COOKING AND RECIPES

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

2011-12-29T22:21:00.000+05:30

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

IN THE MIDDLE OF SAHARA DESERT

2011-11-11T23:25:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends

Please continue to bear with me and dont delete my name from your follower's list. Here the internet is too poor and I can hardly open the blog page, it just hangs out , can you imagine the speed is not even 5 kbps ...and rarely 10 and signal loss, very 2 minutes!!!!

I will be here for some more time, just picked up a short assignment to earn bit of pocket money. Place is 1600 Km away from the capital, Algiers. I stay in a camp in a 10X10 portable cabin and have an attached toilet, luckily. Of course it has a small fridge minus beer, TV etc. ( I wished I had a kitchen too.) There are about 100 Chinese people and Algerians too. I work for the Chinese Oil giant. I am the only Indian. I am enjoying authentic Chinese food and also Algerian food. Both the Chefs have promised me to teach dishes..It will be interesting .They dont understand English and I dont understand Arabic, French or Chinese. It will be great fun learning dishes approximately.

There is nothing to see here. Foreigners are not allowed to move out without police escort. As such it is quite safe, I mean better than Delhi or Noida. Moreover there is nothing much to see ...sand and more sand dunes and stones , rubble every where.

It is getting cold and will go sub zero in the night in Dec Jan.... (I wont be here during Sahara summer)

Hope to catch up when I am back home in January and whenever I get connection, I shall read your postings for sure.

Have a nice weekend , best wishes from InAmenas,

My Cabin Prison Cell No 13A

part of the row cabins

KASHMIR THE PARADISE ON EARTH Part-1 DAL LAKE

2011-09-26T23:13:00.002+05:30

KASHMIR !!! It has been my dream since childhood days to see the paradise on earth. It could not materialize due to various reasons. Finally I made it in 1st week of September!! For a change , I had plan the trip in advance and tour organizer, The Kashmir paradise tour" had given me a very good deal, a very nice Super deluxe House boat, a mid range Hotel in Srinagar and the my choice hotel in Pahalgaon.

You get to read a lot on Kashmir , so I wont go into details. I shall post few photographs and some travel tips. Our destinations were Srinagar, Sona Marg, Gul Marg , Pahalgaon and around.

Kashmir is very peaceful now and the tourism sector is back to normal. This year there was record number of tourists.

We took a flight from Delhi. Srinagar is just 1 hr 20 minutes away. At the airport our guide cum driver was ready with the vehicle and received us with a warm smile. Mr. Rafiq would be with us for next 7 days. He is a very cordial and knowledge person..

We drove from the airport to the house boat, water front. Our 1st night stay was in a Super Deluxe house boat on the Dal lake. The transfer from road head to house boat is always by boat, called Sikara. All the house boats are concentrated at one corner of the Dal lake. The lake is quite massive and you can have a look at Google map.

THE HOUSE BOAT We stayed in a House boat named 'New California'. It is part of the largest house boat complex "California House boats" and all boats are connected by a wooden walk way over water, one of its kind on the whole lake. Boats may have 2 to 4 and some times six rooms, with attached bath , dressing area and very well appointed.

CLICK EACH PHOTO TO ENLARGE

THE LOCATION OF THE BOAT AS SEEN ON GOOGLE MAP

The House Boat New California where we stayed

The California House boat complex with connecting walkway

The California House boat complex at night

As you enter, you have a nice place to sit

Lazy people also sit here and watch the lake and passing Sikara

The living area with beautiful Kashmiri woodwork. The passage leads to the dinning area and then to rooms.

Woodwork in House boat

Sitting in front and watching

Tourists passing by on a Sikara

Fast food joint

Vendors on boat trying to sell. Akbar fort at a distance

It seems so unreal but real

SIKARA RIDE
Taking a Sikara (boat) ride is the main attraction on Dal lake. After lunch we set out on the trip. The boat man was waiting with a big smile. No sooner did the boat leave the jetty than we were flanked from both sides by small merchant boats. While on one side, SOMEONE was examining artificial Kashmiri jewelries one by one with great excitement , at the other side I was examining papier mache cats, owls, boats, jewelry boxes etc with reasonable disgust as the boat was obstructing my views. But it was a good experience and the merchants were humble and nice.
Here are some views of dal lake from Sikara

Sikara hiring point ( there are many)

Nehru Park on Dal lake. We took a break here .

There is a restaurant too, at Nehru park

Tarif karuN kya uski...jisne tumhe banaya ( I mean Kashmir and not someone)

As you take Sikara ride along the house boats , you really enjoy watching the names, the surroundings and the reflections on placid water . Note the names of the boats

The Char Chinnar on Dal lake

After a great pakoda snack at a floating fast food joint , I suddenly found that the boat man was restless and started persuading us to go to the narrow water ways to see lotus farming, floating vegetable fields, and incidentally some shops. The main reason was, he wanted us to buy some thing from the floating markets so that he could get a cut. It is usual in all tourist places. We did buy few nice dress material and the boat man was happy.

Here are few photos of waterway, lotus field, market etc

I was amazed to see 3 small kids alone in a boat rowing and ladies rowing and gossiping in another one.

Through the waterways along the boating fields

Some floating shops

A lotus, camera shy

Lotus fields...from here the Lotus stems are supplied and used in famous Kashmiri dishes

Waterway

Birds on the Dal

The red color is due to reflection of a painted glass panel of a near by house

We were back to the house boat in the evening, had a great but simple diner , with chicken , Dal, vege curry and rice.

End of part-1 and day 1.

CHICKEN KARELA KEBAB ( Repost)

2011-09-21T12:33:00.000+05:30

This recipe is re-posted for the event, Whats on your Kebab platter? hosted by Khushi of A girl's Diary

I am giving below the nicely designed logo for the event and lets give a big hand to Khushi for hosting this great event. Click the logo to reach Khushi...

I haven't participated in any event so far; rather I eagerly look forward to such events to learn great recipes. I am bit shy to participate in events

I got this recipe from my Pakistani neighbor during my stay in Kuwait. The taste is very different from any other. The little bitter taste typical to Karela, and absence of usual onion, garlic and spice aroma make it so typical! It has been a party snack quite often.

INGREDIENT
500 gms Karela (bitter gourd)
500 gms minced chicken
1 egg
1 tsp coarse and freshly ground black pepper.
1 tsp red chili powder ( optional)
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
Salt
Oil for sallow frying
Bread crumb ( quantity will depend on the consistency of the mix)
1 tbsp finely chopped green chili

PROCEDURE

Cut Karela 5 mm thick circular pieces, put salt and mix. Keep aside for 15 minutes. squeeze out the water and re-wash with fresh water. Boil the Karela, remove from water, cool and squeeze out water and mash it with hand. (or slow coarse grinding)

Boil minced chicken with salt, remove, squeeze out water.

Mix the Karela, meat, chili, coriander leaves, chili powder, pepper, green chili, salt.

Put the egg ( dont whip) and mix. Add bread crumb a little at a time to a consistency so that it can be just shaped into flat round Kebabs.
Refrigerate for 30 min if required to keep shape.
Shallow fry both side and serve.

TIGERS IN DRAWN BUTTER SAUCE WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY

2011-07-29T11:15:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time I used to cook lots of Italian dishes. It stopped for various reasons like long absence from home, kids are no longer demanding, great Italian food joints around etc. With pasta culture moving in fast along with chowmins on street sides; Italian condiments, fresh seasoning, good imported pasta etc are now available everywhere including at my small time neighborhood grosser.

The other day I went to the biggest wholesale fish market of North India to pick up fresh shrimps at half the price and landed up with lots of fish. So I thought I would use up some prawns with Italian dish as I was tired of eating Bong and Southern prawn dishes. The dish turned out to be very nice.

THE RECIPE

This is a fast recipe, prawns cooked in drawn butter sauce and spiced with black pepper, garlic and Parsley. ( I have used here dry parsley with basil, as I could not get the fresh parsley here, please use fresh parsley or cilantro)

INGREDIENTS.

Tiger prawns large ( about 25 per 1/2 kg with head ), cleaned, deveined with tail remaining (You can use the deveined frozen ones.)

Butter 2tbsp ( about 25 to 30 gms.)

Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp.

1 tbsp flour for dusting prawns.

Smashed and finely chopped garlic 2 level tbsp

Parsley finely chopped 3 level tbsp.( you can use cilantro, dry Italian seasoning)

Salt

Paprika flakes 1 tsp

Drawn butter sauce 75 to 100 ml

for the drawn butter sauce

butter 30 gms + 30 gms ( approx )

flour 2 level tbsp

Freshly ground pepper 1 level tsp

lemon juice 1 tbsp

water 100 ml

salt .

PROCESS

Dry the dressed prawns and mix flour , leave aside.

In a thick bottom pan, add olive oil and butter ( 25-30 gms) and warm to melt the butter and disperse. Dont heat too much.

add the prawns, salt , saut'e, spread and leave for 5 minutes covered. ( This step you can do in an over proof flat baking dish , in low heat broil mode)

Drawn butter sauce

In a thick bottom pan, dry roast the flour and cool it in a separate dish. ( dont burn)

Add 30 gm butter and melt. Add the cooled flour, pepper powder, paprika and mix .

Add water bring to boil while stirring continuously. Continue for 4-5 minutes , add the remaining butter , stir to make a smooth sauce.

Add salt, garlic , parsley and lemon juice to the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.

Add the sauce on the prawns and mix well under high heat till the prawns are coated with sauce. ( This step should not exceed 2 minutes. Prolong heating may break the sauce emulsion.)

Sauce added

Serve immediately. ( I ate with a bunch of spaghetti under the prawns with a drizzle of EVOO and grated parmegiano Reggiano )

Happy eating!!.

PATOL ALU DALNA IN CHEESE, PARMAL (POINTED GOURD) AND POTATO IN CHEESE TOMATO GRAVY.

2011-07-22T18:18:00.001+05:30

Few years back , while in Kuwait, I was in a foul or rather destructive mood. So started destroying all kind of provisions in the fridge by cooking them at random with weird spice combo or vegetables. Most of them were just edible but not worth a repeat. However this recipe was born when I put some Amul cheese at random into a semi-bong style Alu -parmal dish. Since then it has not only survived but also flourished in many parties.

THE RECIPE . It is the usual rich alu patol dalna cooked with conventional ingredients like onion, tomato , garlic, ginger , cinnamon, cardamom bla bla; except that tomato is properly fried and cheese is completely melt and dispersed in the gravy. It will be a thick tacky gravy with awesome taste. One can use paneer, fried meat or chicken, fish in this gravy .

INGREDIENTS

patol ( parmal) 8 -10, peeled leaving alternate strip and cut to 3 pieces.

Potato 2 medium, peeled and cut to 1 inch cube

Tomato 2 small ( about 70-90 gms), sliced thin for fast frying and drying.

onion 1 medium ( about 21/2 inch diameter), chopped fine .

Garlic 3 cloves , smashed and chopped coarse.

Ginger chopped fine 1 level tbsp.

green chili 2 , chopped fine.

Cheese cube ( Amul in India or equivalent) 2 ( 25 gms each), chopped.

sugar 11/2 level tsp for taste ( not for sweetening)

Mustard oil ( or any other, 4 tbsp ) + oil needed for frying. potato or parmal. The leftover oil should be used up in the gravy)

spice for the gravy ( soak these spice in water to a paste for 15 minutes)

Red chili powder 1 to 2 level tsp

Turmeric powder 11/2 level tsp.

Coriander powder 1 heap tsp.

Cumin powder 1/2 level tsp

Spice for seasoning or tempering

Red chili dry 2

Bay leaf 1

cardamom 3 ( rupture the peel before putting in oil )

Clove 3

Cinnamon 2 inch broken to pieces.

Cumin seeds 1 level tsp

broken black pepper 8

Some of the ingredients with fried parmal and potato

THE PROCESS

Sprinkle little salt separately on parmal and potato , mix and keep aside for 15 minutes. (account for this salt while adding final salt).

