Murgh Makhani aka Butter Chicken

As they say...when it rains it pours. After a long break trying to get back into the groove and catch up on the posts. Niven - Sorry mate Chopsuey is yet to come. :-)

The very first time I "cooked" butter chicken was in Yercaud. We 3 Mustkeers wanted to experiment cooking butter chicken at THE Nanjam. I must've been in my 7th or 8th class at the most. I think we were inspired at that time by many things...can't recall exactly. But we did want to cook "Butter Chicken". We got a whole chicken but a stick through it, lit up a bon fire and started roasting it with by basting loads and loads of Amul butter.  The result of course was a few days of eating Lomotil. It was only after several years did I get to know that Butter Chicken is a staple Punjabi chicken delight. One of the dishes I normally eat to "test the waters" in any new Indian restaurant. If they get this right, they usually have a good chef in place. For a long time I've always thought this is one of those dishes that is best done by a professional. After a bit of research from a few websites was able to get to something pretty close. It does takes a bit of work, but the outcome was worth every minute spent. A word of caution to those who are calorie conscious - this definitely is not a dish for you.

What goes in:

1) Butter
2) Cream
3) Chicken
4) Tomatoes
5) Tomato paste
6) Onions
7) Red chillies
8) Ginger juliennes
9) Ginger & Garlic paste
10) Garam masala spices (Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Star aniseed, green elaichi (most important), cloves, cumin seeds
11) Coriander powder
12) Kasuri Methi. - Wonder what the magic is in that unassuming dried methi leaves.
13) Honey

The process:

Butter chicken has to be done in 2 phases.

Phase 1
1) Make a paste with the following:
   a) Ginger garlic paste
   b) Red Chilli powder
   c) Coriander powder
   d) Salt
2) Marinate the chicken in the above paste.
3) Heat up a large skillet and melt a generous amount of butter.
4) Saute the spices, chillies and ginger for a few minutes
5) Add onions and saute until translucent.
6) Add the tomatoes and saute until the mixture becomes mushy.
7) Set this mixture aside to cool down.
8) Saute the marinated chicken until they are half cooked.

You should have












9) Blend the tomato-onion mix to a fairly smooth paste.
10) Filter the blended contents using a sieve. This gives the smooth texture of a restaurant style butter chicken gravy. Of course this method can be used for any tomato based gravy.

Phase 2
1) Heat a skillet and melt butter. (Is someone counting calories already?)
2) Sautee the ginger juliennes.
3) Add tomato paste and saute until the oil (er..butter) separates.
4) Add the blended paste and bring to a simmer.
5) Add the cream and bring to a boil.
6) Add a few tea spoons of honey.
7) Add chicken and bring it to a boil.
8) Based on the required thickness of the gravy keep adding water in small quantities.
9) Add the Kasuri Methi leaves and give it a stir.
10) Garnish with coriander leaves and its ready to serve.

A  tip

Instead of doing the chicken thing as mentioned above...a better idea would be to make some tandoori chicken tikka and add it to the gravy.

Aloo Gobhi

Hello,

Finally BIA at the Kitchen after a "short" break. Aloo Gobhi has been on the agenda for quite some time. Everytime we had aloo there was no gobhi and vice versa. As with any "Northi" / Punjabi dish my memories always begin from Bangalore. In this case the Gurudwara Dhaba in Ulsoor. Can't say I came close to it, but definitely worth repeating. Until a very recently our spice rack was quite "South Indian". Thanks to some of my IGT mates I came to know of a few more tricks to make it more authentic. This time it was Amchur powder which gives the zing.

Ingredients:

1) Aloo (Potato) (1 - 1.5 inch cubes)

2) Phool Gobhi (Cauliflower) florets

3) Minced Garlic

4) Cumin seeds

5) Onions

6) Tomato wedges

7) Amchur powder 

8) Asafoetida
9) Turmeric powder
10) Garam masala (optional)
11) Red chilli powder

Method:

1) Heat a skillet with a "generous" portion of oil.

2) Sautee the garlic and cumin seeds for a quick 20 seconds.

3) Add the potatoes , asafoetida,  turmeric  and roast it. This is the part that requires utmost patience. You can try to cheat by having smaller chunks of potato, but then it may not become Aloo Gobhi!! So patience please. Potato has to be roasted until you can easily cut through it with a spoon. A better test....try to eat it and it shouldn't taste raw. :-) (Duh!!)

