red chilli powder - Travels for Taste

Whole Sea Bass steamed with a Rainbow side salad

May 1, 2015 by manjirichitnis 16 Comments

A delicious and healthy steamed fish recipe perfect for stay in #FishFriday night dinner or a lovely brunch on a lazy afternoon. The accompanying salad is colourful and full of fresh veggies that’s why I choose to call it a Rainbow Salad.

Whole Sea Bass Steamed

Print Recipe

Servings: 2 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 Large Sea Bass scaled andgutted
1 Large Lemon
2 sprigs Rosemary
2 sprigs Thyme
2 tsp Chives
Garlic sea salt as per taste
Red Chilli powder as per taste
4 small 2 small carrotsper person
Handful of Green Peas pe person

Method

Pre-heat theoven to 200 °C
Wash the fish and place on the foil
Stuff the lemon wedges inside the fish along with the Chives, rosemary and thyme
Sprinkle generously with sea salt, red chilli powder and a drizzle of olive oil
Wrap the fish in the foil parcel and cook in the oven until it has cooked through, should take about20-25 minutes
Steam the veggies in a steamer

Rainbow Salad

Print Recipe

Servings: 2 servings

Course: Salad

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 fresh Pepper (capsicum)
1 small Red Onion
1/2 Courgette
1 Tomato
1 tbsp Red wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
Freshly cracked Black Pepper as per taste
Sea salt as per taste
Olive Oil – Generous amounts

Method

Chop all the vegetables into tiny bite sized cubes
Place chopped veggies in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil and add the red wine vinegar
Season well with sea salt and add a generous sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper
Mix well

To Serve

Plate a portion of the fish and serve the steamed carrots and peas on the side.
Serve a generous helping of the crunchy veggies salad.

Whole steamed sea bass with a Rainbow salad

Here is another recipe to try if you are cooking sea bass:

Fennel and Pancetta Baked Sea Bass from Anne’s Kitchen

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

Manjiri Chitnis

Indian Masala Egg Omelette

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Servings: 2 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

1 1 medium – sized Red onion or Pink Mumbai onion chopped fine
3 medium – sized Eggs
2 Green chillies chopped into fairly large chunky pieces- easy to pick out for the faint hearted!
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) Leaves
2 tbsp Butter
Salt to taste

Equipment

1 Pan
1 Chopping Board
1 Knife
1 Whisk / Fork

Method

Finely chop the red onion
Chop the green chilli into fairly big pieces sothey can be picked out by those that don't want to chew on them
Crack the 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
I add in the turmeric as it has loads of healthbenefits – it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strongantioxidant, and our guest who do not consume turmeric on a regularbasis loved the idea
Now add in the cheese – torn roughly if it using acheese single or crushed if using a soft cheese or crumbly cheese, sausages andParma Ham. Lightly beat the egg mixture once more with a fork to mix well
Place a big pan on medium heat and when it beginsto heat up melt the butter
When the butter begins tosizzle and pan resembles what you see in the image then it's the right time toadd the egg mixture
Move the pan around so that the mixture spreadsevenly 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 it over. You can tell by the aroma wafting around too
With a big wooden spatula gently flip over and cookon 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

Notes

Additional Ingredients that can be added in to bulk up this delicious Indian Masala omlette:

Sliced mushrooms, button mushrooms go really well with this recipe
A sliced cheese single, ideally Cheddar, I also love adding in cheese that comes flavoured with garlic and/or chilli flakes
2 Pork sausages
2 thin slices of Parma Ham
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

Masala Anda Omelette recipe by Travelsfortaste

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.

WHY NOT TRY MY OTHER RECIPES WITH EGGS AS THE STAR INGREDIENT?

I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Behind the scenes at an Egg Farm

Tomato and Lentil Soup

March 8, 2014 by manjirichitnis 61 Comments

Sometimes the guilt of eating too many wrong things just gets to me and I need to balance the scales internally. This calls for a comforting and filling soupy treat with a pinch of something yum thrown in. Also, all those gorgeous cherry tomatoes and vine tomatoes sitting in my fridge were begging to used -asap or risk being dumped into my green food recycle bag. Thrifty that I am, I will not allow that to happen in my kitchen! And I always turn to my stored lentils for something comforting and homely.

