint leaves, blend to a smoothpaste with a green chilli
To reduce the heat use 1 chilli de-seeded.Add the salt and lime juice and sblend once again
A smooth thick green paste is the consistency we are after – add some water to adjust the consistency
This chutney stores for upto 10 days in the freezer in a clean ,air tight jar – rarely lasts that much in my house though -I love making Bombay sandwich for dinner with this delightful chutney

To make the coating for the Paratha

Crack the eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork, add salt to taste
Using a plastic brush spread on the surface of a frozen ready to eat paratha
Place the eggy side down on a hot pan coated with some cooking oil
Ready to eat frozen parathas are readily available in most supermarkets and Indian grocery stores

How to put the Frankie Roll together

Once the paratha coated with egg has been cooked on both sides, slather it with the mint and coriander chutney and add some red onion chopped lengthwise
Add a generous helping of the chicken filling , roll and wrap one end with some kitchen foil or baking paper. Enjoy hot
Dip into the chutney or tomato ketchup as you munch along

Keyword Frankie

Tawa Chicken Frankie Roll

After I received the samples and wrote up my flavour story, my left hand was operated on (unexpected rescheduling) – a minor but rather errrmmm painful surgery and I walk around most of the time with a sling (promptly remove it as soon as OH leaves home for work hehe) So I had a bit of a panic attack about getting this post up on time,I know I missed the deadline by a few days 🙁

But am really grateful to the kind folks up at McCormick for bearing with me. Also I would like to thank OH for patiently chopping and cutting all the fresh ingredients for me and helping me to click these lovely photographs – what would I do without you? Sighh…

The company has pledged to donate $1 to United Way Worldwide and it’s UK partner Focus on Food, for every story shared on the Schwartz website, Facebook page or other social channels.

Disclaimer: Schwartz Samples and voucher for ingredients purchase sent by McCormick I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Vangyache Bharit- वांग्याचे भरीत (Baingan ka Bharta) (Smoked Aubergine)

January 27, 2014 by manjirichitnis 20 Comments

I have noticed that I have become a bit more inclined towards celebrating festivals after coming to London, maybe it is out of being homesick during festive times and also to ensure that I remember the traditions involved I guess. ‘Makar Sankrant’ is a Hindu festival celebrated by my community ”Maharashtrians” with great pomp and enthusiasm as it heralds the season of Harvest. Similar to this festival is Lohri which is celebrated by the Punjabis in the North of India, Pongal in the state of Tamil Nadu, Uttaryan in the state of Gujrat. One festival so many names and so varied ways of celebrating! It is not only in India that this festival is celebrated it’s also welcomed in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos amongst others!

My mother always used to make a smoked aubergine vegetable dish called Vangyache Bharit – written in Marathi as – वांग्याचे भरीत on Makar Sankrant so I decided to make it too for Sankrant this year which was on the 14th of Jan’14. We also exchange small ladoos made of sesame seeds and jaggery called ”Tilache Ladoo” and wish each other by saying तिळगुळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला -‘Tilgul ghya god bola. It means that we shall forget and forgive any past bitter exchange of words and start afresh with this sweet offering and only speak sweet words of love. Til stands for sesame and Gul stands for jaggery in Marathi, so TilGul means a sweet made using sesame and jaggery as the main ingredients

The recipe is modified in various regions of the state of Maharashtra and also the variety of vanga/eggplant/aubergine or brinjal as we know it in urban India, is different in various parts of the state and in various states of India, of course differing due to climate and soil. Aai ( meaning Mother in the Marathi language – my mother tongue) always looked for the light green vanga or eggplant with white stripes on its skin which she rightly said tastes way better than its darker purple-skinned cousin.

Aai’s recipe which I will share now is how we have always made this dish at home. There are several variations and styles depending on which part of Maharashtra you hail from and also various sub-cultures and availability of local ingredients and palates.I guess what makes this recipe so special is that it brings back happy memories of childhood, festivity, celebration and the unmistakable smoky and rich vanga (eggplant/aubergine) taste with the crunchy red onion and a slap of hot spicy green chilli mixed in between, all balanced so well with the various masalas that go into this bharit Ummm!