4) I made a mistake of adding the onions along with the potatoes. As part of the slow roasting process, the onions became almost charred and I had to fish it out. On the positive side, it gave a pretty good flavour to the potato. So if you haven't added the onions already, now is a good time.

5) Add the Cauliflower florets and most of the tomato wedges (2/3rds maybe..).

6) Stir fry this mix for about 10-15 minutes along with amchur powder, red chilli powder and garam masala  (optinal) until the Cauli is cooked. Indication - should be slightly soggy.

7) Add the remaining tomatoes and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

8) Garnish with chopped coriander (Cilantro) and serve with hot Chappatis.

Aloo Gobhi Ready!!

Khao Pad Tom Yum (Tom Yum Fried Rice)

Many have enjoyed the hot and sour Tom Yum soup, but this one is a fried rice with Tom Yum. Recently tasted this in a Thai restaurant in Sydney (@Bangkok) and found it to be a very interesting combination. One could call it the Thai Puliyogare for the sour taste. Apparently this is a popular dish in Thailand just not too popular in the westernized restaurants.







What goes in:

1) Tom Yum paste - just get it from the store. I think it's too much of a hassle if you need to make it on your own. And yes this has shrimp paste in it not sure if there is a veggie version of this.
2) Jasmine Rice (Cooked at least 6 hrs in advance)
3) Kaffir leaves
4) Bamboo shoot
5) Bean sprouts
6) Chives
7) Garlic
8) Mixed vegetables
9) Eggs
10) Thai Red chillies

The process:

1) Heat up a wok to as high a temperature as possible.
2) Add a generous amount of oil and wait for the smoke to come out of the oil.
3) Break open the eggs and stir quickly for a good scrambled fried egg.
4) Add the garlic, chillies and Tom Yum paste and stir well for about a minute.
5) Add the mixed vegetables and bamboo shoots and give it a stir for about 2 minutes.
6) Add the chives and kaffir leaves, give it a short stir.
7) Add the boiled Jasmine rice and give it a good mix. Add more tom yum paste if needed (not smelling the flavour enough?).
8) Add fish sauce as required to the amount of saltiness you need.
9) Toss in the bean sprouts for a final stir.

Tom Yum Fried Rice - Done!!

Enjoy!!

C

Tomato Chutney

Someone had asked me if this blog will contain only "exotic" cuisines and recipes. Not really - so here's one of the everyday recipes. But then everyday to us might be special to someone else!! This is Uma's production but I'll take credit for photography, posting and of course tasting testing. :-)

Ingredients:

1) Asafoetida (the famous L.G. Perungayam). I sincerely wonder if there is any other brand for perungayam.

2) Grated coconut (for those who can afford fresh - go for it)

3) Onions

4) Tomatoes

5) Garlic

6) Tamarind

7) Channa Dal

8) Urad Dal

9) Dried red chillies

10) Curry leaves

11) Mustard

The method:

1) Sautee Urad dal ,Channa dal and dried red chillies  for a few minutes in vegetable oil (any kind would do) until brown.

2) Sautee garlic, coconut, onions and tomatoes until the onion becomes translucent and the tomatoes gets mushy. 

3) Add tamarind (make sure there are no seeds in it). You can also use tamarind pulp.

4) Mix all of this in blender until it comes to a smooth chutney. 

5) Garnish with sauteed mustards and curry leaves.

This can be had with Idli/Dosai - typically. Maybe you can try this with a phulka or maybe pita bread??

Enjoy.

C

Pad Thai

Hello,

Alvin - This one is for you. The one who asks for 2 * Pad Thai @ Eagle Thai!! Pad Thai is what made me fall in love with Thai food. Especially the one at Eagle Thai - Pad Thai in Tomato sauce - 5 * (at times over the scale). Since then Pad Thai has been my dip stick to measure my likingness to any new Thai restaurant I try. If the Pad Thai is good then the other dishes can't be that bad. The version below may not be the typical recipe for Pad Thai. It's a mix and match of many recipes I have seen. Some claim that Pad Thai is actually not a Thai dish - but guess what - who cares!!