This recipe is perfect for making ahead in a larger batch and freeze some for later.

Manjiri Chitnis

Tomato and Lentil Soup

5 from 7 votes

Wholesome and delicious, this vegetarian and vegan friendly recipe is as easy on the tummy as it is on the pocket

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

3/4 cup Red Lentils/Masoor split without skin
1/4 cup Yellow Lentil/Moong – split without skin
4 – 5 medium-sized Tomatoes
1 pinch Asafoetida
2 Red Onions
5 – 6 Garlic cloves
2 tsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Cumin Powder
½ Thum-sized Fresh Ginger – peeled
2-3 Cloves
1 tsp Pepper powder
Red chilli flakes – optional
3 large tbsp Oil for frying
1 tbsp oil for the tadka
Salt to taste

Equipment

Pressure Cooker / Heavy-bottomed pan
Knife and chopping board
Kadhai or any pan
Potato masher or a large ladle
Blender / Mixer

Method

Wash the lentil through a sieve and pressure cook – 3 whistles
Let the steam escape and then loosen cooker lid
Remove cooked lentils and allow to cool completely
If you are not a pressure cooker lover then cook the lentils in a big saucepan with exactly two times the water than the quantity of the lentils
Lentils cook quickly in a pan, cover and cook and keep an eye as water may boil over
Finely chop red onions chopped into long slivers
Chop the tomatoes into 4 pieces – just for ease of blending
In a kadhai or wok heat the 3 tbsp oil and deep fry the garlic chopped into fine strips
Add the red onions and sauté are absolutely crisp, the aroma is delicious
Puree the washed tomatoes with the deep-fried red onion and garlic (leave some for garnishing)
Use a potato masher ( or the back of a large ladle) and roughly squash the cooked and cooled lentils and mix them with the tomatoes puree
In the same kadhai/wok or pan used to fry the onions and garlic – heat about 1 to 1.5 tsp oil
Add asafoetida, whole cumin, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, cloves
Sauté the spices in the oil for under a minute
Add the cooked lentils and tomato puree
Add water if the mixture is too thick
Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 -8 minutes
Season with salt as per taste
Garnished with the remaining crispy fried onion and garlic bits
Sprinkle some freshly cracked pepper
Serve hot
Best accompanied by hot buttered toast

Wholemeal bread, a crusty baguette, or a soft cheesy loaf – all make for great accompaniments with this soup. Indulge yourself by adding a blob of butter on top of the soup before serving.

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 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?

Chapali Kebab Recipe

Easy recipe for succulent, melt-in-your-mouth kebabes

Print Recipe

Servings: 2

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Pakistani

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

500 gms Lamb mince or ground lamb or kheema/Keema
1 tsp Dried Pomeogranate seeds
2 tsp Freshly Ginger – crushed
1 tsp freshly squeezed Lemon juice
1.5 tsp Red Chilli powder
1.5 tsp Coriander Seed Powder
1.5 tsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp freshcoriander leaves – finely chopped
1 small-size redonion finely chopped
1 medium-sized juicy red tomato finely chopped
2 greenchillies – finely chopped
3 small Eggs
Salt to taste
3.5 tbsp Riceflour or Cornmeal

Equipment

1 Frying Pan
1 Knife
1 Spatula

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 followed by the meat
Ensureany excess water is drained out and then add the finely chopped tomatoes andred onions
Spread a large sheet of kitchen plastic foil or beeswax paper n a flat table or the kitchen platform and place the flatted patties on it, cover it with another sheet, and refrigerate
In a kadhai or wok take enough oil for frying and fry them, and serve hot with lots of chopped tomato and red onions on the side. Tastes great dipped into a freshly made mint coriander chutney or any dip of your choice

Recipe Notes:

If like me you live in a tiny but expensive urban flat with an open plan kitchen – read tiny as a bird’s nest, then probably best to leave the entire mixture in the bowl, cover and refrigerate for about half an hour. Helps save on safe if you are using a smaller fridge.
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

Manjiri Chitnis

Tawa Frankie Roll

5 from 7 votes

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

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Servings: 2 People

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

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

Equipment

Tawa – Flat frying pan
Saptula

Method

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

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.

