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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Ambrosial Thalagam for my 100th post

100

This is my 100th blog post and thats all thanks to my fellow food-blogger friends and readers who have encouraged me, all along the way.

Ive been promising to post the recipe of Chettinad Tomato Paruppu Pacchidi for a while, but then I wanted my 100th post to be something very traditional.

It is Thalagam. Please dont confuse it with a sambhar or a curry. Its neither. But one taste of this and the flavours will get etched in your taste buds forever. I actually made it for the first time last evening with no thoughts about posting this as my 100th. I just followed my craving, called up mom, told her I want to eat Thalagam NOW. Scribbling down the approximations dictated by mother, I set out in pursuit of that perfect taste.

If you are wondering what Thalagam is all about, this is what it is. A medley of vegetables cooked in a paste of roasted red chillies, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, split black gram and grated coconut. A swish of tamarind puree rounds up the bold flavours together. The result is a spicy, mildly sweet, tangy curry offset by the nutty taste of roasted sesame seeds. This almost belongs to the Sambhar family and yet not quite for two reasons. One, it is made on special occasions like Thiruvadirai festival to eat with a sweet floury dish and two, you dont add dal (cooked lentils) in this curry.

I managed to take pictures step-by-step this time. I hope that makes it much easier for you to try out this steeped-in-Tambram-tradition recipe atleast once. Once is enough. After that the taste will pursue you for life, pursue you enough to make this often. I can promise that much.

Ambrosial Thalagam

Ingredients:

2 cups of mixed vegetables (Traditionally yellow pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, arbi)

1 tsp oil

1/2 cup thin tamarind extract obtained from medium lemon sized ball of tamarind

Salt to taste

For the spice paste:

4 dried red chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 T udad dal (split black gram dal)

4-5 slices of fresh coconut

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (Methi)

Roast these ingredients in a spot of oil for a minute or two and keep aside.

1 T sesame seeds- roast this separately as it browns much faster than the other ingredients.

Cooling the roasted ingredients before grinding to a paste

The essence of thalagam - spice paste

Cool the roasted ingredients. Put them in a coffee grinder or mixer and grind to a fine paste with 1/4 cup of water. Keep the paste aside.

Method:

1. In a non-stick pot, heat a tsp of oil. Throw in the vegetables. Saute for a minute. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot and cover with lid. The vegetables will cook in 10 minutes or so.

Sauteeing the vegetables (I used these vegetables because I didnt have the traditional ones on hand. Unplanned cooking you see! )

2. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground spice paste and the tamarind extract. Put in the required amount of salt, about 1 1/2 tsp, a pinch of turmeric powder to the boiling thalagam.

3. Keep the flame on low, cover the pot with a lid, keep it at a slow simmer for 8-10 minutes so that the vegetables can soak up the flavours of the spices.

4. After 10 minutes, remove from flame and serve with steamed rice or broken wheat.

Note:

I added a small block of jaggery to the thalagam as I was missing the sweet tinge that pumpkin lends to it. Despite not using the traditional vegetables, the taste of this one came very close to what my taste buds remembered from the years.

Tags:

Thalagam, tambram recipes, thiruvadirai, tamil recipes, festival recipes

Thursday, February 27, 2014

My 2010 Meal of the Year – A Big Easy Brunch Sans Pants at Commander’s Palace

What a truly amazing food year that was! I worked, played, and ate in 10 different cities, and enjoyed over 200 professionally prepared meals, many created by the countrys top chefs.

So, youd think with so many options, choosing a "Meal of the Year" would be difficult. Well, thats not the case. In fact, it’s a total no-brainer. And by brain, I actually mean pants.

Thats right, my meal of the year came as a direct result of not wearing pants. Id love to explain. This all took place on a press trip Michele and I attended, hosted by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.

We had been invited down to experience New Orleans cuisine and seafood post BP oil spill, and since neither of us had ever been before, we jumped at the chance.

We had already enjoyed several days of incredible food, drinks, and music in the French Quarter, and the trip was to culminate in the Garden District with a special brunch, prepared by three of the citys star chefs, at the venerable Commander’s Palace.

For those of you that dont know, Commander’s Palace has been considered one of New Orleans finest restaurants since it was built in 1880. A whos who of great chefs have passed through its bustling kitchen, including Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. This day it would be Executive Chef, Tory McPhail (tall hat) teaming up with Donald Link (ball cap) from Cochon, and Matt Murphy (right) from M Bistro at the Ritz Carlton. I was really, really looking forward to this meal.

