CHICKPEA SALAD

“People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like chef's salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.”

― Lemony Snicket, The Grim Grotto

It's the end of November and the middle of party season in Delhi. If you're regretting all those kaybob rolls and malai tikkas here is an easy recipe for redemption.

Also, I am so tired of salad recipes asking me to go buy all kinds of insane leaves that someone has flown down from another part of the planet! Who ever has that kind of stuff on hand?! Nobody as poor or disorganized as me for sure... Additional points to this recipe for using stuff most Indian kitchens will have available.

What you’ll need:

2 cups chickpeas (boiled but make sure they’re cold for the salad)

2 cups spinach (cut very small)
1 small onion (sliced thin)
¾ cup cilantro (chopped small)

For the dressing:

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

How to:

1. Slice up your spinach and cilantro as small as you can. Cut up the little onion into thin circles. Mix together with chickpeas in your salad bowl.

2. Mix together all your dressing ingredients nicely. Pour on top of your chick pea mix and mix again.

Note: I feel like I’ve said this before but as long as your hands are washed don’t be shy about using your hands. Unless you’re the kind of tosser who owns a salad tosser this is the best way to do it. Having said that to the tossers who own tossers – I want to be like you.

3. Chill in the fridge for a few minutes before serving.

 

SPICED COTTAGE PIE

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”  ― David Mamet, Boston Marriage

I've been meaning to try a shephard's pie for a while but I found this interesting vegetarian version I wanted to try. I've never cooked soya before and I have to say I'm not a fan of it per se but this is probably one of the nicest ways to eat it. This is a nice, warm, filling dish - great as a winter Sunday lunch where everyone gets to nap after or a convenient one pot dinner for a small group of friends.

What you’ll need:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions (finely chopped)

2 tomatoes (blended into a puree)

200 gm soya bean (cooked as per packet instructions. I used Nutrella which requires boiling for about 10 minutes)

2 handfuls peas

½ kg potato (peeled)

4 tbsp butter

½ cup grated cheese

3 tbsp ginger paste

3 tbsp garlic paste

Tomato puree (for sauce – keep a carton handy)

Bunch of coriander leaves (with stalk)

Salt and pepper to taste

Splashes of milk (about 80 ml)

Dash of lemon juice

Spices

3 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder

3 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground cumin

3 bay leaves

5 black cardamom pods

How to:

Preheat oven to 200°C

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add onions, cardamom and bay leaves. Roast till onions are nicely golden. Add ginger and garlic paste. Stir for 3 -4 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and all spices. Stir till the masala has thickened. Add the soya bean.

3. Dilute masala with a couple of generous dashes of tomato puree. Eventually I ended up using half a carton.

4. Simultaneously pile your potatoes in a pot of hot water and boil till tender.

5. Add half a liter of water to the soya bean and let the pot simmer till most of the water has been absorbed. Taste and check the seasoning. Add pepper and lime.

6. Add peas to the soya bean mixture and stir through. Cook for about 5 minutes. Check seasoning one final time. If you’re good with the taste, stir in the coriander and turn off the flame.

7. Once the potatoes are soft, mash them well. Add butter, a generous splash of milk and cheese. Mash some more. Add salt and pepper.

8. Spoon the soya bean mixture into an ovenproof dish. Add the potato mash as a layer on top and even it out. Pop in an oven for 30 minutes.

OATMEAL BANANA SMOOTHIE

Everything we do is a choice. Oatmeal or cereal. Highway or side streets. Kiss her or keep her. - Ned from Pushing Daisies (Possibly my favourite TV show ever)

I often miss breakfast and I know that's a stupid thing to do. Sleeping for 5 more minutes, trying to find the back of a pair of earrings I want to wear that day and sheer laziness keep getting in the way though. This smoothie is really easy, tastes great and will fill you right up if you don't get the chance to sit down to breakfast.

What you’ll need:

2 bananas

½ cup instant oatmeal
1/3 cup yoghurt
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp honey

How to:

1. Pour all ingredients into blender. Blend.

2. Drink.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: THE ALL AMERICAN DINER

For when only breakfast will do.

 

 

LOOKS LIKE

 

Many online reviewers have talked about the charming décor of the All American Diner but to be perfectly honest to me it looks Minnie Mouse went wild in a diner. Bright red, plastic booths and Betty Boop posters can only be Minnie’s idea of an authentic diner experience. I’m not saying I don’t like it, it's a sweet, cheerful space but if you told me you find it cloying, I wouldn’t disagree. I imagine kids love the place.