Heat oil about 5 tbsp and fry the potato 1st and then fry the parmal in the same oil. ( no need for deep frying , but ensure that the cut-sides of each parmal piece are brown. This will give the famous fried parmal aroma). If you mind the oil, then drain the fried potato and parmal on kitchen paper. None of these picks up much oil while frying.

Add more oil to the used oil ( total about 4 tbsp) , heat and give seasoning.

Add chopped onion and saute to just about transparent ..add the chopped garlic and ginger , green chili after 2 minutes. Fry the onion to brown and immediately add 1 tbsp water ( to prevent burn out of onion ) and add the thinly sliced tomato.

Thinly sliced Tomato added

Mix well and simmer covered, to cook all the tomato. Increase heat and fry the mixture so that tomato is completely fried, dispersed and oil is released.
Add salt, the fried potatoes and the spice paste. Simmer and stir fry until oil separates.

Potato and spice paste added

Add 1/2 cup of water, bring to full boil and reduce flame. Add the cheese , allow it to melt and then stir vigorously to disperse it. Add sugar and the fried parmal.
Cover and simmer and stir occasionally. When the oil comes out and little water is left, the dish is ready .

You can eat with Rice, pulao, roti, puri or paratha

Finally

KACH-KALA KHOSA BATA (RAW BANANA / PLANTAIN PEEL PASTE)

2011-07-06T00:18:00.002+05:30

In Bong food, bata or paste, (making a paste out of vegetables, peels, prawns, fish , meat etc) , has a especial place. But the recipes are dying out. I love these dishes. Of course the donkey work of grinding these things on a flat stone with a cylindrical stone ( the contraption is called "Sil -Noda" in Bong) is done by SOMEONE. Now with the mixer grinder, things have become easier, but my wife sticks to the old things, thinking that it gives a better taste.. ( better taste!!! ...my foot!!, thank God she wont read this, I only have to confirm that the recipe has been shared with my blog friends.). This is pure vege or vegan dish without onion or garlic.

This recipe comes for you only from my wife. My main contribution to this recipe was 1. eating..2..typing the recipe here .3. Stirring the final mix on burner when she was getting ready to attend to her date. ( date with patients).
INGREDIENTS
* Peel of 3 raw banana ( Green), dont chop. . ( The inside flesh is used for other delicacies).
* Green chili hot 3-4 ( more the merrier)
* Mustard seeds 2 level tsp.
* Grated coconut same volume as the peel. ( After boiling, chop the peel . If the peels are one cup , take 1 cup grated coconut , but not less than 3/4 cup.)
* Oil 2 tsp ( not more than this). This dish should not be oily.
* Kala jeera, Nigella seeds 1 tsp.
Sugar 11/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste
PROCESS
Pressure cook the peels in salt water for 15 minutes, cool and chop to small pieces.

The boiled Peels

grind the mustard seeds and green chili

Grind the grated coconut

grind the peels.

Mix the above material, sugar and salt and grind once more. It should be a thick paste.

NOTE: The above process in my house is done on a SIl NoDa mentioned above.

I think you can do it in a mixer-grinder.

Heat oil in a Pan and give seasoning of Nigella , add the paste and mix it with the seasoning thoroughly. Heat for 2-3 minutes. It is not the idea to fry the mix, it is just to mix the seasoning and heat sufficiently . If the paste is too thin due to grinding in a mixer grinder, you can evaporate the excess water.

Eat with hot rice and more green chili.

Here is A GREAT DISH from a blog friend, please try it.
Ajwainee Arbi ( Colocasia with Carom Seeds)

I made this awesome dish the other day . I am not giving the recipe here, but posting a photograph. Please click here for the recipe. Try this , it is simple to make and very tasty. The blog "A girl's Diary" has very good recipes too. Thank you very much for this great dish, Khusi

The only change that I have made ( which was not necessary) is , I dusted the Arbi slightly with corn flour just before frying..

Ajwainee Arbi Photo

NIRAMISH OR PRASHADI MANGSHO (MUTTON CURRY WITHOUT ONION AND GARLIC)

2011-06-28T00:03:00.001+05:30

The name of the dish is bit deceptive, it actually means, meat cooked without onion and garlic. When an animal is sacrificed in front of Goddess Kali or Durga, or in the name of any deity, it becomes Prasad and therefore onion and garlic can't be used. Nowadays animal sacrifice is not seen any more in most of the places. But in many parts of the Himalayas it continues, particularly during Navaratra .

The other famous meat dishes without onion and garlic are traditional Kashmiri dishes.
THE RECIPE

There are many variations to this kind of dishes. Here I am giving a particular one which I had learnt long long back and haven't cooked in recent past. A friend of mine has been asking for the recipe. I wanted to cook it once more before giving her the recipe. I just wanted to ensure, that it tasted the same as what she ate decades back. This particular recipe has a strong note of ginger and cardamom and no other strong spice is used. One can also use roasted cumin powder or garam masala , Hing, Fennel etc in other variations.

INGREDIENTS
Mutton ( goat or lamb) with bones 500 grams.
Potato 2 medium peeled and cut to 4 pieces each. ( This is for Bong friends, others may not use. Potato gives a very good body to the curry.)
ginger 75 grams
turmeric 1 tsp
Curd 2 tbsp
Coriander powder 4 level tsp
Sugar 2 heap tsp ( This is for taste and not for sweetening. Normally onion imparts the desired sweetness in most other dishes)
Green chili 4 ( hot generally).
Green Cardamom 13 ( yes 13 not 1 or 3)
Bay leaf 1
black pepper 8 ( optional)
Mustrad oil 2 tsp ( for marination, optional, for mustard oil user.)
Ghee 3 tbsp ( clarified butter)
Salt to taste.
PROCESS
Marinate the mutton in turmeric and mustard oil ( raw) for 15 minutes
Grind cardamoms along with the peel and keep 1/2 tsp aside.
Chop ginger and green chili and grind to a fine paste. Add Curd, coriander powder, cardamom powder and whisk to a smooth mix.
Mix the paste with the meat and leave for 1 hr.
In a thick bottom pan or pressure cooker , heat the ghee and give seasoning of 1 bay leaf and black pepper.
Add the potato and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add the marinated mutton, salt and sugar, heat with stirring, for 3-4 minutes. ( Dont fry )
Add 2 cups of water. It will be of thin consistency and bit runny. .
Pressure cook, after 1st whistle, for 8-10 minutes for lamb and 10 -12 minutes for goat meat.
Cool down the cooker, open and mix the 1/2 tsp cardamom powder and cover.
Eat with Hot rice.

NOTE: You can make a Paneer dish by using brown fried paneer pieces.

CHICKEN CAFREAL ON FATHER'S DAY FOR MY DAUGHTER

2011-06-19T20:06:00.001+05:30

Here is an amazing recipe from Cook Dil Se.

Today is father's day and my daughter wanted to eat some thing special. So I decided to cook this recipe of Siddhi, one of the most versatile cooks on the net ( and in the kitchen too) . Please try Chicken Cafreal. from Siddhi.

I am not giving the recipe here as I have cooked exactly as per specification . I am just posting 2 photographs to prove that I did cook it ( Prove to whom? ha ha ) . I have used boneless leg pieces and I advise to use leg pieces or drumsticks as suggested by Siddhi and see the photograph on her blog.

Siddhi , thank you so much for giving to all of us this awesome recipe. (Thank God , you did not taste it, and I am safe as long as you dont taste). Congratulations on your 2nd Blog anniversary . I think when I was cooking the Cafreal , you were baking the cake..ha ha .

Cafreal with flash

Cafreal without flash

Friends! No comments here please , I haven't done any thing . ( Reserve your energy for comments , when I come up with new recipes )

NOTE: There are numerous variations to Cafreal recipes, I hope I will be able to cook them one by one...again whats in a name??? , the food should be tasty and one must be delighted after eating it.

BANJARI DAL , UDAD DAL SPECIALTY

2011-06-17T22:35:00.001+05:30

I am always in kitchen and cooking , unfortunately I am not being able to write the recipes and share with you. Here is a great Dal recipe , simple, fast, healthy ( not health food) and of course the recipe is from Maharaja of Sailana's cook book ( who else can match his recipes!!!) .

My friend with family had come here on Saturday. He doesn't eat onion or garlic so I had to cook few dishes ( with pleasure) , even Mutton and fish without these.

THE RECIPE. This is a pure vege dish without onion and garlic. This is a royal dish and there will be no dearth of ghee. I would like to share my knowledge here on fat. Quite a few table spoons of fat in a dish just doesn't make any difference , that too when it is shared by few in the family. The carbohydrate, like rice, bread, sugar, sweets etc etc that we eat contribute much to the weight gain process than the poor ghee or oil we eat. Of course the water retaining capability of an individual adds lot of wight to the body and the poor fat is blamed. But this is my understanding and I am enjoying food of my choice. If you think fat is bad, dont eat. The body will produce it for you and as per your requirement , for sure and have no doubt about it..

CAUTION: Please dont change this recipe except may be slightly less green chilis. In case you find this recipe too fattening, or too much chili, please dont cook or eat. ( There is hardly any carbohydrate in this recipe, just protein and a little fat.)

INGREDIENTS
Udad ( Kalai, biri) dal 250 grams
Green chili 125 gms ( These are the mildly hot, long fat ones, but you can use hot ones.)
Ginger 75 gms
Ghee 125 grams. ( quantity must not be reduced)
Salt , as needed

Note: We must use , green chili, very less hot and at least 75 grams , else it is not worth.

PROCEDURE.
Soak the de-husked and halved Udad Dal over night..( I normally use, whole Udad dal with husk , soak it over night and de-husk by rubbing it out. The taste is awesome, but I am sparing you all from the tedious activity of de-husking ).
Take the dal in a pan and pour soft water to 1 inch above the dal level.. ( Pressure cooking is prohibited ) and bring to boil.
Chop the green chili ( with seeds) into 5-8 mm pieces.
Cut thin Julienne of ginger.
When the Dal is more than half cooked , add green chili and ginger and salt. ( make up water from time to time, if needed)
Continue boiling .
When the dal is cooked , add the ghee and continue, covered, under low flame.
Stir from time to time , to prevent burn out at the bottom..
The Dal will reach a thick consistency.
Eat with hot rice or paratha.
Sorry , I could not take photographs , but the end result was awesome. The dish below should look much greener but, between you and me , I used only about 40 gms of extra hot green chili and less than what I have written above. I just could not get the les hot big chilis in the market )

IN THE LAND OF LORD KRISHNA...AND LIONS

2011-05-30T23:54:00.319+05:30

Lord Krishna, in his mortal form, has significant influence in my life. I always marvel at his awesome management skills which normally not seen among mortals and thats why He is treated as God. Krishna is the master politician, the diplomat par excellence and the greatest strategist that history or mythology has ever recorded. I earned my bread as a Manager because of Him and his teachings..

So I always cherished a dream to visit His kingdom and from where he ruled. ( Of course I have visited Mathura and Vrindavan many times for buying sweets rather than on any pilgrimage. Mathura and Brindaban are the places where Lord Krishna was born, spent his childhood, part of his youth with many friends, girl friends and darling of all , and dearest of all, Radha of course )

So finally I visited Dwaraka and Somnath ( Pravash) with my MIL and SOMEONE. My MIL wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Dwaraka long back and I feel good that it finally materialized.

The objective of the tour was to visit

1. Dwaraka from where Krishna ruled, Vet-Dwaraka His residence, Nageshwar temple, one of the jyotirlingas,

2. Visit Porbandar to see Sudama temple

3. The Pravash patan or Tirth

4. Somnath temple

5. Finally the Gir lion sanctuary ( This is incidental to the main mission).

TRIP TO GUJARAT

Gujarat is well connected by air, train, bus and taxi. The most economic way of travelling is by train-bus combo, provided you have enough time. I decided to use air and taxi combo, due to time and health constraint of my MIL.