What goes in:

For the sauce:

1) Tamarind puree
2) Fish sauce (can substitute with soy and salt)
3) Peanut butter (smooth)
4) Tomato sauce (ketchup)
5) Palm sugar (ordinary sugar would do as well)








Other stuff
1) Flat rice noodles - thin variety
2) Egg
3) Dried prawn (shrimp)
4) Pickled turnips (this is the signature ingredient)
5) Prawn - preferably raw (can substitute with chicken, tofu or any other veggie)
6) Chives (substitute with spring onions)
7) Bean sprouts
8) Ground peanuts (roasted)



The procedure:

1) Mix the ingredients of the sauce together and make a paste. The quantity of each of this ingredient would make or break the taste of Pad Thai. Happy experimenting.
2) Boil the rice noodles. Make sure it is not too soft that it breaks apart or gets mushy mushy.
3) Heat a large wok and add a few tablespoons of oil.
4) Break in an egg and scramble fry it.
5) Add the dried prawns and turnips and saute for a few minutes.
6) Add the mixed sauce and saute for a minute or 2.
7) Add the prawns and cook them until they just turn red.
8) Add the noodles and add some more fish sauce. Remember to sprinkle some water if the noodles gets too sticky.
9) Mix well for a few minutes.
10) Add the chives.
11) Add bean sprouts and garnish with roasted peanuts.

Some serve with a wedge of lemon - personally I never preferred that.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Singapore Chilli Crab

Hello,

Am back again after a short break. This is one of those dishes that I cooked without tasting ever. I still haven't brought myself to buy a dish that costs $85. Yes, that is what it costs at Sambal for their signature dish. It was on my "To Cook" for a while and it happened over the long weekend. Thanks to the Queen.

What goes in:

• Crab
• Onion, Ginger, Garlic paste
• Chilli powder (can replace this with Thai red chilli added to the paste above)
• Tomato paste
• Sambal paste
• Palm sugar (or normal sugar would do as well)
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Tomato Sauce

Crab Cleaning

The very first time we attempted to cook crab was in Phoenix and it was a major disaster. So did a little more research this time.

1) If the crabs are still alive you should give a tap on its head just near the eyes to "knock them off". The one we had was already dead. 

2) Take a nice big knife and split the crab right in the middle.

3) Once split, you can easily open up the top shell and clean all the slimy stuff out. You can run it under cold water. There will also be some gray fibery substance on the top - get that out as well.

4) Chop up the claws or sections as some people call it.

Now to the curry

1. Heat up a wide sauce pan and pour a few tablespoons of oil.
2. Saute the onion-ginger-garlic paste until the oil separates a bit.
3. Add the tomato paste and the sambal paste and saute it for a few minutes.
4. Add vinegar, tomato sauce, soy sauce and palm sugar and saute until the sugar is dissolved completely.
5. Toss in the crab and saute for about 10 minutes. The crab shells will turn red by then.

The result:

One needs to have a taste for seafood and the fishy smell else don't bother to try this. :-)

Happy Cooking

C

Kadai Panneer

Kadai Panneer - one of the few dishes that I got accustomed in Bangalore probably during the later half of 1996 - when my stipend increased from Rs. 2500 - Rs. 4500 and we started graduating into the  "high end" Sagars (Sukh Sagar, Shanti Sagar etc)  from the road side Idli stalls. A yummy dish that's fairly simple to make as well. 

Ingredients:

1. Paneer - 500 gms diced into small cubes
2. Capsicum (Bell Pepper) - 1 (diced)
3. Onions - 3 (2 roughly chopped and 1 diced in cubes)
4. Green chillies - 3 o r 4
5. Tomato paste - 2 table spoons
6. Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
8. Cumin powder - 1  table spoon
9. Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
10. Garam masala - 1 table spoon
11. Methi Kasuri - 1 table spoon  (crushed in hand)
12. Ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
13. Milk - 1 cup
14. Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons
15. Vegetable oil - 3-4 table spoons
16. Salt to taste
17. Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Grind the 2 roughly chopped onions to a paste.
2. Heat up the kadai and saute the onion paste in vegetable oil for about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add ginger garlic paste, cumin, coriander, garam masala, red chilli, turmeric powders and sautee until the oil separates from the mix.
4. Add tomato paste and saute for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Add a 1/4 cup of milk and mix it up so that the milk blends into the masala well.
6. Add salt to taste and water to required consistency. Note this dish is usually a semi-gravy style and hence water should be kept to a minimum.
7. Add the diced onions and capsicum and mix it up for a few minutes until the onions become soft.
8. Add the lemon juice and cook it for about a minute.
9. Add the crushed methi kasuri and mix it well.
10. Add paneer and let it cook for a minute or two.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy your Kadai Paneer!!