One thing that really bothers me about the décor is the innumerable, incongruent, disorienting tin plate ads on the walls. Selling everything from knives to cars, they’re all over every wall. I would have thought the place much prettier if they just got rid of, about 25 to 40 of them.

 

TASTES LIKE

 The Diner has a pretty extensive menu but really the only thing worth eating on there is the breakfast food. And the breakfast food is good.

I alternate between the sausages and eggs or the bacon and eggs (2 eggs, your choice of breakfast bread, hash browns and 3 slices of bacon or pork/chicken sausages) and I’m never disappointed. The hot dogs, pancakes and milk shakes also all work.

Don’t bother with the miscellaneous lunch and dinner plates, any non-breakfast food you would get at the Diner would probably be better someplace else. Ditto for the burgers, the Chilli Bean Burger was just the most insipid, dilute attempt at a vegetarian burger and the Spicy Cheese Toast was ordinary masala toast served cold.

 

FEELS LIKE

 

The service really isn’t great. There’s not much more to say about it. They forget orders, they take too long, they aren’t particularly knowledgeable about the menu and pretty much all you can expect is for them to gaze at you blankly. Go when you’re feeling patient. Also check your bill, they get their numbers wrong quite often.

More Reading:

I didn’t find any very interesting review to share but here’s their official site if you want to take a look:

http://www.habitatworld.com/diner.php

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Should you go? A reliable option when you want breakfast for breakfast, lunch or dinner

Vegetarian Options – Available

Liquor license – Yes

Address – India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Phone – 011 41220000

 

ROSEMARY, CHEESE AND HAM OMELET

Guest Post by Vrinda Singh Oberoi!

 

Let’s start the week with a recipe for the most important meal of the day.  I love eating omelets but I hate when they end up hard and flat. Here is my very own foolproof rendition of a fluffy rosemary, cheese, mushroom and ham omelet recipe. Feel free to replace the stuffing or rosemary with any combination of ingredients you prefer. Hope you enjoy it!

What You’ll Need:

2 Eggs

A generous quantity of Cheese (grated)

2 -3 Button mushrooms (finely chopped)

Handful of Salami or Ham (finely chopped)

Rosemary to taste

Salt to taste

Olive oil

How to: 

1. Probably the most important (maybe the only important) and slightly tough thing about the omelet making process is the splitting of the egg into two bowls. Separate the egg white and the yolk and put them in different bowls.  

Note: In case you find it hard to separate the eggs, just break a tiny hole into the shell of the egg instead of doing the whole splitting and juggling of the egg yolk thing. This is much easier though it might take half a minute longer.

2. Beat the white of the egg till its almost stiff (enough to make soft speaks). Then beat the yolks in the other bowl.

Note: I prefer beating it by hand though that takes a little bit of time but electronically run beaters work just fine.

3. Once the eggs are beaten drizzle some olive oil in a non stick frying pan which has been sitting on the stove on low flame and is nice and warm.

4. Pour the beaten egg whites into the frying pan (let it settle for about 5 seconds) and then pour the egg yolks over the whites.

Note: You can choose to skip the yolks completely if you’re watching your cholesterol levels.

5. While the center is still uncooked add the grated cheese, mushrooms, salami/ ham, rosemary, salt and any damned seasoning you please.

Note: I love smoked salami and honey glazed ham so always end up using these more than any other type of cold cuts but you don’t need to limit your topping to these  - you can really play around with what you would like in your omelet.

 

6. Fold the omelet from both the sides once the base is golden and lift gently and turn over.

7. Once the inside of the omelet looks like its firm enough (should take about 2-3 minutes) gently lift the omelet and place on serving plate.

8. Serve hot with bread.

 

SNAPSHOTS: FOOD ILLUSTRATIONS BY AASH!

For you today, these adorable, funny food illustrations from my very talented friend Aashmita Nayar! I love how much personality each ingredient has, my favourites are the suspicious onion and the narcissist pepperpot.

One day when all you wonderful readers make the effort to go like our facebook page, making us super famous and able to afford the publishing costs of a cook book we'll hire Aashmita to do our illustrations. In the mean time we'll happily cover her work here!

I love the suspicious expression on the onion's, erm, face(?).

 

This reminds me of a boy in my school. Do you have a dancing chicken in your life?