Image Credit WebDunia

Serves:2 -as a main with chapatya(Marathi for Indian Naan Bread also called chapatis in Hindi)

Preparation Time :15 minutes

Cooking Time:25minutes

Ingredients:

1 large vanga/baingan/eggplant/aubergine
1 large red onion
2-3 green chillies
5-6 large cloves of garlic
a few mustard seeds
Cumin/Jeera
Garam Masala – 2 heaped tsps
Salt to taste
A pinch of hing/asafoetida
Turmeric – 1.5 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1.5 tsp
Oil – 3-4 large tbsps
Coriander/Cilantro to garnish

Method:

The beauty of this dish lies in the deep and rich smoky flavour of the eggplant, I would love to use charcoals and do this bit on an open rustic fire but well I make do with my hob. You could use the oven but it will take much longer but directly on the hob – though a bit messy , it’s quicker! Roast the eggplant completely turning it on the side and moving it up an down so you don’t miss any bits.

Allow this to cool and then charred skin will come off easily.

Mash with your hands in a smooth mass of soft cooked, smoked eggplant.

While the eggplant is smoking on the hob, finely chop one large red onion.
Skin the garlic and use a mortar pestle to smash the green chillies with the garlic
In a dry saucepan, add the oil and after it is hot, add a pinch of hing/ asafoetida and mustard seeds, as the mustard seeds begin to pop add the cumin seeds and the garam masala powder and the finely chopped red onion and stir it often till it turns colour and is still crunchy to taste.

Now add the turmeric and red chilli powder
Then stir in the ”thecha”(Marathi for the green chilli and garlic mixture) and saute’ till the raw garlic becomes one with the mixture. Vary the green chillies depending on your personal tolerance of heat
Reduce the flame to a low and add the eggplant mash into this mixture and stir well so as to ensure equal distribution of the onion and all other flavours.
Cook with lid for under 5 minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander/cilantro.
Serve with hot chapatya or steamed rice and dal.
We also enjoy this cold, cool the dish completely and serve with a generous helping of set curd/yoghurt.
My aai didn’t add tomatoes to this and at times used some Goda masala as well as it has dry grated coconut which can really alter the taste.
For Baingan Bharta add one finely chopped tomato as well after the onion has been fried.

Chai Concentrate

January 5, 2014 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

Its been a very hectic year and I was really looking forward to a festive break. In the run up to Christmas I was gifted some really tempting edible gifts. I then took to Pintrest to find something that called out to me and ask me to make go make it ! I found a beautiful photograph of Chai Concentrate here . It was an easy to prepare recipe and so I started to get all the ingredients together and wasn’t able to get my hands on orange pekoe tea bags so I decided to make a few modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

6 cups water
5 English breakfast tea – tea bags
5 mulled wine spice bags
1/2 cup brown sugar
12 whole cloves
9 cardamom pods split open and the seeds powdered
8 coriander seeds or 1/4th tbsp of ground coriander powder
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
1 vanilla bean sliced in half
1.5 tbsp orange zest
1 inch piece of ginger,skinned n cut into thin strips
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Method:

In a large sauce pan bring the water to boil and reduce the heat to a minimum
Add the spices, tea bags,orange zest and ginger and cover with lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes take the saucepan off the flame and let it stand for 10 -15 minutes.
Then add the honey and stir it in along with all the beautiful spices which have steeped in well into the mixture.
Let this cool completely , the strain the chai concentrate through a large sieve lined with a fresh cheesecloth. The spices are to be discarded.
Add the strained chai concentrate into clean glass bottles.
Decorate the glass bottles with pretty tape and add a small name tag with a bit of coil.
This mixture stays for 2 weeks in the fridge and can be had as hot winter drink with 1/3rd parts concentrate and top it off with hot milk, it also is good with a glass of cold milk and ice with a dollop of honey stirred in!
I loved the idea that the chai concentrate can be added into cookie dough for an extra zing – I am going to try that soon!