As we waited to be seated, I stared hungrily into the colorfully decorated dining room. The smells were glorious; the scent was some sort of sweet, smoky amalgamation of bacon and butter. I was shaken from my trance as our group was led forward toward the source of these heavenly aromas. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was co-owner, Ti Adelaide Martin, and she asked if I could step aside and let the others pass. I did, to quizzical looks from my fellow media members. Then I heard something Ill never forget, "Im sorry," she said with a stern smile, "we cant let you into the dining room without pants." It was true. I was not wearing pants. I was wearing shorts.

If youve never been to New Orleans in August, let me tell you, its very humid, and very hot. People say things like, "it may only get up to 95 today." So, since it was brunch, and hot enough outside to accidentally make roux, I decided to go with a nice pair of khaki dress shorts.

She politely explained to me, and the completely horrified PR rep who had made the plans, that everyone who makes a reservation is told about the dress code, and that in the 130 year history of the establishment, no one has ever been allowed to enter the dining area sans pants. Clearly, my "dont you know who I am?" was not going to work.

My heart sank. Talk about a swift kick to the beignets. Michele and I were starving, and crazy with anticipation, and it would have been 30 minutes each way to go back to the hotel. Not only that, all our luggage had already been packed for the return trip to San Francisco following the meal.

Since everyone was flying out after this event, I had no intention of keeping the other press members waiting. The only option would be to return to the Ritz-Carlton to change, thereby missing out on the first half of the menu.

Then, just as my exposed knees and I were about to leave in shame, I was introduced to the true meaning of Southern hospitality. Ti told us that while I would not be allowed to enter the dinning room, she had checked with the kitchen, and they were fine with setting up the Chefs table.

I was told this is the hardest reservation in New Orleans, with people calling up to a year in advance. Out of sheer luck, they had decided to not book the table that morning, since the kitchen was hosting the aforementioned visiting chefs.

Michele and I looked at each other half-smiling, in total disbelief at our good fortune. A few seconds later we were seated smack in the middle of the most famous kitchen in New Orleans. A few friends from the press group came down to check on our situation, but as soon as they saw where we had landed, their looks of concern quickly turned to envious bemusement.

What followed was a brunch as magnificent as the setting, and as magical as the strange chain of events that led us to it. I hope you enjoy the photos, and enjoyed the story behind them.

Executive Chef, Tory McPhail, started things off in grand fashion with an amuse bouche of sweet corn Johnny cakes, pulled pork, soft poached quail egg, Atchafalaya river basin caviar, lemon and champagne gelee, hollandaise, and Louisiana sugarcane.

McPhail is known for his creative interpretations of classic Louisiana cuisine, which he reminded us was "the original fusion cuisine." Chef Tory prides himself on finding the very best local ingredients, and almost 90% of whats used in the restaurant comes from within 100 miles of the back door.

The benefits of such practices were as obvious, as they were delectable with this butter-roasted grouper with chanterelle mushrooms, Louisiana soybeans and crushed local blue crab bisque.

Chef Matt Murphy offered a “Veux Carre Brunch.” One gorgeous plate composed of four fabulous dishes. We had already enjoyed several examples of Chef Murphys culinary skills at M Bistro, in the Ritz Carlton, so I was looking forward to seeing what he would come up with for this special menu. He did not disappoint.

By the way, in yet another twist of bonne chance, assisting Chef Murphy was Sous Chef Bradley McGehee (pictured above, far left), a former student of mine at the CCA! It was great seeing him again, and Im glad he is getting to work with such talented chefs.

Alligator "Boudin" Sausage with Stewed Greens

Escargot "Croque Madame" with Quail Egg

Sweet Potato Biscuit With Truffle Scrambled Egg and Sausage Gravy

Jumbo Lump Crab Crepe with Goat Cheese, Sauce Choron, and Ghost Pepper Marinated Caviar

Donald Link, the James Beard Award-winning Executive Chef at Cochon, offered a hearty, Cajun change of pace to the "haute Creole" we had been enjoying, and presented a Sausage and Oyster Pie with Parmesan Bechamel and local Padrone Peppers. There was nothing light about this dish, except how it made you feel while you ate it.

