Soups (for winter)

The chill is descending in Bay Area and the soup bowls are out again. Yesterday I made a very simple and satisfying Tomato-Basil Soup

Ingredients:
2-4 Tomatoes , seeded, diced
3-4 Fresh Basil leaves, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Method: Drizzle olive oil in a sauce pan, and cook the diced tomatoes. When they are about done, add chopped basil leaves. Blend it all in a blender- you can leave some chunks behind for bites. Put it all back in the saucepan, bring it to boil after adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a fresh twig of basil and some warm bread. You can put butter, grated cheese or cream to make it richer in taste.

Creamy artichoke soup 
Ingredients:
2 strips of Bacon
1 medium Potato
4-6 Marinated Artichoke hearts
Chicken Stock

Method: Fry the bacon (cut into strips),1 medium diced potato and the artichoke hearts in a sauce pan. You will need no extra oil if you use bacon and the artichokes are already in olive oil. When cooked through, add chicken stock- boil. Blend in a blender for a creamy soup. You can add your favorite herb (like rosemary or cilantro) for garnish.

Another recipe Link [Foof Network, Giada]

Chicken roast with basil pesto

I used Cornish hen for this recipe, you can use any pieces, preferably with skin on, since we'll brown it later.

Thaw first, if frozen. Then clean the bird, pat dry,  loosen the skin and add spices like garlic salt, black pepper, lime juice, olive oil/butter, rosemary , and basil pesto inside the skin and over it. Roast uncovered in a roasting pan for 1 hour at 400 F in conventional oven, turning once when done half way through. Broil the last 10 mins to brown the skin. Bast occasionally with the drippings. Serve with grains and vegetables of your choice. Baked beets with a dash of lemon , baby carrots with pickled cabbage, or steamed string beans may make a healthy, tasty side. You can use the leftovers to make salad, sandwiches, wraps, or Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Casserole

You can make whole tandoori chicken by marinating the bird overnight in Tandoori powder, ginger garlic paste, cardamom , chili garlic powder, Dash garlic and herbs, pepper, yogurt.

And serve with avocado-romaine lettuce-pine nuts- shaved turkey-raisin/dry rainier cherries salad.

For crisper salads, place paper towels in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will be soaked and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh longer.

Crockpot Biryani

Here, I tried to emulate dum-styled cooking using a slow cooker/crockpot. For Dutch oven recipe, click here.

1. Clean thigh pieces (I prefer with bones), make shallow cuts on the meat, dry well with paper towels. Add whole spices like : green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, javitri(mace), peppercorn and any packaged biryani masala you prefer. Yogurt , salt if needed, ghee(clarified butter). Coat well and uniformly.
2. Set the slow cooker for 4 hrs after greasing the bottom with ghee. Place the chicken. 
3. Rinse Basmati rice and soak in water for couple of hours while you fry thinly sliced onions till brown.
4. 2 hrs into cooking, turn the meat to the other side. Add browned onions, layer it with the soaked rice. (or  you can add parboiled rice later) Add saffron soaked milk, and rose water on top of it. Cook for another 2 hrs.
5. You can add nuts, raisins and plums if you want to make it richer in taste(Shahi). Some ppl use tomatoes,  potatoes (interesting history of recession-proof Biryani). You can learn about several variants here.

Alternately, you can cook the chicken and the rice separately (difference with pulao), then  layer them in a rice cooker or baking tray in an oven for shorter cooking time.

Chicken first

After adding Basmati rice

Final product

Slow cooker recipes

Meat and veggies at low for 8 hrs. Before and after.

I am a great fan of slow-cooking. The flavors are retained, and you need less grease to facilitate cooking. A friend I had in Boston often baked me dinner (baked for about 2 hrs). At the end of the day, it felt delicious and made a very satisfying meal. Last night, I decided to put my slow-cooker to use and picked some random veggies from my pantry- most preferably non-starchy veggies like zucchini, tomatoes, onions, celery, bell pepper and mushrooms etc. (Some recipes might call for potatoes though). I threw in a few mutton pieces that were marinating for a curry, drizzled a little olive oil, sprinkled some garlic salt with dry parsley, and oregano. (Yeah, totally random). Then I switched on the cooker and went to sleep. In the morning, I was greeted with a delicious aroma of slow cooked goodness.