After making this gift I feel so good inside that I have taken an extra effort to actually create something unique, I think am going to make a habit out it and make delicious little treats for birthdays and anniversaries too!

Sweetcorn and Paneer Bhaji/Sabzi

November 15, 2013 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

In March I had rushed to be by my mothers side when her recovery post a double knee replacement surgery which was supposed to give her a new lease on life went badly wrong.

She was put on a very strict diet and asked to avoid more food stuff than she could eat, besides the heat in Pune was killing and the numerous medicines made her terribly hungry and moody. Not to mention the times when she was in so much pain I regularly went in the room next door and sobbed my guts out into a pillow…

On one of the better days when she really wanted to eat something tasty and refused all the options I gave her my maushi (that’s we call mum’s sister in Marathi language – my mother tongue) saved the day by making her this simple yet delicious vegetable which was packed with flavour in-spite of having on onion,no garlic and no tomatoes which mum was not allowed at all…If you have someone at home who is being given blood thinner medicines to avoid blood clots you may be asked to avoid foods that contain Vitamin K which is a natural blood coagulant.

Since this was only for one person we took a handful of each ingredient and used spices as we thought appropriate to suit her taste buds dead with all those medicines. Please feel free to amp up the spice if you wish.

Serves 2 as a side or 1 as a main

Preparation of veggies and Cooking Time:45 minutes

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets 150 gm
sweet corn 50 gm
carrots chopped into tiny cubes 50 gm
green peas 50 gm
Paneer cubes/Cottage Cheese 50 gm
2 bay leaves
salt as per taste
a pinch of red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin and coriander powder mix
a small pinch of ground clove powder
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Finely chopped fresh green coriander leaves -just enough to garnish.

Method:

In a pan take 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and sautee the bay leaves, clove powder and cumin and coriander powder for about 30 seconds.
Add the sweet corn and cook for about 3 minutes with spritz of water on a very low flame with lid to allow the corn to cook well.
Add the chopped carrot cubes and add water and cover an allow to steam for 2 -3 minutes on a low flame.
Reason for cooking the sweetcorn first and then the carrots is that they will take longer to cook than the cauliflower and peas which will become mush in the vegetable if all these are added at once. To save time you could used boiled sweetcorn and carrot. Avoid canned and ready to eat variety.
When carrots are almost cooked add the cauliflower florets ,green peas and season with the turmeric and red chilli powder and salt.Mix Well.
Add very little water just enough to allow the veggies to cook well.

When they are almost cooked after not more than 5- 8 minutes , add the soft paneer cubes and mix well and serve hot with a chapati fresh off the pan.
Garnish with a tiny bit of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped.Ensure they are washed thoroughly to ensure no muddy bits are hiding between the delicate leaves.

Needless to say aai loved the bhaji and after almost 15 days of bland food she was really upbeat. Soon after she really began to recover at a desirable pace and was coming up with many of her own ideas to make delicious food with less oil, minimal spices and without any tomato. Cheers to you aai , you are a very brave person to have come out of such a bad health situation only a few months ago, to a point where you are 100% independent and cheerful as ever.God bless all those that stood by us and the few special people who came to help me in the hour of need, no questions asked, you know I love you people tons right ?:)

Disclaimer: Please note this is a true account of what my mum had to eat with her many food restrictions and is not meant to be treated as a medical advice for anyone following a diet where they have been asked to stay off Vit K .Please always consult your doctor before eating anything that is out of the ordinary for your condition.

Achari Mutton Recipe

November 13, 2013 by manjirichitnis 5 Comments

Achari Mutton Recipe – a must-have in every home cook’s repertoire

Mutton is my favourite form of consuming red meat and though I LOVE pork with equal fervour, it can never quite compare to the deeply satisfying rich taste of a proper Maharashtrian Mutton Curry. This Achari Mutton curry is something I have cooked several times over the past years and tweaked the recipe to get it to this current one. Though I do still love experimenting with the curry by using various pickles, the basic achari mutton recipe remains the same.