Not only did we get the all this amazing food, prepared and served by these world-class chefs, but we also were blessed with several signature cocktails, like this "Tequilla Mockingbird." In addition to being brilliant at finding tables for people without pants, Ti Adelaide Martin is also an accomplished mixologist.

Speaking of tequila, halfway through brunch, and for no apparent reason, these guys walked into the kitchen and played this to the cooks. Would I be using the local term "Lagniappe" correctly to describe this?

As the meal came toward a close, Michele and I discussed how we could tactfully pass on dessert. We knew Commander’s Palace was known for its decadent desserts, but we were full…and not regular full, New Orleans full. We decided wed just split a plate of something, so as not to insult our hosts.

When we informed the server of our plan, she formed a smile as slow and sweet as molasses before simply saying, "No, thats not going to happen." She returned with a tray containing full orders of five of their most popular desserts, including a classic Crème Brulee, and a you-have-to-try-it-before-you-die Bread Pudding Soufflé.

From the depths of under-dressed despair, to the ecstasy of the ultimate Chefs table, this had been an experience wed never forget. What a meal, and what a memory. A huge merci beaucoup to Commander’s Palace for a truly extraordinary brunch, and to Chefs McPhail, Link, Murphy, and McGehee for letting us share their kitchen!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Sweet and Savoury Snacks on my Kitchen Table

Ive heard about Cobnuts, but live a long way from Kent and have never had the priviledge of tasting them. A Cobnut is a type of hazelnut traditionally grown in Kent. They are harvested in their green state form mid August and with brown shells and husks by mid October. All the Kentish Cobnuts are sold dehusked from November onwards. I still havent tasted the fresh green cobnuts but I can certainly recommend this Handmade Chocolate and Kentish Cobnut Fudge which was sent to me, for review, by Potash Farm. The fudge has a smooth creamy texture with lots of small nut pieces through it and a rich chocolate flavour, it was a big hit with my husband.

Potash Farm have a range of nuts, fudges and brittles, chocolates, biscuits, preserves and sauces sold from their website. A 200g bag of Handmade Chocolate and Kentish Cobnut Fudge costs £5.25

YOU CAN GET A DISCOUNT OF 10% OFF ANY ORDER FROM POTASH FARM UNTIL 10TH OCTOBER 2013, JUST USE THE CODE: FARMERSGIRL 10

Im a big fan of olives and Oloves is a new way to eat olives as an on the go snack. The little foil pack contains 30g of flavoured olives and there are four different flavours: Lemon and Rosemary, Basil and Garlic, Chilli and Garlic and Chilli and Oregano. The Oloves were very tasty and the flavourings tasted natural. One of the big pluses for this way of presenting olives is that there is no oil or brine in the packages and they are only 50 calories per pack. Holland and Barret are currently selling packs of Oloves for 99p with two for £ 1.48.

I also used one of the packs as part of my homemade pizza topping which worked well, they stayed moist and added a great flavour to the pizza.

I was given a pack of this locally produced In House chocolate for my birthday. Ive tried the Green and Blacks Spice Chilli chocolate, but this little bar packs a much bigger punch. It has real pieces of dried chilli in the dark chocolate and a small piece is quite sufficient to give you a real buzz of chocolate and leave your tongue tingling from the heat of the chilli. I loved it!

In House chocolates gained 6 Gold Great Taste Awards and 2 Shortlistings in the Scottish Food Excellence Awards, renowned as the Food Oscars of the Scottish food industry. All the chocolates are made by hand in Scotland and they run chocolate workshops and have an online chocolate club.

On my kitchen table today was: Handmade Chocolate and Kentish Cobnut Fudge provided to me for review by Potash Farm, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own. I received two packs of Oloves to review and was not paid for the review , all opinions are my own. The In House Chilli Chocolate was purchased and given to me as a gift and my opinions on this product are my own.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The best ever cornbread baked in my kitchen

I have already been raving about my crush on Mexican food ever since I opened that tiny tin of Chipotle chillies that Nupur got me. I dont know if winter has officially set in, in Hyderabad or is it some random cyclone effect - but the mornings and evenings are chilly and the day is generally cloudy. I am not a big sun person, so this suits me just fine. More so, I can indulge in infinite cups of tea, drink big bowls of soup for dinner and my taste buds suddenly develop a liking for spicy stuff. "Bring back the Chili" said my tastebuds to me yesterday. And opposites attract, dont they. What better way to complement the hot and flavour blasting chili than this mildly sweet cornbread, scented with cumin and coriander leaves?