TRAVELLING BY AIR AND TAXI OPTIONS.

1. Travel to Ahmdabad by air from all major cities of India and take a Taxi for 8-9 day and see whole of Gujarat state.

2. Take flight from Mumbai to Rajkot and take 4 days tour to Dwaraka, Somnath , Diu Gir lion sanctuary etc ( only 2 airlines operate from Mumbai.). You can catch a return flight to Mumbai in evening and avoid hotel expenses in Rajkot.

3. Take flight to Jamnagar and take the Dwaraka, Somnath , Gir circuit. ( Only one flight operates daily from Mumbai). On your return leg, You have to stay over night in Jamnagar to take flight next day to Mumbai. Or stay in Gir area and and start for the Jamnagar air port early in the morning.

4. The Taxis are quite cheap compared to rest of India. i.e you pay Rs6.5 / Km in an Air conditioned Indigo car. It will be 5.5/ Km on an Indica and higher for bigger and luxury cars, and minimum billing will be for 300 Km per day whether you travel or not. Having a taxi at your disposal makes the travel very flexible.

HOTELS

There are good hotels and the tariff ranges from Rs 1000 to 2000. One can book Gujarat tourism hotels, at Rs 600 to 1000. Other than this , you have good resorts near Gir forest, coasts etc.. ( The wet bath rooms will make you home sick, I mean for people who are now having dry bath rooms. I learnt this dry -wet words recently from a visiting friend who is settled in USA. We were fondly recollecting the semi-dark, slippery bathrooms of our childhood days)

DAY-1 ( Jamnagar Dwraka)

After spending 3 days with my elder daughter in Mumbai we took a flight to Jamnagar. As usual and in line with their dubious reputation , the Air India flight reached Jamnagar one hour late. The Taxi, which I had booked from Delhi , was waiting for us at the air port. The taxi driver-cum guide, Mr Kausik, is a very helpful , smiling young person and stole our heart in no time.

We straight dorve to Dwaraka, 140 Km away. On the way we had the authentic taste of Gujarati food.

We checked into hotel Damji in Dwaraka. Like most pilgrimage places , you dont get Star hotels. So dont expect those star hotel luxury. The rooms were big and specious with wet toilet. The nice lobby in each floor was reasonably dirty around the garbage bin. I dont know why people like to throw garbage all around the bin and not into the bin. All said and done, I will stay in this hotel when I visit again.

I must say , their Arati Restaurant is just too good. At Rs 70/- ( US $ 1.5), you can have unlimited food served at your table. It is purely vegetarian and the boys pestering you to have more and more is the real treat . No wonder you have more locals eating here than the hotel guests.

After relaxing for some time , we went to the Dawarkadhish temple , which is few minutes drive from the hotel. You must have details of temple opening time. As we all know , Lord Krishna is very particular about timing , ( unlike our great Bholenath) . So the temple closes time and again to cater to the needs of the Lord like breakfast , Lunch , evening snacks , dinner break, dressing up to meet people and dressing up to relax , siesta after each meal etc etc. ( I Love Lord Krishna, an extremely disciplined person. Discipline now is lacking in most of the mortals, including me) .( For me discipline has one definition , i.e . timely action as per own plan and nothing else. If you dont act on time as per your plan " You are indisciplined", have no doubt about this wisdom).

Photography is strictly prohibited in the temple complex. You have to deposit your mobile phone and camera before going inside the temple.

We gave puja, saw the evening Aratri and one flag changing ceremony. The flag on the temple is changed many times a day. If you want to put a flag in your name, you need to book in advance and the waiting time is 1 to 1.5 years . It is worth it if you are a religious person and not for the Maha papi like me.

Dwarakadhish temple

Read more abvout Dwaraka here

http://www.dwarkadhish.org/default.aspx

The temple is on the bank of the sea and at the confluence of a holy river. You can go down the stairs and take a holy dip too. I must tell you, Dwarakadhish is pretty handsome!

DAY -2 ( Vet Dwaraka, Probandar)

On the 2nd day we went to Vet-Dwaraka. It is an island close to the tip of Gujarat and near Okha port. You need guts to board the boats, specially elderly people. You have to negotiate , the broken stair, discarded auto tires attached to the boat-sides, and jump into the hull and if you dont slip and break your leg , you will make it to the other side. It is bit scary but no such things happen. The boat is loaded with people, goods, bicycle until the water touches the danger mark and the police shouts at the boat-man to move out.

loaded boat going to Vet- Dwaraka

But dont worry, the boats operated by the Gujarat Govt, are very nice and big. You can just walk into the boat and take your seat. But you may have to wait for 30 to 60 minutes, which is worth it.

It takes 30 minutes to reach Vet Dwaraka.

Vet Dwaraka , walk from the Jetty

From the Jetty it is very stiff walk to the temple. But one can take an auto for Rs 50/- or pay Rs 10 per seat and share.

Vet Dwaraka was the residence of Lord Krishna. Sudama met Him here with the food sent by his wife. Here also , photography is prohibited.

Local ladies and tourists

Look at the Ornaments, especially the earrings

Shopping place in Vet Dwaraka

After visiting the temple and witnessing the morning Arati, we returned to main land ( Okha). We took the Govt run boat on our return leg. On our way to Dwaraka, we visited Nageshwar temple. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas related to Lord Shiv.

Nageshwar Temple

Statue of Lord Shiv near Nageshwar temple.

Normally one can drive down, to Somnath same day, 225 Km away. But I had decided to take a break at Porbandar, 100 Km away , on the way.

At Porbandar we visited Sudama temple. I have a great liking for Sudama and his friendship with Krishna. After visiting the temple we retired for the day. Porbandar is also famous as Gandhiji's birth place.

The Sudama Temple , PorBandar

Sudama's 100084 parikrama, I could not find out the details and the purpose

Porbandar city center

DAY-3 ( Pravash Patan and Somnath)

From Porbandar we left for Somntah , 125 Km away. We stopped at a beautiful beach. The road condition was quite bad at some places.

Hey !! Dont go by my SIL look, which is normal when a SIL poses with MIL. I love my MIL. It is just that SOMEONE was trying to tarnish my real and good SIL image as " The greatest SIL, which history has ever recorded". My expression is an outcome of my mischief , to irritate SOMEONE.

The Somnath temple is beyond the Verabal city. It is famous for its big fish export industry and also famous for the fishy smell every where.

Fishing boats at Verabal.

We checked into Hotel Sukh Sagar in Somnath, had a very nice Kathiabadi lunch and left for visiting places in the after noon. Cars are not allowed anywhere near the temple for security reason. Also one can not carry camera. Somnath temple is a modern temple built after independence. The ancient temple was destroyed by invaders. The location is very nice and the complex is right near the sea. I wished I could take some photos.

The place is also known as Pravash patan. Lord Krishna was shot here by a hunter and he was cremated near the confluence of 3 rivers, called Triveni.

Bhalka Tirth sign board, Here Lord Krishna was shot by a hunter, who mistook His feet as a deer.

From Bhalka Teerth , we went to a place called " Sri Krishna neeja dham prasthan teerth or Golakdham teerth.".

Here Lord Krishna was cremated

Foot print of Lord Krishna at the cremation place.

Lord Krishna's elder brother Balaram also left the world from this place.

After completing the Pavash visit we went to Somnath temple. The complex is just wonderful. I can sit here hour after hour. In the evening we saw the " Sound and Light" show giving the history of the place from ancient time.

The Somnath Temple

DAY -4 ( Back to Jamnagar via Gir Lion Sanctuary)

The last day was a long drive from Somnath to Jamnagar. I had a plan to take my MIL on a Lion Safari. It is a 3 hours drive through the forest in bad roads. One can only take approved Vehicles. You may not see the lions too, on your route defined by the officials. You cant take routes of your choice. I thought it would be too much for my MIL, although at +80 she is absolutely fit even with replaced knees. I decided to take a conducted tour where the Lions are free to move in a big area and properly fenced. It is not like a zoo.

On our way we stopped at Sasan ( the safari office) for breakfast. I love the Ganthia and other Besan products with stir fried green chilis and plenty of them.

The snack maker at Sasan

My most favorite, is this long ones, awesome taste and crispy. The stir fried green chili with it will take you to the 12th cloud.

We reached the conducted tour point. A bus leaves every half an hour or so to take you on a Safari tour of 30 minutes. You have the option of taking an Air conditioned bus. My guide advised me to take a non-A/c one. No one likes to shoot lions through window panes laden with dust....and if your camera captures the lion along with your reflected face...hummm you will feel like eating the lions in disgust.

The waiting area is beautiful ( with good toilets, nice lobby, photos and nice land scape and also the birds singing from the trees ).

At the waiting area for the bus , the beast with the beauty ( La Belle et la Bête)

Here are the few animals we saw

The spotted deer

One sambar

And the many faces of Lions. Here you see the Lions only..if you take a safari, you may see one lion and many lioness.

The Lions are well fed by the forest officials, I will not wonder if a deer comes to the lion and says" Hi Dude..get lost . I want to relax here"

The Lion says "Dear SOMEONE I am smacking my lips at you ...but sparing you as I know, NO ONE cant survive without you." I told the Lion " How disappointing , you BASKET ", (Thank God the Lion did not know that the word BASKET is the polite form of the word BASTARD..else SOMEONE would have lived without me)

We traveled back to Jamnagar via Junagarh. We had a great Kathiabadi lunch here, a shabby looking restaurant. But when I saw the locals were waiting for their turn to have space, I knew I was at the right place.

Photo from Junagarh. When I revisit Gujarat on a historical tour, I will have enough to write about Junagarh.

Mahabat Maqbara

The City gate , Junagarh

So finally we reached Jamnagar. The hotel was very good, an old Brithish architecture building. The diner at the open air restaurant is memorable. I will stay here next time too, simply because of the great wisdom " A known devil is preffered than better known devils ..sorry. I mean, unknown devils ".

The Hotel at Jamnagar

To cut the long story short , the Lion did not eat us , particularly me, and we were back home to Delhi after spending one night with my daughter and SIL in Mumbai..

Dear friends, if I am unable to visit your blogs regularly , please forgive me and dont delete my name from your follower's list. You all mean a lot to me.

PAT SAG BARA ( JUTE LEAF FRITTER)

2011-05-19T10:23:00.001+05:30

Well I am out of blog for quite some time now for reasons beyond my control (after discounting my laziness.) And I am relieved to see that none of you have removed me from the blog followers' list.
The other day I was exploring a near by Ghetto market and came across fresh bunch of jute leaves. The immediate recipe in my mind was to make chicken molokhia which I haven't eaten for long.

But I decided to make a typical bong fritter which goes well with rice and dal. (And goes well with Rum too, of course, God willing and SOMEONE permitting). The flavor of Jute leaf is just out of the world. There are numerous variations to this fritter, but I will put here the simplest and my favorite one.
INGREDIENTS.
Jute leaf whole about 4 cups (loosely filled). (DO NOT CHOP THE LEAVES)
Green chili 4
1 tsp Kala jeera ( Nigella and NOT Shah Jeera or Caraway seeds)
1 tbsp puppy seeds ( Posto, Khas khas) . (This is optional, if you dont have it, forget it, I mean the puppy seeds and not the fritters).
For the binder
2 tbsp rice powder
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp suji ( semolina)
(You may need slightly more binder, while mixing )
You can use a tempura mix instead too.
Salt as required ( Be careful while adding salt, as the volume will shrink substantially during frying )

Oil for sallow frying ( Mustard oil or any other oil will do)
NOTE: I have used weak spice, Nigella, to keep the flavor of jute leaf. Strong spice like fennel and also bit of chopped garlic and onion may be added, but I don't add. I keep it pure vege and Vegan. Also do not use besan, which gives a strong aroma after cooking.
PROCESS
Wash the leaves gently without damaging them and drain thoroughly.
Chop the green chili into tiny pieces.
Dry mix the binders.
In a vessel mix the leaves, binder, green chili, nigella and puppy seeds. Sprinkle salt and mix thoroughly. Take care that the leaves don't get crushed much. Too much damage to the leaves will make it slimy.