How I came about to love this particular recipe is particularly interesting as it is from a phase of my life when I was working a very hectic full-time job back in India. My colleagues and I were all at a party and that’s when I tasted this Achari Chicken which totally blew my socks off! We were all at my boss’s house in Pune and one of my colleagues who also happens to be a trained chef, made Achari chicken and roti’s for us in a flash! It tasted so divine!

Achari Ghost

Fast foward a few years, to when we have moved to London. I remember,I had to make an urgent trip to India due to some unforseen circumstances. My husband was not able to get leave at short notice and was feeling pretty misreable for not being able to fly with me. I had to do something to lift his spirits and comfort food topped the list. After all, nothing beats the feeling of waking up after a good afternoon nap on a weekend, better till if that nap is brought by the supreme satisfaction one feels after consuming a comforting homecooked meal that reminds you of the taste of life back in India. Exactly for such occasions a good mutton curry and rice meal, is just the thing.

Mutton in a rich pickle flavoured curry

Fresh Mutton was procured but I didn’t have any puree’s to marinate them in and then a brainwave happened ! I got out my most treasured bottle of mango pickle made by my sister’s mum-in-law (who is an expert with pickles and makes a minimum of 10 varieties every summer, yes you heard that right, TEN, these are then packed and parceled all over the world !!)

I really didn’t want to use up all the pickle but for a kilo of mutton, I just had to, ah well small scarifies for the larger good I say 🙂

I silently thank Asha Ma as we lovingly call her, for the fabulous pickles she makes so expertly for her family. And more so for her immense patience with packing them neatly in air-tight, spill-proof containers.

Achari Mutton Curry Recipe

Achari Mutton Recipe

Manjiri Chitnis

Achari Mutton Recipe, Succulent mutton cooked in a richly flavoured, thick gravy sauce, flavoured with pickle or achar, this is also called Achari Ghost

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 kilo mutton curry pieces
250 gm 1/2 bottle of mango pickle
2 tbsp heaped of freshly ground ginger garlic paste
200 gm 1/2 tub of yogurt /Dahi
2 medium tomatoes
3 small Red Onions
4 tsp heaped Red Chilli Powder /Laal Tikhat
3 tsp heaped Turmeric Powder / Halad
Pinch Asafoetida / Hing
2 Bay Leaves
1 small Stick of cinnamon
4 tsp heaped coriander and cumin mix powder
3 1/2 tbsp Oil
4 boiled eggs peeled and sliced into halves

For the Chilli Marinade

3 Green Chillies
1 Lime juiced
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Red chilli powder

Instructions

Wash the mutton pieces thoroughly and then pour the pickle over them and add the ginger garlic paste and mix well such that each piece coats well in the pickle.
Ideally I would marinate this mutton overnight to really let these flavours seep deep into the fibers of the meat. Also, as mutton curry takes longer to cook than lamb it is necessary to ensure that for the flavours to full develop and mature, marination must be done for over 5 hours at least.
Cover the meat with a plastic cling film and leave in the refrigerator overnight, do not freeze unless the temperature outside is over 35 deg Celsius as at that temperature if the cooling in the fridge is not good the meat may go bad. If freezing the mutton allow at least 4 hours to totally defrost by first moving from freezer to fridge and then keeping it outside.
Pour the yogurt over the marinated meat and mix well,leave aside for 20 minutes
Just when you are ready to cook the mutton peel and roughly chop red onions into chunks and also made big pieces of the tomatoes and puree them in the food processor.
In a large vessel heat the oil and add a pinch of asafoetida, sauté the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick for about 30 seconds on a medium flame.
Then add the red onion and tomato puree , sauté in the oil ,stirring well and let it simmer on a low flame with 1 cup of water.
Add red chilli powder,turmeric powder, coriander and cumin mix powder.
Let this cook for about 10 -12 minutes.
Now add the marinated mutton and add enough water to make a good amount of gravy , if you are going to use the pressure cooker then add a little extra.
Cook on a medium flame for about 1 and a half hour , in a pressure cook give it 8 whistles.
Mutton pieces have a lot of fat attached on the sides which also adds to the oil used for cooking hence I have used less oil.I am unable to eat the overtly oily curry which leave a huge layer of oil on the top if allowed to stand.
Now for the spicy dip, slit the green or red chillies lengthwise and dip into the oil and red chilli powder mix and add the juice of one lime.
When the curry is cooked serve hot on a bed of steaming hot rice with half a boiled egg.

