GUEST POST: MEATLOAF BY RADHIKA AGRAWAL!

“Soon they were all sitting on the rocky ledge, which was still warm, watching the sun go down into the lake. It was the most beautiful evening, with the lake as blue as a cornflower and the sky flecked with rosy clouds. They held their hard-boiled eggs in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other, munching happily. There was a dish of salt for everyone to dip their eggs into. ‘I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,’ said George.” 

― Enid Blyton, Five Go Off in a Caravan

 

I’m pretty sure most people my age grew up on a steady diet of Enid Blyton books – I certainly did. Whether it was the Magic Faraway Tree, the Wishing Chair, Amelia Jane, or the Famous Five and Secret Seven, and a few years later, Mallory Towers and St. Clare’s, I loved them all. Many years later I learned about how much criticism Enid Blyton and her books had received for supposedly being racist, narrow-minded, classist and sexist.  Keeping those issues aside, however, I think people would agree that Blyton had a knack for making things (yes, especially food) sound completely amazing (even plain old boiled eggs and bread, as in the quote above).  [Also, I’m fairly certain a big part of why I enjoy picnics and cute outdoor-sy restaurants and al-fresco dining in general is because of the descriptions in those books.]

Apart from the regular ol’ jam buns and cucumber or ham sandwiches and lemonade and a few other things which were pretty familiar, a lot of the food in Enid Blyton’s books always sounded oh so exotic to me. Over the years, thanks to pestering my mother to decipher the amazing-sounding dishes, and owing to more stuff being available in India and to travelling, I did manage to try many of those “fascinating” food items, with mixed results – I vaguely remember the disappointment of a 9 year old learning that “Nestlé’s Milk” was just Milkmaid/condensed milk. Sardines were too fishy-smelling, marzipan is quite random, watercress sandwiches are downright gross and treacle tarts, well the ingredients are enough to make a person diabetic. Scones and clotted cream, granted...those are fine. Oh, and I still don’t know how to pronounce Blancmange.

Meatloaf, however, turned out to be a big surprise, in a good way. It’s fairly basic, is super healthy (its meat and vegetables, for the most part) and lasts for a few days in the fridge. Try it!

 

 Recipe by Mum (adapted from a handful of online recipes)

What you’ll need:

750 grams minced meat (we use mutton keema) – if you’re washing the mince, make sure your strain it (you could use a sieve or one of those bowls with small holes at the bottom) and remove the extra moisture.

100 grams breadcrumbs (you can get them at most grocery stores)
1 carrot (minced)
1 cup onion (finely sliced)
1 cup spring onion (minced)
1 sprig of celery, chopped
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp garlic paste (or some minced garlic)
2 tbsp ginger (minced)
2 tbsp butter 3 tbsp fresh herbs – parsley or rosemary or both (minced)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper (white and black pepper, both, if available)

Note: For mincing the vegetables, ideally use a food processer or vegetable chopper. Otherwise, chop until you get the smallest pieces possible.

For the Topping sauce (optional, but recommended)

5 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp mustard sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
¼ tsp chilli powder
Lime juice, salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees C.

2. In a pan melt the butter on medium heat until foamy, and brown the sliced onions. Add the celery, spring onions, carrot, ginger, garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, use your hands (there’s really no other way) to mix the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, herbs and the vegetable mix from the previous step.

4. Season with the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. At home, we usually also add some chopped up jalapenos and some mustard sauce (obviously, it isn’t recommended that you taste the raw meat to check if its seasoned properly – just sort of dab a finger on the mix and taste).

5. Press the mixture down into a loaf tin (or two) (or even any baking dish should do) and bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.  (Note: Unlike cakes, which rise, the meatloaf actually settles down in height once its baked so don’t worry about how much you fill in).

 

6. Topping sauce: Adding this is recommended because it adds a whole lot of sweet and spicy flavour to the loaf. Mix the ingredients together to make a sauce. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and spread over the top. Stick it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so.

