My experiments with food: Steamed prawns with mustard

I had never imagined that finding as simple a thing as ready made mustard paste would be so hard in Pune. I am partial to steamed dishes with a hint (or more) of mustard in them. That goes for all varieties of food, fish, chicken, egg, etc, with the absolute favourite being steamed Hilsa. But that is probably boringly predictable in a Bong. It is no wonder then that I began searching high and low for mustard paste as soon as I set up my own kitchen (buying a mixer just to grind mustard was never an option). But, I had not contended with the utter lack of enthusiasm of Puneites for ready made mustard paste. Every shop here stores either whole mustard or split mustard. Split mustard or dal mustard as it is called here is mustard seed split in half. I have not been able to figure out what earthly use can split mustard have for anyone. I mean, either you use whole mustard seed in your preparation or grind it into paste, so why split it? Anyways, fed up of my incessant grumblings about mustard my mother took pity on me and sent me the paste from Delhi by courier. I could guess how fed up she had become only when I found that the cost of courier was seven times the cost of the paste.

Anyhow, now that I finally had my precious paste, I had to decide what to do with it. I decided to cook something which I had never tried before - prawns. The trouble with prawns is that they are so hard to clean and devein. That problem resolved itself when I found ready-to-cook cleaned and de-veined prawns as a super mart. And so the stage was set for my next adventure in the kitchen.

Recipe: Steamed prawns with mustard

Ingredients(serves 3):

1. Medium prawns - 250 gms (cleaned and deveined)
2. Mustard paste - 2 tb spoon
3. Mustard oil - 3-4 tb spoon
4. Onion - 100 gms (finely chopped or paste)
5. Garlic - 5-6 cloves (finely chopped or paste)
6. Green chillies - 3-4 (finely chopped)
7. Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
8. Turmeric - 1/4 tb spoon
9. Salt - to taste

Steps:

1. I don't like adding the residue or the fibrous part of mustard paste to the preparation as it is this part that is hard to digest. So at the outset, I soak the paste in half a cup of water. This way the fibrous particles sink to the bottom and the milk can be drained from the top.
2. Mix onion, garlic and green chili.
3. Add a little turmeric and salt to the prawns and mix.
4. Heat oil and the onion mix to it.
5. Stir for some time, till onion turns golden.
6. Add tomato and fry till they release water.
7. Add prawns and let the mix fry on low heat till the prawns lose their pinkish colour.
8. Add the milk of the mustard, add salt and remaining turmeric.
9. Cover the kadhai till the gravy begins to boil. Then remove from fire.

It is important to keep in mind that prawns should not be deep fried as they become tough and difficult to chew if heated for too long.

About prawns
The terms 'prawn' and 'shrimp' are used interchangeably with 'prawn' being more common in UK, India and 'shrimp' being used exclusively in the US. The etymology of the word 'prawn' is obscure. In Middle English, the word 'prawn' is recorded as prayne or prane; no cognate form can be found in any other language.
Source: Wikipedia

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Eating Out: Kobe Sizzlers, Pune

This is a review I had written quite some time ago for another blog. As that blog has disappeared, I thought of adding it here as part of the restaurant review series. It is dated Thursday, May 25, 2006.

Kobe Sizzlers opened a branch in Aundh quite some time ago but, with one thing or the other, I never got around to try it out. So last sunday, I convinced P and A to accompany me there. They had never had sizzlers. I told them sizzlers are just the kind of food they like and they will enjoy it. Now both A and P are die hard traditionalists. They don't like anything out of the way in any aspect of life, more so in matters gastronomic. It was unethical but what the heck, I was desparate... Anyways, we went there at around 9:00 PM. It was crowded as hell (the people of Aundh certainly don't like cooking at home). We ordered soups for starters. I had chicken sweetcorn soup while they had chicken soup. Both were excellent. Going on to the main course, we were stuck over the menu for sometime due to the lack of options. They have only steaks on their menu. Granted they have many (and I mean it) varieties of it, but what if I don't want to have steak. And in India, very few people have beef. I guess they realised it as well and have kept two varieties of "chicken steak". Predictably, A and P opted for chicken steaks. I asked the waiter for the best item and he said satellite steak. So satellite steak it was. Sizzlers take a long time to prepare, and there was no crowd worth looking at there, so we got bored for sometime. When the dishes came, my friends were shocked to see that they were expected to eat what they described as "slabs of meat covered in leaves" and nothing else. Anyways, I had no such problems and attacked my food immediately. Satellite steak, however strangely named it may have been, was good. The amount they serve is quite large and I had to exert myself to finish it off. My friends lessened the fun somewhat by keeping up their comments - pata nahin kaise log patte ke saath meat kha lete hain - but I managed to enjoy my dinner. My major complaint is the small menu. There is absolutely no variety in it. Though the food is good, if anybody wants to have sizzlers I would recommend Yanna's. Their food is just as good, and they offer much more variety (since it's Yanna's sizzlers and wok). P and A are definitely not going to go back there. And as I am not going to go there alone, I don't think I will be going there any time soon. Read More