Chicken and Red Lentil Stew – a complete ONE POT meal (Suran & Red Lentil Stew)

February 3, 2014 by manjirichitnis 33 Comments

There are times when I really want a hearty meal but don’t have the energy to stand and cook an elaborate meal. It is at times like that I turn to One pot meals, served with a warm baguette it is a filling, healthy and easy and quick to meal option which NO compromise on taste whatsoever! Moreover, its homemade, has flavour and is a satisfying experience to make .

I had been meaning to try and cook a stew using red lentils (masoor – Marathi for red lentil )for some time , they are my most favourite lentils and I am ALWAYS stocked up on a large 2 kilo pack of dried red lentils split and without skin , from my local Indian grocery shop at Tooting called Dadu’s. Also since all the other fresh ingredients were procured from my local LIDL this dish is GREAT value for money too! Am totally in love with the FRESH fruits and vegetable selection at LIDL right now.I bought some bright red long crunchy sweet peppers, a pack of medium hot chillies, fresh chicken breast fillets, a very cute packet of garlic, mixed pack of cauliflower and broccoli florets and a packet of gorgeous looking Shallots.( I have always wondered why the lentils are called RED when clearly they are a lovely light orange colour !)

I love inventing a recipe as I go along and when I got my vegetable tray out on Sunday morning I had all these lovely vegetables staring at me and I just threw in what I thought would taste good together and VOILA ! A Steaming hot , thick, wholesome and tasty chicken and red lentil broth was born.

I love having some baby potatoes in stock and they are always handy in a stew , besides being quite the self-proclaimed ”queen of curries” I always am well stocked on Indian spices so bay leaves and cinnamon sticks aplenty in my kitchen larder – oh yes

Please don’t feel put off by the ingredient list , trust me they marry well together in the taste department and the end result is well worth your time and effort!

The biggest bonus of this stew recipe is that you can create your OWN vegetarian version by replacing the chicken with Quorn or if you don’t for some reason like or have never tried or have no access to Quorn then try replacing the chicken fillets with Suran/Elephant Foot Yam, it can be chopped into big chunks and it takes up flavours very easily. But with the yam the cooking time drastically will reduce as it can go from just right and chewy to soft, goeey or totally disappear into the stew ! My aai (mum) always used suran as a meat replacement and marinated it well in the spices we would use for chicken or lamb and made a thick gravy dish with it, when I was younger she has managed to fool me many times over thinking it was mutton 🙂 – Aai I miss you and all the food you cook – sigh…. no India trip in sight anytime soon 🙁

(Dangerous though it looks the elephant foot yam is very very tasty! )

Serves:4 Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking time:35 minutes

Ingredients:

Red Lentils / Massor Dal -3/4th cup
Chicken breast mini fillets – 750gm / Comparable Quorn fillets
5-6 baby potatoes
6 shallots approx 200gm
2 large sweet and crunchy pointed Red Peppers – approx 200gm
2 short medium hot chillies
2-3 bay leaves dry
red chilli flakes as per taste
sea salt as per taste
1 veg stock pot
3 dried red Kashmiri chillies
1 large roll of cinnamon
4 tbsp sunflower oil
a handful of Broccoli and Cauliflower florets
2 large tbsp of tomato puree or half of a large tomato finely chopped
Red chilli powder
Sugar 2 tsp

Method:

