GOLDEN FRIED SPICY POTATOES

“Don't let love interfere with your appetite. It never does with mine.”  ― Anthony Trollope

 

A drier version of the much flogged Dum Aloo. This is kitchen sink Indian cooking at its most glorious. It can't possibly turn out wrong because there's so much stuff going into it that it has to work out in the end. I'm not being condescending towards my own recipe - you need food like this sometimes. This is fatty, flavourful and delicious and will make your Indian palate happy in a way that lettuce with truffle oil or whatever salad never will.

What you’ll need:
 

200 ml vegetable oil (for deep frying)

¾ kg potatoes (boiled and peeled)

3 tbsp mustard oil

5 tbsp whisked yoghurt

 

Spices

 

2 tbsp fennel powder

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp asafetida

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

 

Whole Spices
 

2 sticks cinnamon

3 bay leaves

5 – 7 pods of cardamom

How to:
 

1. Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is hot deep fry batches of potato till crispy and golden. Set aside on a plate with a paper towel to soak excess oil.

 

2. In another pan, heat mustard oil, and all the whole spices. When it starts to crackle add the rest of the spices.

 

3. Add yoghurt, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add enough water to make a sort of gravy. Simmer till cooked.

 

4. Add fried potatoes and stir. Simmer to let the potatoes soak some of the gravy. Serve.

 

COCONUT AND CHILLI OKRA

“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”  ― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

I'm going to forgive Anthony Bourdain his hatred of vegetarians because he's so good looking and because people with a sense of humour are so easy to forgive. Mostly because he's so good looking. Moving on and proving him wrong, is this tangy, tamarind-y, fascinating take on okra which is a joy for not being the usual okra fry that my cook packs as my lunch 4 times a week every winter.

 

What you’ll need:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp chopped ginger
2 – 4 dried chillis
½ kg Okra (chopped)
2/3 cup grated coconut
½ cup coconut milk
2 tbsp tamarind paste

How to:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add the coriander and mustard seeds, urad dal and red chilli. Once the seeds start to pop remove from flame and grind to a powder.

2. Heat the rest of the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Let them brown a little.

3. Add garlic and ginger. Stir for ½ a minute.

4. Add okra and fry till cooked through.

5. Add the ground spices, grated coconut and salt. Let cook for 3 -4 minutes. Keep stirring so the spice evenly coats the vegetables.

6. Add the coconut milk and tamarind paste and stir in. Heat through for a couple of minutes. Serve.

LIGHTLY SPICED CUCUMBER, PEAS AND MINT

“I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is so shallow of them.”  Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Cooking cucumbers was a revelation. I've always been a fan of the vegetable raw, it's even on my list of most refreshing and virtuous foods (this list includes lemon, yoghurt, watermelon and mint). It retains its happy lightness even cooked and as the weather gets colder, being able to add heat to it will allow me to continue eating cucumbers through what is going to be an unforgivingly cold Delhi winter.

 

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from Anjum Anand's

 

What you’ll need:

1 cucumber

1 cup peas (frozen)

4 tbsp yoghurt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

½ tsp turmeric (ground)

¼ tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp ground coriander

Shredded mint leaves for garnish
 

How to:
 

1. Core the cucumbers to get out the seeds and slice so you have little half moons.
 

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Once hot add cumin and mustard seeds.
 

3. Once the seeds start to pop, add remaining spices. Then dunk in the cucumber. Stir well to spread the spices evenly and cook till the cucumber becomes soft and translucent (about 5 mins).
 

4. Add peas and cook for another 3 minutes or so, just to heat the peas through.

 

5. Stir in the yoghurt and mint, cook for another couple of minutes. Serve.

MENU FOR A VEGETARIAN PARTY

It's not easy to go through collections of recipes and try to put together a combination of dishes that you think will work well together. You'll try to make sure that each element is compatible but not staid, that the quantity is sufficient but not superfluous and that the effort won't kill you or leave you too cranky to enjoy your own party.

To make your life easier I've decided to put together pre-tested menus for various circumstances. I'll set out a menu (that you can copy and print if you're really fancy =)) and a description of each dish. Through the course of the week I'll provide you with a recipe from the menu. If you're in a rush or your party is before the week ends you can drop me an email and I'll even ship you the rest of the recipes early!