Happy Cooking
C

Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng a.k.a. Fried rice Malaysian style is yet another variety of fried rice that brings it own twist to the "genre" of fried rice. The main ingredients that make this different from a regular Chinese (or Thai) fried rice is the Sambal paste, bean sprouts and fried onions (shallots). Sambal paste is a mix of shrimp paste and red chilli pastes. Am yet to figure out how to make this paste, right now under the courtesy of its namesake restaurant - Sambal.

Ingredients:

1. Sambal paste
2. Jasmine Rice
3. Minced Garlic
4. Eggs
5. Chicken (Optional of course)
6. Bean sprouts
7. Spring onions
8. Mixed vegetables (Carrots, peas and corn)
9. Fried onions
10. Soy sauce (not in pic)
11. Turmeric powder (not in pic)

Process

1. Cook the Jasmine rice, preferably few hours in advance and cool it down. The ratio I like for cooking rice is 1 cup rice : 1.5 cups water.
2. In a hot wok add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and swirl it around.
3. Sautee the garlic and sambal paste and turmeric for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked. 
5. Add the diced spring onions and the veggies and stir fry for about a minute.
6. Create an opening in the middle of the wok, add a bit of oil and scramble the eggs. 
7. Add jasmine rice and soy sauce and stir fry for a minute.
8. Add the bean sprouts and fried onions and give it a good final toss.

The result:

Stir Fried Chicken Noodles a.k.a. Chicken Chowmein (in Indo-Chinese lingo)

Stir-fried noodles or "Mee" as I was introduce to about 4 decades ago was always a hit at home. My mom had her recipe influenced probably by Malay and Indian cuisine with a strong garlic and ginger flavour to it. Over the years I have realized that "chowmein" means many things in different restaurants. I always get confused (and confuse the waiters) when I order "chowmein" in a proper Chinese restaurant (outside India). I've learnt to order this as "stir fried egg noodles with...".  When it comes to anything chinese and stir fried - one of the key requirements is a nice wok to get the smoky restauranty flavour. You cannot get this with the non-stick versions but a proper steel sticky version that needs proper "seasoning".  I used something like the one below. 

Ingredients:
1) Egg Noodles
2) Carrot
3) Onions
4) Cabbage
5) Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
6) Spring Onions (Shallots)
7) Garlic
8) Eggs (beaten)
9) Dark Soya sauce
10) Chicken thigh fillet
11) Vinegar

The method:

1) Chop Shop
The first and foremost in making noodles is chopping the veggies to the right size in terms of length and thickness. Yes, it could be a pain to chop the carrots, but any other way would not make that a chowmein. These days I cheat and get the ready made stir fry veggie mix. The next important thing in chopping is the meat. Make sure you slice the chicken fillet as thinly as possible and chop it up a bit more. Each piece should not be more than 1-2 inches in length and probably a few centimeters wide. This is to allow the chicken to be cooked fairly quickly. The next trick was to marinade the chicken in soy sauce and garlic. This removed the otherwise chickeny smell of chicken once stir fried.

2) The Noodles

1) Heat a large sauce pan with enough water to dunk all of the noodles.
2) Bring it to a boil and add the noodles.
3) Use a fork to separate the noodles after a few minutes.
4) Stop cooking when you can see the froth coming up.
5) Drain and wash the noodles in cold water to stop further cooking.

3) Stir Fry
a) Heat up a large wok on high heat until you can see the smoke coming out.
b) Add a few table spoons of oil (1 per serving) and coat the wok with oil.
c) Toss in the minced garlic and sautee for about 10-20 seconds.
d) Add the chicken and sautee until the chicken is 3/4ths cooked i.e., you dont see anything pinkish. Remove the chicken and transfer to a separate bowl / plate.
e) Add the beaten egg and scramble it up for about a minute.
f) Add the onions and stir fry for a minute.
g) Next comes the carrots. Another 30 seconds of stir frying.
h) Add capsicum and cabbage and give it another quick stir.
i) Toss in the boiled noodles and coat it with a bit of soya sauce. A typical Indo-chinese version will be fairly low on the soy sauce content. Add a few tablespoons of water if the noodles are sticky.
j) Stir fry the mix for about a minute ensuring all the contents have mixed well.
k) Garnish with spring onions.

Chicken Chowmein ready!!