7. Slice, and serve, either hot or cold.

 

GUEST POST! MATHREE BY RADHIKA AGRAWAL!

 

Most of my extended family believes that Mathree and Pickle (alternatively, Tamarind Chutney) is one of the best combinations in the world – me, I’m rooting for the Masala Tea with Parle G biscuits.  Having said that, these homemade Mathrees are delicious – they’re lighter and crisper than store-bought versions which are usually made entirely of Maida and fried in Ghee. Plus, at home, you can goof around with different shapes using cookie cutters. J

Recipe  Joan Jyotsna Agrawal

Photos Radhika Agrawal

 

What You Need:

3 cups Maida

1 cup Suji/Semolina

3/4 cup Ghee (heated

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Ajwain

Knife/Bowl/ Cookie Cutters

 

How To:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients with the Ghee. Using some cold water, knead the dough.

2. Make dough-balls and use a rolling pin to flatten out each one (the thinner it is, the crisper they’ll turn out).

3. Cut out the shapes you want using a steel bowl or cookie cutters. You could also just cut strips using a knife.

4. This is important – Using a fork, prick each Mathree once (make sure you hear the fork hitting the kitchen counter, basically). If you don’t do this, they’ll swell up into, well, pooris while frying.
 

5. Fry about 10 at a time, in a deep-bottomed wok/Kadhai on medium flame until golden brown. Turn them over once in the middle. You could let them rest/cool on a newspaper for a while to soak up excess oil. These can be stored in an airtight container for weeks. 

GUEST POST! GUJIYAS BY RADHIKA AGRAWAL!

 

I love festivals, and I’ve done so from as far back as I can remember. While I’m not big on religious pomp and ceremony, the entire atmosphere (to be incredibly clichéd) when there’s a major festival coming up is exciting. Lucky for me, I grew up in a multi-faith household, so even between Holi, Diwali and Christmas, there was always something “coming up soon”.

 

Diwali’s coming up in a few days, and in my head I’ve already been making rangoli and painting diyas for a few days now, so I figured I’d help my mum make all the Diwali-related stuff she usually does. Or, if I’m being honest, to observe her and take pictures.

 

Coming up today and tomorrow are her recipes for Gujiyas and Mathrees (it would be much easier to write these names in Hindi). Neither is specifically a “Diwali” preparation, they’re fairly no-fuss, and they taste much much better than the store-bought versions (mostly because these are made in oil, not ghee). Try them out this festive season, or anytime during the year, you won’t regret it J

 

I couldn't think of how to describe Gujiyas to those who don't know what it is, so I quote Wikipedia: "Gujia, a cuisine of North India particularly UP, MP and Rajasthan is a sweet dumpling made with suji or maida flour/wheat flour and stuffed with khoya. Several regional cuisines in India feature dishes similar to gujia but with different fillings."

 

I’ve never been able to like a Gujiya that’s from a store, because they’re sickeningly sweet (mostly because they’re doused in sugar syrup or chaashni).  These are fairly easy to make, and are way crisper and lighter than anything any halwai ever made. Also, to make matters more convenient, gujiya moulds are easily available these days (at least in Delhi) and can be used to make the process of pressing and sealing them easier.

 

Makes about 20

 

What You'll Need:

 

For the dough:

 

2 cups Maida/All-purpose flour

 

¼ cup Milk

 

½ cup Ghee (melted)

 

2 tbsp Suji/Semolina

 

 

For the filling:

200 gm Khoya (Khoya is essentially a milk derivative made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan. It is similar to ricotta cheese, but lower in moisture and made from whole milk instead of whey. This is easily available at stores selling milk and milk products)

 

4 tbsp dessicated coconut (this adds an interesting flavour to the Gujiya)

 

150 g sugar (powdered)

 

½ tsp cardamom powder

 

1 tbsp Suji/Semolina (for some texture)

 

3 tbsp chopped almonds (optional)

 

How To:

 

1. For the dough: Mix the Maida and Suji well. Add the ghee – the texture at this point should be like breadcrumbs. Add the milk, and using cold water, knead the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside.