Wash and soak the red lentil in water to soften them so they cook more quickly then get on with all the other chopping and cutting prep’s.
Chop the shallots lengthwise.
In a large stew pot or huge saucepan heat the oil and add the bay leaves,cinnamon stick and dry red kashmiri chillies which I have a very big packet of and am trying to finish , they only add colour and no heat so if you don’t have these you can totally leave them out – no harm done here.
Now add red chilli powder and sugar and just when the sugar starts to caramelise add the shallots and shallow fry them till they reduce and begin to turn a lovely brown colour.
Now add the 2 large tbsp’s of tomato puree or half of a large tomato finely chopped and stir till it mixes well with the shallots.
Add the roughly chopped long red peppers and baby potatoes and saute’ for 2 minutes.
Add the washed chicken fillets/suran (elephant yam), soaked red lentils with the water it was soaked in.
Add the washed and roughly chopped Broccoli and Cauliflower florets and now add enough water.
I did not measure the water I added but add enough to get a nice thick stew , while the ingredients are cooking together on a low flame ,feel free to top up with more water as the lentils easily soak up as much water as you feed it with. Having said that you don’t want to end up with a watery stew so don’t add more than 3/4th cup at one go.
Season with sea salt , I love MALDON SEA SALT which I use and I have a few packets ALWAYS stashed away, great n salads it is!
Then sprinkle red chilli flakes and gently place a veg stock cube on top on this lovely pot of goodness bubbling away. I prefer the KNORR veg stock cubes , they have a great bouquet of flavour and are very handy at times when am exhausted and need to quickly cook up something tasty!
Stir well, cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame.
The red lentil will froth as they cook not to worry simply stir now and then and mix well, don’t allow the stew to get too thick we want enough lovely gravy to slurp this stew and dip the baguette into!

I was so hungry that I didn’t click any photos of my lovely fresh ingredients but it was a brilliantly sunny day yesterday and after this wholesome stew for lunch we had to really force ourselves to go and get some much needed fresh air at Morden Hall Park – I happily left my smartphone behind so photos to share but suffice to say that it was a gorgeous walk through the huge grounds and we saw many happy families ,happy couples and cute old folks and even happier kids and dogs romping around in the muddy park fun! And because we were so good we treated ourselves to hot tea and a sandwich at a local Turkish Cafe 😉 hehehe

Am very happy and proud of this new original recipe creation from my experimental kitchen. Next time I make this stew I will smoke the sweet and crunchy long red peppers and peel off the skin , to add a deep smoky flavour to the stew and not have the skin floating around – double whammy I say 🙂

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

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

Traditional Indian Smoked Aubergine dish

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings: 4 portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

1 Large vanga/baingan/eggplant/aubergine
1 Large Red Onion
3 Green Chillies
6 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin / Jeera
2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Hing / Asafoetida
1.5 tsp Turmeric
1.5 tsp Red chilli powder
3 tbsp Oil
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro leaves to garnish

Equipment

1 Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Tongs
1 non-stick heavy bottom saucepan with lid

Method

Roast the eggplant on a gas hob over a naked flame, completely turning it on the side and moving it up and down so you don’t miss any bits. Refer to my recipe notes if you would prefer to do this in the oven or on a BBQ.
Allow this to cool and then charred skin will come off easily.
Roughly mash the aubergine using a fork.
Finely chop one large red onion.
Remove the skin from the garlic cloves, place garlic and green chillies into a mortar pestle and ground into a rough paste.
Heat the saucepan and add oil, when the oil is hot, add asafoetida. Then add the mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter, then add the cumin.
Now add the garlic and green chillies, chopped red onion and cook on low heat until the onions sweat.
Then add the red chilly powder, turmeric and garam masala and stir well, follow it up with the smoked aubergine.
Mix well and cook until done.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander/cilantro.

Recipe Notes

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!
While roasting the aubergine on the hob ensure you monitor it closely and use tongs to turn it over. Cooking over a flame on a gas hob directly should be done very carefully. Use the overhead extractor fan so that the smoke does not set off your fire alarm.
For oven cooking, make some cuts in the aubergine using a sharp knife, rub lightly with some oil and wrap tightly with foil and place on a baking tray, and roast in a preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes at 180-degree celsius. Allow to cool completely before unwrapping and peeling off the skin.
My Aai does not add tomatoes to this dish and at times uses some Goda masala as well as it has dry grated coconut which can really alter the taste. Many people add chopped tomatoes.
Serve with hot rotis or steamed rice and dal.
We also enjoy this cold, cool completely, and serve it with a generous helping of set curd/ yoghurt.