Enjoy

C

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Hello,

Cream of Mushroom soup - was introduced via the spice trade from Malaysia to India. ;-) My grand pa brought these soup packets whenever he visited from Labuan - late 70s early 80s??. Definitely don't remember the brand  but still remember the smell. After that it has been a long long time since I've had a good cream of mushroom soup until I started cooking that myself. This is one soup that you don't normally get in restaurants and if you do - not worth mentioning.

Recently tried this when we had a bunch of friends over for dinner and came out fairly ok.

Ingredients
1) Mushroom - any variety would do I suppose.
2) Butter
3) Cream
4) Milk
5) Corn flour
6) All purpose flour (Maida)
7) Onions
8) Celery sticks (minced). Chopping celery is a very interesting activity. It gives a great smell and feel as you chop it.
9) Vegetable stock (can try chicken stock as well to enhance the flavour)

Process
1) Finely chop the mushrooms and onions. I recently found a trick to mince the mushrooms in a hand blender.    Definitely very handy when you have to do this on a large scale.
2) In a large sauce pan, melt the butter in low/medium heat.
3) Once butter is melted add the the mushrooms, onions and celery and sautee them for about 3-4 minutes.
4) Add the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
5) Add a 1-2 tablespoons of cream and about half a cup of milk.
6) Once the above gets to a boil add a mix of corn flour and all purpose flour in water.
7) Leave the soup to boil and then simmer for a few minutes until it thickens to a consistency you need.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Paruppu - Le Dal Definitif

The other day one of my clients asked for the most definitive dal recipe. It made me think for a while to see if there was any dal variety that could be considered "definitive" - of course not.

The very first paruppu I was accustomed to is the basic "Upporuppu" which translates to simply salty dal. That's probably the simplest of all - pressure cook dal with lots of water throw in some garlic and salt. That would be it. If you see some seasoning you are lucky. This variety is usually the staple first course in all south indian wedding lunches. I wonder if there would be any single soul who would complain if that was not served. Oh well...

For a long long time I never used to consume dal as it is until I was exposed to the Andhra style by my friend Ravi (yes Mr Mandalika that's you if you get to read this). He calls it the Dal Jeera Thadka.

Here's what goes in:

1) Toor Dal
2) Turmeric powder
3) Garlic (Smashed)
4) Cumin seeds
5) Dried red chillies
6) Mustard seeds
7) Onions (Diced)
8) Tomatoes (Diced)
9) Salt
10) Coriander leaves (Cilantro)

The method

1) Pressure cook the dal with a pinch of turmeric and a few drops of cooking oil (any kind would do). There should be enough water so that it doesn't get dried up. The amount of dal of course is upto the quantity you need. One cup of dal would do for 1 serving.

2) In a shallow pan, heat up the oil and sautee the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the dried chillies.
3) Add some smashed up garlic to the mix and sautee for about 30 seconds.
4) Add the onions and sautee until translucent. Add another pinch or 2 of turmeric.
5) Add the tomatoes and sautee until the tomato is soft but not completely broken down.
6) Add the pressure cooked dal and pour some water. Preferrably the dal water remaining in the pressure cooker. The amount of water is completely up to your preference. (If you are cooking for a south indian wedding lunch - probably a litre of water for a cup of dal. If not add just as much as you need)
7) Bring the contents to a boil. Taste and add salt as required.
8) Garnish with the coriander leaves.

Drop in a cinnamon stick as you sautee the onions and tomatoes. It gives a different kick.

Happy Cooking

C

Parotta

Parotta or புரோட்டா (burotta) as it is called in Tamil Nadu is such a versatile flaky bread which can be consumed in many ways. Am yet to find a parotta to beat the one from K.R. Bhavan - Salem.  Parotta is the ultimate evening snack (or dinner). Kurma soaked parotta wrapped in plantain leaves parcel. Yummm... 

Once I left Salem, having a good parotta has always been a treat. After going to US I had to console myself with those frozen malaysian "parathas" - until of course the frozen "malabar parottas" came into being. For a very long time I have been wanting to try my hands at it and last weekend made it a point to give it a shot (thump). Parotta making is definitely a skill that I need to "master" over time. Maybe that's why the parotta makers are called "master". :-)

Ingredients

1) Maida (All purpose flour) - used 3 cups

2) Egg white (1 egg)

3) Salt (1 tablespoon)

4) Oil - used Olive Oil (heaps of them)

5) Water

The process

Mix the ingredients on a wide bowl with lots of oil to make a nice smooth dough ball. Once the ball is made hit it (thump it) hard on the kitchen table. While I was doing it Uma was asking if I was showing my "love for her" on the dough. I continued harder... ;-)

Cover the dough with a wet cloth and leave it aside for a few hours.