More recipes at:
Slow cooker Utopia

Tips for beginners:
1. Resist the temptation to take a peek into the cooker, though you might give a stir into one hour of cooking. The glass lid will give you a fair view if you feel curious.
2. Don't use frozen meat. Thaw well before you cook it.
3. Beans/lentils are a great way to introduce fibers. Use less portions of meat and try to balance the yin yang of your platter.

It is a good option for traditional recipes that ask for long cooking times (like pot-roast, biryani), perfect for a working man/woman with long day out with very little energy to spend in the kitchen after a tiring day at work, and even an hassle-free extra dish or two when you have guests coming over.

I will post recipes while I perform the experiments. If they go well, you will know it is safe. If some of them go awry, you will know what to avoid. Here's to cuisson lente.

Also, an interesting article on NPR : Slow cook your way to The Colonel's Secret Recipe

Doi begun posto (Eggplant in poppy yogurt paste)

This dish looks best with baby eggplant, slit on four sides and stem intact (pictures below). I had an overstock of Chinese eggplant and decided to work with those.

Method:

1. Clean the eggplant and cut into strips (slit the eggplant with stem intact if you are using baby/Indian eggplant). Fill salt, coriander powder, and Kashmiri chili powder inside the eggplant. Deep fry in a wok. Take out and drain on a paper towel if you feel the need. 
2.  In a non-stick, use 2 tsp oil from the frying and fry nigella seeds and slit green chilies. Keep the chilies aside.
3. Add dry ground poppy and cashews. Toast a bit. Add about a cup of warm water. Cook through.
4. Whisk 1 tbsp yogurt with a little water so that no lumps remain, cook it in the wok, add the fried eggplant. Add a bit of ghee, taste for salt.

You can bake the recipe in an oven too (after you have sauteed the eggplant first).

Version 2: I made them with baby eggplants, and they look pretty. Also, I used Methi (fenugreek) seeds for tempering and ground cumin with the yogurt sauce, as suggested by my aunt.

Don't forget to fry the baby bottoms if you are shallow frying them

A tastier version with more gravy and deep-fried eggplants (Updated on: Jan 3, 2017)

Chicken Bharta

This is my Dad's recipe(with a bit of tweaking) and is a favorite with rotis. (Indian flatbreads)

1.  Boil chicken thigh pieces with a little salt,  crushed pepper,  a cinnamon stick and de-bone them (don't get minced chicken- not the same). Add turmeric and red chili powder to the deboned chicken shredded with a fork into strands.
2. In a wok, heat vegetable oil, add thinly sliced onions, then minced garlic, minced green chilies, diced tomatoes and grated ginger in that order. You can use some ground spices of your choice, I prefer it light with minimal spices. Add about 2 tbsp of yogurt- cook the sauce for a while and then add the chicken. Cover and cook over medium-low flame. Serve with hard-boiled eggs and a dollop of butter.

Variation (update:Jan 31, 2018)
2. In a wok, ad 2 tbsp of butter, and add onion-garlic-ginger-green chili past. Add, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder according to taste(for me it is about 1/2 tsp each)  Fry it on medium-low heat till the butter separate.
3. Add the shredded chicken and saute some more. Add some more butter if needed. Then add table cream. When the chicken is about done, add hard-boiled egg by breaking them with your hand. Mix well and serve warm. You may add chopped cilantro if the smell is not too overwhelming for you or Kasuri methi.

Tip: Shredding the chicken with a fork might take a while, so start with a little amount of boiled chicken and shred it the night before if you want to prepare it for lunch.

Egg Do Piaza

1. Boil 6 eggs in water. Remove shells. Make small incisions with a knife on 4 sides of each egg so the spices get through.
2. Thinly slice onions and fry in a wok. Add crushed cardamom,cinnamon powder (I use more than usual for this dish)and cloves.
3. Add diced tomatoes, slit green chilies,salt, turmeric, red chili powder. Minced garlic and ginger if you want to
4. Cover and cook till oil separates. Add the boiled eggs. Add ghee and cilantro just before turning off the heat.

you might also like Bagara Anda Masala