 

 

Narcissistic Pepper Pot 

 

SNAPSHOTS: THIS DIWALI



Diwali this year was a quiet affair and I didn't take many photos. It occurred to me that it would be helpful to have a Diwali checklist to help people plan out the hectic holiday season. I'm going to get to work on that so we can have it up in time for next Diwali.

 I got so tired of mithai this year, by the time Diwali rolled around I was gorging on these beautiful brownies from Labonel, Hyderabad. Thank you so much Dimpy Aunty! As usual, your taste is impeccable!

There was mithai:

Gifts were exchanged:

Diyas were lit:

 

The young brother made snarky comments:

And it all ended on a quiet sweet note:

BESAN KA LADDOO

HAPPY DIWALI!

I love occassions. Every birthday, every anniversary and every festival should be celebrated . I even make sure to do something on my half birthday most years (but it's best not to tell people because then you sound like a crazy person). So I get really upset when I hear stories about food adulteration, sweets made out of paint, milk with fertilizer in it and fruits with chemicals to make them grow faster. This diwali dinner serve sweets made out of ingredients you trust.

 

 

Makes 15. Will probably make more if you don’t spill as much besan as I did.

What you’ll need:

 
4 cups besan
1 cup ghee
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp pounded green cardamom
½ cup chopped almonds/raisins/ other dried fruit

How to:

1. Roast the besan in a non stick pan. Stirring often to make sure it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. It will start to gently brown.

2. Add a cup of ghee and keep stirring till the ghee melts and the whole mixture is a reddish golden brown. Take your time – as long as the besan doesn’t burn you’re okay. You just don’t want to end up with the taste of raw gram flour in your mouth.

3. Once nicely browned remove from pan and spread on a tray to cool the mix. Stick it under a fan to speed up the process. Don’t let the mix cool TOO much you just want to make sure it’s not hot anymore.

4. Add the sugar, powdered cardamom and chopped dried fruits and mix well.

5. Bunch the flour into little balls to make your laddoo. If you have any kids around this is a great task to delegate to them.

 Note: This is a crazy messy process. I had besan in my hair and all over my clothes by the end of it. It may be wise to line your work station with newspaper.

 Not in the mood for besan ka laddoo? Have you tried any of our other really easy mithai recipes?

ALMOND KHEER

 

MALAI LADDOO

 

YOGHURT CHICKEN

Monday is a terrible way to spend 1/7th of your life - Random Internet Quote

It's Monday again and I've struggled with Mondays since I was a kid. It used to be school. Now it's work.
Tuesdays I spend recovering from Mondays.
I really only start dealing with the week by Wednesday.
Thursday of course is almost the weekend and must be celebrated.
Friday is the best thing that's ever happened to anyone.
Saturday I run around like a headless chicken because God finally had mercy on me and gave me the weekend (and not like the fraud almost-weekend of Thursday which is just a lie).
Sundays I sink into a deep, blue funk because I know the scourge of Mondays is going to be back and back soon.
So it's Monday. Life is hard but here's an easy recipe for some healthy chicken.

I recommend this recipe for the reasons I recommend any recipe - it's easy, it tastes good, you don't need to raid a gourmet store to find the ingredients and mostly (though we don't think about this enough) because it's good for you.

Serves 4

Recipe my own

What you’ll need:

1 kg boneless chicken (there’s no reason for it being boneless apart from the fact that I don't like to chew too much)

2 cups yoghurt
2 capsicums
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 small onion (grated)
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste

How to:

1. Mix together yoghurt, ginger and garlic paste, salt and chilli powder in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces. Cover the dish and let the chicken marinate for as long as you can.

Note: I recommend a minimum of 3 hours but leave it overnight if you can.

2. Take a deep pan and heat the oil. Add grated onion. Stir till gold.

3. Pour in your chicken plus marinade. Stir till it boils.

Note: Don’t add water! The yoghurt and the chicken will release plenty.

4. Cover and let the chicken cook in it’s own juice for 10 minutes. Uncover then and increase the heat so all the water dries up.

5. When nearly dry add sliced capsicum. Fry for a couple of minutes and serve.  

 

Note: Don’t let the capsicum overcook so you get the gorgeous green with the tender white chicken.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: SOI THAI

For the love of Thai

 

Soi Thai is a sweet restaurant tucked away in Basant Lok between an ATM and Dominoes promising authentic Thai street food (and home delivery).

LOOKS LIKE

 

The restaurant is a relatively small but big windowed space with very pretty salvaged wood furniture and not much more going on.