After a couple of hours make big lemon sized balls out of it. One tip here is to make the balls fairly big - about 4 inch diameter. I made them small and they turned out too small to my liking.

Cover the balls again with wet cloth and leave aside for about an hour.

Now comes the fun part. Take a ball and spread it out as thin as possible on the kitchen table. If you are really skilled you can flip them out like a master. However until you reach there you can just try spread the dough out thin using your fingers. The trick here is to have enough oil on your hands and the dough that it doesn't break apart. If it does...well you know you need more oil.

Once spread out, fold it in multiple layers or pleats and roll them like a Cinnabon roll.

Once rolled, take these rolls and press them out flat with your palm and once thin enough cook it on a tava. Should take about 2-3 minutes cooking time per parotta.

Yummy parotta ready:

Best eaten with chicken curry or kurma. And yes, once cooked, pile them up and give it a nice smack on the sides to loosen them up a bit to make them soft.

Enjoy...

C

The Manchurian (Gobi)

Hello,

Gobi (or Gopi as one of my mates would call it) Manchurian is one dish that I definitely did not grow up as a kid. It probably started from my late teens and upwards (and still going). A staple appetizer / starter that one would order in any Chinese restaurant in India. There are 2 variations to this -  dark brownish version found in propah Chinese restaurants (in India) and the orangish version more popular in the non-chinese restaurants. This one I tried is the later.
And of course there is the other choice you need to make whether it is the dry or the gravy or saucy version. Coming out of India, this is one dish that I've always longed for because you don't find that normally in Indian restaurants in US. However in Australia  I can find it more frequently.

What goes in:


For the batter:
1) All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 Cups
2) Corn Flour - 2 Table spoons
3) Eggs - 2
4) Salt
5) Food colouring - A pinch or so... Completely optional. I tried a saffron colouring, turned out OK.

As mentioned earlier I would attempt to give as accurate measurements as possible with anything involving  flour and egg, . The batter is a very important aspect which makes or breaks a good manchurian. Sometimes it gets too water, or too crispy or too floury. I found that the above measurement worked out just fine. If you need more or less apply your ratios as required.

Main Ingredient - Gobi (Cauliflower) florets. This of course can be replaced with pretty much anything you want. The only difference would be in the time it takes to deep fry. You can try a bite size piece of chicken, paneer, fish.

For manchurian kick:

1) Garlic - thinly minced
2) Green chillies
3) Soy sauce
4) Tomato sauce (skip this if you prefer the brown version)
5) Vinegar - 1 tablespoon - try not to overboard on this - you might have to give a different name to the dish then. ;-)

6) Spring Onions

The process:

1) Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets. Too big or too small will cause a problem with deep frying.
2) Prepare the batter by whisking in all the ingredients with about half a cup of water. Keep adding water only as much as needed. The result should be a fairly thick batter which would cover up the Gobi and stick together.
3) Leave the batter to settle down.
4) Mince the garlic, chillies and the spring onions.
5) Deep fry the Gobi in batter. It normally takes about 2-3 minutes for a batch. Try not to under or overcook it. Got to watch the temperature of the oil and control the flame (or heat) setting accordingly.
6) In a large wok, sautee the garlic, chillies and the bottom part of the spring onions. Use about 3/4th of the garlic you have to sautee.
7) Add in the sauces - tomato, soy and vinegar and mix it up for about a minute.
8) Toss in the deep fried Gobi and stir fry until the sauce is evenly mixed.
9) Add a little of the remaining garlic and stir.
10) Garnish with finely chopped spring onions.

For the saucy version:
1) Before you toss in the Gobi, add as much water you need and get the mixture to boil.
2) Add corn flour water. Can't measure this since completely depends on how much sauce you need.
3) Once the sauce is thick enough add in the deep fried Gobi.

Warning: Gobi Manchurian is Addictive - Enjoy Responsibly!! ;-) (Our guests last night almost did not eat dinner after the starter).

Enjoy.. :-)

Gaeng Kieow Waan - Thai Green Curry

Green Curry - this is something that I just made some memories with. Every time I see that in a Thai menu, I have invariably skipped it. Probably the colour was not too appealing. However a few months ago had an opportunity to have a taste of it (of course at Saap Thai!!). The colour is just so misleading. This time I attempted a green curry from the scratch.