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

Vangyache Bharit- ????????? ???? (Baingan ka Bharta) (Smoked Aubergine)

LEARN HOW TO COOK WESTERN COASTAL INDIAN CUISINE FROM THE C.K.P COMMUNITY WITH MY EASY-TO-FOLLOW RECIPES.

FIND BELOW A LIST OF INDIAN RECIPES ON MY BLOG, SOME TRADITIONAL, SOME FUSION, AND MANY REGIONAL FAVOURITES!

Smoky Chorizo and Chives baked Eggs in Pots

January 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

Of all the crazy boxing day sale shopping I am most happy with what I found for my kitchen (of course!). Amongst a few things the best buys are a massive Denby cast iron crock pot which doubles up as a slow cooker and I plan to use it real carefully,maybe even pass it down as a family heirloom, and then there are the beautifully dark burnt orange mini cocotte from Le Creuset. I couldn’t think of a better way to inaugurate the cute mini cocottes than by making baked eggs.

I created this recipe for Baked eggs and decided to give it a twist with laying a base of wafer thin potatoes, they give this dish a whole new dimension and are like a secret surprise at the bottom of this miniature stockpot of goodness!

Manjiri Chitnis

Smoky Chorizo and chives Baked Eggs in pots

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings: 2 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Fusion

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

5 Eggs
2 large tsp Cream Cheese
1/2 Red Onion finely chopped
4 Spicy Chorizo Sausages chopped
5 – 6 Chestnut Mushrooms
2 tbsp Butter
2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1/4 Potato thinly sliced
2 tsp Olive Oil
A small bunch of chives finely chopped
Coriander to season
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Method

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the cream cheese, finely chopped chives,the chopped mushrooms, finely chopped coriander, sea salt and red chilli flakes
In a saucepan add the oil and sautee the red onion till they go soft and juicy and then add the chopped sausages, and cook on a low flame for not more than 2 minutes
Grease the mini cocottes and place the potato slices at the bottom, add the red onion and sausage mixture and then pour the egg mixture on them
Pre-heat the oven to 220° C and place the mini cocottes on a tray, bake for the first 10 minutes withlid and then wait for 5 minutes then open the oven and bake again for 15 minutes without lid

It’s super to watch the egg puff up and form the most perfect brown crusty top.I spent so much time getting the setting right that they collapsed by then – gaaaahhh! but still I am so happy with the results of this taste experiment!Serve with hot buttered toast and a large pot of English Breakfast tea.

This is the perfect indulgent breakfast for a Sunday morning, you could prepare the pots at night if you want to make them in large batches for a big weekend brunch.Simply cover and store in the fridge with lids on.

Mind you these may look like tiny pots but one of these and you feel stuffed!!

WHY NOT TRY MY OTHER RECIPES WITH EGGS AS THE STAR INGREDIENT?

I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Behind the scenes at an Egg Farm

C.K.P Valache Birdhe (वालाचे बिरडे) – Field bean curry

September 22, 2013 by manjirichitnis 19 Comments

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry – a Regional delicacy from the state of Maharashtra, West coast of India

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry, is an extremely popular bean gravy and has helped soothe many aching hearts and settle ruffled feathers after long gruelling work days.I managed to procure a few packets of these beautiful field beans with brown skin after a lot of searching!Hubs goes completely mental at the mere mention of this dish and insisted on me uploading the recipe and help all the other hungry hubbies out there..ahem ..so without further ado ladies and gents I present to you yummyscrummy recipe.

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

वालाचे बिरडे

ThisValache Birdhe or field beans curry recipe is a typical C.K.P way of making a rather traditional legume curry. Vaal or kadve vaal (kadve meaning bitter in Marathi) are generically referred to as Field Beans in English.