The photo, immediately after adding the ingredients

The leaves will release water and that will be sufficient to stick the binders to the leaves. The binder should be just visible here and there and sticking to the leaves. Dont be tempted to add more binder.

The Mix is ready for frying

The leaves will shrink while frying, and the binder will make it crunchy. Basically it is not a Pakoda kind of thing, where the batter may be predominant . Here the leaves will be dominating and the binder will be just enough to stick the leaves. ( See my Radish Bara recipe).
In a flat wide frying pan, heat oil , just enough for sallow frying.
Landing the leaves on the oil is bit tricky. Dip your fingers in water, catch hold of 10-12 leaves and bundle them together like a irregular ball. It will look bit clumsy , but dont bother.Then put it on oil and press slightly.. Repeat the process and put few more Baras per batch.
Cover the pan for 2 minutes. Turn the fritters and press to flatten them as much as possible. Turn the fritters again and may be few times. When the fritters are done, remove them on to kitchen tissues. The leaves and the binder will become crunchy.

Ready for eating

(NOTE. You can half cook the fritters and keep it in the fridge for few days and fry later as and when you need.)
Eat it as such or with dal and rice. I eat it with hot rice, sprinkled with ghee, salt and hot green chili chopped into the rice. ( a dash of freshly ground pepper is amazing)
VARIATION . If you don't have jute leaves, try with Julienne of cabbage or radish too.

FRESH LOITA FISH JHURI BHAJA (Fresh Bombay duck, Bombil, Bumla, Bummili dish))

2011-04-01T20:26:00.002+05:30

I am back here partially after a long gap. Of course will be back with full force by the end of the month. I am presenting this recipe for my non-vege friends and there is no vege version for this. I learnt this traditional fish recipe only few months back.

The Fish is called Bombay duck generally and if you read Wikipedia , you will know how the name was coined. It has nothing to do with Peking Duck.The other names are Loita in Bong, Bummili in Kerala, Bombil in Marathi and Ushnish in Chinese :-). The biological name is Harpadon nehereus.
This fish is mainly consumed as dry fish having a extremely powerful odor which I could not appreciate so far. The fish in its whole form looks frightening.

The fresh fish is generally cleaned by the vendor else it is quite easy to clean, chop the head, pull the gut out, make pieces and it is done. Look at Indian stores in Canada , EU and USA, you may get dressed, frozen ones.

THE RECIPE. This recipe doesn't use any aromatic spices but only few ingredients like onion, garlic and red chili powder. The aromatics are avoided to get a unique flavor far from the flavor of day to day fish dishes. The basic method is to continuously stir the fish pieces and at the end almost all moisture is driven off and it becomes a paste in oil.

INGREDIENTS

Loita, ( Bombil, Bombay duck, Harpadon nehereus) 500 gms dressed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces.

Onion 300 gms, chopped fine

Garlic 1 whole pod, chopped fine ( 3-4 mm)

Green chili 6 , chopped.

Tomato 1 medium ( optional)

Red chili powder 3 level tsp , extra hot

Turmeric 11/2 tsp level.

Mustard Oil 100 ml. preferred ( any other smell less oil). ( Don't get scared , 100 ml is nothing compared to the rice, bread, potato, topioca etc we eat....Ok 75 ml ( 5 tbsp ) will do))

PROCESS
* Heat oil and add chopped garlic , stir to very light brown and add all the chopped onion.
* fry to very light brown and add tomato and green chili.
* reduce heat and keep frying till the tomato is soft and melting.
* add red chili powder and turmeric stir well for 1 minute.
* add the fish, salt and mix thoroughly.

* Reduce heat, Keep stirring from time to time, and the fish will disintegrate.
* Caution: Dont add water, the fish will release enough water
* Keep stirring and it will become a paste
* continue stirring till oil comes out or most of the water dries out.
Eat with hot rice ..divine indeed...

What happens to the bone?
Well good question...the bones will disintegrate into tiny pieces and you can feel it under your teeth, semi-soft..assure you , it wont get stuck in your throat..simply they cant pierce the strong throat muscle.
If you want to get rid off the central bone
take a little water about 1/2 cup, add salt and boil the fish pieces.
( dont discard the water)
Take the fish out and remove the central bone simply by spreading apart.
Add the fish and the water used for boiling into fried onion etc and proceed.

FRIENDS
I haven't put my appreciation at your blog. That doesn't mean I haven't read. I read almost all of them. Now I will read one by one and get back to you..Missed you all really .,

TRIP TO SUNDARBAN, THE LARGEST RIVER DELTA

2011-02-02T16:14:00.001+05:30

I asked the guide on the boat " How many times have you seen the Tigers ?"

After a pause, and lot of scratching of his Hena ( Red and brown) colored hair, he replied " Well during my 30 years Carrier , I have seen twice".....
Our gang was busy discussing more important things than Tiger, but the other people in the tour group were disappointed. We did not come to see tigers but for a get together after four decades. Seeing a tiger was considered as a fringe benefit. I have seen tigers in the zoo and also in the wilderness. So I was not very particular.

We, few classmates in engineering, decided to meet . Our lady engineer flew down all the way from Houston, one from Saudi. It was a great experience indeed....just meeting friends after 4 decades!!!
Let me write a travelogue for you...
THE SUNDAR BAN

It is the largest delta, created by the river Brhmaputra and Ganga ( Distributaries of these, have different names in Bangladesh) and also has the largest Mangrove forest in the world. It spreads over 10,000 sq Km , out of which, 4000 Sq.Km is in India, rest is in Bangladesh. It has been declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has largest number of Tigers and most of them are habitual man-eaters. The area is criss-crossed by numerous water bodies, where one can get lost and forever ( unless one has a GPS fitted boat. Fortunately one cant travel deep inside the sanctuary and get lost.). For me Sundarban is a dreadfully beautiful place, frighteningly monotonous and lonely...and thats the catch , the monotony gives you enough space for yourself to think about things which you never would have. At the end of the trip into the wilderness you are fresh because you rediscovered yourself. Please read more on Sundarban in Internet,

THE TOUR

The tour was for 3 days and 2 nights. We were five classmates , unfortunately wife of a friend could not join at the last moment. The tour was well organized , pick up from door and drop you at your door at the end. Most people hire boats and stay over night in the boat. But we could book rooms in the only Govt. tourist lodge located in the reserve forest area.

We started from Calcutta around 7 AM, and reached last road head at Basanti around 11-30 AM. Beyond this place, you see only islands created by criss-crossing water bodies. Many islands are inhabited and the only means of transport here, is by boat. We were served packed breakfast on the way and it was an exciting experience to break egg shell on your lap, in a moving bus on a bad road.....

The boat was ready for us. It had 4 double beds in the hull and many chairs on the deck. We were booked in the lodge for the nights and did not have any use for the beds. It was generally used by the sleep-loving people of the other groups. Here the boats are reasonably bad looking but you can hire boats with separate cubicles with bed. These boats are for the people who want to spend night in privacy. You get good big boat-tour operated by West Bengal Govt.
But we were not interested in star hotel luxuries, but to feel a common man's experience in such trip.
The simplicity of those remote places is the key thing to experience....you can see it from the photo below. I am sure the painter tried his best to put the right spelling of Jungle on our boat. The word Jungal stole my heart.....See the photo below.

PLEASE CLICK EACH PHOTO TO SEE LARGER VERSION.

The boat "JUNGAL QUEEN" with the captain cum Navigator cum Engine man.

Our boat started with the engine noise exceeding permissible decibel...but again that was exciting too.
We traveled through inhabited islands. I was surprised to see all villages had minimum electricity supply through solar panels. It is impossible to provide regular electricity in a cost effective manner, in those remote islands.

The village house with a solar panel and new straw kept for maintenance, of course the gossiping village ladies were the star attraction.

Village boats on the Bank

The boat ride continued for 3 hours or so. We saw many passing boats, great water bodies, villages on islands, a great lunch with baby Indian salmon cooked on board and suddenly we saw the picture of a tiger starving of human beings.

The slim Tiger , who did not get any human being for quite sometime.

The Loknath baba Ashram on an island

Finally we arrived at Sajnekhali tourist lodge , the only one allowed inside the Forest area.
The boat landing area and the complex was protected by net, so that Tigers don't come inside.

The boat landing at the gate of Sajne khali tourist lodge.

THE TOURIST LODGE AT SOJNEKHALI.
The tourist lodge has 30 double rooms with attached bath and the whole building is on concrete stilts. No one stays at the ground level. It is very nice and dont expect a class hotel luxury at this remote place. There is no regular electricity supply. But the complex has its own power generation facility for the night only.

The long Veranda is mostly used by the monkeys and rarely by human beings.

Tourists on a morning walk inside the complex

The diner and breakfast are included in the tariff, with fixed menu. So there was no headache of choosing any food. It was good, simple chicken curry, dal, egg plant fries and one vegetable curry.

Day-2

We had a nice breakfast with Luchi ( puri) and dum alu. The day two was a 10 hours journey, up and down, to BudiR DabDi river. The boat negotiated wide and narrow water bodies. Every body was on the look out for tigers. Generally tigers are not visible, even if they may be watching you from the hide outs. The luck comes if a tiger is swimming to the other bank and if you were happened to be there. We could see the fresh pug mark . Looking at the water level on a low tide, the guide concluded " The tiger has swam across 15 minutes back..." ( Who cares if it had crossed 15 minutes or 15 hrs back.)

Fresh pug marks on the bank. ( I had to believe the guide, until I see a live tiger leaving pug marks)

The journey is quite monotonous through the water bodies in mangrove forest. As mentioned earlier, you will never get tired of watching the forest on the bank, slide into some deep thoughts or keep gossiping and giggling with your friends. I preferred to pull a chair and keep gazing at the banks and the forest.
Here are few photographs. Sundarban is a place to be experienced personally and not through blogs.

Bicycles and people going to the other island

A minor water way , at low tide.

Net at the bank to prevent the tiger to cross over and eat human being on the inhabited island

Naughty Carmorants, gossiping, you see them in Kerala too

Some trees

Delicious , cute little sweet water crabs for the lunch

Fisher men

Forest on the bank, see the white leaves, coated with salt.

Three men on a boat and moving fast.

The breathers of Mangrove trees.

The supporting roots of the trees

The vastness of the water bodies

BURIR DABRI, ECO-TOURISM COMPLEX
At the boat landing of the complex , I was waiting for the usual drama staged by a guide. And it came . I am quite used to these dramas at all wild life sanctuaries. And I love those nicely enacted dramas,
" Please be silent , I am going to check if there is any tiger inside. In that case we cant go in. Dont leave the boat till I say so". He picked up a twig to defend himself from the tiger.
So he and his assistant went cautiously up the stairs. There was usual argument who would go inside first. Anyway the guide gave final clearance to de-board and follow him.
I was reasonably scared, I mean I pretended, to scare my wife. ( That was a useless effort indeed as she was in a hurry to go and see what was there inside the fencing.)
What did we see after reaching the complex?
"Young children playing around in front of their house, ladies collecting dried clothes, and men feeding goats etc".
I gave a complement to the guide " It was an wonderful drama"
He smiled and said " Thats how I maintain my job...my apologies, I did not know that you were aware of these events".
Anyway it was an enjoyable experience.

The guide with hena colored hair giving final clearance to go inside the complex.

The complex is good ( with loo) , watch towers, cleared vegetation outside, in case a tiger tries to cross and you see and kilo meter of protected walkway for you and tigers to see each other. (We and the Tigers were not lucky to see each other)
Here are some photos

The watch tower for the tigers, I mean you stand there and the tigers see you from the hiding.

The Tiger told the Tigress from the hiding " I wish we had them for dinner , (one each)".