Things needed for the curry paste:

a) Coriander leaves and stems (Cilantro for those in the US of A) - This is what actually gives the colour to the curry.
b) Lemon Grass
c) Kaffir lime leaves
d) Galanga root
e) Green chillies
f) Garlic

Traditionally you are expected to make a paste out of the above ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Which I did this time. However, at the end I cheated by running it through the blender once to make it a smoother paste.

Other ingredients:

1) Thai egg plant - This is a must to make this authentic. In case you don't...nah...don't bother. :-)
2) Chicken (or any other meat or non-meat chunk)
3) Fish sauce
4) Coconut milk

The method:

1) Sautee the green curry paste in oil for about 3-4 minutes.
2) Add about half a cup (or half of whatever you have) of coconut milk and mix for about a minute.
3) Add chicken (or anything else you need to cook well) and cook for about 5 minutes.
4) Add the egg plant and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
5) Add fish sauce (or salt) to taste.

At first I was not impressed with the flavour so added a little more of:
a) Kaffir leaves
b) Grated galanga root
c) Fish sauce

The Kaffir and Galanga brings out the typical Thai flavours in any curry.

The output:

The looks as I said earlier may not be too appealing - but if you like Thai food...then you must try this.

Enjoy...

Pad See Eew Kee Mao

Pad Kee Mao Vs Pad See Eew - I've come up with my own concoction "Pad See Eew Kee Mao ". Pad see eew does not have basil. The key ingredient there is the choy sum spinach and of course flat noodles and dark soy sauce. Pad kee mao does not usually have the greens or the egg. However I always mix them both when I order my lunch at Saap Thai (Eagle Thai in Sydney) and hence this recipe. If I were to have a garden, there will be 2 plants that are mandatory - Curry Leaves & Basil Leaves. I keep mixing with Italian Basil / Sweet Basil and Thai basil / Hot Basil. Not able to figure out the differences (yet).

What you need:

1. Flat Rice noodles (preferably the fresh one)
2. Minced garlic
3. Choy sum  (or any other type of spinach with stems). The leaves and stems have to be separated.
4. Soy Sauce
5. Fish Sauce
6. Kecap Manis (Gives you the colour and the sweetness)
7. Oyster Sauce
8. Sugar
9. Eggs
10. Basil leaves
11. Thai Red Chillies

Note: Vegetarians feel free to skip the fish and oyster sauce. 

The method:

1. I had bought the fresh flat noodles - the uncut version. It looked like a rice dhoti. Had to cut them to the size I wanted. Made  2" x8" (approximately) strips.
2. Rinse the noodles under warm water and separate them out.
3. Chop the veggies as in the photo above. Most important is to have the choy sum leaves and stems separate.
4. Heat a large wok on high heat and pour a generous amount of oil and swirl it to coat the wok.
5. NOTE: From this point on just use what you need for 1 - 1.5 servings. Do not try to cook for the whole party in a single go. It is time consuming...but definitely worth the effort!!!
6. Add garlic and the chillies and give a quick stir. Care to be taken not to burn the garlic.
7. Add the choy sum stems and stir fry for about a minute.
8. Add the choy sum leaves and stir fry until they wilt a little bit - but not too much. You need to maintain the crunch of the leaves and not let it become wimp and soggy.
9. Add the flat noodles, the sauces and sugar.
10. Stir fry the contents  for about a minute until the sauces gets mixed evenly and the noodles are all separated. If the noodles are too sticky feel free to add a few tablespoons of water which will help separate them out. (And also create a sizzle to add to give you a restaurant effect.)
11. Move the noodles to the side and create a space in the centre of the wok. Break open the eggs and create a scramble. Once the eggs are 3/4th cooked mix in the noodles.
12. Toss in the basil leaves and give a quick stir for about a minute.

The Result:

Enjoy...

C

Kao Pad Krapao - Che

Ok...I am not using some swear words here. The title basically means Veggie fried rice with basil (in Thai).

Amongst the various varieties in Thai fried rice, this one has been the most widely available dish in US and Aussie. Am yet to figure out the Curry Fried Rice that Eagle Thai dished out and I've never been able to get the same dish anywhere else. I've tried requesting the same in many Thai restaurants, but most often have been rejected. Probably it is not too authentic? I've attempted to make that myself a few times, but haven't reached there yet. :(

Chilli Basil Fried rice - usually made with chicken, this time I had made it with veggies and egg.