Traditional regional cuisine and a beautiful heirloom C.K.P recipe

Manjiri Chitnis

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

5 from 1 vote

Hieloom recipe from the CKP community from the western coast of Maharashtra, India

Print Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 20

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

1.5 Cup Vaal/ Field Beans – soaked, sprouted and skin removed – takes a few days
3 -4 Cloves Lasun/Garlic with skin
1 pinch Hing/Asafoetida
1 Kanda/Red onion – one small finely chopped for the pan
2 -3 tsp Dried Kokum 2 pieces or Tamarind (Chinch/ Imli) -tamarind paste OR dried tamarind soaked in water -remove the pips and use the gooey thick bits
1/2 tsp Jaggery
1 tiny pinch Mohri/Mustard Seeds
1 Pinch Cumin/Jeera
1.5 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Laal Mirchi / Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Halad / Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Jeere/Cumin powder
1/2 fistful Fresh Coriander finely chopped to garnish
3 – 4 tbsp Grated coconut paste * see notes
Salt as per taste

Equipment

Pan to cook the curry
Blender to make a paste from the garted coconut
Kitchen cloth to tie up beans for sporuting

Method

Soak the Vaal overnight, change the water in the morning and by evening if they appear puffed then wrap them in a damp cloth and set aside in a vessel with a lid to create an environment warm enough to allow them to sprout
Remove sprouted vaal into a bowl and pour like warm water on them, stir with your palms to loosen the skin and many will float to the top, decant the water and remove all the rest of the skins and discard
Heat the oil in a saucepan and dust some asafoetida and throw in the mustard and cumin.
When the cumin seeds begin to pop, throw in the garlic with their skin on and smashed to flatten them and as they turn colour and release their aroma, add the chopped onion.
When the onion turns a delicate pink add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and then add the vaal/field beans.
Now add the turmeric, red chilli, coriander and cumin powders and quickly stir in enough water to cover the beans
On a low flame cook with lid
When the vaal is almost done, add the jiggery, coconut paste and the tamarind paste or the water from the dried tamarind which has been soaked or dried kokum soaked in water and when the vaal are done add salt and garnish with finely chopped coriander.
Valache Birdhe or field beans curry is best enjoyed with steaming hot rice

Vaalache Birdhe with text resized — Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

Food pairing

This Valache Birdhe or field beans curry is a delicacy pairs best with a portion of pressure-cooked rice of the Ambemohar variety, Basmati will do too. Always remember, a generous dollop of home-made sajuk tup or pure ghee is a must.

Stages of Vaal sprouting in photos

Notes:

Grated coconut paste: made by running fresh grated coconut or frozen grated coconut through a mixer/blender. Add 1 green chilli and 1 clove of garlic. My Aai (mum in Marathi) also prefers to also add 1/2 a finely chopped red onion which has been tossed on a pan with the coconut and green chilli – must admit it lends a toasty warmth to the gravy but I skip this step simply because the I compensate for it by using the onion in the pan!
Making Chinche cha kool ( usually, a block of tamarind is available packaged in any well-stocked Indian grocery store here in London, if not major spice brands now do tamarind paste in a bottle, find these online or any leading supermarket) – remove some in a bowl – add lukewarm water and gently ease the flesh of the tamarind loose from the seed. Use this thick mix to add to the curry. If you have fussy eater then maybe you want to strain this before adding into the curry. I would avoid straining as the gara – the thick flesh of the tamarind – is flavour packed so embrace it – fibres and all. 🙂

I do know this process for cooking Valache Birdhe or field beans curry, sounds rather labor-intensive and complex but believe you me, its easy-peasy, and the main bit of hard work is only getting rid of the field bean skins.

Do leave me a comment of you make this dish and also any variations to the recipe that you may have heard of, any anecdotes, happy memories are always welcome. And if you do cook to my recipe do snap a picture of your creations and use the hashtag #travelsfortasteblogrecipe and share it to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and I will re-post it.

Bon Appe’tit !

P.S: coming soon a Valachi Khichadi ( Field Beans Pulav) recipe that’s another firm family fav!

Learn how to cook western coastal Indian cuisine from the C.K.P community with my easy to follow recipes.

