All posts tagged: Traditional

Lamb Chintamani – The Three Ingredient Wonder

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This one is a revelation. I came across the recipe at Spices and Aroma and was instantly intrigued. A lamb main course using just three ingredients? Now that must be either really simple or really a joke. I had to satisfy my curiosity. So I immediately bookmarked the page to try it and asked the co-resident to go meat shopping. (He knows this awesome butcher near my mom-in-law’s house, rest assured we always get the freshest and best cut of meat). The recipe says Lamb but I like to use Goat Meat. It’s less fatty and somehow so much more flavorsome. The recipe is an authentic Kongunadu (Salem, Erode and Coimbatore) recipe using lamb and onions in equal quantities with some many fiery dried red chillies to liven it up! The result is an almost pickle like consistency that you serve with some hot white rice and loads of ghee. Now, most people add ghee to their sambhar and curries to reduce the heat, but the purpose of serving ghee with this dish is to …

Onion Pakodas – For the Rains!

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Monsoons! You either love it or hate it. I belong to the latter category. I know poems have been written about the rains and how it raises the spirits and blah blah blah. But clearly this is the work of someone sitting in the comfort of their homes and blabbing about the elements without experiencing its fury! For the ordinary man/woman who rides a bike to work or who needs to walk to a bus stop the monsoons are nothing but havoc to their plans and clothes and shoes might I add! I am always game for the occasional bout of rain, but five whole months of it??? Spare me the romanticism. Give me one person in Cherrapunji who’s waxed eloquently about it. Comon, think. No? There, I rest my case. Familiarity breeds contempt! It’s only freaking fantastic if you are a farmer looking for the rains for a good crop or someone in a really hot place who needs the spell of rain to cool the temperature down. Bangalore clearly does not need five …

Classic Bacon and Egg Salad Sandwich

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It’s called classic because it’s a timeless combination. Bacon and Eggs. I could actually have an entire blog dedicated to the dishes you could dish out of this very combination. But we don’t want to be biased now, do we 😉 ?  New question… why do I need a separate blog post for the simplest of sandwiches? Because my friends it’s the little things that matter and this recipe has all the little things that will transform a slap dash sandwich into the classic it is. For a hint – it’s Mustard. Not convinced? Ok, Parsley. Still not convinced? Ok its mustard and parsley and mayo. Trust me, the combo works like a charm! Classic Bacon and Egg Sandwich Prep time: 10 mins Makes 2 sandwiches What you need: 2 rashers rindless Bacon 2 hard boiled Eggs 1 Tbsp Mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf Parsley Salt and freshly ground Black pepper Butter or Margarine 4 slices Milk or other White Bread What to do: Grill bacon or fry in …

Ghee Rice Mummy Style

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My mum is a fantastic cook. So is my mom-in-law. Whatever I make falls two spots short of whatever they churn out, by just chucking random ingredients into the pan. Life’s not fair is it?! I always console myself thinking that they had 8 hours a day for the last 30 years to practice their art while I’ve just had weekends. Score settled. Anyway, they’ve always been more than willing to share their gems of wisdom with me, which I reverently jot down in a little notebook to ‘try’ replicating at home. Alas, it’s always a not quite. Am sure the wily women are not disclosing the magic ingredient! How else would they get me to come home often? So here is my mum’s Ghee Rice. It’s the most amazing accompaniment to any curry/ gravy. And don’t worry, even without her secret ingredient (shall we be soppy and say ‘love’) it still rocks my boat! Ghee Rice Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 10 mins Serves: 4-6 What you need: 3 cups Jeera Rice (or …

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

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As a kid I was always amazed at this cake. How did they make the pineapple fit into the cake? Did they push it down and then burn the top? If they did then why dint it fall off when you turned it over? Anyway childhood has passed and all things magical are now just like that show – ‘Great magic tricks revealed’ (Which I hate by the way – I think they’re killing the enigma!). So yeah… I finally figured it out. They lay out the pineapple, pour the cake batter in and bake it. Finally, they filp it over – Hence Upside-Down cake. Should have paid more attention to the linguistics, mind you … would have figured it out much much earlier. But when you’re young and starry eyed, life is just so so much more fun. (The previous sentence in no way implies I’m an old hag now…just so you know … :P) Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Prep time: 30 mins Cooking time: 30-35 mins Serves: 8 (or 4 if you’re greedy) What you …

Insalata Caprese (Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato Salad)

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I know it’s not summer and this is definitely a summer salad. But on a dreary winter day like today, the colors sure cheer me up. This is such a simple salad but tastes heavenly. The creaminess of the bocconcini is well worth the visit to a gourmet store. (By the way, the white colour and creaminess is because it’s made from buffalo milk.) But if you can’t stomach the thought, then fresh mozzarella is fine as well. Like I was saying…chase the winter blues away with some red, white and green! Insalata CapresePrep time: 10 minsServes: 6 What you need:6 medium, ripe Tomatoes4 fresh small Mozzarella (Bocconcini) balls1 Tbsp Lemon juice4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive OilHandful of shredded Basil leavesFreshly ground Black Pepper, to taste What to do:Slice tomatoes thickly. Slice mozzarella thinly and interleave with tomato slices and basil leaves. Combine lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix well using a wire whick. Drizzle dressing over salad. Sprinkle with shreds of basil leaves and pepper. Serve! P.S. This salad is …

Lemon Rice (Chitranna)

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This post is for ‘someone’ who asked me recently, whether I had locked my kitchen up as he dint see any new posts on the blog 😛 Considering that ‘someone’ is also a Vegetarian and South Indian … this recipe should appeal to him. Lemon Rice is something that mom made in a jiffy for breakfast IF – she was out of time or there was rice leftover from last night’s dinner. So as a teenager I used to ho and hum when I saw lemon rice on my plate. But now I completely understand the lemon rice logic – it’s a healthy, simple, no wastage dish. Not to mention for all the ho-ing and hum-ing it was and is delicious! Lemon Rice Prep time: 15 minsServes: 4 What you need:1 ½ cups Rice (uncooked) / 2 ½ cups cooked Rice1 Onion sliced1 Lemon (Juice of)3-4 green Chilies½ tsp Channa Dal½ tsp Urd Dal½ tsp Turmeric½ tsp Ginger paste½ tsp Mustard seeds4 tsps Oil6-7 Curry leavesSalt to tasteHandful of peanutsGrated coconut to Garnish What to …

Panchamrutam – The five Nectars

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South Indian festivals are an excuse to indulge in food of the sweet and heavy kind. One of the staples is ‘Panchamrutam’ which means the five nectars. This is prepared as a festive offering and is a medley of all things sweet! It’s a sugar high to say the least and considering this is what we offer our Gods they must be getting off on the sugar buzz! Anyway there are no fixed five ingredients though Milk, Curd, Honey, Ghee, Fruits (esp bananas), Coconut and Sugar are interchangeable. My recipe is almost a fruit salad, but with a holy twist! Bless you… Panchamrutam Prep time: 10 mins Serves: 10 -12 What you need: 2 Bananas 1 Apple 2 Guava 1 Sweet Lime (peeled and segmented) Handful of Black Grapes Half a Pomegranate (peeled and separated) 500 gms Thick Curd 250ml Milk 2 Tbsp Ghee 1 Tbsp Honey 5 Tbsp Granulated Sugar What to do: Wash and dice the apples, guava and Bananas. Peel the Sweet lime and segment it. Remove seeds and transparent layer as …