 

2. For the filling: Next, in a deep bottomed wok or kadhai, lightly roast the Suji for the filling until golden brown and keep aside. In the same pan, mash and roast the Khoya until golden brown. Mix the Suji and Khoya, and let it cool.

Note: Don't hesitate to be creative with the fillings, you can use cocoa/cinnamon or whatever your imagination thinks will be delicious.

 

3. Add the sugar, coconut and almonds.

 

4. Making Gujiyas: Make small spheres of dough. Using a rolling pin, roll each one into a circle about 4 inches in diameter.

 

5. If you’re using a mould, spread a circle of dough over it. Moisten the edges with water (or water mixed with very little Maida) – this helps seal the Gujiya. Spoon in one tablespoon of the filling in the centre on one side, and fold one side of the mould over the other. Remove excessive edges. Keep under a damp cloth until you make the others.

 

 

6. To make these without the mould, you’ll follow the same steps, only that once you fold one side of the dough circle over the other, resulting in a sort-of semicircle, use your fingers or a fork to press the edges together and make a design on the edges.

7. Deep fry the Gujiyas (about 5-6 at a time) in any oil until they’re light golden, and cool.

 

 

MANGO YOGHURT HONEY POPSICLES

“Forget art. Put your trust in ice cream.”
― Charles Baxter, The Feast of Love

 

Pursuant to the Ice Cream Making Disaster of 2012 I'd given up on the idea of frozen desserts. Then the Delhi summer kicked in and forget baking a cake, I didn't even want to look at a slice. The thought of hot fudge had started to seem vile. Thanks to some inspiration from Radhika though I decided to try my hand at popsicle making.

 

The result is this sweet, super healthy, bursting with fruit and honey freshness popsicle. Once again, add as much of any ingredient as you like. Play around with the mix till it tastes right to you. Couldn't be easier =)

 

 

Recipe from Radhika Agrawal

 

What you’ll need:

 

Mango

Yoghurt

Honey

Popsicle Mold

 

How to:

 

1. Puree the mangoes and mix all the ingredients together. Pour into molds and refrigerate overnight.

 

2. If you want the layers you see in the picture, pour in either the mango or the yoghurt honey mix first and wait for a couple of hours for it to firm up. Once firm, add the other ingredients.

Note: You can make more and thinner layers for more of an effect. You’ll just have to keep pouring and waiting for it to freeze.

Here is Radhika's super-nutritious take on popsicles:

Yummilicious Summer Fun

What you need:

2 bananas

 ½ pear, cored and peeled 

½ pineapple, cored and peeled

1 ½ cup fresh spinach

¼ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

 

The easiest recipe in the world:

Cut or break the banana, pear and pineapple into medium sized chunks. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least four hours. Slurp. No seriously, that's it.

 

Tips:

- You don't necessarily need to have popsicle molds handy. I couldn't find ours at home, so I used these cute ice trays. Regular steel or plastic bowls should work as well. Stick a spoon or ice cream stick in when its almost frozen if you really want to.

- We didn't have pineapple at home, so I used two small tetrapacks of Tropicana's pineapple juice, and substituted the orange juice in the recipe with one orange (with the seeds removed, of course) and used one pear to add some texture. 

- Taste before you pour into the molds - I thought it could do with some tanginess, so I doubled the quantity of lemon juice.

- If the popsicles get "too frozen"(for instance if you're having them the next day), they'll taste a bit too ice-y, so you could take them out of the freezer and stick them in the fridge for 20-25 minutes before you eat them. Personally, I thought they were best when semi-frozen.

RUCH'S RICH HUNG CURD DIP

If we’re not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn’t settle for junk food. - Sally Edwards

We've made this dip for a bunch of parties this summer and it never lasts very long. It's made of very conveniently found ingredients, is vegetarian and delicious. If you don't have capsicum on hand use something else that's green or crunchy. As you can see from the picture - I used coriander and pomegranate.