Ingredients:

Jasmine Rice (Any other rice will not get you the same effect)
Thai Red Chillies
Garlic
Basil Leaves (A generous bunch)
Veggies (typically, carrot, peas and corn)
Red Onions
Capsicum (preferably red)
Eggs
Fish Sauce
Soya Sauce

The method:

1. Pre-cook the jasmine rice at least about 3-4 hours prior to making this fried rice. Many people do suggest the previous day's rice. However in the interest of time as long as the rice is not warm (rather cold to touch) it is good enough. 
2. Sautee the chopped / smashed garlic and red chillies in a generous amount of oil on low/medium heat for about 15-20 seconds.
3. Add the veggies except capsicum (with the wok in High head). If you prefer meat, this would be a good time to add. Stir fry the mix to an extent where your main ingredient (veggie/meat) is cooked enough.
   
4. Add the cold rice to this mix along with fish sauce and soya sauce. The amount of fish sauce needs to be taken care. You will need to get the strong smell of fish sauce at this time.
5. Mix up the contents for about less than a minute.
6. Separate the rice and create a gap in the middle of the wok / kadai. Add some oil and break open the eggs. Try not to beat the egg in advance for a  Thai fried rice. 
7. Once the eggs are 3/4th cooked, mix in the rice and stir fry along with the remaining capsicum and basil leaves.
8. The smell of the fish sauce should now give way to the aroma of the basil leaves.
9. Kao Pad Krapao is now ready to be served.
10. Yes, you can garnish with coriander leaves (Cilantro for those in the US of A) if you would like. 

Enjoy

C

Potential Bloopers:

1. Rice gets too sticky and soggy. When the rice (or noodles) gets too sticky in the kadai while mixing, a few ml of water added helps to loosen up the starch and separate out the rice.
2. Fish sauce not enough. This did happen to me where I was out of stock for the amount of rice I had thought of.
3. Watch out on the Thai red chillies. They are dynamite. :-)

Kothu Parotta

Every country boasts of it's own "street food". Pad thai for Thai, Kway Teaw for Malay, probably a hot dog for the US of A. When it comes to South Indian cusine, my vote would be for Kothu Parotta. Kothu parotta (meaning "chopped" up parotta) is a typical road side delicacy you would find on any road side non-vegetarian stall in Tamil Nadu. If my memory serves right, the first time I had a "professional" kothu was on a roadside shop on the way from Coimbatore to Salem. Don't remember the place, but probably returning from one of my uncle's wedding. My first successful kothu  was done in Portland, OR with the help of THE Mangalam masala. I have to time the preparation of KP right along with making a chicken curry and hence the perfect sequel to Chicken Chettinad. Left over chicken curry gives the extra kick or the professional touch. 

What goes in:

1. Parotta. This has to be the flaky kerala style or ceylon style parotta available in Indian stores. For those in India...try to get it from the nearby kaiyendhi bhavan (road side shop).
2. Eggs
3. Onions
4. Tomatos
5. Chicken masala powder
6. Chicken curry (Should not be too thick. If thick, lighten it up with water.)
7. Green chillies 
8. Curry leaves 

The method:

1. Chop up the parotta into as small pieces as possible. Recently I found a technique with the frozen parottas. I heat it up on a tava and chop (kothu) it up with a knife. I used to do it with hand but found the knife to be doing a better job. (Edit: I used a blender today and "pulsed" the parotta. It gave a texture close to what you get in a restaurant.)
2. Beat up the eggs separately to make an even spread. (Or just break it open on the parotta later).
3. Sautee mustard seeds until they splatter.
4. Sautee the green chillies and onions for a few minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes to the mix. Need to make sure we dont over cook the tomato. Should maintain the chunky pieces.
6. Add the chopped up parotta and the masalas (powder and half of the chicken curry).
7. Add salt as required.
8. Mix it up well so the masala gets mixed evenly.
9. Create a space in the middle of the kadai by pushing the parotta mix to the side. (Alternatively just break open the eggs on the parotta or pour the beaten egg over the parotta).
10. Pour the beaten egg and scramble it until its 3/4ths cooked.
11. Mix up the parotta along with the scrambled egg so that a light coating of the egg is applied on to the parotta as well.
12. Empty the remaining chicken curry into the mix.
13. Add curry leaves and coriander as garnish and give it a final toss.

The result:

Enjoy

C