Keyword Achari Mutton

For extra flavour bite into the fiery red chilli with the lime-chilli mix. It’s not for the faint-hearted though, but if you really do manage to relish the aftertaste of hot chilli you can safely say that you can now eat any fiery dish without breaking a sweat or getting the runs, a sort of baptism by fire food ritual!! One only for the brave souls! This powerful blast of heat on the tongue will see your forehead dotted with beads of sweat. Truly a labour of love.

The resulting mutton curry is rich in flavour and served hot with fluffy Jeera rice it is such a satisfying and comforting meal. But the best bit is when you leave the balance of this curry overnight , the next day the taste is so much better I’d almost choose left over curry over the fresh 😉

Highly recommend serving this curry with a cooling curd side dish – half a cup of yogurt mixed with with sliced red onions and cucumbers ,seasoned with a pinch of salt , half a spoon of sugar and 1 heaped teaspoon of toasted cumin powder ,garnished with some freshly chopped coriander leaves.I’d wash down the meal with butter milk or a good glass or two of a full bodied red wine.

IMG_5539 (Copy) (2) — Achari Mutton Recipe

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

Egg Curry/Anda Curry/अण्डा कारी from my college days

October 13, 2013 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Egg curry and soft paav or square buns are the most common hostel food that one can make with a saucepan, some eggs and a few basic ingredients. It is hugely popular as a filling, tasty curry and there are as many variations as the imagination, one’s budget and availability of ingredients on a particular day will allow 🙂

This version is what I always make and is sort of derivative of what would be made in the North of India. I sometimes like to make it into a coastal flavoured one by adding freshly grated coconut but that’s only if I want to make it posh but that’s very, very rare. After all, this is a quick, save the evening sort of curry!

It’s National Curry Week and it’s wonderful to see how Britain has embraced an Indian food habit and made it, its own over the years, spinning off British Indian versions of popular Indian home-cooked curries.

I wanted to start off my posts for National Curry Week, with this one because of how easy it is to make and a great recipe for students everywhere 🙂

Serves:2

Total Preparation Time:20 Minutes

Ingredients:

4 eggs and use the same proportion of 2 eggs per person to scale up (for very hungry fells the more the merrier 😉
2 medium-sized red onion finely chopped
2 medium-sized tomatoes
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 heaped tsp garam masala
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
2 green chillies
1 tsp ginger paste
fresh coriander to garnish
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
a pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil – it’s easier on my conscience , use any oil or butter or ghee in dire straits!

Method:

Boil the eggs in an open saucepan and leave aside to cool
Roast the chopped red onion on a saucepan and spritz it in the mixer with the chopped tomatoes and green chillies. (If you want a coastal touch add 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut in this mixture and puree it together, ensure to use at least 3 finely chopped garlic in the pan as they set off the taste of fresh coconut beautifully)
In a saucepan heat the oil and add a pinch of asafoetida, then add the chopped garlic and roast till it’s a light brown, then add the ginger paste, turmeric, red chilli powder,garam masala, coriander and cumin powders.
Stir in the onion and tomato puree.
Cook on a low flame for 2 minutes.
Then add some water to make a gravy-like consistency and ad the boiled, peeled eggs after cutting them in half, add salt and cook for a further 5 – 6 minutes.
Serve with hot chapatis/naan bread,paav, soft fresh wholemeal bread or with steaming hot boiled white rice – to make the rice taste heavenly drop a blob of butter, the steam trapped in the grains of rice will melt the butter into a golden pool of gooey goodness – pour the egg curry into this and enjoy the best and simple pleasures of curry!