Don't knock it till you try it.

The one to the left.

Serves 4

Recipe from Ruchira Goel

What you'll need

1 ½ cups hung curd

 

Note: The easiest way to make hung curd is to wash one of those felt type grocery bags we get these days (since the plastic ones got banned) and throw the curd in there. Loop the handles of the bag over something that sticks out and let the curd drain. Also, store bought curd is much denser than home made curd so if you know you're going to be throwing a party then pick up a couple of packs of curd when you're doing your party shopping. This will give you a richer texture and not waste as much whey.

 

1 red/ yellow/ green capsicum (chopped into little pieces)
Dash of tobasco
1 ½ tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper

How to:

Throw everything together, stir well, chill and serve.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES AND BROWN SAUCE

Guest post by Vrinda Singh Oberoi!

We are what we repeatedly do. Barbecue, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

Even though this recipe isn’t a barbeque let's start with a short history lesson, the word barbecue has attracted several inaccurate origins from folk etymology. The word is derived from the French language, the story goes that French visitors to the Caribbean saw a goat being cooked whole and described the method as barbe à queue, meaning "from beard to tail".

Having gone on about barbecue. This recipe isn’t really a barbeque, but more a roast chicken. Anyhoo, the most important detail is not the origin of the word barbeque or whether roasting a whole chicken is a form of barbeque but that this is easy and super fancy looking. Easy gourmet.

What you’ll need:

1 whole chicken (insides cleaned) – this should be around 1.5-2 Kgs

3-4 Boiled Potatoes

1 Cup Steamed Peas

1 Cup Mushroom (Chopped)

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

3-4 tbsp Barbeque Sauce

4-5 cloves Garlic (Grated)

Rosemary to taste

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Honey to taste

Juice of 2-3 Lemons

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

How to:

First Marinate

1. Make sure when you get the chicken from the butcher shop he has cleaned the insides of the chicken well. He has removed all the organs and there isn’t any blood left.

2. Based on your preference you either leave the skin on the chicken. The skin becomes crispy and the fat under it melts and adds more flavor to the chicken but if you’re feeling health conscious then I would recommend asking the butcher to take the skin off.

3. Once you’re ready to marinate the chicken place the chicken in a bowl and pour on balsamic vinegar, mustard, barbeque sauce, honey and the lemon juice.

4. Rub the chicken with the garlic, salt and pepper. Add rosemary.

5. Let the chicken stay in the marinade for at least 2-3 hours. The longer the better. Since you’re putting in the effort to roast an entire chicken why not just leave it in overnight?

Now to Roast

1. Boil the potatoes, take the skin off and cut them in half.

2. Steam the peas. I usually pressure cook them. I add a tablespoon of sugar in the water to sweeten the peas up and then one whistle and they are good to go.

3. Place the marinated chicken in a nice serving dish.

4. Stuff the chicken with the boiled potatoes, steamed peas and chopped mushrooms. If you’re doing this for the first time, don’t get queasy or stressed out. Just pack the vegetables in there.

5. Whatever peas, potatoes and mushrooms are left place around the chicken ornamentally.

6. Preheat the oven at 200°C for about 15-20 mins.

7. Put the chicken into the oven and let it cook for about 45-50 minutes.

Note:  Every oven has different heat settings so temperatures tend to vary – you’ll need to check for yourself when the chicken is done.

8. During the time the chicken is cooking I usually lay the table, make some mashed potatoes, make some sauce to go with the chicken, cut my loaf of bread, make herb and garlic butter and make myself a drink.

9. Serve straight out of the oven with bread some brown sauce, bread, herb-garlic butter and mashed potatoes.

Brown Sauce: Take some chicken stock bring to a boil, pour in Worcestershire Sauce, barbeque sauce, garlic and salt to taste. On the few days when I am good with my body image issues I add a blob of butter to make the sauce rich and creamy. Add a spoonful of corn flour mixed with water to thicken and you’re done!

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