Protected walkway for Kilo meters through the dense forest.

The sitting deities, the tiger God " Dakshin Rai " and the Tiger Goddess " Bono bibi." The Goddess protects the tiger and Human beings from each other. People entering the forest for honey collection and fishing must worship the Goddess, irrespective of their religion.

The famous red crabs, not even a centimeter long.

The return journey from Burir Dabri was uneventful. Except that we experienced a brilliant sunset and scary travel through fog in the night. Hats off to the captain of the boat.

Sunset

Day 3rd
It was again journey back to the road head through the water bodies but through a different route. We saw another Tiger observatory. Here also the tiger spared us.

The Tiger spared SOMEONE to take care of no-one.

We saw a boat load of people who were lost as they did not hire a navigator. We told them to follow us.
We had prawns and more baby Indian salmons for lunch. It was 31st Dec and the tour operator surprised us with gifts and a cake.
Here are some photographs taken on our way back, mainly the human beings on the river bank.

The lonely brick transporter.

The village-folks

And last but not the least, The Slum Dog Millionaire's den

I have joined few movies clips together. The back ground song is by Ameen of Bangladesh. I am sure you will like it.

Sundarban Video

I am off blog. I am sad to say , I wont be visiting blog regularly due to some unforeseen circumstances. I am sure you will excuse me. I shall be back by April or earlier. Will miss you all for some time.

MUTTON PASANDA CURRY AND TRAIN TO SANTINIKETAN

2011-01-10T19:52:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends . HAPPY NEW YEAR ( I have already wished you all , still it is for 2011, as it is too early to wish Happy New year for 2012)

I am back after a 10 day trip to Calcutta, Sundarban and Santiniketan. The Sundarban trip was very memorable as few of my college mates met after many decades. My classmate came all the way from Houston with her husband. It was a 3 days 2 nights trip on boat to the dreadfully beautiful Sundarban. We did not see any tiger, ( normally no one can see them) and hopefully the tigers did not see me too, (or decided not to chew old bones), else I would have been writing from Hell. ( not Heaven ).

For 10days, it was marathon eating every where particularly at my in laws place in Santiniketan. Every where it was fish and more fish and it was 4 to 5 fish dishes for lunch and dinner. Oh God , I never imagined, I would ever get tired of eating fish!!!

So I thought I should cook a simple Mutton dish for a change and few vege dishes for SOMEONE who is a Vegetable freak.

THE RECIPE.

Here is a simple and fast dish for you ( Non-vege only). It can be cooked with mutton ( with or without bone), chicken, beef etc. The basic idea is to spend minimum time. Here I have used Mutton Pasanda. I made pasanda to make a pasanda biriyani, but was feeling lazy so made this curry after spending lot of time to cut pasanda from a chunk of meat. It was a criminal wastage of time, indeed. You need not use Pasanda for this fake dish.

This dish will be cooked with all the spices , onion garlic etc added together with a seasoning.

PASANDA. Many of you must be knowing what is pasanda . This is just to refresh. It is cut in long strips from a chunk of thigh meat and about 1/4th inch or less thick. The technique needs lot of skill. It is like peeling an orange continuously with out breaking. The flat pieces are then hit lightly with the sharp edge of the knife to make grooves and then further smashed to flatten. . Indian Butchers are expert in cutting Pasanda. It is a base material for many dishes, from Kebab, Biriani, to cutlets, stir fries, crispy lamb fry with honey and sesame etc etc. The size of the pieces will depend what pasanda dish you are making. Pasanda, being very thin and smashed, picks of the marinade very nicely.

PASANDA

CLOSE UP VIEW, PASANDA

INGREDIENTS

Mutton Pasanda 500 gms, cut to 1 X 2 inch pieces. ( or 750 gm mutton with bones or 500 gms without bones, 3/4th inch chunks)

for the marinade

Fresh curd 3 heap tbsp ( about 50 gms)

2 onion chopped fine ( 11/2 inch size)

2 level tbsp chopped garlic ( you can use more)

2 level tbsp chopped ginger ( you can use more)

1 heap tsp Coriander powder.

1 level tsp roasted and powdered cumin. ( if you dont have roasted one , use raw powder)

1 tbsp mustard oil
1 heap tsp turmeric powder.
2 cardamom, 1/2 inch cinnamon powdered coarsely by slashing. ( optional)
Seasoning
Cinnamon 11/2 inch long broken to pieces
Cardamom 4 , peel ruptured
Black pepper 10
Bay leaf 2
2 green chili chopped to 1/4th inch
Other ingredients
Tomato 1 chopped fine ( about 2 inch size)
Red chili powder 2 tsp (more the merrier)
1 onion thin and uniformly sliced.
3 -4 tbsp mustard oil
Salt as required
Sugar 1 level tsp ( this is for taste and not for sweetening)

PROCESS.

Cut Pasanda into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces.

Whip the curd and mix all ingredients mentioned under marinade then mix the meat.

Keep aside for 1 hour.

Heat oil to smoking in a pressure cooker, remove from fire and give seasoning of bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, green chili and black pepper.

Add the sliced onion and fry to brown. ( just 2 shades below dark brown), add tomato immediately to prevent over frying of onion.

Soute for 5 minutes.

Add red chili powder stir for 30 seconds and add the marinated meat along with the liquid.

Mix well. Add salt , sugar and 1/2 cup water.

Pressure cook for 6 minutes . (Count time from 1st whistle and reduce heat.).

Open the cooker after the pressure becomes normal, and boil to drive off water and the gravy should be of thick consistency.

Eat with rice, Paratha, roti.

Finished dish, Mutton pasanda curry

TO SANTINIKETAN

Santiniketan is my in-laws' place, have been travelling there since 1970s. Apart from Tagore connection, one loves to be there to spend some time, repeatedly.

I dont want to write a travelogue on this ( too much on the net already). Here I give a compilation of video clips on train to Santiniketan.

I like the bengali folk songs called Baul. Most of you will not understand the meaning but enjoy the train ride and the rhythm of the song.

BASIC CHICKEN TIKKA, AWARDS AND A BREAK

2010-12-21T23:35:00.009+05:30

Now it is holiday time for you. And when winter arrives, I have to sit in front of the BBQ. People here have a misconception that I am good at Tikka and Kebabs. As long as Tikka is concern, any body can make it and it will be always tasty if you stick to the fundamentals. . (Kebabs are high skill and high knowledge base affair , unlike tikkas, and I am not talking Kebabs today, Vege or non vege.)

The BBQ session for this winter was inaugurated on the 19th Dec and it is generally at my younger brother's place. I thought I should share some tips on Tikka and here I will go with chicken Tikka. (It is applicable to other red meat tikkas, with some modifications.)

The basic tips

1. Always use thigh , leg meat of chicken, because it is juicy and soft (never use the breast pieces.).If you have breast meat, you can BBQ it, but generally use for gravy dishes like butter chicken masala . You can also BBQ, wings, it is really tasty.

2. Spices for the marinade: ( Basic Tikka) Long back I had seen a TV program of the great Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. (Unfortunately I cant stand his face any more because he has shaved off his great mustache and I am missing his programs). He had mentioned " there is no hard and fast rules, add any spice which is handy. Remember , the charcoal grilling does the trick of giving the right flavor," (that slightly burnt-fat smoky flavor.). You dont get this typical flavor in Oven, lava grill, gas grill etc. ( I shall give an example of spice later, but you can use any ready made one.). This is for basic chicken tikka..you may add-on strong notes like Lasuni (garlic), Fennel, Azwain, Methi ( Fenugreek) at the end of grilling..

3. Chicken takes 6-10 minutes to cook on the charcoal. So dont over cook.

4 Pieces. A chicken leg should yield 2 to 4 pieces of tikka, depending upon the size. Dont make small pieces. For example a Kg of cleaned and de-boned leg meat will yield about 30 to 34 pieces.

5. The skewers must be flat and with rectangular cross section. This will prevent slipping of the pieces while rotating.

THE RECIPE
Here I will give a basic recipe, which is basically two marinades, spices and I will use leg tikka ( I grilled few wing pieces too).
INGREDIENTS.
Chicken leg pieces. 1 Kg , deboned and cut to tikka size. ( as mentioned above)
1st Marinade
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tbsp.
Lemon juice 6-7 tbsp (about 75 to 100 ml)
Papain (meat softener) 1 tsp, ( optional for chicken and most tikka masala will have papain.)
2nd Marinade
Thick Curd 200 gms, whipped smooth.
Besan ( bengal gram flour) 11/2 level tbsp.
Butter oil 1/2 cup ( or any vegetable oil)
Spice. Use any one of the ready made Tikka /Tandoori masala.
Like MDH, Shan ( I used in this recipe) etc etc take 50 grams
OR
Make a mixture of powdered Cumin 2 tsp, coriander 4 tsp, red chili powder 2 tsp, Fennel powder 1/2 tsp, black pepper 1 level tsp, Garam masala powder ( any brand containing all the Garam masalas)1 heap tsp, turmaric 1 tsp,
Butter / molten butter for brushing the tikka during grilling. ( optional)
( I will suggest , to use ready made masala)
CAUTION: Most ready made Tikka masala contains salt , so taste the spice before adding salt. Normally you wont need additional salt.
For finishing : Many people like a sprinkle of chat Masala just before eating. Not important.
Accompaniment: I Like it with a Coriander/Mint / green chili, garlic in Yogurt chutney ( Burahni). Also keep fresh lemon, cut onions, or shallots soaked in 3-5% Vinegar.
THE PROCESS
(You all know , how to start the BBQ and ignite the charcoal and maintain uniform heat. If you want to know , send a mail).
Cut and wash chicken. Drain dry for 30 minutes.
Mix the 1st marinade and keep aside for 30 minutes

1st marinade added

Mix yogurt, Besan, oil and all spices thoroughly to make the 2nd Marinade.. Add the chicken and the 1st marinade to the 2nd marinade and mix throughly.
Leave aside for 1 to 2 hrs. You can keep it in fridge.

2nd Marinade added

Put the meat pieces in a skewer , 3/4th to 1 inch apart. ( Fold the meat and pierce the skewer so that the piece is attached at two places.)

The wings are skewered by a trainee chef ( my brother's daughter)

Have some wine or whiskey ( Part of the process, I mean not the cooking process)

Grill the meat on both sides. When the surface dries up, brush oil/butter/ butter oil.
Eat with accompaniments mentioned above.
Chutney ( Burahni)
Coriander leaf 1 cup, mint leaf 1/3rd cup, smashed and chopped garlic 2 cloves, green chili 2 or more. Sour plain Yogurt 11/2 cup, salt.
Grind the ingredients and then whip in the curd and salt.
There are not many photos as I was busy elsewhere, grilling myself, I mean the chicken.
Some great moments.

The Chef on the grill

"Can anyone eat this ?" Brother and my daughter are apprehensive about the effect of whiskey on me and the subsequent effect on the chicken.

Blowing my lungs out , to keep the fire going

Only few were left and no one took the photo of the final product on a platter. Every one was eating of the skewer

NOTE: I shall try to put some kebab recipes in future, where spicing , ingredients are very important. When you make beef or mutton tikka, the marinade and process will be bit different and a softener is essential.,
BREAK
I am taking a break , going to Calcutta, Santiniketan . I shall also go to Sundarban to spend some time with the man-eating Royal Bengal Tigers.
God willing, weather permitting and Tigers sparing me, I will be back by mid January.
AWARDS, AWARDS AND MORE AWARDS

I am delighted and overwhelmed to say that I have received many awards over the last few months, that too from the greatest cooks in my blog sphere. I am just wondering, if I get so many awards for not cooking or posting much recipes, what will happen if I really start cooking!! Anyway, thank you so much !!

Award from Gouri, 5 awards not one. Craving for Bong food? Here it is.
Please do visit Didibhai's Kitchen

Award from Amrita..I love to read her awesome non-food blogs. Her introduction about me, while giving me this award, made me to have my colorless blush!!!