I'm inaugurating this exercise with a vegetarian menu for a sit down lunch or dinner.

For this menu, I wanted to make sure that we had a substantial representation of green vegetables, because it's healther and to make sure selection of dishes didn't sink into familiar, heavy potato/paneer territory. Vegetarian food has so many flavour options that aren't explored and using paneer in curries meant for meat dishes is just not doing a long suffering vegetarian enough justice.

1. Lightly Spiced Cucumber, Peas and Mint - Cooked cucumber is delicious and totally new to me! This is a lovely, light, summery flavoured dish which is very easy to put together and keeps the menu from weighing you down with too many too rich ingredients.

2. Coconut and Chilli Okra - With a little tamarind, this almost south Indian seeming (and perhaps it's genesis lies in the south of India) coconut and chilli okra is a refreshing interpretation of the common fried bhindi.

3. Golden Fried Spicy Potatoes - A variation on the Dum Aloo these potatoes are drier but add appropriate heft and spice to the menu.

4. Dal Makhani - Don't be intimidated by the inclusion of Dal Makhani on this list! My version is as warm and creamy as the recipes that require days of cooking but with the help of your handy dandy pressure cooker will leave you enough time to get your (vegetarian) party on!

5. Saffron Pulao - An appropriately comforting canvas to set the rest of the exciting menu items against.

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: ELMA'S TEA HOUSE - CURRENTLY CLOSED

For when you're feeling particularly civilized.

 

Bread Tasting Platter

LOOKS LIKE

 

Walk up the flight of stairs opposite Yodakin Bookstore in HKV and you’ll find yourself in Elma’s Tea House. It’s a charming rendition of a Victorian shabby chic aesthetic, populated in profusion with chintz and heavily patterned crockery. The space houses a bright, open kitchen with a blackboard setting out the day’s specials and the usual set of carefully mismatched furniture you’ve come to expect in HKV. Though to be fair, Elma’s does this kind of persnickety décor better than most.

The place is quite small and the chairs close together so it tends to get quite crowded. Smokers can step out to a small, sweet verandah in the corner with a view of some very pretty trees.

 

 

TASTES LIKE

 

Thankfully the food at Elma’s isn’t as fussy as the stacks of china strewn about. The roll named the “Mother Of All Sausage Rolls” might be an exaggeration but Elma’s does well with the portion sizes. The Spanish Pork Chorizo Grilled Toastie and Bacon Loaf are generous in quantity and flavor. The Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Lemon and Dill is delicious for breakfast and the Bread Tasting Platter served with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Sea Salt appropriate if you’re in carbohydrate withdrawal.

Since it’s supposed to be a tea house, the menu has a page of tea varieties – to my novice taste buds the Himalayan, Fresh Mint and Honey, Ginger, Lemon were all excellent. As is the coffee. The desserts are all baked in house and I love that the flavours chosen are season specific – the summery fruits giving way to darker, richer chocolate, coffee and nut tones for the winter.

The menu may not authentically reflect an English tea house but Elma’s does a good job serving up fresh baked goods and basic foods made from quality ingredients. The finger sandwiches and high tea menu come highly recommended.

 

Spanich Chorizo Grilled Toastie

 

FEELS LIKE

 

For how carefully everything in Elma’s is curated it’s surprising what little training seems to be afforded to the staff. They are neither knowledgeable nor particularly polite, even asking patrons to shift so that tables have appropriately mismatched chairs. The space is small and perhaps discouraging lingering is part of management policy.



Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Lemon and Dill

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

 

Should you go: Yes!

Vegetarian Options: Yes

Liquor License: No

Smoking Area: Yes

Address: 1^st Floor, 24/1, Hauz Khas Village

Phone: 011 26521020



SNAPSHOT: BAKE SALE AT FRIENDICOES

“In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money cannot buy...to wit--the wag of a dog's tail.”  ― Josh Billings

We were delighted to hear about Friendicoes' bake sale recently! If you haven't heard of Friendicoes visit their facebook page. What could be more amazing than helping someone while we do what we love to do anyway? We promptly got our aprons on and this is what we came up with:

Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake

Raspberry Marmalade Cake with Raspberry and Blood Orange Glaze
 

Gooey Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Almond Ganache

Spiced Vanilla and Chocolate Cup Cakes with Rum Butter Cream Icing

 

With adorable packaging =)