The décor includes a collection of (really) questionable art up on the walls and a strange, spotted cow made of tin but the “up for sale” sign makes me hope the choice is commercial and not a reflection of the owners’ taste.

On a brighter note, the place is well lit, looks super clean and has a light, functional charm to it.

 

 

 

TASTES LIKE

 

I’ve always really liked Thai food but the ubiquitous red and green curry menu options which I’m sure has been made of packaged curry paste from Nature’s Basket was getting me down. Soi Thai gives you a lot more choice and even if some of the dishes weren’t as good as they could have been the ingredients were very fresh. We ordered the Tod Man (Fish Cakes) for starters and followed it up with a Phat Krapao (Pork Stir Fry with Basil); Phad Thai with Tofu and Egg and Bamee Phat Ki Mao (Yellow Noodles with Spicy Mix and Prawns).

 

 

The fish cakes were disappointing, we were expecting something more delicate (in the nature of a crab cake?) but the Tod Man was more like a pakoda. The batter drowned out the flavor of the fish and made the cakes too hard and doughy. It did come with an amazing golden sweet salt sauce though. The Yellow Noodles were well made and the prawns nicely cooked but a little bland – I think the dish would have benefitted from the addition of one strong stand out flavor. Both the Phat Krapao (Pork Stir Fry with Basil) and Phad Thai were excellent, a lovely combination of complementing light flavors, crunchy greens and perfectly cooked meat.

  

FEELS LIKE

  

Reviewing Soi Thai is confusing because some things about the food and décor I really liked and other bits just didn’t work. One thing that works unequivocally in favor of this restaurant is the service.

  

More Reading:

  

Here’s a helpful review from Chef At Large, which I mostly agree with:

  

http://chefatlarge.in/reviews/delhincr/restaurants-in-south-delhi/soi-thai-saket-new-delhi.html/comment-page-1#comment-224184

  

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Should you go? It’s worth trying if you really like Thai food.  

Vegetarian Options – Available

Liquor license – No

Address – Shop No. 38, First Floor, Basant Lok Market, Basant Lok, Delhi, 110057

Phone - 8860010774

MALAI LADDOO

 

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” - Mark Twain

 

Celebrating our first 100 likes on facebook!

So I made besan laddoos and that was fun. I figured I should do more mithai making pre-Diwali and started to look for recipes. I found this one on the back of a milkmaid container and I'm so glad I tried it! This is a lovely, flavourful laddoo which will melt in your mouth and I can't believe that even the most kitchen unfriendly soul could muck this recipe up.

If you have to make one mithai this winter make it this one.

Makes about 6 laddoos

What you’ll need:

250 gms Paneer

100 gms Milkmaid

2 tbsp pounded green cardamom (throw out the skins)

½ tsp turmeric

Chopped dried fruits to decorate

How to:

1. Grate the Paneer into shreds and pop on to a pan. Add the milkmaid and stir vigorously making sure the milkmaid is nicely mixed in. Add turmeric and cardamom. Stir some more.

2. Keep stirring on a medium low flame till the liquid dries up and you have a mixture that looks like scrambled eggs. Cool the mixture for a little while.

3. Form the cooled mixtures into little laddoos and garnish with dried fruits if you like.

Chill for about 20 minutes before serving so the laddoo isn’t TOO soft. 

 

 

 

FRUIT MUSTARD DIP

Guest Post by Vrinda Singh Oberoi!

 

I know Dip Week is over but this is such an interesting sounding dip we had to put it up! It's fat free, flavourful and like all my favourite recipes more of a concept than a fixed, structured recipe. There aren't any specific quantities to the ingredients. Just bung them all in and then adjust depending on how sweet or mustard-y you like it.

What you’ll need:

Any fresh seasonal fruit with pulp – my favorites are watermelons, kiwis or oranges  (if you don’t want the trouble of pulping out the fresh fruits then any flavored jam or marmalade will do)

Kasundi Mustard

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

How to:

1. If you’re using fresh fruits and not cheating by using jam then using a pestle beat the fruit into a pulp.

Note: If there’s too much juice just cook the fruit for a little while till the water evaporates and the pulp is reduced.

2. Check for sugar. If you feel it’s not sweet enough add some brown sugar.

3. Add a generous quantity of Kasundi Mustard and stir well.

 

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with chips or mutton kebabs or freshly cut cucumber, carrots and tomatoes.