I have baked cornbread some 3-4 times and this was THE. BEST. EVER. I am not exaggerating.
Especially if you are someone who has shied away from baking this because you dont eat eggs, you are in for a pleasant surprise. My husband quit eating eggs a few years ago and I am constantly figuring out ways to turn out decent baked stuff with replacements for egg and yesterday I hit gold. Flaxseed which is one of the best sources of Omega-3 for a vegetarian. You can buy the seeds and powder the quantity required for each recipe in a coffee grinder / chutney jar of mixer.

For each egg to be replaced - use 1 tbsp flaxseed powder whisked into 3 tbsp of very hot water. You will get an emulsion like beaten eggs and use it at the stage of the recipe when it calls for eggs.

This was most perfect match for the chili and I must add that my toddler son loved this too - in fact he was making it extremely difficult for me to take a picture, by digging his tiny fingers into it!

Recipe for Eggless Cornbread
Serves 3-4
Loosely adapted from Alton Browns Creamed Corn Cornbread recipe

In a large bowl, mix-
1 cup yellow cornmeal (Makkai ka atta)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk well-
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp flaxseed powder whisked into 6 tbsp hot water
1/2 cup milk

Extras
2 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos or 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds for garnish (optional, but gives a nice look to the bread)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (gives a nice sweet crunch, but I did not have it on hand, so did not use)

Directions
Preheat the oven at 200C.
Grease a loaf tin or line with tin foil.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry - till just combined and stir in the jalapenos, coriander leaves and corn kernels. I added a few spoons of the brine from pickled jalapenos as I found the mix somewhat dry. This gave a big flavour boost to the bread.
Pour into greased loaf tin. Flatten lightly with wet fingers and bake for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Let it rest for 15-20 minutes outside, before slicing.
Serve warm with chili. Recipe for chili posted here.

Food shopping in Hyderabad

Flaxseed also called Alsi in Hindi and Tashi in Bengali (knowledge shared by my twitter friends) is available with most grocers nowadays.
In Hyderabad, you can buy it at -
Ratnadeep (Srinagar Colony / Madhapur)
Q Mart (Road no.2 Banjara Hills)
Hypercity (Inorbit Mall, Madhapur)
Fabindia outlets that stock food

Pickled Jalapenos are available in all supermarkets. American Garden, Frigata are some of the good brands.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Guilt free Snacks Skinny Soup Chocolate and Rapeseed oil on my Kitchen Table

Mmm, chocolate! Lovely Cadbury Chocolate, there really is nothing quite like it. Im a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to my Cadbury flavours, I tend to go for Fruit and Nut or plain Dairy Milk. I would never have picked up these two flavours, but I surely wasnt going to refuse them when they were offered for review!

The Cadbury Dairy Milk with Daim was the bar I preferred, I enjoyed the contrast of the smooth melting Dairy Milk and the crisp, crunchy pieces of Daim bar. Ive never really understood the appeal of the Oreo, I can see that they are the cookies of childhood for our US cousins, but we have prefectly good sandwich cookies in the UK. Anyway, I found the Dairy Milk with Oreo a bit too sweet for me and the filling had no contrast, being soft. I scoffed it down anyway, but I wouldnt choose it. Everyone has their own favourites and Cadbury have plenty of new flavour combinations to choose from, something for everyone. Personally the Dairy Milk Crunchie is calling to me....

The New Covent Garden Soup Co. are well known for their delicious chilled soups and they have introduced some new Skinny Soups, I was sent Skinny Souper Green with Italian Basil Pesto

Not only is each Skinny soup hearty, chunky, filling and flavoursome but each boasts less than 2% fat per carton and less than 150 calories per portion. Furthermore, the soups all contain two portions of your five a day, four green traffic lights and no added sugar, making them the perfect choice for slimmers looking to cut down ahead of the festive season and into the New Year.

Souper Green with Italian Basil Pesto is a delicious medley of peas, leeks, courgettes, spinach, broccoli and green beans, finished with a swirl of Italian Basil Pesto. This satisfying soup is packed with flavour but all green on the traffic light system so a great choice for slimmers. I took this soup to work for a lunch, I felt it needed a little extra seasoning but once that was fixed it had good texture and flavour and was fresh and light.

New Covent Garden Soup Co. Pulled Pork and Bean Soup is Soup of the Month for November and a substantial spicy meat and bean combination. I served it with Quesadillas for a tasty and filling lunch.