Find below a list of Indian recipes on my blog, some traditional, some fusion, and many regional favourites!

Pomfret Fish Curry

August 18, 2013 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Flavours of Konkan

When anyone asks me what I would like as my LAST meal,I always say I’d like some fried pomfret so naturally, when I go Indian grocery shopping I always check for this fish. Though I must admit, nothing beats the flavours one gets from fresh fish. But well, just have to make do with frozen fish as the one I love is a Pomfret local to waters of the Indian Ocean.

This is a relatively simple recipe and does not require much effort but the marination is key as it can really give depth of flavour which is what we need.

I had 3 of these beauties to cook and couldn’t resist getting them to pose for my camera all dressed with the dangerously delicious spices that I rubbed into the fillets.

Pomfret with all the spices that are used in the curry.

Okay, it’s relatively easy making fillets after this fish has thawed thoroughly as it has very few bones, I like to remove the bit in the front with the eyes and the tail and also remove the fins then make fillets the size fit for a curry or fry.

Pompfret Fish Curry

5 from 1 vote

Heirloom recipe, a traditional CKP style fish curry

Print Recipe

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

3 medium-sized Silver Pomfret
2 tbsp Coriander and green chillipaste
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1.5 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Turmeric
3 – 4 Cloves Garlic withskin on
2 tbsp Grated coconut
1 small pinch Asafoetida/Hing
2 tbsp Refined oil
1/4 Lime – juiced
Salt to taste

Method

Wash thoroughly and marinate with redchilli powder, turmeric,salt ,ginger- garlic paste,coriander-green chilli paste and set aside for at least 40 minutes.
After the marination is done,heat oilin a saucepan,add asafoetida just a tiny spritz and throw in the crushedgarlic cloves with their skins on. As soon as they start to brown add the marinatedfish n toss it around for about half a minute.
Add enough water to cover the fishand cook on a low flame.
As the water begins to boil add inthe finely grated fresh coconut and stir in well till the curry is nice andthick.
Simmer till the fish is cooked andsqueeze the lime into it.
Serve with steaming hot riceand allow yourself to enjoy this simple yet classic fish curry, an everydayfare in the houses along the coast of Konkan and a great treat in ours.

These beautiful flowers are on stalks of fresh spring onion!! Unexpected, I know right?!! My ma (in-law) very patiently chopped these stalks and created this cute little spring onion floral display and the whole idea of this photograph with books we are currently reading is hers.

Bengali Bhaja with spring onions and potatoes

I was so excited to see them and had to buy myself two bunches and look for a Bengali Bhaja or bhaji (Marathi) sabji/sabzee (Hindi). Found a lovely food blog called ‘Hamaree Rasoi’.

Needless to say, the meal was supremely satisfying and we all slept with gentle snoring now and then …TMI- oh yes, totally 😉

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

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

Recipe Notes

LEARN HOW TO COOK WESTERN COASTAL INDIAN CUISINE FROM THE C.K.P COMMUNITY WITH MY EASY-TO-FOLLOW RECIPES.

FIND BELOW A LIST OF INDIAN RECIPES ON MY BLOG, SOME TRADITIONAL, SOME FUSION, AND MANY REGIONAL FAVOURITES!

Smoky Chorizo and chives Baked Eggs in pots

Ingredients

Method

WHY NOT TRY MY OTHER RECIPES WITH EGGS AS THE STAR INGREDIENT?

I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry – a Regional delicacy from the state of Maharashtra, West coast of India

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

वालाचे बिरडे

Traditional regional cuisine and a beautiful heirloom C.K.P recipe

Valache Birdhe or field beans curry

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

Food pairing

Stages of Vaal sprouting in photos

Notes:

Learn how to cook western coastal Indian cuisine from the C.K.P community with my easy to follow recipes.

Find below a list of Indian recipes on my blog, some traditional, some fusion, and many regional favourites!

Flavours of Konkan

Pompfret Fish Curry

Ingredients

Method

Bengali Bhaja with spring onions and potatoes

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

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