Please do visit, A HOUSEWIFE'S CHRONICLES

Award from Akila, I learnt a lot from Akila , some of her dishes are really innovative. But dont go by the name of her blog " Learning to Cook" ..it should be "teaching to cook".

Please do visit. Learning to Cook, Akila's Kitchen

Award from PJ (Padmaja,) a versatile blogger, so many things to learn on food and also scientific aspects of it. I always eagerly wait for her posts ( even if I am a hardcore non-vege due to medical reasons, Vege dishes are my delicacies)

Please do visit...Seduce your taste buds

Award from Dr Sameena, a great cook, apart from that she is a great dentist. You are all young people , so make it a point to read her dental blog . It is good for you and your kids. ( I wish I read her dental blog 30yrs back...you know why I am saying this)

Please do visit....My Culinary creations ( food blog)

We care for your smile ( Dental Blog)

Award from Amritha Kalyani, very nice blog indeed.
Please do visit... AK's Vegetarian Recipe World

Award from Authentic Oriya food . I learnt few forgotten dishes from here.

Please do visit Oriyarasoi

OL KOPI (Nool Kol, Ganth Gobi, Kadam, Kohlrabi) WITH GREEN and PANEER (PUNJABI & KASHMIRI)

2010-12-08T23:50:00.001+05:30

I developed a fish and non vege phobia for few days, after eating so much in Bangalore marriage and Kerala trip. It was fish and more fish every where, with lot of spices and chilis, divine!!!.

So, as soon as I came back, I tried these two recipes. The market is now full of very young and soft Ol Kopi with lots and lots of leaf. The thin Punjabi version was good with hot rice and the rich Kashmiri version was good for the night, with chapati and hot rice.

There is not much of preambles, so lets get down to business
NOTE: These 2 dishes are pure vegetarian without onion and garlic.

RECIPE-1 , OL KOPI WITH GREEN, THIN CURRY (Punjabi style) .

This is a thin curry with lot of water, with a flavor of fenugreek, red dry chili and asafoetida (Hing).seasoning. Some times a little chopped tomato and curd is added.

INGREDIENTS

Ol Kopi 4-5 Nos with fresh long leaf ( about 2 to 21/2 inch diameter. Must be young )

Green chili 4

Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp

Dry red chili 2

Tomato 1 small about 11/2 inch diameter

Curd 1 heap tbsp

Asafoetida ( 30% powder) 1/3 tsp

Mustrad oil 1 tbsp (any other oil will do).

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

red chili powder 1 tsp ( Take Kashmiri chili, for low heat)

PROCESS

Cut the bulb into 1inch by 1/2 inch pieces, chop the leaf, chop 2 green chili and the tomato.

Slurry the Asafoetida in 1 tbsp water.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.

Give seasoning with Fenugreek and chili followed by the asafoetida. As the water evaporates, add the Ol kopi pieces and stir fry. Add the curd and stir fry to almost dryness.

Add red chili powder and immediately add the greens and mix well.

Add turmeric and salt. ( The volume will reduce as the greens release water. So be careful on quantity of salt).

Add green chili, chopped and whole, mix well.

Add 1/2 cup water.

Cover the lead and pressure cook for 4-5 minutes.

The dish is ready and eat with hot rice.

RECIPE -2 KASHMIRI KADAM (Ol kopi) WITH PANEER

For quite sometime I was thinking of cooking and posting few traditional Kashmiri dishes. Somehow it did not materialize. Traditional Kashmiri dishes have undergone many changes although the names are retained. The most abused one is the Rogan Josh. But I must say , the modified ones are also very tasty if you dont care about the traditional taste.

Most traditional Kashmiri dishes are devoid of onion and garlic.

This recipe will have typical Kashmiri flavor with very little modification of using Garam masala and cumin seasoning.

Contrary to popular belief, most Kashmiri dishes are cooked in Mustard oil only, except few where ghee is used. The spices are same for almost all dishes.

You can use Ol kpoi and Paneer separately.

INGREDIENTS.

*Ol kopi 4 with greens. ( I haven't used green here as I had used the green in above recipe. Moreover you may not get good leaf too. So proceed with the bulb only)

* Paneer ( cottage cheese) 300 gms ( you can use Paneer alone.)
*Curd 50 gms ( about 31/2 level tbsp)
*Hing ( Asafoetida) 1/2 tsp 30% strength, slurried in 1 tbsp water.
*Whole spice , 2 each , Cardamom, black cardamom, Clove and 1 inch Cinnamon, 1 level tsp cumin
* Dry Ginger powder 11/2 level tea spoon ( fresh ginger is not used )
* Fennel Powder 1 heap tbsp. ( freshly ground)
* Mustard Oil 2 tbsp.
* Kashmiri red chili powder 1 level tbsp.

PROCESS
Cut paneer into 11/2 X11/2 X1/2 inch pieces and dip fry to light brown spots. Keep aside.
Cut Ol Kopi into 8 mm thick slices and half them ( any other size will do)
If you are using greens, chop them into 2 inch pieces.
Heat oil in a thick bottom pan, remove from heat and add the Hing slurry and cover immediately. Add the whole garam masala, cumin and return to heat.
Add the Ol Kopi and soute for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp curd and stir fry until the oil appears. Repeat with balance curd, 1 tbsp at a time.
Add red chili powder and mix.

Add the leaf, salt and dry ginger powder and mix. Add 1/2 cup of water , cook covered. ( I haven't used leaf here)
When the Ol kopi becomes soft or gets cooked, add the Paneer and Fennel powder. Mix well and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
The gravy is generally thin or slightly thick. Eat with rice, Roti or paratha

TO HEAVEN AND BACK (TOO), MUNNAR AND KUMARAKAM, KERALA

2010-12-04T19:16:00.002+05:30

Dear friend and Foes

I am back from heaven that too alive ( No one wants to come back from heaven dead or alive)!!!

I was in my dream land Kerala after 25 years!!!! It was a hurricane tour to Munnar and Kumarakam and with SOMEONE, my younger daughter and brother's family.

We had decided to take a budget trip, so that we can see people we wanted to, just hole up some where and gossip. Also we wanted to see the honeymooners. We were delighted to see that the honeymooners haven't changed from my times. But we missed some thing, which is common with the Himalayan Honeymooners. You will see couples walking barefoot with hand in hand and holding their bright new footwear with the other hand, or some times you will see the girl walking with her nice high heels tucked under the arm and limping with her husband...When I was young it was very funny site, now I feel bad. The agony of a blister or corn is traumatic. Actually no one should go to the hills , with brand new footwear even if the road is good.. The slopes are no good for new pairs of marriage shoes.

Here I will put some photos as there is nothing much to describe.

We attended the marriage in Bangalore. The stay was too short to meet our blog friends of Bangalore. That made me sad.

We landed at Cochin airport and as expected the pre-booked minibus was not there. The taxi driver kept on calling us singing the old Indian song " Sir, I am stuck in a traffic jam, will be there in 15 minutes..sorry sir "...The call kept coming with regular interval to assure us and finally that 'reaching within 15 minutes' happened after 1 hour 30 minutes. We never lose our cool, while travelling , so we took it as a great excitement. We finally left the airport at 2 PM instead of 12-30.

Munnar is about 3 hours drive through the Hills. It is small Hill town at 4000ft and pretty cold compared to the sea sides.

Here are the few photos we took on the way to Munnar.

THE DRIVE TO MUNNAR.

The enchanting drive starts through forest, coconut and banana and rubber plantation

The Cheeyappara water falls

I have a weakness for clicking hoardings ( Dont know what is written on it)

No..No it was not what we were thinking..there were toilets below.

AT MUNNAR

We reached Munnar around 5 PM. Actually we did not stay in Munnar town, instead we stayed at a nice hotel, 10 Km before Munnar town. A nice hotel, worth the money and away from the congested town. This is a hill station of Kerala with tea gardens. Wherever you look , it is lush green. One can make a day trip to the Dam, wildlife national park, the flower garden. More details are on the net.

The Hotel

The hotel is very nice, with a front lawn, lot of plants on the slope and green. It was cloudy and drizzling all the time.

Main building (someone in front)

The cottages. ( mostly for honeymooners)

A lonely tree from the hotel balcony

The tea gardens

Munnar town on the back drop

THE DAY TRIP IN MUNNAR
In the morning we set out to see the places where all tourists go. Nothing great, but the cool weather and light drizzle was just too good. We did not take any rum stop as we were not driving. ( See my Himalayan blog to understand what is rum stop.Click here)

The beautiful Mattupetty Dam and the reservoir

Munnar Flori-culture center, Flowers from Munnar

We saw one small floriculture center maintained by the forest dept. Got a glimpse of lovely flowers.
Here are few snaps

The Eraviculam National
This National Park is famous for Nilgiri Thar ( a type of goat). Unfortunately we could not see any. But the drive up the hill and then a 2 Km walk further up was fantastic.
The sign board with the Thar

The forest dept bus dropping tourists inside the Park.

The road and bus stand seen from way up.

The beautiful bird was just sitting there, ,I am trying to find out the name

The second night at Munnar was good with fish and more fish curry, Malabar chicken. The ladies were busy watching the soap and daughters were reading books all the time.

ON THE WAY TO KUMARAKOM
Actually we stayed at a village called Aymanam located in between Kottayam and Kumarakom. We wanted to stay in a Village hotel run by a very nice family. We were not in a mood to stay in a resort or in a House boat on Vembanad Lake. ( This will be during my next trip to Aleppy.).
We reached our hotel around 5 PM. The hotel had a river at the back and a long verandah. We just settled down with tea and gossiping.
Village road to the hotel.

The river at the back of the hotel , good for fishing

Next day we went to Kottayam and took a , 16 seat, motor boat for 4 hours travel through the back water and finally to the Vembanad lake. 16 seat for 7 people was great.
It was a life time experience. Thank God we did not hole up in a house boat!!.
Journey through the back water and canal.
Lovely house , did not look like a " Gulf house". Do you know what is a 'gulf house'?

The reflection every where was amazing

Household work ( I hope the clothes have insurance against damage due to beating )

The sand pickers

The ladies going home I guess.

The Backwater was dotted with tiny red flowers, which gave that pink color. Absence of sunshine makes all the difference in photography.

Boatmen ferrying a passenger, the Dog (not in the mangers)

Few birds
A Darter, drying its wings

Purple Moorhen

Purple moorhen , closer view

The Cormorants

Need to find the name of the bird

An Egret

After 2 hours we arrive at a place called R BLOCK. There was a very dirty place and a dirtier restaurant. But it was only place to eat in the wild water. Fresh fish, Prawns, Big Kerala red rice (my favorite), and other usual accompaniments. The food is served on Banana leaf. This place normally becomes very busy after evening when house boats anchor and fresh fish fry and ToDi (local drink is supplied.)

The boat landing area at R Block. ( someone on the right ,)

Awesome fresh Karimeen fries

The House boats

You see many house boats here, in the lake and Canal. You can hire one with different capacity, 1 bed room , 2 bed room etc. One can take on hourly basis ans off season rate was Rs 1000 to 1200 per hour or for a day and night , from Rs 5000 upward.

House boat parking area

A big house boat carrying a group

From the R Block , we went further where the lake starts. From here one can go to Kumarakom and all the way to Aleppy through Canals and back water. We turned back for Kottayam. While coming back we mainly took a canals.

A foot bridge is being raised to give way for out boat. There are many such bridges.

parked boats

Another foot bridge and the long Canal

A boat carrying flowers

Next day I was in Delhi via Cochin.

Dear Foodies
Wait , shortly, I shall treat you with 2 dishes made from Ol Kopi ( Nool Kol) Kohlrabi (German turnip) (Brassica oleracea ),

Happy cooking and cant wait to see what all you have posted during my absence.