Its always a particular pleasure for me to review Scottish products like this Scottish Rapeseed Oil from Borderfields. Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is a home grown substitute for olive oil with a healthy balance of omega 3, 6 and 9. It also has half the saturated fat of olive oil and no additives.

Borderfields Cold Pressed Scottish Rapeseed Oil is ideal for all kinds of cooking, baking, stir frying and drizzling. I used it to roast some pumpkin chunks for a Kale, Pumpkin and Smoked Cheese Tart the oil has a lovely creamy flavour but it doesnt overpower the flavours of the food you cook in it. I also roasted some the pumpkin seeds with spices to make a tasty snack.

Borderfields Cold Press Rapeseed Oil is available across the UK at Asda, Sainsburys, Aldi and Morrisons and at Tesco in the North and Scotland.
RRP of £3.99 for 500ml bottles:

I picked up this pack of Extremely Chocolately Honeycomb Crispies at Marks and Spencer, I didnt realise that they were designed to be low calorie for the Count on Us menu planner, when I chose them, but I have to say I was quite impressed. Each square is individually wrapped (ideal for lunchboxes) and they are 120 calories per crispie. They are nice an crunchy and you can really taste the honeycomb.

I was supplied with the following products for review: Cadbury Dairy Milk with Daim, Cadbury Dairy Milk with Oreo; Covent Garden Soup Co. Pulled Pork and Bean and Skinny Souper Green with Italian Basil Pesto; Borderfields Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.

I purchased the Extremely Chocolatey Honeycomb Crispies and am sharing my review because I enjoyed them and thought you might too.

I was not paid for any of these reviews and all opinions are my own.

Friday, December 20, 2013

My Diwali Gift to you Triple Decker Brownies

I was looking for something blow-your-socks off sinful to make this Diwali to take to a friends place tonight and also for the kids in my complex for the Diwali Party. And thank you, Pinterest, for leading me to the right place. I found this piece of awesomeness on this blog and one look at her pictures is enough to set you drooling.

Ive baked brownies tons of times and they are the two go-to recipes youll find on my blog. But this one is from another planet. Bottom layer of cookie dough, middle layer of Choco Cream cookies (Oreo / Dark Fantasy / Bourbon) and top layer of brownie. So, while this looks complicated, if youve baked cookies and any sort of cake or brownie, you can do this. All you need is to buy a few packets of Oreos or any other rich cream filled biscuits.

Recipe for Triple Decker Brownies / Oreo Brownies / Cookie - Fudge Brownies

Makes 16 pieces

Time taken : Prep time around 30 minutes, Baking time : 35 minutes

Recipe Source : Whats Gaby Cooking

Ingredients

For the Brownie Layer:

150 grams unsalted butter (left on counter top or straight from fridge is also fine)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp coffee liquor or decoction

On medium heat, in a big saucepan, melt butter. Once slightly melted, take off heat and stir to melt it fully. Add cocoa powder, sugar and whisk well till incorporated.

Remove from the stove, it should not be too hot. Whisk in eggs quickly along with vanilla.

Finally add flour and salt, coffee liquor, whisk well - for 3-4 minutes and keep aside.

For Cookie Dough Layer :

100 grams softened unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar or powdered jaggery

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, using hand mixer, cream butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes.

Add vanilla extract, egg and whisk again for a minute or so.

Add the flour, salt and fold in with a silicon spatula.

In the end fold in the chocolate chips.

Oreo Layer :

Roughly 20 Oreo or Dark Fantasy cookies, if you get double stuffed Oreos, choose those, with the Vanilla filling as the white stands out in the dark brownie. I used a mix of choco filled and vanilla filled cookies, but next time will stick to vanilla alone.

Assembly

Line a 9X9 inch pan with parchment or aluminium foil. Butter or grease with oil.
For Cookie Layer : Put the cookie dough on the greased lining of the tin and spread it well to the corners, in a uniform layer.
Oreo Layer : Place the cookies side by side covering the cookie dough entirely. Break the cookie in half, if you want to cover a little bit of extra space.
Brownie Layer : Top the Oreos with the Brownie batter smoothening it out right upto the edges with a silicon spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tester comes out clean.
Remove from over and cool outside removing it along with parchment / foil on a cooling rack - for one hour.
Cut into 16 squares.
Serve as it is, slightly warm or with vanilla ice cream.

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