Eating Out: Sarjaa, Pune

I have just got back from dinner at Sarjaa. The Sunday night dinner is a like a ritual with me and my roomies. We never ever cook on Sunday nights. Instead we head out to one or other of our favourite restaurants for a have-to-slog-for-next-5-days kind of dinners. Truth to tell, there aren't many places we like - Pune is definitely not the place for non-vegetarians like Delhi or Hyderabad are. Sarjaa in Sanewadi is one of our favourites. In fact, we have been going there, every Sunday for the past few weeks. In my humble opinion, Sarjaa is the best place for non-vegetarian food in Pune. I have to hasten to add my reasons for conferring this crown to Sarjaa before there are any howls of protest from anyone. I have tried almost everything on their (varied) menu and I have not had a single complaint so far. My favourite in the starter section is Murg Ghee Roast. Roshali Kabab and Tandoori Murg come close second and third respectively. My favourite mutton dish is Mutton Rara while Murg Bhuna takes the honours in Chicken items. If you ask the staff though they will, for some unknown reason, recommend Murg Kalimiri. It is a tasty preparation but for me it comes after Murg Chatpata. Sarjaa is an Indian specialty restaurant and understandably the Chinese and Continental menus are limited and not quite up to the mark. But then, if you wanted Chinese or Continental food, you would go to a specialty restaurant in the first place. What you get here is authentic Indian food along with a great ambiance and terrific service. I am not much of a drinker and cannot vouch for the bar though. Their bar list is long and they stock what they advertise, which is more than can be said about many other places I know. It is a perfect place to take your family to. Also a safe bet for a first date.

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My experiments with food: Methi Chicken

I was feeling pretty bored from watching TV all afternoon. So I decided to cook something different. I could not think of anything simple and yet different from regular dishes. Called up my ever dependable mom and asked for recipe which "would be different from what I regularly make but simple enough so that I can finish it in time for an early dinner". She suggested methi chicken. It seemed simple enough to make. It required lots of garlic and methi, both of which I like very much. I thought they would give the dish a pungent aroma - a happy change from the bland burger from McDonald's I had for lunch. And, its very light on the stomach. I decided to go for it. It took me one trip to the local super market and less than an hour of cooking time to make it. Needless to say, it was a huge success. It tasted as good as I hoped it would and better. I have written down the recipe below.

Recipe: Methi Chicken

Ingredients (serves 1):

1. Chicken - 250 gms. (medium to small pieces)
2. Red tomatoes - 250 gms. (same quantity as chicken)
3. Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) - 50 gms. (depending on how strong you want the aroma to be)
4. Onions - 100 gms.
   
5. Garlic - 10 cloves (I used more than that - told you I like garlic)
6. Red chili powder (for colour only)
7. Green chilies (depending on how hot you want your food)
8. Ginger to taste.

Steps:

1. Soak the methi leaves in water for about half an hour.
2. Cut the tomatoes, the green chilies and the onions into very small pieces.
3. Heat oil.
4. Put in the tomato, onion, ginger and chili and a pinch of red chili powder.
5. Stir till the the mixture becomes soft and light brown.
6. Put in the chicken pieces.
7. Add just enough water so that all the pieces are completely submerged.
8. Add haldi and salt to taste.
9. Cover it and cook till the chicken pieces become soft. Stir it from time to time so that all pieces cook uniformly.
   
10. Add the methi leaves and the water they were soaked in.
11. Cover it and let it cook till you get a thick gravy. You must stir it from time to time so that the leaves blend uniformly.
    