LAZY FISH AND POTATO MASALA WITH VEGE OPTION ...SHORT BREAK

2010-11-14T20:10:00.002+05:30

These days I am quite busy with some long pending work. I follow 4 D principle of Management , Whenever some work comes, try to Dump , Delay, Delegate and lastly Do it, in case you cant do the first 3 Ds..Gone are the days " Jo kal Karo, so aj" instead it is now new mantra Jo aj karo so kal... because we really don't have the luxury to advance any work , we are too packed up today ...So all 1st 3 D options are over for me during last several years..so I am doing it.

BREAK

Finally I managed a break with SOMEONE. She could manage a week's off. We are going to Bangalore for 3 days to attend a marriage and decided to go to Kerala for 4 days ...too little time though to see the wonderful Kerala..I have traveled a lot in Kerala in 70s and 80s ..We ( me and my brother's family) will just hole up in Munnar and Kumarakam. After that , most probably my paid holidays will be over and may have to travel to Japan, Korea or Europe ..( I hate winter out side India)..

So here is a Masala dry curry which was up my sleeves since Milano days, and now used it to get rid of some Sardines in the fridge. I am posting this , so that you dont forget me ..as such my performance has been very poor, only 50 odd postings over 18 months ..:-(

THE RECIPE

This is a normal recipe except that it will take less time to make and you can use all types of fried fish or Liver, and also any one vegetables like Potato, Parmal, beans, Paneer, Turnips, Yam, Arvi etc ( The firm ones). A dash of vinegar is added to make it tangy. I used a Malabar seasoning ( a secrete from SOMEONE) instead of Bong Panch Phodon and no Garam masala. Of course I used fried fish..I like fried Sardines, one can chew the whole fish along with bones.

INGREDIENTS

8 Sardines cleaned, marinated in Turmeric and salt, dip fried to brown. ( I had only 8 in fridge)

1 Potato medium-large , cut into fingers ( 8mm X 8 mm and length , as large as the Potato permits)

For grinding

1 tomato chopped

1 onion medium chopped ( same size as the tomato)

6 cloves garlic chopped

3/4th inch by 3/4th inch ginger chopped

2 green chili chopped ( more the merrier)

2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped.

For grinding

For seasoning

1/3rd tsp of Cumin and Mustard seeds.

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

2 dry red chili

Others

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 level tsp Turmeric powder ( you must have seen I use hell of a lot of turmeric )

Vinegar 1 tsp for marinating Potato

Vinegar 2 tsp for the gravy .

Oil 2-3 tbsp ( any oil of your choice but not ghee). ( other than oil, used for frying)

Optional... add as much red chili powder as you want ( I added 1 tsp, extra hot red chili powder)

PROCESS

Fry the marinated fish and keep aside.

Grind all the ingredients to a uniform paste.

Cut Potato and soak in water and wash and drain dry..add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp vinegar and mix, leave aside. ( this will give a sourish potato to the core.)

Fry the potato ( stir fry or deep fry if you are left with enough oil from fish frying) and keep aside.

NOTE: Just before adding potato to the pan, squeeze out the water . ( salt will release water from Potato)

Fried fish, Potato, seasoning and the paste

Heat oil to smoking and give seasoning.

Reduce heat and add 2 tbsp water to quench the heat so that the seasoning doesn't burn out.

Add the fried potato, the paste, salt, turmeric, Cumin powder and mix. Simmer covered for few minutes to cook the potato.

Add the fish, vinegar and mix. Simmer open pan till the oil starts appearing.

Saut'e for few minutes and the dish is ready. ( Any excess water will be soaked up by potato..so dont waste time drying the dish,,,but if you want to go ahead and fry the mix further, that too is very yummy).

NOTE : This is a small quantity dish , you want to increase the gravy ? If you double the onion, increase Tomato by half . In this recipe , Tomato and the onion is of same size.

LIVER OPTION

Marinate Liver in salt and turmeric. After adding seasoning, add the liver and saute till the pieces change color. Then proceed with or without potato.

VEGE OPTIONS

As all of you know, Vege food is delicacy for all non vegees and true for me too. Most of these vege options are well tried when I was in Milano. ( The beautiful reception girl used to lend me a mixer-grinder to make huge quantity of this paste ..with a condition that I will treat her and her boy friend with Indian Vege dish once in a while. I was surprised that the girl and her BF had become veges...I was more than glad to make many dishes for her and her BF..including Malabar or Chetinad paneer , Patato, Zucchini etc etc...you should have seen the girl eating with red chicks, running nose and eyes and still asking for more....great satisfying moments of life...

Potato option

Boil Potato , and cut then into chunks. soak the potato in salt and vinegar ( little) and fry to golden brown...proceed as above adding potato at the last moment.

Paneer option

Same as above , cut the Panner into chunks, prick with fork, marinate in salt and vinegar , deep fry to spotted brown and proceed.

Other vegetables ( hard ones , haven't tried soft ones like Brinjal, pumpkin, ridge gourd etc)

Cut the vege to 1 inch pieces, soak in salt and Vinegar and proceed,.

OK friends...I will be reading your blogs during my break ...please keep cooking , I believe cooking is a great stress reliever apart form the great satisfaction we get, when our near and dear ones give a smile and appreciate the taste ...It is so satisfying ( well we all know it, I dont have to say )

Happy cooking and I will miss you all for some time ...

DEEPAWALI

2010-11-05T08:59:00.000+05:30

Dear friends

Wish you and family a very Happy Deepawali . Goddess will bless you and forever.

Festival shopping time ( not in the malls)

I am travelling out of country a lot and unable to post or visit blogs. This is quite depressing for me. But hope to catch up by soon. Please bear with me.

RASHMI BIRIYANI ( with Vege option)

2010-10-17T13:30:00.003+05:30

My greetings to all of you on the occasion of Dushera festival. I am sure all of you have excused me for my absence from the blog sphere. Not that I post many recipes , but I do read all recipes, like reading novels, newspapers. I was stuck with lot of work ( rare occasion) at the home front, could manage to read few blogs and could rarely post my appreciations . I shall catch up now before I proceed on official work again.

My daughter visited us 1st time after marriage and had sent request in advance for cooking few of her favorite dishes. Biriyani Rashmi was one of them.

THE RECIPE.

This recipe is adopted from the famous book by Maharaja of Sailana, the ultimate Royal dish book.

The recipe is very different from all the Biriyanis you might have eaten. It is devoid of onion and garlic and the spicing is different. This gives a unique flavor to the dish. I know many types of Biriyani and pulao, but always end up cooking this in a gathering ( which is rare) as the guests are very demanding about this Biriyani.

This Biriyani is cooked with goat or lamb meat. I haven't tried chicken and wont, in near future. If you try let me know how was it. I will -prefer a paneer , patato biriyani over chicken

I have given a vege option with Paneer and potato. Absence of garlic and onion makes this dish a absolute Vege one , Jain or temple dish or like a prashad.

NOTE: As directed by the Maharaja, please do not compromise or change the recipe while trying for the 1st time.

INGREDIENTS

Mutton pieces 1 Kg

Ghee 250 ml ( I have reduced slightly from the original recipe)

Fresh curd 350 gms

Red chili powder 4 tsp ( level) You can use less hot one.

Ginger fresh , scrapped and ground 30 gms

Asafoetida ( Hing) 1 level tsp , 30 % active content diluted in water . (You can use your measure)

spices

Coriander seed powder 25 gms ( dont reduce)

Cumin seed powdered 2 gms

Black cumin seed powdered( It is Sha jeera and not the Kala jeera or Nigela ) 2 gms

Clove powdered 20 pieces ( freshly powdered)

black Cardamom 4 pieces , freshly powdered.

Saffron a good pinch diluted in warm water

Basmati rice 500 gms

Milk 350 ml

Kewada water 30 ml. ( This is also known as Kiya, Keya, Ketaki water in India . English name screw pine, botanical name Pandanus fascicularis .) If you are using Kewra concentrate , add less.

(Punjabi BaDi 12 gms, powdered, is there in the original recipe , but I haven't used it. But it gives a good taste.)

THE PROCESS

Preparing the meat

* Heat ghee in a thick bottom deep pan, add the Hing water, immediately followed by meat, whipped curd, Red chili powder, ginger paste, salt and mix.

* When the liquid dries up , brown the meat lightly.

* Add hot water little at a time so that when the meat is tender, there will be very little water left. CAUTION: Dont over cook the meat..that means the meat must not be falling off the bones.

If it is slightly undercooked, dont worry, it will get cooked at a later stage . Please apply your experience in meat boiling ...avoid use of pressure cooker.

Ready for spice addition

* Now add all the spices mentioned above i.e. Coriander, both cumins, clove, cardamom, saffron and Punjabi Badi powder ( optional)

*Stir the mix and simmer on very low heat till the water dries up and ghee remains. NOTE: Please dont burn the spices, if in doubt, quench with 2-3 tbsp water and mix.

Preparing the rice.

* Wash and soak rice in water for an hour.

* Heat plenty of water (about 3 liters ), add about 6-8 level tsp of salt and bring to boil. Add rice and cook.

* When the rice is 3/4th done, drain into a sieve or colander removing water completely.

* Transfer the rice to a big tray and spread evenly ..allow it to cool a bit.

Arranging the rice and meat for dum ( sealed steaming)

This is an interesting step and the layering technique is applicable to most type of Biriyani.

* Heat the milk , close to boiling and keep aside. mix 30 ml of Kewada water.

* Grease a thick bottom pan lightly with ghee. Dont take too big a pan. Ideally the pan should be 80% full when every thing is added.

* Divide the rice into 4 parts

* Add 1/4th of the rice to the pan and spread evenly.

* Sprinkle all the milk on the rice layer

* add 1/2 the meat and spread evenly.

* Now add rice, 2 parts out of 4 parts and spread evenly. ( i.e 2 portions of the 1/4th rice...I mean after this addition, you will be left with 1/4th of rice.)

* Add rest of the mutton and spread evenly. Top it with the balance 1/4th rice.

Put on Dum ( on steaming under sealed condition.)

*Put the pan on medium heat , and allow steam to be formed.

When steam is formed, cover and seal the edges with flour ( Atta) dough

There are few ways of putting it on dum.

Heat an OTG or oven to 180 deg C, and cook for 30-40 minutes

Or Put a flat steel griddle on heat, then put a separator. Keep the Pan on the separator and cook for 30-40 minutes. Adjust heat , there may be slight burn out at the bottom...

Open the Pan on the dining table, so that every one gets the opening aroma

VEGE OPTION WITH POTATO AND PANEER

The spicing and procedure will be same with some variation.

Peel medium potato and cut to half. Dont take much, may be 11/2 pieces per head or more.

Take generous quantity of paneer ( cottage cheese), cut them to 11/2 inch by 11/2 inch pieces and 1 inch thick. ( you can use smaller size too. I use 1inch pieces.)

Fry the cheese in ghee to brown , poke it with fork and keep aside.

Take ghee, fry the potato to light brown, add, hing , curd, ginger, red chili powder, salt etc and dry out to light brown.

Add the spices, stir for a minute , add 1 cup of water.

Mix well, add the paneer and simmer until only the ghee is left.

Proceed as above.

Happy eating.

KARELA ONION FRY WITH METHI AND RED CHILI SEASONING ,(Bitter Gourd and onion fry)

2010-09-25T15:04:00.002+05:30

Karela ( bitter gourd) and egg plant are the few vegetables I love to eat . This dish I had to cook today to please a semi-foe . ( In my previous blog, I had said I had 4 types of foodie or cookie friends, they are friends, semi friends, semi foes and foes. ( I am not giving the classification criteria here,,,but all my blog-foodie friends have one classification..they are friends only because, no matter what I cook, they always end up with saying , drooling, awesome , cant wait to eat etc etc )

Coming to eating Karela, I recall, when my elder daughter was 2 years old, she used to eat peeled raw karela ( like Cucumber salad) with salt, pepper and green chilis, with eyes and nose running...when she would finish, she would throw a big tantrum demanding more...But when she started going to school , she gave up eating Karela because she learnt from her classmates, that bitter was bad ( obviously learnt from parents that any thing bitter was bad). So that was end of her raw Karela eating , but she loves crisp fried Karela rings, with hot rice , salt, ghee and green chilis smashed into it. The point here is , God did not tell us ( or coded it into our brain) that sweet or sour was good, bitter was bad taste. We learnt it from others..The perception of taste or all perceptions like feel, smell, sound , sight etc ( the Indriyas) is given by God. We define good or bad as the society guides us....

THE RECIPE

It is just a simple Karela and onion fry with a tempering of fenugreek and red dry chili. Only difference is, the Karela is added before.

INGREDIENTS

Karela ( bitter gourd) 300 gms ( about 5 medium ones)

Onion 2

red dry chili 3 broken

Fenugreek seeds 3/4 tsp

turmeric 3/4 tsp level

Oil 2 tbsp

PROCESS

Wash and cut the Karela to 25 X 6-8 mm pieces. ( Cut the Karela into 25 mm cylinders and take out long slices, with part of the white flesh, leaving the core and the seeds. ( no need to scrap or peel).

Wash with water, drain and salt, keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the Karela and take out. ( Salting and washing doesn't reduce the bitterness)

Slice onion and keep aside.

Heat oil and give seasoning of fenugreek and red chili, When the seeds change color, add the bitter gourd .

Keep frying the karela, until some pieces become brown and the volume is reduced to half.

Add the onion and turmeric . ( If you love chili HOT, add red chili powder)

Stir fry and add 4 tbsp water, mix, lower flame to minimum and cover.

When the water is gone , add green chilis and stir fry on high heat.

Take a bite and adjust salt. When the ingredients are fried and become brown reduce heat to minimum, stick the material to the wall of the Kadhai and allow the oil to drain to the center. ( Do this if you are a health freak and believe that oil fattens and the rice and wheat ( carbohydrates) do not ). Or let the oil mix with the dish.

Remove form the Kadhai, eat with hot rice or roti....

The Himalayan Blog
I have posted few photos and words at my Indian Himalayan Blog, have a look, you may like it.
http://ughosh.blogspot.com/2010/09/sheraghat-on-saraju-river-like.html

WHITE PEAS GHUGNI from Kichu Khon

2010-09-18T12:40:00.002+05:30

The blog-sphere is full of this dish called Ghugni and in its many forms. It is mainly made from Chhole ( chick peas) or Matar (white pleas). Matar is the matured form of green peas we eat.

My problem has been, I rarely succeeded in making this. The reason is, no matter how I try, it becomes over boiled most of the time and the only option is to through the mushy stuff. ( Of course I made some dishes with the rejected stuff sometimes.)

So this time I again tried with Matar, just a little quantity. Great tips came from Sahrmila and Deepa too on boiling the peas. The taste of a very simple Matar ghugni has been lingering in my mind for decades. I got it at Sahrmila's blog. The recipe suited me. It did not require any elaborate preparation of spices. So I did not have the risk of throwing the spices along with the over boiled Matar.

So friends, if you want to take an excursion from our spicy cooking world , try this. The faint aroma of the Matar, coupled with the nice aroma of ginger, cumin and red chili will give you a great satisfaction. There is no riot of Ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, chhole masala , garam masala et al)

Please see the details at Sharmila's blog.

I am just giving you some idea here with a little suggestion on variation.

INGREDIENTS

White peas ( Matar) 1 cup

cumin 1 tsp

red chili dry 2

chopped ginger or Julienne 1 tbsp

turmeric powder 3/4 tsp.

Cooking oil 1 tbsp ( Mustard oil or any other). I have used 2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter )

Sugar 1 tsp ( for taste and not for sweetening )

Green chili ( optional. I have added few, I like lot of green chili)

PROCESS
Soak the white peas in water overnight or for 4-6 hrs ( Sharmila has recommended about 1/2 hour, but I had already put it for soaking )
Heat oil / Ghee and add cumin seeds and red chili , don't brown.
Add soaked peas, turmeric, salt and fry.
Add green chili and ginger, sugar and mix.
Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook to 2 whistles, which was 2 1/2minutes. The Matar was not done . So I pressurized for another whistle . Total time under pressure was 41/2 minutes. It was done. I shall use this timing next time.
After opening the cooker, adjust water by adding a little or boiling off.
The taste and look was perfect except that, in my excitement I forgot to focus the camera and the camera was not in ladies' mode :-)

Of course you can garnish chopped onion, green chili, lemon juice and coriander leaves after serving on a plate.

If you find the taste is too bland, dont worry, just proceed from here with the usual ones,i.e. onion garlic, ginger, tomato, spices etc etc.

My ultimate destination is to make Mangso ghugni ( Ghugni with small pieces of red meat and befitting spices).

Deepa of Hamaree Rasoi gave me useful tips, " It is very difficult to predict exact boiling time...as the peas vary in their grade, moisture content etc. So it is always better to under cook, check and reboil..experienced people who cook these often, generally make it right in one go. "

If you want to cook this, please read the original recipe
This awesome recipe is taken from Sharmila's blog http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2008/05/ghoogni.html

VENICE IN WINTER ON A RAINY DAY

2010-09-14T11:57:00.001+05:30

VENICE is like a dream..and I am posting few photos and experience on demand from my friends ( some foodie foes also) . March is the worst time to visit Venice , but I did not have much choice. The Feb was busy with Venice carnival and I did not have enough money to visit during carnival. So I and Sunny ( see Cinque tere and Begamo blog) decided to go in March with Mrs and Mr. Rajaraman , my colleague.

Being a reasonably lazy person I always excused ( Hypocrisy) myself out from seeing places. So Sunny and I framed a strategy, decide a place where to go, and book ticket. These tickets are not refundable, so we had to go and in the bargain saw beautiful places of Northern Italy. You can see my earlier blog here on Bergamo and Cinque Tere..( More to come on lakes).

Milano is connected by fast and passenger trains to all places in Italy. So one fine morning we set out to see Venice. ( Venice is there in my blood because I spent many days in 1998 on some official work on main land and used to stay in Venice and commute.)

So here are some photos ..it is pretty depressing beacuse of the rain and cold....but who will post cloudy Venice photos ? So you can treat these as rare ha ha .

We took a train from Milano Centrale in the morning and were in Vencie by 10-40 AM.

It was cloudy , drizzling and the temperature was 5 deg C.

We got out of the station and my colleagues posed for a photo in front of the Grand canal. (Hummmm, no one took mine :-( ) I liked the big advertisement in the back drop....so took the photo quickly

(NOTE: PLEASE CLICK EACH PHOTO TO ENLARGE AND ENJOY THE DETAILS, I HAVE POSTED REASONABLY HIGH RESOLUTION PICS.)

In front of Venice station, with my colleagues,Sunny and Mr. Rajaraman and his wife (the Canal Grande in the back ground)

I love big hoardings, and always try to take photos of hoardings.. See the picture above and you will know from where I captured this photo at 10X zoom..so very unrealistic.

In front of the Venice station, you get ferry (water bus) to travel through the grand Canal. Always buy a whole day ticket for about 18 Euro and you can make as many trips as you want. A single ride will cost about 6 Euro.

We boarded the Bus for the main destination," San Marco's Basilica", which is an hour's ride. The bus crisscrosses the canal to pick up or drop passengers.

Here are the photos taken from the water bus on the grand canal.

The Austrian bridge, 1st of the 3 bridges (Old ones) as you proceed down the canal

View of buildings along the Grand Canal ( The yellow bordered jetty on the right is a bus stand)

The Academia Bridge ( 2nd one)
The most famous Rialto Bridge
Rialto Market
The end of the Grand Canal, to the right is the "Basilica di Santa Maria dela salute"
We got off at San Marcos stop and proceeded towards the Besilica of San Marco.
We are now walking through the Piazetta San Marco ( Piazza San Marco is different) to the Basilica of San Marco and the Piazza.To the right is the Doge's palace and Basilica in front
Piazzeta San Marco
This is the Lagoon side entry, photo taken from the Basilica, to the left is the Doge's palace and to right is Biblioteca Marciana. The famous twin pillars representing Marco and Todaro are at the water front.

Campanile
Make it a point to go up the tower and have a look. We didn't have time . I had gone up the tower earlier, need to fish out the photos with bright sunshine.
Basilica San Marco
This is the Jewel of Venice, the most beautiful piece of architecture with breathtaking mosaics and interiors. The whole Venice was depressing due to cloud cover and lack of sunshine. You must see the night view. The view is obstructed due to maintenance of structures!
View of Mosaics in the Basilica ( Click to enlarge )
At the entrance
Few other mosaics ( click to enlarge)

Piazza San Marco
It is in front of the Basilica. Also called as Courtyard of Europe by French Poet and the tourist hot spot..very good eating joints, shops etc. You can see, even on a rainy day , tables are laid out. If I had time , I would have sat down with a bottle of wine and some tit bits.
Walk around

We just strayed around the narrow lanes full of souvenir shops, eateries. I bought few standard ones like famous Venice masks and few magnetic stickers for the fridges of friends.

The small masks at a shop window
While walking around, I was delighted to see a Sardarji family on the Gondola, who waved at me

The Gondola ride.
Gondola ride is expensive ( for me, but worth it) at 150 Euro for one hour and 6 persons. We took a ride, I mean the Gondola man took us for a ride. It was really nice and memorable.
In the picture below, we are entering Rio di Palazzo. This place was used for off loading straw (the place is called Ponte della paglia (straw) ) . Walls on both sides are covered for maintenance..,,to the left is Doge's palace and to the right and at the backside is the famous prison. Beyond the bridge in front, you can see another bridge, which is called Bridge of sighs.

The bridge of sighs
The white bridge connects the court to the prison on the right. The walls are now all covered, so have a look at internet to see how it looks. Many people think that the name has come from lovers who failed in their affair and used to sigh, standing on the bridge. ( How Bollywoodic and romantic!!!! I wish....ha ha ). This is not true. The sighs were of condemned prisoners, who might be seeing the outside world for the last time,( while crossing over to the prison.)

More pictures from the Gondola

The famous fish market on Grand canal ( from the Gondola), going to the Grand canal is part of the deal)
Back to the Gondola staring point and the famous Island San Giorgio Maggiore in the back ground
Now it was time to get back and we stopped for few minutes at
Santa Maria
Dela Salute

That famous statue at Santa Maria ( The one below , not the one above, thats NO ONE of SOMEONE)

Bye Bye Venice
At railway station ( Train at 18-20 to Milano Centrale, just enough time for ice cream )

NOTE:
Dear friends
Venice is well publicized on the net. You get all the information there, and much better Photos and description and guidance, to visit. I am just sharing what I saw.
I am running short of recipes to post ( because I am cooking from my treasure which I dug out from your food blogs, thank you, for this favor). I am planning to add the word "TRAVEL" to my blog tittle .
Happy cooking and exciting travel too....

WARNING, MALWARE

2010-09-09T19:24:00.001+05:30

Dear friends

I can't reach most of your blog..Every time I am trying, Google sends warning that the site has malware due to scripts running from "en.petitchef.com". This may high-jack many of your data without your knowledge.The link itself may not be injecting the malware, but it might have been infected by 3rd party without their knowledge. I could inform some of my friends by e mail , who have removed the link en.petitchef.com and I can reach their site....

As a general precaution dont post anonymous.

All comments must be posted after your approval.

Dont click a link coming via email or on blog.

Even if you receive a link from a known friend , don't click. 1st ask if he or she had sent the link. ( Many times it happens, that your friend's email address book has been hijacked and you receive mails from the hijacker as if it had come from your friend.)

When you send mass mail, try to put all address in BCC.

Well I dont have much idea about these net business, and wont be surprised if I get into malware or spyware trap.

Happy cooking and happy blogging.

Here is a photo of lake Como, Northern Italy..wait for more