About Methi

I looked up methi on the internet and found quite a few interesting facts about it. Its called Fenugreek in English. Its scientific name is Trigonella foenum-graecum. The leaves are used as herbs and the seeds as spice. It was first cultivated in the region near modern day Iraq in around 4000 BC.
In India, methi seeds are mixed with yogurt and used as a conditioner for hair. In Ethiopia, it is used as natural herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes. In Egypt, methi seeds are prepared as tea, by being boiled then sweetened. Methi has a lot of medicinal properties. It mainly used as a digestive aid. It has been shown to reduce cholestrol and is a potent antidiabetic. It also helps in reducing heat in human body. The Wikipedia entry on Methi is here.

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My experiments with food: Bhuna Khichuri

Last night I experimented with one of the very typical Bengali dishes - Bhuna Khichuri. It is also my favourite vegetarian dish. Khichdi is a popular dish all across India. I know Kadhi Khichdi is a rage in Maharashtra. But like every other pan-Indian phenomena, every region has developed its own variant. In Bengal it has morphed from a simple, healthy, easily digestible, good-for-all Khichdi to Bhuna Khichuri, the ultimate in rich, hard to digest, eat-at-your-own-risk food. I can write a volume on how Bengalis never seem to be able to make simple, healthy food. We cook on the premise that if it doesn't make you sweat when cooking and doesn't make you burn when eating then it ain't food. In fact, Shukto seems to be the only Bengali dish the uninitiated can have without risking repeated visits to the toilet. However, I am digressing.
This experiment did not turn out very well. I am not used to cooking very rich food. I habitually hold back on adding too much oil or spices. And I am always afraid of over cooking. These attributes are definitely not what you want when cooking Bhuna Kichuri. To start off, I roasted the dal a little too much. That by itself, would not have made much of a difference. But then, I used too little oil which made the rice stick to the bottom of the cooker and burnt some of it. I had used very little garam masala and the burnt rice spoiled the aroma. To crown it all, I burnt my thumb on the steam rising from the roasted dal. All in all, a very disappointing result. I haven't lost heart though. I am going to make Bhuna Khichuri again and again till I perfect it. Here is the recipe.

Recipe: Bhuna Khichuri

Ingredients (serves 1):

1. Moong dal - 1/4 cup
2. Rice - 1/2 cup
3. Refined oil - as oily as you want it. (ghee is used traditionally, risk it if you want to)
4. Onions - 2
5. Green chillies - as hot you want to make it
6. Ginger - a pinch
7. Garam masala - ?? (how would I know, I used too little remember)
8. Couple of whole red chilies .
   
9. Haldi - 1/4 teaspoon.
   

Steps:

1. Dry roast the dal uniformly till they are light brown.
2. Soak it in water for some time to soften it. Take care you don't burn your thumb in the steam. Wash dal when it gets cold.
3. Wash and clean the rice.
4. Heat the oil (or ghee if you were brave enough to use it) in a pressure cooker.
5. Add the red chilies.
   
6. Cut the onions, green chilies and ginger and add them to the oil.
7. Fry till the onion turns light brown.
8. Add the dal and the rice and stir so that all of it is uniformly fried. Take care that you don't over fry it. Stop frying just before it starts turning light brown.
9. Add water. Don't flood the rice. Just add enough so that the level of water is about 1 cm above the level of rice and dal.
10. Add the haldi for colour.
11. Add salt to taste.
12. Close the pressure cooker lid and let it cook.
13. Take the cooker down from the fire after 3 whistles. Let it cool before opening it.

About Khichdi/Khichuri

Khichdi is one of the very few Indian culinary dishes which developed indigenously in India rather than being brought over by armies, traders or monks from other parts of the world. In Bengali tradition it is customary to cook khichuri during rainy days. It is also traditional in Bengal to cook khichuri as lunch at most of the popular pujas. Non-vegetarian versions of Khichdi are also popular. Prawn khichdi is popular in Maharashtra, while mutton khichuri is popular in Bengal. This dish has been exported all over the world in many forms - Kushari (the Arab equivalent), Congee (a type of rice porridge eaten in many Asian countries), Kedgeree (the Anglo-Indian version), etc. The Wikipedia entry for Khichdi is here.

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